Meet Disasters!

At last week's New England Masters Championships, I was standing on the blocks waitng for the 100 Free. But I didn't hear the starter say "take your marks" or the beep (I was distracted by a conversation behind the next lane -- my fault). I knew the race was starting when I saw the other swimmers dive in. Probably cost me 3 or 4 seconds :( (but I didn't get DQ'd, so at least that's a plus). Of course, a good argument can be made that any time I race it's a disaster :) .

A year ago I was doing an event at a meet and I didn't tuck either. Result? The left eye piece of my goggles slipped down and right back over my eye hard enough to bruise my eyelid slightly. But what was worse was that I lost a contact lens and realized what happened before I had a chance to take my first stroke. I kept on and finished and I don't even remember the results as I was so p.o.'d with myself. Although I had a spare lens, I ordered a replacement and lost that one, too! So, I had to order yet another replacement. Turned out to be a pretty expensive meet for the original fifteen bucks' entry fee. As Ken points out from his own experience, since I didn't stop, I didn't get DQ'd. One good thing that came about is that I finally found a pair of goggles that stay in place.

This weekend I was al ready to swim sub 1 min on the 100 IM, but was hindered by a agonizing pain in my left ankle (possible fracture). On the block I new I would not have the full use of that leg, so I was trying to focus on pushing of with my right leg. During the dive I totally forgot to tuck and had my goggles in my mouth. I swam the firts stroke freestyle, and flung my goggles off (I actually hit the forhead of the swimmer next to me). My ankle washurting more than ever, and I had to switch to a breaststroke pull after the backstroke, could only push off with my right foot and ended in a 1.14!! They had to lift me out of the pool and I crawled back to my corner, disgusted and in agony. I won't bother you with the details of the rest of this meet. ( I had 6 more events to go!!!) Ronald

I swam a meet this last weekend and it seemed nothing went right. In my first event I didn't quite hear the starter as he started the heat and I was the last one off the blocks. Then I was swimmng the 50 free and hit the touch pad so hard coming in that my R middle finger is still very bruised and swollen and I can't bend it. Then when I was finishing up with the 50 fly, and trying to do a good time, I came to the finish and was a little shy of the pad since my finger was still hurting alot and touched with my left hand just slightly ahead of my right and got DQed for that one. Just seemed I couldn't do anything right that day. I managed 2 zone records so that was the only redeaming effort for the day.

I just swim without the goggles during the meets. I know that a lot of swimmers wear them since all the elite swimmers do now. But as people hear stated they can fall off. I too now wear eyeglass but I was so use to swimming without them in meets as a child, that as an adult it doesn't bother me, it just hard to read the electorical timer boards sometimes. Some pools are getting away from using chorine, I notice this in two meets that I swam in Arizona without goggles and no problem. I do use them in practice since I don't want to have the high level of chroine in my eyes that I did during the first three years that I workout as a child. Some I know also use them in races to see more clearly but its up to the individual depending upon how they weight the minuses and minuses.

At a meet last month, I signed up for the 500 and put down my time of 7:45 or so. Then I noticed the best female swimmer at the meet put down 10 minutes. So she was in my heat. I tried not to be discouraged, but when I heard the gun lap and I was not much more than halfway done, I was pretty annoyed. Then I did the 400IM. I'm still not very strong, so the other swimmers were starting to lap me. For some reason I got distracted going into the last 25 of backstroke. I looked over I think and subconsciously saw someone doing ***, and when I came out of the turn I freaked, did one stroke of ***, realized my mistake and went back to backstroke. Fortunately for me, it was a lowkey meet and the officials were BSing during such a long event and didn't notice, so I didn't get DQed. Everybody screws stuff up or has bad things happen. I always learn something, though. Alice

When I was six (6) I was entered in the 25 yard butterfly, a stroke I had learned just days before the meet. I actually finished first (I can't remember my time) but neglected to touch the wall until two other swimmers had finished. Instead of a first place ribbon I was awarded third place. I never again "won" a butterfly race and eventually became a freestyler.

I try really hard not to remember this one! I was swimming the 500 for the first time, and when I dove in, my goggles fell down. And if that weren't bad enough, this pool was excessively chlorinated. So I couldn't read the numbers and miscalculated and swam and extra 50 before I stopped - how embarrassing!:eek:

This didn't exactly happen to me while I was swimming, but it was a disaster to me while I was watching my (then) ten-year-old son swim the 100 ***. Never one to miss a chance to get the edge, he decided all on his own that he was going to improve his turns. So.... imagine our horror as he came into the first wall, arms extended and at the last moment tucked his head and did a beautiful flip. Of course his hands did not touch the wall, only the feet. The officials hand went up signaling the obvious DQ, the coach leaped to the edge in disbelief, and we were overcome with disappointment. What was he thinking of? We all thought that he just forgot what race he was in. But.... at the next wall......flip...... and the last turn.....flip. By that time, the whole crowd was involved because he was seeded first and winning the race, but did not because he was disqualified not once, or even twice but three time for his turns. His explanation for his actions? He was just experimenting with his race. (Footnote: He is still swimming and this last season set the Wyoming State record in the 100 ***.... all experimenting came before the race, not during. :D )

It felt like my swim suit fell down below my waist on the breaststroke start at my last meet. Panic set in for the first 25 but I kept going and trying to feel the bottom of the suit as I recovered my arms by pulling far out past my shoulders. On the first turn, it didn't do a breastsroke pull-out, but a "pull-up". Fortunately, the suit was fine and had not fallen down. The extra hand and arm motions were sure to ruin my time, but I finished the 200 in a good time for me. I think it was the rush of adrenaline in my 25-yd panic that made up for them.