The Rec Center I occasionally swim at has starting blocks. I am aware that is a swim device that I am supposed to use once in awhile. The pool is very deep and used for daily swim team practice and some meets. Yet, there is always a bright yellow cone placed on the blocks during lap swimming hours. No one may use the starting blocks at this time. I find it irritating. No one could possibly get hurt unless they were especially idiotic. I guess they're worried about lawsuits. I saw someone doing backstroke starts once, but who wants to do those? This practice will discourage me from ever entering a non-OW event.
Parents
Former Member
There are actually a few ways to hurt yourself ...
One is if you slip and scrape all the skin off the front of your shins on the front of the blocks.
Another is if somebody else doesn't realize you are going to dive and decides to cross your lane and you collide. Or if somebody else in your lane does something unpredictable. Or you misjudge how much room you need. Or you don't see somebody underwater in your path. When you are practicing starts you aren't generally aware of what's going on around you (which is why a coach is supposed to be supervising). Or you lose your balance on the blocks when it's not clear to go.
I've had the air knocked out of me when somebody jumped on top of me and I sank to the bottom of a deep diving well. Scary!
One of my Masters teammates dislocated his shoulder when he dove off the blocks. He was very long-limbed and light musculature and didn't have his hands together.
Finally, even in 6' you can hit the bottom very hard if you are trying a new skill (or goofing off) and end up going straight down.
Some of the kids do the darndest things. Big kids too.
Diving accidents aren't terribly common but they can be catastrophic and cause big financial losses to the insurance companies or the pool owner. Most just don't want to underwrite the risk. If they did, it would be passed on to the customers by way of increased fees.
There are actually a few ways to hurt yourself ...
One is if you slip and scrape all the skin off the front of your shins on the front of the blocks.
Another is if somebody else doesn't realize you are going to dive and decides to cross your lane and you collide. Or if somebody else in your lane does something unpredictable. Or you misjudge how much room you need. Or you don't see somebody underwater in your path. When you are practicing starts you aren't generally aware of what's going on around you (which is why a coach is supposed to be supervising). Or you lose your balance on the blocks when it's not clear to go.
I've had the air knocked out of me when somebody jumped on top of me and I sank to the bottom of a deep diving well. Scary!
One of my Masters teammates dislocated his shoulder when he dove off the blocks. He was very long-limbed and light musculature and didn't have his hands together.
Finally, even in 6' you can hit the bottom very hard if you are trying a new skill (or goofing off) and end up going straight down.
Some of the kids do the darndest things. Big kids too.
Diving accidents aren't terribly common but they can be catastrophic and cause big financial losses to the insurance companies or the pool owner. Most just don't want to underwrite the risk. If they did, it would be passed on to the customers by way of increased fees.
