I think it is sad we have slipped down the slope we call “being civil”. Being away from these posts for the better part of a week has allowed me to look at them in a different light then before. The thoughts and feelings of many of the people who post here are very raw right now. Decency, understanding, compassion, patience and kindness have been lost to pain and anger.
I have learned some very valuable lessons over the past nineteen months. Often, anger is directly driven by pain. I read pain into many of the post here. People have offended one another and tramped on each others toes and people have been hurt emotionally.
Gosh, I am the farthest thing from a counselor or referee for that matter, but I am qualified to say that each of us has good days, and each of us has bad days. Without exception, EVERY SINGLE POSTER was decent, understanding and compassionate towards me during a very tough time in my life. Ion has a way of invoking anger and hostility in people. Having said that, he reached out to me during a very tough time and demonstrated a very different and compassionate side then the one we see here.
My point, in the final annalists we call life, what more do we really have then one another? We are a body of swimmers who share a common bond for the love of swimming and adult exercise in the water. Let us keep to this course as opposed to offending one another and fracturing our beloved sport with pain, hard feelings and anger. We are different, yet, we are the same. We all love our children, we all want to excel in life, we all want to think of ourselves are winners, we all want to be free people, we all want to raise our families and enjoy life as best we can. Regardless of how fast we are, how smart we are or anything else…. in the final toll….we all want and strive for many of the same things. As we all did on playgrounds all over the world as children, let’s shake hands and make up….
Parents
Former Member
Old Dog,
I don't wear a wetsuit. I use an aquablade knee length racer back suit for all open water and marathon events. (just like in the picture ;), which is yours truly) I use one cap if the water is 72 or more, and two caps a silicone and the event cap on top for water over 64 degrees. Anything under that I use ear plugs as well as the cold water can get into your inner ear and upset your vestibular/balance mechanism. I generally am able to stay warm in cooler water, although as I age I am finding it more difficult to keep warm. I need the sun out which means buckets of sunscreen and zinc creme. ( an overcast day means calmer water, but cooler outside temp, a sunny day is warm but usually brings a wind and then the waves.)
When I first began open water swimming I did get a wetsuit but I didn't like wearing it as I was getting too warm in it. Plus the awful chaffing/war wounds. So for the past 6 years, I just use a swim suit for training and competing.
At the World Championships, the medical team talked about the fast skins. they felt at that time (2002) that they were too tight and were too constricting and would not help the circulation to the extremeties. Some swimmers wore them anyway. Of the 300 who started, 70 DNF and of those only 12 didn't wear a fast skin. 90% of the DBF'ers had not trained in the open water.
If the weather is cool, with a wind/breeze, then grease can help keep the body warmer.
Ion did answer my question about times, but lets not dwell on that.
The Skaha lake swm is 11.8km, 7.38 miles, this year on Aug 7th. It is in Penticton, B.C the home of the Canadian Ironman
I will get the email/web site for the swimming holidays. My Neck of the woods is certainly a beautiful place to swim and kayak
Old Dog,
I don't wear a wetsuit. I use an aquablade knee length racer back suit for all open water and marathon events. (just like in the picture ;), which is yours truly) I use one cap if the water is 72 or more, and two caps a silicone and the event cap on top for water over 64 degrees. Anything under that I use ear plugs as well as the cold water can get into your inner ear and upset your vestibular/balance mechanism. I generally am able to stay warm in cooler water, although as I age I am finding it more difficult to keep warm. I need the sun out which means buckets of sunscreen and zinc creme. ( an overcast day means calmer water, but cooler outside temp, a sunny day is warm but usually brings a wind and then the waves.)
When I first began open water swimming I did get a wetsuit but I didn't like wearing it as I was getting too warm in it. Plus the awful chaffing/war wounds. So for the past 6 years, I just use a swim suit for training and competing.
At the World Championships, the medical team talked about the fast skins. they felt at that time (2002) that they were too tight and were too constricting and would not help the circulation to the extremeties. Some swimmers wore them anyway. Of the 300 who started, 70 DNF and of those only 12 didn't wear a fast skin. 90% of the DBF'ers had not trained in the open water.
If the weather is cool, with a wind/breeze, then grease can help keep the body warmer.
Ion did answer my question about times, but lets not dwell on that.
The Skaha lake swm is 11.8km, 7.38 miles, this year on Aug 7th. It is in Penticton, B.C the home of the Canadian Ironman
I will get the email/web site for the swimming holidays. My Neck of the woods is certainly a beautiful place to swim and kayak
