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
When I was growing up, in winter the worst pool was the one at Dedham High School - murky, too hot, very little deck area, always seemed very dark and dingy. If you ever forgot your goggles you'd regret it immediately, man that water burned. In summer - there was a pool I think in Norwood, sort of funky water, crud all over the bottom, everyone suspected it drew water from the pond next to it. (I might be biased since I nearly drowned myself at one meet after a bad start.)
Maybe not the worst pool, but the worst swimming experience I've had in the pool. One day my highschool decided to let the entire middle school use the pool for gym class, middle school had over 500 students. So after school gets out we got to use the pool for practice and the water is a white milky color. All of the hair products, axe body sprays, and who knows what else that the middleschoolers were wearing turned the water white. Our coach still made us practice in it...
Flushing YMCA pool in the late 50's early 60's. A four lane pool, the lane lines were about 5 feet wide. There were lane lines on the bottom of the pool but no rope lines to separate the lanes. Chlorine was always high (this was before goggles existed). In practice we swam in the buff, near the end of practice we would be crashing into the side walls and starting in lane 1 and ending in lane 4. Worst pool great memories.
I swam for Huntington Y and swam in the Flushing Y pool in meets at that time (late 50s). Coming from the LI burbs into the City the pool was a real eye opener, the lesson "stop complaining". Talk about perseverance, you guys had it! Of course, as Frank sang, "if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere." Great to see you are still swimming.
I swam for Huntington Y and swam in the Flushing Y pool in meets at that time (late 50s). Coming from the LI burbs into the City the pool was a real eye opener, the lesson "stop complaining". Talk about perseverance, you guys had it! Of course, as Frank sang, "if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere." Great to see you are still swimming.Thanks. I was 7-12 when I swam there (lived in New Hyde Park). Lynn Burke a 1960 gold medal winner was from Flushing Y.
C.J.- Who could forget that Varsity Pool at OSU! It was unique and one had to love the quirkiness of it. I found a small locker room that had a tiled walkway in the back that led (no kidding) into a very old men's locker room.
Thanks. I was 7-12 when I swam there (lived in New Hyde Park). Lynn Burke a 1960 gold medal winner was from Flushing Y.
I was about the same age, although I switched to an AAU team (West Islip Swim Club) in about '58 or so (at 9 yrs old). I think when I was at Huntington we swam other inner-city Ys Harlem and another. I remember Lynn Burke - proof that it is not the size/condition of the pool that counts. The swimming community was so much smaller back then and news traveled almost by word of mouth at meets until I think Eric and Kevin Tillman's Dad started a mimeo'd newsletter and mailing list (forget what he called it).
Any former Jersey Wahoos swimmers out there?
Back in the 80s, our coaches would always trek us up from Virginia to Philly/New Jersey for better competition. The Jersey Wahoos were exceptionally tough in those days, but we always marveled at how high their elbows would go on their butterfly (as they kicked our asses). It wasn't until we did an exchange meet with them -- where we discovered their (to my mind) 3' width cramped lanes -- that I understood the reason for it.
My daughter swam for them and I joined Wahoos to swim at lunch and other off practice hours. The pools is a basic tank with narrow lanes and no gutters, but they've produced great swimmers for many years. Despite the pool form, it feels like a fast pool. They've tried to build a new 50m pool over the years, but haven't been able to do it. Practices really get it rocking. The wahoos masters team is a really dedicated very serious group, starting at 5 am with a OW (distance) focus, I think.
I was a kid when I swam at this one pool for a meet--don't remember exactly where it was, but it was in either Louisiana or Texas (we moved around a lot when I was growing up). It was a 50 meter pool attached to a gym. It looked great--pretty new at the time, lots of deck space, good locker rooms, etc. The chlorine level was far too high (my navy suit was noticeably several shades lighter by the end of the meet), the start end was about 3 feet deep, and I almost swear it had those wave machines in it! Kicked the bottom on every start and could feel myself being buffeted around by the constantly choppy water. Terrible, terrible performance at that meet.
