Lane lines

Maybe I can shed a little light and help redirect some comments. First off the saying "If you are not part of the solution then you are part of the problem"really holds true. If you have a problem with the water aerobics (We call it AquaX) you need to bring this to the facility managements attention (maybe you have I'm not sure - and if you have and they haven't changed then you know where their priorties are). Shaky, have you tried talking to the instructor about the equipement and having participants too close to the lane line, the instructor might not be aware of this, they obviously have a duty to ensure they are conducting their class in a safe manner, also let the lifeguard know, once again they are there to ensure everyone's safety. Aquageek, last I checked water aerobics was exercise not a sport. Complaining about a change in water current/conditions because of there exercises, what's next complaining about a wake from a fast swimmer next to you. And your last comment about how they look at you when they get splashed which annoys them, just as their vortex bothers you. Your comment about the fitness level really bothers me, as if all Master swimmers look like they should be on the cover of fitness/shape magazine. The reason maybe someone can't get in or out of the pool by themselves could be injury or other health problems, if you have been to swim meets not every master swimmer gets in or out of the pool by themselves yet they still let them compete. The fact that people are getting in the water and trying something, any movement is good. Have you ever tried any of the exercises you might be surprised, some of them really do work on that important core strength and body balance. Some of the exercises do look easy but if you work on controling your body properly they do become more difficult. The other fact that maybe these people aren't as adapt to having fun, or they see their workout as a little social time, whats wrong with that ? The pool temp will always be an issue (I agree 84 is too warm) most swimmers like to see 80 or so, AquaX people (and swim lesson) like mid 80's so keeping at 84 is a bit of a compromise leaning more towards the AquaX and Lesson people - but they probably make up the bulk of the pool users, not the lap swimmers. These are my personal and professional opinions. I am an aquatics manager, I don't manage a Y but the pool at another fitness center. All of our AquaX instructors are certified (AEA) some are even land based aerobic instructors. Not all facilities have the luxury I do, well trained aquatic professionals and the resources and freedom to ensure we provide quality aquatic programming. I used Aqua exercises to recently rehab knee surgery (ACL reconstruction from a hamstring graft and repair of a torn medial meniscus) I was able to start running slightly in under 4 months and was back playing water polo in just over 4 months. My first day in the pool I could barely get in and out because of the knee surgery but within 2 weeks it wasn't a problem - I give a lot of credit to a fast recovery because of doing some of the exercises that are done in what some people would deem useless water aerobic classes.

Zola Budd - running barefoot - I'll never forget it.:eek:

Originally posted by kaelonj If you feel strongly about something, don't rely on someone else to present your message. The fact that you feel that there is a risk to your well being, it is in your best interest to notify as many people as possible. Sorry to have to say this, if you were kicked from an exerciser in the aquatics class and received a serious injury, the parties at fault would mostly be the lifeguard and instructor, the management can claim ignorance (not the best defense but could work). If you let the management know there is a problem, then you have several individuals responsible and you might see more action. Actually, I just deal with the problems for the most part and swim on past them. I have spoken with an assistant aquatics director and some of the membership coordinators about problems in the pool (not specifically being kicked by the ladies, but other problems I haven't even mentioned), and I have come to the conclusion that there IS no solution. This pool is just too crowded. They have too many people wanting to use it, and it is beyond their ability to control. All I can really do is ask for the things that can be fixed, like tightening the lane lines, and remove other nuisances myself, as they happen. Do I really think there's a safety issue? No, not likely. Like I said, these ladies are weak, and the kicks are more a nuisance than anything else after you get over the initial surprise. Likewise, the floaties in my lane are more nuisance than safety problem. Then why did I raise the safety issue a few posts back? Emmett suggested that my removing the offending item from the pool was somehow offensive, and a punishable offense at that. I was merely demonstrating how difficult it would be for a lifeguard or facilities manager to justify such punishment. There is no way the lifeguard could spin his side of it so that it would stand up to the facts of the case. You see, I don't push these issues very hard because I try to be a nice, reasonable person, and they aren't, for the most part, worth wasting my time. If someone attacked me the way Emmett suggested, however, THAT would warrant the kind of all out assault on the situation and that person's character that you see written above. That would make it worth my time. I guess it's a good thing for both of us that Emmett is not my lifeguard. Sorry for my part in hijacking Ian's thread. Sometimes you just go where the conversation takes you.

