Recently, my home YMCA has decided to band the use of Noodles during family/open swim times. They cite the floating foam (which can be used as a reaching assist, be used as an instructional aid, fun "thingy", etc. if used properly) as a "safety hazard". Not only is the ban news to me, so is the "hazard" label. Our pool always has at least 2 lifeguards (for a 6 lane, 25 yd pool) during the open swim times and requires that parents/guardians remain in the immediate area - if not in the pool - with their children.
I think my aquatics department has been hijacked by two non-swimmers who are too busy making up crimes to focus on real issues such as inceased times/lanes for competitive swimmers, monitoring pool temps & chemicals, etc.
My questions are:
How many other facilities have banned such fun floating objects?
What types/kinds of accidents have you experienced with the Noodle?
Do you think they have a basis for their decision?
ps. The facility stocks and uses the banned items during swim lessons and exercise classes.
Whenever I race, I sign a liability waiver. Nope, they didn't want to hear that either.:frustrated:
Waivers aren't worth the paper they're written on. ;)
Happily, our summer swim league pool bans non-potty trained kids from the main pool and restricts them to the kids' pools. However, we did have an incident last summer where a poo was discovered floating in the big kid pool. Shut down a swim meet. Poo is worse than noodles any day.
You guys are really big on lifeguard bashing ...:thhbbb:
Ok, I can see both sides of this. I would guess that the main area for concern is kids using the noodles to swim to water where they can't touch, slipping off the noodle and getting in trouble. Maybe some troublemakers were really slapping noodles at other people? Still, I'm not sure how much damage a foam noodle can cause.
At the same time, if there are 2 lifeguards for a 6 lane pool, that doesn't sound like that huge of an area to cover (for a guard). We used to have 1 lifeguard for a 6 lane, 25 yd pool with an L-attached diving well where I guarded and managed. Maybe your Y gets insanely busy during Family Swim??? Maybe the parents do a terrible job of watching their kids? I once had to jump in for a 5 year old who jumped off the side into 3 1/2 ft deep water because I couldn't get the attention of his mother jabbering away about 1 foot from where her sons head was under the water. Dumb dumb dumb.
Our summer 'pool' is a converted limestone quarry that gets pretty murky at times. Other than during Adult Float (no one under the age of 18 allowed inside the park, period) no floatie devices of any sort other than Coast Guard approved are allowed. Due to the murky water and the fact that on a busy there are probably over 200 people there, this rule makes a lot of sense... alot more sense than at a small, hopefully crystal clear Y-pool. (You also have to be able to swim ~110 yds freestyle to be allowed in the deep end if you haven't yet graduated from 8th grade.)
I put myself through college (partly) by renting beach equipment on Clearwater Beach (FL). I only once saw a Tower Jockey get off her butt to go get someone in "trouble." The trouble swimmer came back just fine. A second life guard had to go get the first one.:applaud:
I was just joshing and being my now sharkish self, although I don't want to cause our new mermaid any more anxiety!! :) I guarded a lot when young and sometimes had trouble keeping the eyes open. On the other hand, I have seen them fish swimmers out of the ocean who wandered in too far and got caught in tides a couple times. Sometimes there's nothing they can do if swimmers choose to swim during red flag times though. Maybe Jesse can give us his opinion of ocean guarding.
As an adult, I can make a risk assessment on my ability to swim in a 3 1/2 foot deep pool.
While I fully undestand your point Bill, the mandating of lifeguards was not directed at just you, but for all swimmers too. Including the terminally stupid and wreckless among us who will do stupid and wreckless things, which lead to there or other's deminse. This then leads to the liablility issue.
This sort of liablily dodging has become neccessary, at least at indoor facilities, which try to promote a safe environment, and is frustrating for me too, when the pool is shut mid-workout because there is thunder...20 miles away.
I never understood why there needs to be a life guard on a beach but that's just me. I don't see how anyone is responsible for the ocean. It's water, it has waves, it get's rough.
Swim at your own risk; Parent's watch your own kids.
Then the ultimate baffler: blowing the whistle to get everyone out of the surf until you've packed up and then everyone can go back in.
Just blow the whistle and wave bye-bye.
We don't have lifeguards per se, but a coach must be on site when anybody is in the water.
You can certainly make a risk assesment for yourself, but the facility must make their own with consideration of liability in the event of an injury or fatality.
Understood. I guess this was a vent. My coach was a qualified lifeguard, but not good enough.
Whenever I race, I sign a liability waiver. Nope, they didn't want to hear that either.:frustrated:
Understood. I guess this was a vent. My coach was a qualified lifeguard, but not good enough.
Whenever I race, I sign a liability waiver. Nope, they didn't want to hear that either.:frustrated:
I can understand where you are coming from. Unfortunately the society we live in is an absurdly litigious one and the protections people must provide themselves with take a certain amount of fun from day to day life.
Waivers aren't worth the paper they're written on. ;)
Happily, our summer swim league pool bans non-potty trained kids from the main pool and restricts them to the kids' pools. However, we did have an incident last summer where a poo was discovered floating in the big kid pool. Shut down a swim meet. Poo is worse than noodles any day.
You guys are really big on lifeguard bashing ...:thhbbb:
Oh jeez, just scoop it out and play ball...
Oh jeez, just scoop it out and play ball...
What if its not really in ....well lets say "solid" form....and kind of partially dissolved lets say.....You still want to play ball in it then Rich??
Newmastersswimmer
