Tricks of the Trade

A completely different "trick of the trade." Does chopping onions make you teary-eyed? Keep a pair of swim goggles nearby and wear them when chopping onions. It works great! Anna Lea

Thats good, the old method was to hold a slice of white bread in your mouth while chopping onions. The bread would get wet in the pool.

It is always helpful to have a spare cap, pair of goggles and backup swimsuit. You never know when the cap may rip, the google strap/nosepiece will die or your swimsuit will spring a leak. Also, for frequent swimmers, it is also helpful to have a good stock of cheapo practice suits. Even the suits made to have extended pool life get stretched out, lose some of their strength and develop leaks. I've already gone through two this year - and that is with a very light fall.

For men who have had trouble undoing a tightly bound wet knot in their briefs' waistcords and as Ranted (elsewhere) by Ande: Originally Posted by ande forums.usms.org/.../viewpost.gif having to untie a tight wet knot in my swim suit Also posted on the Rants thread. First thing I do with any swimsuit I get is join the two loose ends of the cord with a square knot (see attachment or see images.google.com/imgres ) thus creating a long continuous loop. This link is animated and shows how to tie the square (or reef) knot: www.animatedknots.com/.../in...matedknots.com The idea is to have a long continuous loop with no loose ends. Then tie the cord as you would a shoelace, pulling tight, (even though it's without loose ends, it's still do-able). Try it, it's easy to do. Then whenever you want to untie the knot, just pull on any part of the cord, it will always become unknotted, never getting stuck. Attached Thumbnailsforums.usms.org/attachment.php also www.animatedknots.com/.../in...matedknots.com

Get out of your wet swimsuit as soon as you finish your cooldown. You want to stay warm and loose between events,not cold and wet.(Important safety hint,always remember to put a suit back on before you go up to the blocks and start taking off your sweats.I have heard that people have forgotten.)

Important safety hint,always remember to put a suit back on before you go up to the blocks and start taking off your sweats.I have heard that people have forgotten.) Yes, it IS illegal to NOT wear something. Though I am sure you won't get dq'd if your suit falls off on the dive.

I saw this happen at a swim meet in Toronto. Men's or Women's event? Pictures? (If the latter, not the former.) Is that the reason that some cameras have a "flash"? :)

.(Important safety hint,always remember to put a suit back on before you go up to the blocks and start taking off your sweats.I have heard that people have forgotten.) I saw this happen at a swim meet in Toronto. I was at a boxing match and saw it happen there also.

If you are bringing fans along, and your fans have cameras, make sure that they have the FLASH OFF at the start of your races. And yes, do thank your timers and officials!

Be very, very nice to the timers. hahahhaha roffle