How about some reminiscing about the worst pools you ever were forced to work out and/or compete in ??
Our old pool was 20 yards long, with gutters and the deck was about 2 feet above that. The water level was always low, so it was like ocean swimming every day. There were no starting blocks and the "lane lines" were nylon cord with a plastic bobber every 3 feet or so. The water was always quite warm to accomodate the family swims and lessons that were also sharing the pool during the day.
Since goggles had not yet been invented and the only antiseptic method was chlorine (lots of it), we would have those chlorine "light halos" until the next day. The kick-boards were solid, varnished wood and they doubled as pull-buoys. There were no fins or hand paddles.
Thank the higher power of your choice that we had a GREAT coach.
Oh, did I mention that they used to beat us with knives???
Bert
My worst was the indoor pool at the Pelham, AL YMCA. Four lanes wide, water temp at least 85 degrees, a full two feet of wall above the water all around with terrible gutters that accomplished nothing. One guy in the pool would get the waves going; two would require a small craft advisory.
It was dark in there and the water was cloudy. No lane ropes. Water was too shallow at one end, so that my flip turns became weird somersaults with one hand on the bottom to keep from actually rolling on my head. Plus, the water tasted salty.
The weird thing about it is that, while it sounds like one of those old pools the other folks have talked about, it's a relatively new facility. The rest of the building is quite nice. God knows why they screwed up the pool like that.
My second worst has to be the one where I swim now, just because it's crowded. Not a practice goes by that I don't get kicked, punched, head-butted or have someone swim up on top of me. I had one guy swing his arm over the rope doing freestyle and smack me in the face. I had another kick wide under the rope doing *** and whack me in the ribs. I even had one guy swing his arm wide under the rope and snag my suit, almost pulling it down.
We have speed assignments in the lanes to try to group swimmers with similar skills, but nobody pays attention to them. The lifeguards are supposed to move people who are in the wrong lane, but they rarely pay attention and act as though you're putting them out if you ask them to do their jobs.
The pool is too warm, but you get used to it. Unfortunately, however, every now and then they decide the temperature isn't right, and they'll start pumping in water of a drastically different temperature at the ends of the pool. The result is that you swim through bands of alternately boiling and freezing water.
There's an observation deck over the pool where you can stand and watch the real swimmers dodge the ones struggling not to drown for some entertainment.
That's why my signature says...
My worst was the indoor pool at the Pelham, AL YMCA. Four lanes wide, water temp at least 85 degrees, a full two feet of wall above the water all around with terrible gutters that accomplished nothing. One guy in the pool would get the waves going; two would require a small craft advisory.
It was dark in there and the water was cloudy. No lane ropes. Water was too shallow at one end, so that my flip turns became weird somersaults with one hand on the bottom to keep from actually rolling on my head. Plus, the water tasted salty.
The weird thing about it is that, while it sounds like one of those old pools the other folks have talked about, it's a relatively new facility. The rest of the building is quite nice. God knows why they screwed up the pool like that.
My second worst has to be the one where I swim now, just because it's crowded. Not a practice goes by that I don't get kicked, punched, head-butted or have someone swim up on top of me. I had one guy swing his arm over the rope doing freestyle and smack me in the face. I had another kick wide under the rope doing *** and whack me in the ribs. I even had one guy swing his arm wide under the rope and snag my suit, almost pulling it down.
We have speed assignments in the lanes to try to group swimmers with similar skills, but nobody pays attention to them. The lifeguards are supposed to move people who are in the wrong lane, but they rarely pay attention and act as though you're putting them out if you ask them to do their jobs.
The pool is too warm, but you get used to it. Unfortunately, however, every now and then they decide the temperature isn't right, and they'll start pumping in water of a drastically different temperature at the ends of the pool. The result is that you swim through bands of alternately boiling and freezing water.
There's an observation deck over the pool where you can stand and watch the real swimmers dodge the ones struggling not to drown for some entertainment.
That's why my signature says...
