It's been a tough summer for me. I have not been getting in my laps as I have in the past.
I live in Forest Hills, Queens, NY. I work 45+ hours a week. My swimming options are limited. Here's why I have been missing workouts in the pool, while opting for dryland workouts:
YMHA(Young Men's Hebrew Association)
This is the closest pool to my house. Costs $400 a year. It's closed from Friday night until Sunday afternoon. The pool is clean and the staff is professional. But like most pools, the lap section is dominated by crusty old men and women who float or do doggy paddle, making laps impossible.
Queensboro Community College
Gotta take the LIE or Grand Central, so I'm facing traffic delays just to get to the pool. Very limited hours and it's closed three months out of the year. Sometimes the elderly take over the lap lanes for doggy paddle and floating.
Queens College
Nights only. Closed Friday.
Aspalt Green
The best pool in New York City area. Lots of lanes. Clean. Serious environment. It's 1:10 mins from home. It's so expensive. $875 is the cheapest rate. But I have to admit, swimming here is just awesome.
Wanted to let everyone know that I was asked to stop swimming at a lake in Pennsylvania on Thursday. I happened at Beltzville Lake Park. There are three sections. The center is where kids and families play. If it gets crowded, they open the side sections.
Before I hit the water, I told the lifeguard that I'd be swimming in the empty section to avoid colliding with everyone. After about 30 minutes, another lifeguard told me that I have to swim in the center section with everyone else.
I exploded!!!!!!
This was the straw the broke the camel's back. I told the lifeguard that this is wrong. You have this big lake, with kids splashing and pissing in the water, adults on speed boats and jet skies, but a man can't actually SWIM in the water.
So I've come to the conclusion that if I'm going to maintain a fit lifestyle, I'm only going to be able to swim once a week. I'll have to hit the gym the rest of the week, where I'm guaranteed to get a complete, uninterrupted workout.
It's a shame, but most pools emphasize horseplay by kids or attract elderly people who just take up space. You'd never see this in the weight room or on the cardio equipment. I wish I could say the same about the pool.
Parents
Former Member
I think the reason people don't get out of the way is that they are clueless. It may be a Washington thing, because although I have encountered the attitude in other places, I've never encountered it in the unusual volume in which it exists in my pool. In spite of the interesting collection of brilliant minds here, Washington does seem to be one of the more generally clueless places I've lived.
Let me clarify the situation a little. Elsewhere I have described at great length the people who cause trouble, but not everyone is clueless. Sometimes someone will get into the fast lane and try to swim a couple of laps, then realize that he's outmatched and move to a slower lane. Some will stay because the other lanes are too crowded, but will make a great effort to stay out of the way by keeping track of where the faster swimmers are and resting at the end of the pool long enough to allow them to go past (that's what I do when I'm outmatched). I really don't mind swimming with those people. It's the ones who continually get in the way, have no control over where they go or generally ignore pool etiquette that bug me.
Maybe it's just that this Y advertises its pool as one of its major benefits and cultivates an "everyone can swim" attitude, using the pool to attract dollars without consideration for the quality of the experience. I just don't have the time, money or luck with my schedule to go anywhere else, and one scheduled workout per week with a masters team not only doesn't solve the problem, but also just wouldn't be worth the expense or effort to make it work.
In other words, I'm screwed until I can move somewhere more accommodating. I'm learning to accept that, even if I do whine about it too much.
I think the reason people don't get out of the way is that they are clueless. It may be a Washington thing, because although I have encountered the attitude in other places, I've never encountered it in the unusual volume in which it exists in my pool. In spite of the interesting collection of brilliant minds here, Washington does seem to be one of the more generally clueless places I've lived.
Let me clarify the situation a little. Elsewhere I have described at great length the people who cause trouble, but not everyone is clueless. Sometimes someone will get into the fast lane and try to swim a couple of laps, then realize that he's outmatched and move to a slower lane. Some will stay because the other lanes are too crowded, but will make a great effort to stay out of the way by keeping track of where the faster swimmers are and resting at the end of the pool long enough to allow them to go past (that's what I do when I'm outmatched). I really don't mind swimming with those people. It's the ones who continually get in the way, have no control over where they go or generally ignore pool etiquette that bug me.
Maybe it's just that this Y advertises its pool as one of its major benefits and cultivates an "everyone can swim" attitude, using the pool to attract dollars without consideration for the quality of the experience. I just don't have the time, money or luck with my schedule to go anywhere else, and one scheduled workout per week with a masters team not only doesn't solve the problem, but also just wouldn't be worth the expense or effort to make it work.
In other words, I'm screwed until I can move somewhere more accommodating. I'm learning to accept that, even if I do whine about it too much.
