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?
Mid-fifties and Beyond:
- Four (or five!!) lane pools with NO lane ropes, led to:
- DQs for obstructing an opponent by swimming in their lane.
- Transition from all underwater breaststroke to keeping head above water; made me a champ (my lungs were not great in those days).
- Taper consisted of starts, turns, and 25s the day before a meet.
- 5 length 100s in 20 yard pools.
- Minerva (Swiss) stop watches that you had to wind; really classy if you had the model with a split hand. (Still have one that I purchased about 1973) Our Masters coach loves to use it when we're doing the one-hour swim.
- AAU rules different from YMCA, High School, and College. In AAU you had to touch with your HAND on free and back turns. Did a kind of tumble turn, sliding the hand down the wall as you began flip. Had a great sprinter who could not judge turns. Great HS and College, but was terrible in 100 in AAU meets.
- Pre-Chet, three-part Frog Kick; teaching mantra: Up, Out, Together
- YMCA and YWCA different orgs for a number of years, no coed. All-nude YMCA swimming except for meets.
- Starting blocks that were just concrete blocks covered with pool tile, built into the pool. Used wet towels over the edge to keep from slipping on start.
- Eating steak about 4 hours before the meet to get power from the protein!!
- Taking COLD showers before a race so the dive into the 70 degree water wouldn't be so shocking.
- Training for long course in a gigantic public pool, starting from knee deep water swimming to a rope set at approx 50 meters, swimming in waves with rec swimmers all around.
- Swam a medley relay at YMCA state champs where they made us swim butterfly second and *** third.
- Weight training only in off-season, and then only pulley weights.
Mid-fifties and Beyond:
- Four (or five!!) lane pools with NO lane ropes, led to:
- DQs for obstructing an opponent by swimming in their lane.
- Transition from all underwater breaststroke to keeping head above water; made me a champ (my lungs were not great in those days).
- Taper consisted of starts, turns, and 25s the day before a meet.
- 5 length 100s in 20 yard pools.
- Minerva (Swiss) stop watches that you had to wind; really classy if you had the model with a split hand. (Still have one that I purchased about 1973) Our Masters coach loves to use it when we're doing the one-hour swim.
- AAU rules different from YMCA, High School, and College. In AAU you had to touch with your HAND on free and back turns. Did a kind of tumble turn, sliding the hand down the wall as you began flip. Had a great sprinter who could not judge turns. Great HS and College, but was terrible in 100 in AAU meets.
- Pre-Chet, three-part Frog Kick; teaching mantra: Up, Out, Together
- YMCA and YWCA different orgs for a number of years, no coed. All-nude YMCA swimming except for meets.
- Starting blocks that were just concrete blocks covered with pool tile, built into the pool. Used wet towels over the edge to keep from slipping on start.
- Eating steak about 4 hours before the meet to get power from the protein!!
- Taking COLD showers before a race so the dive into the 70 degree water wouldn't be so shocking.
- Training for long course in a gigantic public pool, starting from knee deep water swimming to a rope set at approx 50 meters, swimming in waves with rec swimmers all around.
- Swam a medley relay at YMCA state champs where they made us swim butterfly second and *** third.
- Weight training only in off-season, and then only pulley weights.
