I decided I'd start up a thread that's unique.
Today, I went to the Aquatic Center that's five minutes away from my house, since the University pool, where my Masters Group and I meet is closed for maintenance (Thank God the maintenance week is almost over). When I went in the Aquatic Center's Natatorium, I saw that the pool wasn't crowded with pool users, (Thank you, God!) dove in Lane 5 and had the Lap pool all to myself for my whole session! Today was TRUELY a priceless swim session.
So I ask, have any of you ever had the wonderful privilage of having the pool all to yourself?
This subject dragged me out of lurk mode, I hope some of you can relate.
One of my favorite swims happened during a masters practice just after I joined the Temescal Masters in Oakland CA. I grew up and learned to swim in Massachusetts, where almost all the pools of my youth were in basements and were generaly 4 lanes by 20 yds. They were always over heated and had a dank feel, musty.
Swimming outdoors in CA was a revalation, particularly the backstroke. I had been swimming about two months, and it was getting close to Christmas, it was pretty cold and raining, but I figured , what the heck and went to practice. A dozen or so other swimmers showed, so it was a lively practice. Coach threw in a fin set at the end of the main set and gave us the instruction to try kicking underwater on our backs. Great fun with fins anytime, but when it's dark, and raining, no pouring, the raindrops do an amazing dance with the surface. You know those photos you see of droplets hanging in the air after another drop has penetrated the surface?
Well that's how the drop coming through looks from underneath. I think that's the moment I got hooked on swimming again. I was enjoying it for sure, but that little event really got me. Still at it 22 years later!
Sorry for the last post, didn't mean to hijack the thread.
Got the pool to myself today in fact. Summer programs are done and it was a little too foggy for the Lap Swimmers. Sure was nice.
I used to manage the rec and athletic facilities at a university including, of course, the pools. My absolute favorite pool swims were in the outdoor pool, by myself, in the middle of the night with a full moon providing the only light in the facility. Only swimming in a glass smooth lake with full-moon lighting beats it.
My schedule jumps around a lot, so I swim at a lot of different times. Usually, I can get a lane to myself. Sometimes I split a lane with someone - each staying to a side. I doubt if I have had to circle swim more than twice in the past year.
And I did have the good furtune of swimming right up until closing one Saturday night (9:45). The last half hour I was alone. No noodles, no water aerobics, no other "real" swimmers. Just me and the lifeguard.
I also swam alone on my vacation recently at Disney. Our resort had a pool the shape of a bowling pin that was completely empty for me at 6:00 in the morning. It was great.
In the 15 years or so of swimming, I have had the pool all to myself twice! Coaches opened up the building and I hopped in the water for the most surreal swimming experience of my life to date!
Oh yes, one of the advantages of living in a small town where there aren't a lot of swimmers is a pool all to yourself in the late afternoon during the summer. The outdoor pool runs east and west so I frequently get to swim into the sunset.
One of the absolute best 'by myself experience' came early one Saturday morning in January a couple of years ago. I had just gotten my first pair of optical lense goggles (uncorrected the eye doctor estimates I see at 20 feet what most people see at 2100 feet). The sun was shining in through the windows down onto the water. I put on the goggles just expecting to be able to see a 'sharp' black line and the wall as I approached it... I couldn't believe my eyes, for the first time in my life I saw the light spiderweb on the bottom of the pool and for the first time in my life I saw a sunbeam through the water. I just couldn't believe it and swam back and forth through the sunbeam... LOL the guard asked me what kind of drill I was doing. Then I noticed something else... BUBBLES... I had never seen a bubble! That started a whole new set of 'drills.' Trying to see how many bubbles my hands made entering the water, trying to catch bubbles on my goggles and even looking under myself and back toward my feet to see if I could see my feet kicking and how many bubbles they were making.
Emmett, I could only think of one thing that is better than a glass smooth lake with moonlight, a glass smooth lake with moonlight, your significant other and no suits.
Originally posted by laineybug
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Emmett, I could only think of one thing that is better than a glass smooth lake with moonlight, a glass smooth lake with moonlight, your significant other and no suits. :eek:
Originally posted by Sonic Swimmer78
A bowling pin shaped pool?? LOL!! That's funny!
Yes, shaped like a bowling pin. It was about 40 yards long (estimated by pacing it off). There was also a pool that was shaped like the flower symbol from the late 60's. It had misters spraying water at several spots 24/7. I didn't work out in that pool . . . that would have been weird.:D