Remember the 1970's when their was no such thing as lap swimming and if you did not workout on an age group or school team you could not swim in lane line. I remember swimming on a rec period where you had to put up with the kids and there were no lane lines back then. Health club pools still have few line lanes and the priority is to people in water aerobics there. But I think that some people who barely can swim benefit more from the aerobic classes. In fact some of those that go to the lap swimming should instead be involved with the aerobic classes because they can barely do 8 or 10 laps and usually have to stop 3 minutes after doing one lap. And different pools have different priorities, in my city the eastside of the town gets a lot more lap swimmers or people interested in aerobics since they are more middle class:however, the westside of town im many places, the rec pools are geared more toward kids since the area is less middle class.

Shaky, I agree with your position about the lifeguard, but a reality check -it is pretty obvious that the lifeguard isn't passing the information along to the Aerobics instructor OR the aerobics instructor doesn't care. Either way I would have to assume that you haven't tried to talk to the management of the facility (since your hypothetical reply to Emmett) which should be your next step. If you feel strongly about something, don't rely on someone else to present your message. The fact that you feel that there is a risk to your well being, it is in your best interest to notify as many people as possible. Sorry to have to say this, if you were kicked from an exerciser in the aquatics class and received a serious injury, the parties at fault would mostly be the lifeguard and instructor, the management can claim ignorance (not the best defense but could work). If you let the management know there is a problem, then you have several individuals responsible and you might see more action. Lets face it typically your lifeguard is a teenager (not always, but more often than not) that may not be that mature or responsible/professional about their job, but the facility management is or should be very aware of the reprecussions of their failure to fulfill their duties. As I stated Information and education are you best weapons in remedying this, take some responsibility if you want to see some change, it may or may not happen but at least you tried. Good luck swimming, maybe once this Iraq situation is over you will be able to buy some used body armor to protect yourself from the military surplus stores.

Woohoo....AquaRobics RULES!!! Tell ya what.. I would prefer to have 14 ladies using two lanes for AquaX or Aquarobics, as oposed to having 2 Jackass Synchro Swimmers taking two lanes in a 50m pool. At least the AquaX peeps dont have those HORRRRIBLE Loud speakers, Blaring Muzak Rejected noise and yelling at the top of their lungs. Anyone witness the Olympic Trials in 2000? At the end of the trials the synchro team got out there to do there schtick and someone..."accidentally" pulled the plug on their toonz... Classic... Hey, it wasn't me! Kudos to that dood tho..... By the way.. who did trip Mary decker? Shinob out!

I honestly believe that if Emmet was the lifeguard you would be very fortunate in the fact that you wouldn't have any of the problems you are experiencing. As you have said you have tried to solve other problems, but no action taken so I guess its either live with it or move on (As you have said that is not a very realistic option to go somewhere else). Good luck. Jeff My apologies to Ian !

On the general subject of lane line tightness - I know a number of people who, just as a matter of course, carry in their equipment a ratchet wrench ($8 at Home Depot) of the correct size for tightening lane lines. There are many multi-use pools where the lane lines are switched out several times during the day by different groups, not all of which are careful about getting them re-tightened properly. Here in Texas, many pools operate without lifeguards on deck so being self sufficient in this respect can be quite useful for the swimmer. One suggestion: check first with management to be sure it is OK for you to tighten offending lane lines - in most cases it should be no problem.

