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
The worst pool I ever competed in was the old USC indoor pool. What a dump. Like a cave incubating stalactites and fish with no eyes because of the wetness and no light, despite large windows on one wall (a cruel joke). Then you got to go down a couple of flights of stairs creatively decorated with slime mold and algae to the warm up pool that was even worse because there was no hope of breathing fresh air or ever leaving alive if you were caught by the resident sea serpent.
The worst pool I ever competed in was the old USC indoor pool. What a dump. Like a cave incubating stalactites and fish with no eyes because of the wetness and no light, despite large windows on one wall (a cruel joke). Then you got to go down a couple of flights of stairs creatively decorated with slime mold and algae to the warm up pool that was even worse because there was no hope of breathing fresh air or ever leaving alive if you were caught by the resident sea serpent.
