When I was swimming the 100 fly this morning, my shoulder decided we were done about 60 yards in. I really wanted to stop so that I didn't hurt it, but I didn't know the proper approach. I ended up just finishing and trying to keep my stroke legal, but it was slow and painful. Should I have just stopped and swam back to the wall?
If you are really hurt,hang on the lane line until the race is over.Someone will probably help you make it to the side.If you can make it to the end of the pool,that would be better,wait there and ask for help if needed. If the problem is something that may pass(cramp,nausea,etc.) you can hang on the wall awhile and then finish the race if you want. In a free race you can legally stop and stand on the bottom(in the shallow end) and as long as you don't push off the bottom you are still legal I believe.Of course if you are sick or hurt a DQ is not your biggest worry.
While swimming in meets in high school I had two separate cases where I specifically recall just wanting to call it quits.
The first was a case where I was swimming the 200 Free and on the 3rd leg slammed my heel on the pool deck while doing my flip turn. (Many people have done this, and an unlucky group of us have done it at race speeds.) I think I finished that one just dragging my leg behind and not using it on the remaining flip turns. It was pretty smashed and bruised and I couldn't step on it or do full flip turns for a while afterwards.
The second, I did get out. I dove in for the 100 *** and my knee dislocated. I floated to the surface, tried to convice myself I could swim, couldn't, and just stopped and floated my way to the nearest exit after the other swimmers were out of the way. Getting pulled out of the pool with a dislocated knee SUCKS!
I've swam in all kinds of pain and injuries. That being said, in masters, I think if I did a heel smash like the one I did in high school I would have just gotten out. In high school I could get the team a couple points just by not coming in last and I could do that by pulling the entire race. In masters I would have nothing to gain and nobody to disappoint. And I certainly wouldn't be disappointing myself if I knew it meant preventing a possible major injury. Just break stroke and get to the end with whatever stroke, pull, or kick feels comfortable.
That really sucks!!
I would say though if it's incredibly painful and you are in fear for your well being then swim back. I'd rather have a DQ then a totally blown shoulder.
That's hard though, since we've been taught to finish what you start and percervere through pain and whatnot, but if you think it might be serious then it's not worth going on. It'd be better to stop than have shoulder problems for the rest of your life.
When I was swimming the 100 fly this morning, my shoulder decided we were done about 60 yards in. I really wanted to stop so that I didn't hurt it, but I didn't know the proper approach. I ended up just finishing and trying to keep my stroke legal, but it was slow and painful. Should I have just stopped and swam back to the wall?
I think you should quit the race and get out at the nearest exit (trying your best to not interfere with the other swimmers in the race of course) if you think that you might be risking injury by continuing the race.....but I understand what you are saying....we all feel a kind of obligation to try and finish the race in most circumstances. I hope your shoulder is o.k. Maybe you should have a specialist look at it....and ice it in the meantime. Good Luck and sorry to hear about your shoulder!! I like Allen's suggestion too. I think that I got confused about the order of the postings here....I thought I was replying to the last posting in this thread (i.e. the third posting)....but actually I was replying to the first posting and Allen, Kyra and m2tall2 had already responded to it? is it just me or does the postings now seem arranged differently??
Newmastersswimmer
Fortunately I wasn't in much pain, it was just like my left arm suddenly didn't have any strength. So I did finish although I was barely getting that arm out of the water. Now that I know I can just stop and get back to the wall, that is what I will do next time. There is so much to re-learn about swim meets. Thanks for all the help folks.
I think you should quit the race and get out at the nearest exit (trying your best to not interfere with the other swimmers in the race of course)
Wait until ALL swimmers in the heat have finished before you cross into someone else's lane for exit other than the turn or finish end of your lane. That will avoid distractions to the rest of the swimmers and the meet operations and timers.
I was put on a medley relay once and they had someone else actually swim my backstroke leg; they put me on Fly even though I told them I couldn't swim anything past a 50. It was a 4x100 medley relay. I got out of the pool at the 75 meter mark; couldn't finish it. I never had to swim that fly leg again. The same thing happened with similarity only they put me on the breastroke which I completed, but I got DQd for something I did wrong with that stroke. Didn't have to swim that stroke ever again on a relay also.
Moral of the story: people should listen when someone says they can't do something!!
One race I didn't finish was a 50m (FR, of course. What else?) where my goggles completely came off (not down my neck but separated from my body) on the start. I had had a retinal detachment operation a couple of months prior followed by corneal abrasion. Had these been the Olympics and me in the finals, I still would not have risked swimming without eye protection. I just stopped, retrieved my still floating goggles and walked back to the starting blocks (which I reached before anybody else in the race).
My time from start to finish (for a 50m free in a SCM) was about 10 seconds. A World Record, I believe (if I hadn't been DQ'ed with a DNF; a mere technicality really. I did indeed finish. I just did not do the turn. Judges can be so finnicky and stickler for details).
:dunno:
