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?
Former Member
I was on the Curl team from 85-86. Just after starlit was shut down I guess, but all the other swimmers were constantly talking about the place, and what poor condition it was in. What was the lawsuit about? And where was it located by the way, near Woodson H.S.?
I dont' know how to do multiple quotes per post yet. So, I'll just post twice.
The lawsuit; I met the swimmer that sued the 4 men who owned the pool (I believe they were all doctors!), a couple years after it happened, and he gave me the scoop. He was in the showers when something electrical shorted and he got electrocuted from the showerhead, through his body, and down to the drain. It knocked him unconcious and blew out his toes. He said he was in pretty bad shape for a while. It was sad to hear the story but great to hear that he made out healthy.
The pool was located right next to W.T. Woodson H.S. so we could walk to school from practice and back again after school. Convenient. Here's the google map of it: The school on the left of Pickett Rd. The brown roof on the right is where the pool used to be.
maps.google.com/maps
The Far Westerns were at Fleishacher Pool, next to SF Zoo, every summer. Cold as hell and scarey with a dippy old green bulkhead for your starting area for 50 meter events. Lance Larson was the first man in the world to break one minute in the 100 meter butterfly in that pool.
I believe he first broke one minute and the world record in the Los Angeles Coliseum pool. It was at night, I was 13 or so, had a good seat near the finish, and thought it was a most amazing thing.
In New Mexico, there ain't much agua, but I learned to swim at New Mexico State's indoor pool (1964) - 25 yds, 6 lanes, wooden starting blocks, dial-a-time boards for the timers, cork lane lines - but we did have gutters!
Dove into the shallow end (3 ft), swam without goggles, huge nylon suits with our team patch sewn w/love by our moms. Max work out distance was no more than 2K - but it was more about having fun and goofing off.
My favorite memories are not about competitive swimming, but about the summer days of being a pool rat. We would play water football with the college football players in the shallow end (imagine a big lineman wading through the shallow end with 10 little kids climbing on him trying to dunk him). And water baseball with a kickboard for a bat and tennisball - imaginary bases and great arguements! If we had 25 cents, we would go to the student union and share a milk shake after spending the entire day at the pool. If the lifeguards had a card game going and needed a fourth, well, we were always available.
When my daughter was little, I had a chance to relive all those great childhood memories again. Now that she is in college and my arthitis acts up - all I have are those great memories of summer days at the pool.
Let's go swimming!
Yeah I figured that's where it was, given the name of the street. But I was never sure. Good to hear the guy who was injured made a recovery.
The school on the left of Pickett Rd. The brown roof on the right is where the pool used to be.
maps.google.com/maps
I can't go back that far but I remember kids at my age group club would wear three or four drag suits and even wear them when they were chlorinated to death and the fabric was coming off. I don't see that anymore. I feel like I am the only person in the area that trains with two suits.
I remember the days when coaches didn't get their workout from the software program. But, I don't think that they do that at Villanova. My age group coach has this binder with every workout known to man.
I can go back to when you had to do a bucket turn for backstroke. Does anyone remember doing the standup start for backstroke?
Great thread! I don't know if this has already been mentioned but I remember when backstrokers used to spray a sticky substance on the bottom of their feet so they wouldn't slip on the start. Don't remember what it was called.
We just used towels.
I remember the blue and pink cards for seeding at USS meets (and that the same guy seemed to have that job at every USS meet I ever swam in). We also hid our cards by sticking them in our suits.
I also remember wearing multiple suits in practice. In fact, I used to wear 3-4 suits, none of which was "whole" but combined they provided decent coverage.
The only thing I haven't heard mentioned yet that *may* be worth mentioning is that I remember a couple of years when you could start backstroke by STANDING in the gutter with your hands on the top of the starting blocks. I hated (and still hate) backstroke but I used to love doing those starts!
The only thing I haven't heard mentioned yet that *may* be worth mentioning is that I remember a couple of years when you could start backstroke by STANDING in the gutter with your hands on the top of the starting blocks. I hated (and still hate) backstroke but I used to love doing those starts!
As long as your heels were touching the water. I LOVED those starts :bliss:
In AAU/USS before computers were used much, we had little pink (blue for the boys) index cards with our times on them that they used for seeding us. They would line you up in this huge line by heat and we always tried to hide our pink cards from the people near us so they wouldn't see our time. :laugh2:
OMG I remember the pink cards!!!
Wearing 3 suits at one time in practice
Goggles that leaked all the time so you just gave up and went without
No caps
Auro-dri for the water in the ears
Riding to/from age group practice in the winter - 13 year old boys and girls stuffed together in the back of a station wagon. "Three Dog Night" on the radio. Rings around all the lights.
