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
After reading some of the replies in this thread, I know that Fleisshaker pool would not come up in the worst pool top ten list, but I think it was an unusual pool.
Fleishacker Swimming pool was build in 1922 (or thereabouts) in the west end of San Francisco. Well it had to be the west end of the land area as it was about 50 meters from the Pacific ocean which was across a road covered sand dune.
The pool itself was 1000 feet long by 100 feet wide at both ends and in the middle it was 150 feet wide. There were lifeguard stands on both sides of the pool and each chair was about 100 feet from the other. There were also two row boats keep tied to the side next to the main entrance. It would be much easier to row out than swim out to a person in touble; and for lifeguards, who wants to go IN the water.
The pool was advertised as heated sea water. Well it was sea water and the main heating element came up at sun rise and went down at sun set. No artificial heating element here.
At the deep end of the pool was a 1 meter diving board, a 3 meter board, plus a diving tower I am guess that it was a five and ten meter tower.
Most of the pools in San Francisco are indoor for a good reason, we get a lot of fog and good pacific breeze. Unlike Masters swimmers who will go out in the snow to swim, most San Franciscans will only go to the swimming pool when it is warm and in San Francisco we have about two warm spells a years (besides the normallly warm weather in September - warm spell being defined as anything over 75 degrees for more that two consective days).
On most days there were never more than five people who swam at the pool. During a heat wave, the number could raise to a couple of thousand - as I recall, but as memories fade the numbers may have gone up. To open the pool required about a staff of eight and as I recall the admission price was $0.50 for an adult and a dime for a child. (lifeguards made about $3.08/hr)
The water was a nice green most of the year. I dont think there were lane lines on the bottom of the pool. It would have been redicoulus to paint lane lines in as you could never see the bottom of the pool. You were lucky if you could see your hand when you started your pull.
As I mentioned the pool was next to a sand dune and the wind would blow wind into the pool. So much sand that twice a year the pool was closed down for a week. The pool was drained and the sand was swept to the deep end of the pool (In the deep end there was already two- three feet of sand) then loaded into dump trucks to be carted off - maybe to the sand dune from wence it came. After the sand was all trucked out, the pipe from the Pacific was opened and fresh ocean water was pumped back into the pool.
Lake Merced, a nice freshwater lake was about 1 km away. Boating and canoeing was taught at the lake in the winter and spring. A few times, the water was too rough to go out on the lake, so the canoes were brought over to the pool and basic canoeing was taught in the pool.
San Francisco had a common key that opened most of the aquatic facilities, which most lifeguards had a copy. It was thought that if you partied to hardy, you could go to the Fleishhaker swim in the heated ocean water and it would "clear your head."
(speaking of keys to aquatic facilities. I was never officially given a key to any of the pools, but after borrowing a key - having a copy made, I had keys to all the pools. Pools supervisors knew it and when being sent to a new pool asked if I had a key to open the pool. It was a much looser time then.)
The deep end of the pool was about 13 feet the shallow end of the pool (about the last 20 percent was very shallow, I doubt it was more than two feet deep. As a kid I swam the length of the pool and it was tough to do the breaststroke in the shallow end without scraping my knees.
For those of you complaining about high clorine, imagine high clorine count in a salt water pool. Its amazing we can see.
Of course, being salt water, swimmers would ride higher in the water. The city high school championships were held at the pool in the late spring.
As all things must pass, the pool finally closed in about 72-74 (memory starts to fade here and I was out of the country during that time). Now it is parking lot for the zoo.
It would never qualify as a "worst" pool, but it was unusual. We should have thought of it as an artifical lake aquatic center. It was a lot of fun though.
michael
After reading some of the replies in this thread, I know that Fleisshaker pool would not come up in the worst pool top ten list, but I think it was an unusual pool.
Fleishacker Swimming pool was build in 1922 (or thereabouts) in the west end of San Francisco. Well it had to be the west end of the land area as it was about 50 meters from the Pacific ocean which was across a road covered sand dune.
The pool itself was 1000 feet long by 100 feet wide at both ends and in the middle it was 150 feet wide. There were lifeguard stands on both sides of the pool and each chair was about 100 feet from the other. There were also two row boats keep tied to the side next to the main entrance. It would be much easier to row out than swim out to a person in touble; and for lifeguards, who wants to go IN the water.
The pool was advertised as heated sea water. Well it was sea water and the main heating element came up at sun rise and went down at sun set. No artificial heating element here.
At the deep end of the pool was a 1 meter diving board, a 3 meter board, plus a diving tower I am guess that it was a five and ten meter tower.
Most of the pools in San Francisco are indoor for a good reason, we get a lot of fog and good pacific breeze. Unlike Masters swimmers who will go out in the snow to swim, most San Franciscans will only go to the swimming pool when it is warm and in San Francisco we have about two warm spells a years (besides the normallly warm weather in September - warm spell being defined as anything over 75 degrees for more that two consective days).
On most days there were never more than five people who swam at the pool. During a heat wave, the number could raise to a couple of thousand - as I recall, but as memories fade the numbers may have gone up. To open the pool required about a staff of eight and as I recall the admission price was $0.50 for an adult and a dime for a child. (lifeguards made about $3.08/hr)
The water was a nice green most of the year. I dont think there were lane lines on the bottom of the pool. It would have been redicoulus to paint lane lines in as you could never see the bottom of the pool. You were lucky if you could see your hand when you started your pull.
As I mentioned the pool was next to a sand dune and the wind would blow wind into the pool. So much sand that twice a year the pool was closed down for a week. The pool was drained and the sand was swept to the deep end of the pool (In the deep end there was already two- three feet of sand) then loaded into dump trucks to be carted off - maybe to the sand dune from wence it came. After the sand was all trucked out, the pipe from the Pacific was opened and fresh ocean water was pumped back into the pool.
Lake Merced, a nice freshwater lake was about 1 km away. Boating and canoeing was taught at the lake in the winter and spring. A few times, the water was too rough to go out on the lake, so the canoes were brought over to the pool and basic canoeing was taught in the pool.
San Francisco had a common key that opened most of the aquatic facilities, which most lifeguards had a copy. It was thought that if you partied to hardy, you could go to the Fleishhaker swim in the heated ocean water and it would "clear your head."
(speaking of keys to aquatic facilities. I was never officially given a key to any of the pools, but after borrowing a key - having a copy made, I had keys to all the pools. Pools supervisors knew it and when being sent to a new pool asked if I had a key to open the pool. It was a much looser time then.)
The deep end of the pool was about 13 feet the shallow end of the pool (about the last 20 percent was very shallow, I doubt it was more than two feet deep. As a kid I swam the length of the pool and it was tough to do the breaststroke in the shallow end without scraping my knees.
For those of you complaining about high clorine, imagine high clorine count in a salt water pool. Its amazing we can see.
Of course, being salt water, swimmers would ride higher in the water. The city high school championships were held at the pool in the late spring.
As all things must pass, the pool finally closed in about 72-74 (memory starts to fade here and I was out of the country during that time). Now it is parking lot for the zoo.
It would never qualify as a "worst" pool, but it was unusual. We should have thought of it as an artifical lake aquatic center. It was a lot of fun though.
michael