I debated whether to post this or to respond to Shaky privately by email. As this situation (coexistence of in-water groups with differing needs and activities) is common, and often results in undesirable tensions between participants, I perceive others may find value in my response. In the long run, all of us having an interest in the use pools for real swimming, whether it is lap swimming or organized workouts, are all affected by how the rest of the world, particularly facility adminstrators see us. One person's actions have a ripple effect on others. First, in a facility for which I had responsibility, it would not be the lifeguard (likely a college student) who would assess a suspension of privileges. He/she would simply be the dispassionate observer/messenger. It would be me, the facility director, that would make that call. As someone responsible for the safety and comfort of ALL the facility patrons I would have three major considerations in this situation, as follows: Safety - My comment about being suspended from the facility was motivated by your response to Jean's comment about aerobics people who "lay their equipment (woggles, those leg weight things) on the lane line". You said that the way you handle it is to "stop, grab whatever it is and hurl it to the deck at the far side of the pool". I make the assumption that throwing of ANY object is specifically prohibited by the rules at your pool. It definitely is at every pool I've ever worked at. Throwing something like leg weights, which could do real harm to any person on the receiving end, however unintentional, would not just be a violation of the rules but, clearly, an egregious violation. Civility - Among other things, my responsibility as a facility operator would be to quickly eliminate uncivilized/anti-social behavior on the part of any patron. It would seem that your original post was intended to show that you were being proactive to solve your problem. It would also seem that your actions were calculated to dramatize to the aerobics people your displeasure and frustration with the situation. By your description of the reaction the aerobics people have to your behavior, it would appear that when you engage in such a display you are successful. I also get the impression that you are aware that your actions were not exactly perceived, by the aerobics people, as civilized. Pattern of behavior - You don't say so specifically, but your post implies that you have engaged in such a demonstration on more than one occasion. While I can conceive of circumstances where a first occurrence might only receive a warning, I can't imagine allowing repetitive occurrences. Acceptable alternatives to hurling equipment include such actions as 1) simply pushing the offending item back into the lane from whence it came, 2) if the item is floating, unrestricted, in your lane (as your later post suggests) you could grab it and take it to the end of your lane and place it on the deck (you might even time this such that you are towing it to the end farthest from the person who belongs to the equipment), 3) you could stop, get the attention of the person who belongs to the equipment and ask her to remove it from your lane, 4) you could tow the equipment over to the instructor and hand it to her and ask that she remind her participants to keep tighter control of their equipment. Any of these avenues would serve to remove the offending item from your lane, cause no hazard for other patrons, demonstrate (though not as dramatically) your displeasure and frustration and be accepted by nearly anyone as being within the bounds of civilized behavior. One question does come to mind: Your posts would suggest that you feel that the largest contributing factor to your frustration is really that the lifeguard is falling short in doing his job. Actually, in most facilities it would be the instructor that would have front line responsibility for keeping her group and their equipment within their designated area. Be that as it may, clearly some staff member on the scene is falling short. The question is: why you would direct your dramatization at the aerobics people instead of the staff or management? In your later post, you allude to aerobics people who "repeatedly threw things over in your path as you tried to swim" likening it to people who stand by the indoor track and toss things onto the track. You don't say so specifically, but you seem to be suggesting the aerobics people are intentionally putting stuff in your lane with the intent to disrupt your swimming. Though I strongly doubt that their equipment repeatedly gets into your lane through willful intent, if this is, in fact, what they are doing then it is clearly wrong and is just as uncivil as hurling of equipment. And, clearly, it would still not excuse hurling of equipment. Another impression I get is that you think that your action of hurling equipment is completely justified. There is nothing in the scenario you have described that justifies your unsafe and uncivil actions. Even if everyone else is in the wrong, that isn't justification. I would be extremely surprised if any facility manager read your post and said to themselves "That guy sure knows how to handle a frustrating situation. He was completely within his rights to hurl equipment across the pool." In regards to your hypothetical meeting between yourself, the lifeguard and the facility manager (assuming, for the moment, the facility manager is me) I offer the following: If my lifeguard was failing in his responsibilities, I would take corrective action. If the aerobics instructor was failing to keep her group's activities and equipment properly corraled in their assigned lanes, I would take corrective action. If there were aerobics people demonstrating unsafe or uncivilized behavior in my facility, I would take corrective action. And, no doubt, these problems would all be solved by the time you returned from your suspension.

For some reason the pool at these facilities is not viewed as a piece of exercise equipment (and as such a limited resource). Imagine treating the track or Nautilus equipment this way. The best solution is scheduling dedicated adult lap swimming time that is strictly enforced. By the way, I would be interested in the heart rates achieved by the typical water aerobics participant (i.e. not Evander Holyfield).