I started diving off of starting blocks when I was eight years old. I am now 51, and train at the Y, almost always alone, as there is no Masters program in the county where I live, or in any of the immediately adjacent counties. (There are several age group programs.) I want to work on my starts, but none of the Y's where I swim will let me use the blocks - saying that a national Y policy prohibits anyone from using the blocks unless a team/club coach is on the deck.
I have never heard of anyone suing a YMCA because of an accident on a starting block.
Yes, perhaps a coach would be valuable to me in this regard, but I'm not looking for a coach - I need and want a cooperative facility. The age groups' program schedules are not conducive to my schedule, and besides, the age group coaches already have enough on their hands during those times with lanes full of kids working their programs. I also am not excited about having to dodge those kids to do the work I need to do.
Anyone find a way to conquer this litigation-fear-induced insanity yet? Thank you.
A previous poster wrote...
"As for the original issue, the Y (or any pool operator) regardless of litigation, would be irresponsible to allow a pool user to engage in conduct -- i.e., diving without supervision -- that could endanger another user. You may be willing to accept the risk; the kid you land on might have other ideas. It hardly seems fair or reasonable to ask a 17 year old lifeguard to make a judgement about your competence that may affect another user's safety. I would not want to use a facility that doesn't enforce basic safety rules."
Last weekend at one of the Y's that won't let me dive off the blocks, in the 'family fun' pool next to the lap pool, I saw a 12 year old ram into another 12 year at the bottom of the water slide - one of several now in Y's in this area. For a second I was concerned that a serious injury had just been dealt. Is that activity, the rules of use for which we expect 17 year olds to make judgements, monitor and regulate, inherently safer than having a trained and conscientious adult use a starting block. To think so in my eyes would be ludicrous hypocrisy.
AND, if we can't depend on the 17 year olds to make judgements about safety then why on God's green earth are we paying them at all?
A previous poster wrote...
"As for the original issue, the Y (or any pool operator) regardless of litigation, would be irresponsible to allow a pool user to engage in conduct -- i.e., diving without supervision -- that could endanger another user. You may be willing to accept the risk; the kid you land on might have other ideas. It hardly seems fair or reasonable to ask a 17 year old lifeguard to make a judgement about your competence that may affect another user's safety. I would not want to use a facility that doesn't enforce basic safety rules."
Last weekend at one of the Y's that won't let me dive off the blocks, in the 'family fun' pool next to the lap pool, I saw a 12 year old ram into another 12 year at the bottom of the water slide - one of several now in Y's in this area. For a second I was concerned that a serious injury had just been dealt. Is that activity, the rules of use for which we expect 17 year olds to make judgements, monitor and regulate, inherently safer than having a trained and conscientious adult use a starting block. To think so in my eyes would be ludicrous hypocrisy.
AND, if we can't depend on the 17 year olds to make judgements about safety then why on God's green earth are we paying them at all?
