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 KenChertoff
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.
Not really. None of us would object if the pool were requiring some sort of official certification (and maybe even that we sign a USMS-style liability waiver) before using the blocks. It would be pretty easy to issue each certified swimmer some sort of tag to put on his/her swimsuit to let the lifeguard know at a glance that he/she is certified.
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.
You seem to be forgetting that the starting blocks are in the deep end of the pool, but pool rules require that swimmers enter from the shallow end. Even if a swimmer is going off the blocks while another swimmer is entering the same lane, there's no danger because they are separated by the length of the pool.
While all this is going on, he's distracted from watching the rest of the pool -- which is what we're paying him for.
Well, at my pool last night, the pool was at one point divided into:
1/2 pool - open swim (with diving board open)
2 lanes - family lane swim (only open to people with family memberships
1 lane - teen lane swim (only open to teens)
Why is it that a lifeguard (there was only one) can monitor each of these three areas of the pool to make sure nobody enters one of them who isn't supposed to, but can't monitor one lane where somebody is doing practice starts to make sure that anyone who enters the lane lets the other swimmer know he is there before he starts swimming laps?
Originally posted by KenChertoff
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.
Not really. None of us would object if the pool were requiring some sort of official certification (and maybe even that we sign a USMS-style liability waiver) before using the blocks. It would be pretty easy to issue each certified swimmer some sort of tag to put on his/her swimsuit to let the lifeguard know at a glance that he/she is certified.
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.
You seem to be forgetting that the starting blocks are in the deep end of the pool, but pool rules require that swimmers enter from the shallow end. Even if a swimmer is going off the blocks while another swimmer is entering the same lane, there's no danger because they are separated by the length of the pool.
While all this is going on, he's distracted from watching the rest of the pool -- which is what we're paying him for.
Well, at my pool last night, the pool was at one point divided into:
1/2 pool - open swim (with diving board open)
2 lanes - family lane swim (only open to people with family memberships
1 lane - teen lane swim (only open to teens)
Why is it that a lifeguard (there was only one) can monitor each of these three areas of the pool to make sure nobody enters one of them who isn't supposed to, but can't monitor one lane where somebody is doing practice starts to make sure that anyone who enters the lane lets the other swimmer know he is there before he starts swimming laps?
