This new thread occurred to me while reading posts comparing Spitz to Phelps, as well as reflecting upon mortality considering heart attacks etc. In swimming we immortalize individuals or teams for various feats or contributions, but do little to preserve a feeling for subsequent generations of enthusiasts about what it was like to train and compete 'back in the day'. Just what day am I talking about? Exactly: there have been many 'days' or more properly 'eras' that can be narrowly characterized by differences in equipment, distances swum and trained, coaching methods or more widely by larger factors: world war, global depression, racial segregation, inequality of the sexes. All of these can contribute to very different experiences than what are common today to the younger swimmer; hence, 'what was it like'. I visualize a thread that continues to be added to as new people read it and remember their own experiences. As well, experience can vary with national origin, not just era. There have already been posts on this topic scattered in various threads, please feel free to copy or quote material from them to here.
Please remember that this is not about how fast a particular swimmer was, but about the conditions that defined competitive swimming of that day.
We also have a priceless resource out there: aging swimmers in their 80's or 90's who may be less likely to read or hear of this thread; why not ask them for some of their memories or impressions and pass them on to us, while we still can?
I swam in the mid 1950's when breaststroke was undergoing rule changes almost every year. At one time, you could stay underwater as long as possible. One of my teammates (about 13 or 14) swam 50 meters underwater on a relay. Her relay had to get a certain place in order for the team to win the meet.
Then the rule changes so that we could stay underwater on breastsroke for 3 strokes, surface, and go back under for 3 strokes. That was followed by the rule change that part of the head had to stay above water.
I swam in the mid 1950's when breaststroke was undergoing rule changes almost every year. At one time, you could stay underwater as long as possible. One of my teammates (about 13 or 14) swam 50 meters underwater on a relay. Her relay had to get a certain place in order for the team to win the meet.
Then the rule changes so that we could stay underwater on breastsroke for 3 strokes, surface, and go back under for 3 strokes. That was followed by the rule change that part of the head had to stay above water.
