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
Oh man - I totally remember the eye charcoal, no goggles, no caps but had long hair, salt tablets. The stop watch post was hilarious - I totally remember that as well as the "dial a time" where the timers posted your time.
Best memory: Winter meets gave out trophies for 1-6 place, not just medals or ribbons. I loved coming home from a swim trip with a bunch of new trophies.
Swimming at the Y in the 60s - 3 lanes, 17 yards and about 100 kids. After the new high school was built, it was a 5 lane, 20 yard pool. When my family moved to a new town, my parents bought our house based on the school district with the best high school swim program.
Weirdest memory: In the 60s having "fun" days where we would either play games or do relays. One of the games we played didn't have a name, but the team would sit along the edge of the pool with their backs to the water (they were the Viet Cong) and one person at a time would be the Marine by trying to slip into the water and swim the entire length of the pool and exit the pool without being heard. If they expelled any breath or splashed or made any sound, they were "killed." That last one living, won.
Playing cards at meets with friends.
Taking bus trips and singing songs.
Eating at McDonald's was HUGE - we didn't have one in my small town.
Regularly scheduled "duel" meets - It seemed like we had a meet every Saturday.
Living in a small town and having my picture in the newspaper a million times - I have a full scrap book of the clips.
Being jealous of the kids whose mom's let them eat the Jello gelatin mix right out of the box with their finger.
Hating swimming in the summer because it was soooo cold - (we swam outside starting Memorial Day weekend no matter what the temp, rain or shine) - blue lips, numb fingers.
My dad making my sister and I drink protein shakes with every meal from the time I was 7 until about 12.
Sloppy Joes at the concession stand (aka "Untidy Josephs)
I remember watching swimming on a national TV network, not wondering if the world finals will be on what weird chanel & when. I took a class on sport history. Duringthe mid 60s, swimming was oneof the most televised sports. It was along with skiing and professional football. It is hard to remember that neither professional nor college basketball were on tv much.
I swam age group in the late 60s to 70s, and remember a lot of the things people have already posted. My vivid memories:
politically incorrect (now!) coaches who would turn the firehose on us if we were too long to get out of the shower or if we swam too slow...same coach used to step on our fingers if we did open turns in freestyle...
goggles came in while I was swimming...coach wouldn't let us wear them in races, and had to practice 1/2 of the time without goggles (so we would be used to stinging red eyes?)
going straight from morning practice to school; eating breakfast in the car; smelling like chlorine all day; arriving at school with frozen hair because both my mom and coach figured the extra ten minutes it would take to dry my hair would be better spent in the pool
billeting for out of town meets...now is not allowed due to security risks, etc. Understandable, but sad.
the rule that said ALL females had to wear caps, even if our hair was short (I hated that rule) but guys didn't have to wear caps, even if their hair was long.
Once lycra came in, wearing two or three suits because they became see through in the bum and boobs after a week or so...
failing Red Cross stroke technique for breaststroke - my bronze medallion instuctor insisted that arms be swept out just under the surface untill parallel with our shoulders - elbows weren't supposed to bend on the pull, just on the recovery
suicide backstroke flip turns
I remember watching swimming on a national TV network, not wondering if the world finals will be on what weird chanel & when. I took a class on sport history. Duringthe mid 60s, swimming was oneof the most televised sports. It was along with skiing and professional football. It is hard to remember that neither professional nor college basketball were on tv much.
ABC Wide World of Sports.
No goggles: At one of my first nationals (Ft Lauderdale, mid 70's), my husband and I shared a bottle of wine for dinner so that I could burn the end of the cork to blacken under my eyes for backstroke. It probably did no good, but the wine was good.
Suits: I have looked through an old scrapbook, but can't find a really clear picture of my first racing suits. They were nylon with a skirt all the way around that was attached at the waist. A few years later we got new ones that just had the "modesty panel" - a small piece across the front.
I did find a picture of some of my team in our practice suits. The YMCA used to provide those terrible cotton suits - red (faded to pink) or green - for their "open plunge." When the YWCA quit providing suits, they gave their supply to my coach. He had what seemed like an unending supply. Now I realize that the heavy cottom suits were great as drag suits. When we went to a meet and wore the nylon ones, they felt so light - even with the full skirt!
Just thought I'd add one quick note. If you're pitching ideas for the magazine, please don't post 'em here. Send a note to:
editor@usms.org
Many Thanks,
Bill
In regards to lane ropes, I remember the hot dog floats morphing into the Kiefer cheese grater/skin removal system. When they broke or cracked great bodily harm soon followed.
It's also funny how long it took for the lane rope manufacturers to come out with a tightening system (turnbuckle) that didn't require a ratchet wrench. Every pool had to have the wrench sitting around to tighten the lane lines and it always seemed to disappear from time to time.
...
I got my first (speedo) lycra suit in 1974 at LC nationals in Concord, CA.
...
AAU Masters Long Course Nationals in 1974 were in Santa Clara, at the pool that is still there, from pictures I have recently seen. They tried having the under 40s swim in the mornings, and overs in the afternoon, but we youngsters (ah, those were the days!) went to the nearest mini-mart on Sunday and brought back cases of beer to the pool to help us cheer on our older mates! I even handed a beer to my future mother-in-law while she was still in the pool after her last race. Things got a bit rowdy and they didn't keep the ages separate too much longer after that.
Also saw my first Pong game in a restaurant lobby in San Jose that weekend.
In high school (1968 ) only 2 swimmers per team could swim for points. In a 6 lane pool a 3rd swimmer could swim exhibition.
Distance event for freshman was 300 yds - 400 yds for varsity team.
I also remember the 'dial-a-time' result boards and no goggles in meets.
The evolution of gutters has been interesting also.
Miles
In the Victorian-era pool we trained in, the gutters were like a porcelain handrail and trough all the way down both sides of the pool.
Every 10 yards or so down this gutter was a bulge with the word "Spitoon" imbedded in the ceramic glaze.
