Swim Rant

You can show no mercy with kids. I usually tell them once to stay out my lane, if they get in again I will just keep going and not care if I splash, kick or run them over. It works. I tend to be a bit TI with my front crawl I can't see what's coming...I collided witha young guy doing backstroke. He was a good swimmer, sharing the lane well but just strayed off course. I was concerned I'd hurt him. Lifeguard offered to toss a kid out of the lane I was waiting on one night (it was adult lap) but he was swimming nicely. So I told her to let him alone. If he was being a goof or such, then yeah I want my lane, but he was working sensibly and I had lots of time to spare.

I observed a swim instructor telling his students that breaststroke kick is"up out,and back.":notworking: I wish swim instruction would get in the 21st Century.I'm still bitter that the Red Cross didn't want me to swim whipkick with side stroke(for me it was much faster and stronger.):dedhorse:

Need we even mention the redcross swimming. The Canadian breastroke champion was failed in breaststroke, by the redcross after arriving home from competing in the Olympic games breaststroke events.

I don't like it when the head ref sucks and doesn't know whats going on. For example, one of my swimmers got dq'ed in backstroke for a noncontinuous turn, except they didn't do a back flip turn, they did a perfectly legal open turn....???

I am talking about the kids that are not swimming laps. Just swimming for fun across all the lanes, etc. The lifeguards at my Y are pretty worthless. hmmmm.... I used to deal with them by just swimming a lot swifter than they think you are when they are say cutting across the lane......when there is an almighty collision (that you are prepared for ;)) ......you act very apologetic & hope that their parent then tells them to keep out of the way When I was coaching an age-group team at a local Y & we had smartass footballers hanging about & placing things over the lane ropes, I would quickly give my lot a set of 12.5m or 25m Fly sprints & 'allow' them to swim with clenched fists on the recovery :woot:I did have conerns about their shoulders ( RC ) though if they were to have an impact. :sad:

Kids cutting across my lane: two types the young girls practicing synchro moves etc. I can deal with as they are having fun in the water and practicing their thing. Yesterday though there are some 20 year olds at the end of BOTH lanes in an open 50 m pool kissing and having fun and going back and forth across the lanes. The pool was open on both sides of the only two lanes set up. I almost hit one while I am warming up and I change lanes. Then in my main set one of the girls being carried by a guy says to me when I have to stop 50 into a 400 "what's your problem? we are just moving across the lane."! Needless to say I was ready to do sets of 50's fast with closed fists!! -Thomas

What is it with some parents? When I was lap swimming last week, about halfway through a set of 400's, the pace clock I had set on the deck at the flags goes missing. I finish my repeat and look around and it is by a bench where kids are sitting (with parents) waiting for their swimming lesson. I yell at them to put it back and then they don't put it in the same place so I have to stop my workout, get out of the pool and put it back where I had it. Grrrrr!! And while I'm on a rant....why does pool staff schedule swim lessons during ADULT lap swim and take half the pool away from lap swimmers? Why can't they do this during open swim? Again...GRRRRR!!! I think I need that sign as well! I've decided summer is a bad time for attempting to do a real workout in lap lanes. Too many kids. I went to the rec center last week. One set of backstroke flags was gone, so the kiddies could dive. Noisy kids everywhere. Some dumb kid walked right up to my lane while I was swimming and picked up my fins and monofin like they were pool toys and walked away with them. Luckily, I was almost to the wall, so I stopped her. (Luckily, stupid kid did not drop it on her toe.) WTF? Parents let their kids do that nowadays? There were kids attempting to hop in the adult lap lanes constantly. Duh, it's ADULT swim. Pisses me off. Every pool I go to this summer it seems to be a problem. :dedhorse: :sad:

Geeezzz What a bunch of whiney prima donna’s. You guys sound worse than my 2 year old. My lane…MY lane MY LANE! News flash your $3 does not entitle you to “ownership” of 1/8 of a public pool. What part of public don’t you understand? If sharing is so repugnant to you then rent the whole facility or better yet go build your own pool. Then you can have the whole place to yourself. Some of you actually are looking to intentionally hurt others? Man, that’s not only childish it’s criminal. If there people swimming in the pool who are not following pool rules, then ask the pool management staff to enforce their rules. And let me get this straight, this is Masters Swimming, where the first objective is to encourage and promote improved physical fitness and health in adults. Many adults engage in water aerobics to improve their physical fitness and health. So is the objective to only encourage these people as long as they stay away from YOUR pool? And heaven forbid swim lessons occur in YOUR pool, this could only serve to encourage more people to take up swimming as a life style choice and encroach on YOUR lane. One more new flash… fast is relative. If you swim your 50 in under 20 seconds you are fast. Anything over that and there is a group of swimmers out there who would be able to call you slow. If you are having problems with other swimmers in a public pool, try communications or get the pool management involved. But at the very least could you try to act like adults? The Noodler brings up some worthwhile points.

Let's just say I didn't have to tell her twice. ;) Really though, I need a sign that reads "Amber's lane, stay the f*** out." :p Unfortunately most bad "swimmers" (although it's an insult to swimmers to call these people swimmers) can't read. They can's read a simple, four-letter word, that starts with "F" followed by one vowel and two consonants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I thought everybody in english-speaking countries could understand a sign that says, "FAST". (and I don't mean, "don't eat").

And while I'm on a rant....why does pool staff schedule swim lessons during ADULT lap swim and take half the pool away from lap swimmers? Why can't they do this during open swim? Again...GRRRRR!!! I feel you on the swim lessons. About a month ago when I was swimming laps at the Y I got throw out of my lane because of swim lessons. There are these signs next to the lanes that say lap swim and the instruter flips the sign around to swim class when I was resting in between sets, and all the other lanes were taken so I just got out. I was at the opposite so I gave her a stare down. Then I go look at the lane schedule and see that it is supposed to be lap swim. Luckaly I didn't have to wait long for a lane to open but that was bs.