When we return to swimming.

Another tethered swim today. One hour, three minutes...2.25 miles. Dan

I'd go talk to the manager and ask. And ask if you can swim for two one hour sessions.....then do them back to back. If they balk, ask them to explain why an empty pool can't be utilized. Then if you have any other gyms with pools nearby, I'd ask them. I may be ready to ditch Gold's if they don't open since NFC has had their pool open for 2 weeks. And the local country club is opening its pool to the general public on Thursday. I just called the aquatics office. They said that the pools have been pretty busy so far today. For right now, they are limiting all swims to just an hour, but that could change. While I can't do 2 consecutive hours, they did say that I could go back later in the day. Or I could go from one pool to the other. So start in the SCY pool, then when the SCM pool opens at 7am do another hour there. I might do just that tomorrow if I'm feeling like it. Who knows, maybe I'll even go to the SCM pool later this afternoon. :angel: I forgot to mention, and they told me when I called, they shut off the heater. The water temp was about 77-78F, and I thought it was perfect. But then again, I've been swimming in a lake, where the water temp has been in the mid-60s, maybe 70 a few times. The water temp in the SCM pool should be about the same or even cooler, since there is no heater there. They also said that if I go later in the day that I can call the pool to see how busy it is before heading over.

I just called the aquatics office ... While I can't do 2 consecutive hours, they did say that I could go back later in the day. Or I could go from one pool to the other. ...OK. If there are people waiting, I can understand ... but if there's an empty lane, what's the harm?

Austin TX now has 3 masters programs back in action that I know about. 2 per lane, opposite ends of the pool, enter/exit through separate doors, no facility access, come suited up and ready to go. Started back last week and my 4th swim today.....it's hell being old and out of shape, but at least I have started the long climb to get back. I had knee replacement surgery in early Jan so I have been out of the water for 4 1/2 months. Glad our city is opening up and doing it right! Every swim people have been great and following all the guidelines set by the pool owners/managers

Governor Ducey of Arizona lifted the ban on pools last week. The pool where I swim lifted its ban today. An excerpt from a friendâ€s experience follows (Mike Honcho--he writes romance novels on the side). I hope you enjoy. “He entered the pool for the first time through the gate rather than over the fence in the dark of night for the first time in a few months…no longer a cheap harlot but a legitimate girl with her new party dress on her way to the cotillion through the Front Door. He was as giddy as a school boy on Christmas morning. As he exited the dark, surprisingly still disgustingly dirty locker room, in his favorite harlequin Agon drag suit, his pasty-white quarantine skin fully absorbed all of the Arizona sunshine. He carefully laid nearly each and every pool toy he accumulated in the last 40 years neatly behind his lane (despite having the pool to himself, he chose lane 5 to not be too presumptuous). He took his time warming up. He then softly caressed the strong lines of his TYR cross-blade fins. As he slipped them on, he discovered they fit like a glove. Barry Whiteâ€s “Canâ€t Get Enough of Your Love” played in his mind. As he began to move forward, his foot and fin became one…up, down, up, down. Now, it was time for some pulling. He slipped his now pool-water-glistening Eney-buoy between his once muscular now quarantine-atrophied adductors. His finis freestyle snorkel and his soft-ruby lips met in what can only be described as a passionate soul kiss for the ages. With the addition of some circa-1980 speedo paddles, they charged forward as one…faster, faster…until he found himself laying in a heap on the warm cool-deck, pool toys scattered now, in no particular order. A calm peacefulness came over him: he was bruised, sore, and wanting more…until tomorrow.” Hopefully, we will all escape to the place we love in the near future and meet again.

So USA swimming has put out guidelines. Almost 2 weeks ago, the state allowed for "water sports" to resume - noting that boat ramps were never closed, and boating and kayaking and such was never restricted. The context of that executive order was "venues." It was about venues being allowed to operate. It did specifically prevent some. It also specifically allowed others, such as bowling alleys, and "Water sports." Note this applies to "rest of state" areas, whereas there are 5 regions where the local health department has authority to veto the rest of the state decisions, and operate on a delayed timeline. My county of residence is part of a local health department. My kids swim in an adjacent county which is "rest of state." Other pools in surrounding counties opened up. Gyms opened up pools for lap swimming. We (kids' club team) presented the USA plan, the executive orders, our team's plan, etc. Noting our plan involves two groups at opposite ends of the pool, one swimmer per lane, and one (masked) coach per end of pool. Coaches wear masks, devoted entrance separate from a devoted exit, diretly to the pool, wiht no entry into the building, at large. No dice. Local health department - who does not have the authority granted that the 5 large ones in the state have - has said that "water sports" only means boating, which again, was never closed. But this is a city owned pool, so the city won't open, even though the private lap pools are operating. Almost a week ago, more guidelines came out. WATER PARKS are now allowed to open. WATER PARKS!!! Furthermore, guidelines SPECIFICALLY ABOUT POOLS were stated. And they are slightly more lenient than the plan we put in place. We sent all of this information. And they are now just ignoring us. I have not checked wiht my local gym (again, Knox county, under its own delayed timeline) to see if their lap pool is open. But Knox did do something last week, as the local open water group will be resuming workouts this coming Thursday. I've been in communication with them, but as they will have to limit group size, they aren't accepting people new to open water swimming (which includes me, and I fully agree with their position!). This really sucks. This is a county of 70,000 people, a city of 29,000. 36 cases total, one fatality. Among the lowest rates in the country. And we get nothing, not even the decency of a response. Sad thing is, if we don't do something very, very soon, the team, which is 70 years old, may not make it through this. We should be able to weather this, but at this point, it is as best we can tell, just laziness on the part of some local government folks. I wonder how many other teams out there are like that.

i see the local problems of pool operators being cautious in reopening. Many are being held back by "laws" regarding occupancy limits. We can just hope that the suggestions will keep all of us reasonably safe when we can swim as a team or a partial team!

Do they have a reservation system in place? They don't. There were 3 of us there for the 5:30am start. I asked a lifeguard if the max time was an hour or if that was only if there are people waiting. She said only if people are waiting. I had just finished a 400 pull, was going to do 300-200-100 to finish off my set, when the other lifeguard poked me with the rescue tube. She told me that the other gave me incorrect info and I could only stay for an hour. I asked if I could do 100 w/d, and she said that was fine. When I got out there were 2 swimmers in the 8-lane pool. I'm fine with an hour, if that's the limit. I'm curious if I could go to the other pool for another hour? Or go back later in the day... After swimming in the lake for about 2 hours a pop, I got used to long swims.

She told me that the other gave me incorrect info and I could only stay for an hour. ........When I got out there were 2 swimmers in the 8-lane pool. I'm fine with an hour, if that's the limit. I'm curious if I could go to the other pool for another hour? Or go back later in the day... After swimming in the lake for about 2 hours a pop, I got used to long swims. I'd go talk to the manager and ask. And ask if you can swim for two one hour sessions.....then do them back to back. If they balk, ask them to explain why an empty pool can't be utilized. Then if you have any other gyms with pools nearby, I'd ask them. I may be ready to ditch Gold's if they don't open since NFC has had their pool open for 2 weeks. And the local country club is opening its pool to the general public on Thursday.

Are you a Y member? If so, why should you have to pay an additional fee on a per lane basis?