Quote in the local newspaper from the high school state champion in the 100 yard freestyle (conducted in a 25 yard pool):
"On the third lap of my 100, I breathed twice in a row and I shouldn't have done that."
Dan
I always used to count down and back as one lap, but then I got a swim watch which counts lengths. This morning's log shows 80 laps = 2000 yds. I'm just glad I don't have to keep count in my head any more. I'd lose count by 12 or 13. So now I only report yards swum.
Yeah, I understand the difference but I never heard anyone differentiate lap/length until I was a master's swimmer.
As a kid, lap=length.
To me it's just a swimmerism.
Like, "I need to work on my *** pullouts." :eek:
Or, "I didn't recognize you in clothes." :blush:
It doesn't help when you look up the definition, that different dictionaries give different meanings for lap.
Miriam-Webster defines this meaning of lap as:
"a : the act or an instance of traversing a course (as a racing track or swimming pool); also : the distance covered
b : one segment of a larger unit (as a journey)
c : one complete turn (as of a rope around a drum)"
So, if the pool is 25 Short COURSE yards, going for the complete 25 yards IS completing the course. If you started as an 8&U, that's the whole deal, so it makes sense to me that coaches of age groupers and swimmers who started as kids adopted this usage of terminology. As a 6 or 7 year old if you get to the other end of the pool and you have to go BACK, that's a big deal because you have to do the same thing you just did (complete the course).
To be lapped is a different definition entirely, with a whole other section, and doesn't change the definition of lap as a noun.
But :dedhorse::dedhorse::dedhorse:
I'd say "I took 2 breaths in a row." I try to give kids in competitive situations a break. (especially fast ones in O2 debt)
Truth. I never expect anyone to have the right words for things coming out of a race.
Yeah, I understand the difference but I never heard anyone differentiate lap/length until I was a master's swimmer.
As a kid, lap=length.
To me it's just a swimmerism.
Like, "I need to work on my *** pullouts." :eek:
Or, "I didn't recognize you in clothes." :blush:
It doesn't help when you look up the definition, that different dictionaries give different meanings for lap.
Miriam-Webster defines this meaning of lap as:
"a : the act or an instance of traversing a course (as a racing track or swimming pool); also : the distance covered
b : one segment of a larger unit (as a journey)
c : one complete turn (as of a rope around a drum)"
So, if the pool is 25 Short COURSE yards, going for the complete 25 yards IS completing the course. If you started as an 8&U, that's the whole deal, so it makes sense to me that coaches of age groupers and swimmers who started as kids adopted this usage of terminology. As a 6 or 7 year old if you get to the other end of the pool and you have to go BACK, that's a big deal because you have to do the same thing you just did (complete the course).
To be lapped is a different definition entirely, with a whole other section, and doesn't change the definition of lap as a noun.
But :dedhorse::dedhorse::dedhorse:
lol - "lap" counters count by lengths. Just sayin' ;-)
I feel like the problem is most easily solved by just not using the term "lap" since no one seems to agree whether it means one length or two in the context of swimming.
I'd say "I took 2 breaths in a row." It might also be misleading to call a length a lap. I've always been under the impression that down and back was a lap. Seriously, this is pretty picky since the quote communicated to me was the kid was trying to say. I try to give kids in competitive situations a break. (especially fast ones in O2 debt)
This argument comes up every so often. Many of us who grew up swimming competitively used "lap" to mean one length. Until I swam masters I never heard anyone who swam competitively use the word "lap" for a 50.
I've since decided both terms make sense, really, so I try to say "25" or length instead of "lap" just to avoid confusion.
Possibly wrong part in bold,
"On the third lap of my 100, I breathed twice in a row and I shouldn't have done that."
Caleb Dressel's recent American record 100 SCY free -- looks like he breathes every stroke.
LB78qDZ8AMQ
As a mammal, I'm extremely fond of air.
