Swim Rant

What I don't understand is when a swimmer that is new to Masters swimming and hasn't had a recordable time enters a meet as a "NT" (no time). I'm not talking about the swimmer that is 40/50+ years old swimming for the first time ever in their life. It's the swimmer that swam age group swimming, or college, took off for 2 years, and now jumps back in the pool again swimming the 50 Free for example. They enter as a NT, claiming to not know how fast they are... Then they are seeded in Heat 1 with all the NT's and truly slower swimmers (e.g. 1:28 - 50 free). Then when the race goes they blow out a 26 second 50 free or so. C'mon man!! At least enter something like 30 seconds as a "guess" rather than NT if you can really do it. :argue: My first Masters meet, I entered with NT's. It had been 15 years since I'd been in a USAS meet and I had completely forgotten about the concept of estimating times. After seeing the heat sheets in that first meet, I didn't do it again. One of these days I'm going to enter a meet only with times like 1:11.11, 2:22.22, 33.33, 4:44.44, etc.

:argue: My first Masters meet, I entered with NT's. It had been 15 years since I'd been in a USAS meet and I had completely forgotten about the concept of estimating times. After seeing the heat sheets in that first meet, I didn't do it again. One of these days I'm going to enter a meet only with times like 1:11.11, 2:22.22, 33.33, 4:44.44, etc. 15 ≠ 2.

My Rant: The wiseguy who cracks a joke right before you push off just to see how bad he can blow up your streamline.

What I don't understand is when a swimmer that is new to Masters swimming and hasn't had a recordable time enters a meet as a "NT" (no time). I'm not talking about the swimmer that is 40/50+ years old swimming for the first time ever in their life. It's the swimmer that swam age group swimming, or college, took off for 2 years, and now jumps back in the pool again swimming the 50 Free for example. They enter as a NT, claiming to not know how fast they are... Then they are seeded in Heat 1 with all the NT's and truly slower swimmers (e.g. 1:28 - 50 free). Then when the race goes they blow out a 26 second 50 free or so. C'mon man!! At least enter something like 30 seconds as a "guess" rather than NT if you can really do it. My first Masters Meet was an SCM meet and I guessed times(that was too fast for me at the time) even though I have never done 200 fly or 400 IM in SCM as an age grouper.

This is not a swim rant, per se, but more of a complaint about non-swimmers. I almost exclusively swim for exercise and hardly ever run. So, why is it that when people make small talk, they always say, "I heard you're doing a lot of marathons," "I heard you just did a marathon" and/or "I heard you are training for a marathon?" I know they are just being polite, but last I checked, there were significant differences between running and swimming. I can't help it but it annoys me. Does this happen to anyone else?

We have 10-12 lanes. I usually swim in 3 or 4 cause the pace clock is right there. Why is it if the pool is empty, or nearly empty people ALWAYS get in the lane right next to me! Do they fell like they need to race me or something since I'm actually doing a practice (I swim alone) or have something to prove? It gets annoying. Its like someone parking right next to you at a mall parking lot that is empty.

We have 10-12 lanes. I usually swim in 3 or 4 cause the pace clock is right there. Why is it if the pool is empty, or nearly empty people ALWAYS get in the lane right next to me! Do they fell like they need to race me or something since I'm actually doing a practice (I swim alone) or have something to prove? It gets annoying. Its like someone parking right next to you at a mall parking lot that is empty. Sorry - that's probably me! Just joking, but we also get 10 lanes. The 2 nearest the locker rooms are the dedicated lap lanes and always open. As you move further from the locker room side you could end up with the schools that come in. The schools are not always there, but if they are the middle school takes lanes 1-5. Once they're done the high school has lanes 1-7 then later in the afternoon the club gets lanes 1-8. I usually go for lane 8 - 3rd from the locker rooms ;), but mostly people start with lane 10 by the lifeguard and just populate the available lanes in order!

We have 10-12 lanes. I usually swim in 3 or 4 cause the pace clock is right there. Why is it if the pool is empty, or nearly empty people ALWAYS get in the lane right next to me! Do they fell like they need to race me or something since I'm actually doing a practice (I swim alone) or have something to prove? It gets annoying. Its like someone parking right next to you at a mall parking lot that is empty. hehehe it can't be helped at my pool because it's only 4 lanes. I've been swimming alone long enough now that it's a good thing when someone gets in and sneakily races me because it's the only thing that'll get me going over about 40% effort.

Not sure if I am allowed to rant... Back to swimming for the first time in two years (and I'm only 32).. When I was swimming it was only for about 8 months... Shoulder pain, life and excuses got the best of me when I stopped. But I will say that when I was swimming those 8 months I was in the best shape of my life... Looking for that again, so I joined the gym and found some swimming rants: My gym's pool has a huge "indoor family aquatic center" with zero depth entry, etc. We also have a 4 lane SCY lap pool with the hot tub in the same death bubble... Brings up a couple rants - One of the lane's is dedicated as a walking lane... And when they have "aquaaeroboics" or aqua yoga (even with only one customer) they take two lanes... Guess that huge new pool is too intimidating... Did I mention the BUBBLE part... Place is sealed quite well. Not so bad in the morning when water temp is still good for workouts and less people who only have a membership at the gym for a hot tub running that thing constantly... Get there at night for a masters class? I've left twice now with horrible hacking fits, one that stayed for 2 days and kept me from sleeping... You can feel the chloramine when you enter the pool deck. (no asthma...yet.. no smoking, no chest cold, etc... just a Chlorine induced loss of breath).. Last week I literally felt like I couldn't catch my breath after warm down swim and quick time in hot tub...) Learning the Fly and Meeting the Lape Lanes - Started -trying- to teach myself that stroke last week. Even when in a lane by myself my right hand apparently loves the lap lane. Interesting shade of yellow now :-) Keeps finding it, I figure I'll eventually do it enough to improve the form or need a cast... Gunnite Sides while sharing a lane. I'm paranoid of hitting someone else so I hug the side. Have a nice new permanent swimming scar as a result on the right index finger... :-) Wall huggers on crowded open lap swim days... I'm no expert. I have about 40lbs to lose so I'm not in the best shape I'm in but when I go to the lap pool I'm there to get a workout or to train myself into something (I want to do some distance events this summer if I can get myself worked up by then, maybe even some meets with shorter distances also.. we'll see how the shoulders go). But when I am there, I am there and try to spend more time swimming than hugging walls. Especially at crowded times.

It's always nice when the pool schedule matches what is actually going on at the pool, but that doesn't seem to be the case in certain places. Yesterday, I had nothing on my work schedule in the afternoon, and I had just finished up working on a project, so I figured it would be a good time to sneak out and go for a swim. I checked the pool schedule for the afternoon on the place's website, and it showed nothing but open/lap swimming all afternoon. Great. I head over there, change, and walk out to the pool only to find it overrun with dozens of kids. I ask the lifeguard what was going on. He said there were swim lessons going on and there was one lane available for lap swimming for the next hour, which of course was occupied by a couple of noodlers who had just gotten there. I asked why that wasn't on the schedule, and he said it was because the lessons just started that day. Huh? As if nobody knew it was coming. :confused: