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.
Parents
Former Member
Originally posted by swimpastor
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?
An adult going off a starting block with the full force of gravity carries more force than a 12 year old half his size, who's being slowed by the friction of the slide -- many times more, in fact. It's basic high school physics. In fact, diving injuries can -- and do -- cause paralyzing or even fatal spinal injuries. The fact that it's evidently difficult for lifeguards to monitor the water slide, which is far less dangerous, seems like a good reason to me not to put them in the position of monitoring diving during public lap swim hours.
As for depending on 17 year old (or even 40 year old) lifeguards to make those judgments, here's how it would work (or not work) in practice:
You show up and tell the lifeguard you're an experienced masters swimmer -- as far as he knows you could be Mark Spitz or you could be Lipitor Dude. But let's say Lifeguard Kid knows you and there's an empty lane, so he let's you dive. But that means he has to watch that no other swimmer sees an empty lane and, not realizing what you're doing, decides to take it -- right while you're going off the block. So Lifeguard Kid has to focus on your lane, to make sure you don't land on another swimmer. Meanwhile, Lipitor Dude shows up and decides he'd like to try a few dives. Now, Lifeguard Kid knows Lipitor Dude is incompetent (he's seen the commercial :) ), but Liptor Dude, like many incompetent people, thinks he's Mark Spitz, Gary Hall (Sr. and Jr.) and Michael Phelps all rolled into one. So now Lifeguard Kid has to explain (argue, really) to Lipitor Dude why he won't let him dive, when he let's you dive.
While all this is going on, he's distracted from watching the rest of the pool -- which is what we're paying him for.
Notice I'm not talking about liability, lawsuits or spilled coffee -- I don't care about that. The issue is just a matter of common sense safety.
Originally posted by swimpastor
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?
An adult going off a starting block with the full force of gravity carries more force than a 12 year old half his size, who's being slowed by the friction of the slide -- many times more, in fact. It's basic high school physics. In fact, diving injuries can -- and do -- cause paralyzing or even fatal spinal injuries. The fact that it's evidently difficult for lifeguards to monitor the water slide, which is far less dangerous, seems like a good reason to me not to put them in the position of monitoring diving during public lap swim hours.
As for depending on 17 year old (or even 40 year old) lifeguards to make those judgments, here's how it would work (or not work) in practice:
You show up and tell the lifeguard you're an experienced masters swimmer -- as far as he knows you could be Mark Spitz or you could be Lipitor Dude. But let's say Lifeguard Kid knows you and there's an empty lane, so he let's you dive. But that means he has to watch that no other swimmer sees an empty lane and, not realizing what you're doing, decides to take it -- right while you're going off the block. So Lifeguard Kid has to focus on your lane, to make sure you don't land on another swimmer. Meanwhile, Lipitor Dude shows up and decides he'd like to try a few dives. Now, Lifeguard Kid knows Lipitor Dude is incompetent (he's seen the commercial :) ), but Liptor Dude, like many incompetent people, thinks he's Mark Spitz, Gary Hall (Sr. and Jr.) and Michael Phelps all rolled into one. So now Lifeguard Kid has to explain (argue, really) to Lipitor Dude why he won't let him dive, when he let's you dive.
While all this is going on, he's distracted from watching the rest of the pool -- which is what we're paying him for.
Notice I'm not talking about liability, lawsuits or spilled coffee -- I don't care about that. The issue is just a matter of common sense safety.
