Swimming Stereotypes

Rarely saw runners gawking fellow gal runners that way :) Runners don't know what they are missing then. Maybe it has to do with swimmers wearing less material, no matter the time of year. While runners will bundle up more

Gym swimmer Gym swimmer swims at your local 3 foot deep, 87+ degree, 26 yard gym pool (not known for it's great facilities.) You always know GS prior to your entering the pool as you can clearly hear the slapping/ beating of the water clear into the women's locker room. GS is visibly upset when you glide right by him despite his efforts to try every toy in his bag (you know that abacus won't be much help) to help give him some extra speed. The first moment you stop to read what's next in your workout, GS mentions that you must compete because usually he beats everyone he's ever seen at this pool - and by a lot. You casually answer, "Oh really?" and then immediately regret saying that you were just warming up. GS typically has some kind of communicable disease always accompanied by a sinus infection and continues to hock up a lung and enough mucus to fill a small mud hut throughout the duration of your workout. Again, during your break, he continues to say how you are annihilating him (didn't realize you were racing?!) and how he is going to swim this illness out. Again, you regret saying that, "It's hard to swim when you are sick" as you take the wall lane in the hopes of only ingesting half a mud hut of mucus. At the end you thank god that you were doing a short Paul Smith workout as GS leaves by saying (is that anger in his voice?), "You're a beast!" and the maintenance guy douses the deck with ammonia and promptly rinses it right into the pool. You are relieved when a supervisor scolds the maintenance guy but it is short lived relief as the reprimand is only for failure to put a yellow "Caution, Wet Surface" sign on the deck.

Disappointment - looks fantastic on the pool deck. Once they're in the water however, you're glad the pool isn't very deep because they would drown. Their attempts at swimming are so ugly that you have to look away. Pay attention, swimmers: there is much to be said for graceful movement in the water. The same is true of runners - some are poetry in motion, some are trying not to die, most are somewhere in between :D RE: Gym swimmer - LOL, I once had a zone-4 weekend warrior yelling questions at me from 4 lanes over. I opted for one-word answers since it would have been embarrassing for both of us if I identified the elephant in the room and told him that he might improve his wretched body position by getting his face in the water, and he might get his face in the water if he had some goggles on... :doh:

Aqua Nicotine-These are swimmers who actually smoke and swim. This is someone who smokes a pack every few days or more. When I went to college, I never imagined that swimmers actually smoke cigarettes. Man, there were maybe 8 people on my college team that smoked and one guy was pretty good. He was a 3:53 400 Yard IMer and a 1:53 200 Flyer. But, I think that he could have been a sub 1:50 if he didn't smoked.

Runners don't know what they are missing then. Maybe it has to do with swimmers wearing less material, no matter the time of year. While runners will bundle up more Heck, even if the runners wear swimsuits I doubt they look as charming, with all those excess muscles unevenly distributed ;)

Did we cover the New Year's Resolution Lap Swimmer who shows up in team USA jammers, scuba fins and diving mask and then wants to race.

Unfortunately this is so true. In my twenties, it was one to two packs/a day and I used to swim LCM from 50 to 1500. My best 50 was 27.2 and I didn't realize what I could have possibly achieved until now, 45+ years later. (I did quit on 2/2/2002). P.S. The Czar, Alex Popov was (is?) a smoker. I didn't know that about Popov.

Aqua Nicotine-These are swimmers who actually smoke and swim. This is someone who smokes a pack every few days or more. When I went to college, I never imagined that swimmers actually smoke cigarettes. Man, there were maybe 8 people on my college team that smoked and one guy was pretty good. He was a 3:53 400 Yard IMer and a 1:53 200 Flyer. But, I think that he could have been a sub 1:50 if he didn't smoked. Unfortunately this is so true. In my twenties, it was one to two packs/a day and I used to swim LCM from 50 to 1500. My best 50 was 27.2 and I didn't realize what I could have possibly achieved until now, 45+ years later. (I did quit on 2/2/2002). P.S. The Czar, Alex Popov was (is?) a smoker.

John Doe - Lap swimmer comes in, and swims for about an hour and leaves. Probably recognized by other regulars but doesn't really know anybody or speak to anyone except for a few guards that take the cash at the door to exchange a few polite words. Probably wants to join a team for support but isn't ready for the commitment or doesn't have the time avail yet. Characterized by boring sets and preferance to freestyle without flip turns because it's too embarrassing to practice it and make a scene. The invisible swimmer, used to swim in board shorts.. Oh my god! this is me! lol Great thread.

The Browser Checks either top ten, individual results or current top times list on the USMS web site at least once a day. Yes, that would be me...