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?
Parents
Former Member
I swam at DePauw University in a 20-yard pool in the late 50s and early 60s. I don't remember lane lines and we certainly didn't have goggles. Many nights I would finish practice and be unable to open my eyes because of the chemical irritation. We may also have practiced without suits occasionally since there was no women's team; I'm not really sure about this.
The starting blocks were home made wooden structures that extended from the deck into the gutter. It seems to me that we flipped them over (they were hollow) for backstroke starts and a teammate stood in the cavity to keep them from slipping into the pool while the swimmer in the water started.
There were no backstroke flags and I can remember that two team mates would stand at each end. One would have a white towel and would extend as far out as possible over the water waving the towel for the swimmer to see while holding onto the hand of the other team mate so as not to fall into the water at an inopportune time.
Charlie Erdmann was our coach and he used to take us to meets all over the mid-west. What I remember most was that he knew all of the GREAT places to eat along the way and he went out of his way to educate our tastes on these trips.
I also remember the training routine. We basically blasted our brains out every practice and didn't taper. I don't think anyone on our team shaved for the conference meet during the years I was there (my first shave and taper was at 52 as a master's swimmer!).
I swam AAU in the summer because it was almost the only option available for competing out of college. I say almost because I actually coached a team in my home town and we competed with a group of loosely organized teams all within about 100 miles of where I grew up. This was more like the current summer leagues in its organization and quality of swim program.
I'm not sure I'd ever want to be 18 again, but the experience has certainly molded much of my life as an adult.
-- mel
I swam at DePauw University in a 20-yard pool in the late 50s and early 60s. I don't remember lane lines and we certainly didn't have goggles. Many nights I would finish practice and be unable to open my eyes because of the chemical irritation. We may also have practiced without suits occasionally since there was no women's team; I'm not really sure about this.
The starting blocks were home made wooden structures that extended from the deck into the gutter. It seems to me that we flipped them over (they were hollow) for backstroke starts and a teammate stood in the cavity to keep them from slipping into the pool while the swimmer in the water started.
There were no backstroke flags and I can remember that two team mates would stand at each end. One would have a white towel and would extend as far out as possible over the water waving the towel for the swimmer to see while holding onto the hand of the other team mate so as not to fall into the water at an inopportune time.
Charlie Erdmann was our coach and he used to take us to meets all over the mid-west. What I remember most was that he knew all of the GREAT places to eat along the way and he went out of his way to educate our tastes on these trips.
I also remember the training routine. We basically blasted our brains out every practice and didn't taper. I don't think anyone on our team shaved for the conference meet during the years I was there (my first shave and taper was at 52 as a master's swimmer!).
I swam AAU in the summer because it was almost the only option available for competing out of college. I say almost because I actually coached a team in my home town and we competed with a group of loosely organized teams all within about 100 miles of where I grew up. This was more like the current summer leagues in its organization and quality of swim program.
I'm not sure I'd ever want to be 18 again, but the experience has certainly molded much of my life as an adult.
-- mel
