I wonder how you feel if you happened to be the only one or two swimming in a pool while there are four highly dutiful lifeguards watching...nothing but you, of course... for the whole time you were swimming? (assuming you were not that great a swimmer to be proud of giving a "performance").
That's what happened to me today. Needless to say I felt damn safe, especially appreciated it very much when at one point one of them poked his head to see if I was OK when I was at the end of the pool, literally under their feet :wave: (I usually thought the guards didn't pay enough attention).
On the one hand I was flattered by the heavy attention and safeguarding (today seemed to be an unusual day); on the other hand, it felt funny "performing" solo or duet to an audience of 4 :D. They did appear to be all watching the whole time, not doing other things.
What's in the guards' mind when they are watching just 1-2 swimmers in the pool? Do they judge their skills? laugh at the guy splashing water everywhere, or the other that swims like a limping shrimp? :rolleyes:
:D
Once or twice I've had lifeguards in the situation you describe ask me about the swim set I'm doing. Once one even started giving me sendoffs and calling out my times as I came in. I wasn't self-conscious, just glad to have a makeshift coach while I was practicing on my own. The guard was happy to have something to do to make the time go by more quickly.
I have also occasionally asked guards during slow times to watch a particular thing in my stroke and give me feedback--something like, "Hey, I've been trying to put my left arm in the water directly in front of my shoulder--can you watch on the next lap and tell me if that's what I'm doing?" Once I ask a single time, I tend to give me really enthusiastic feedback for the entire session I'm swimming, and often on subsequent days as well.
It turns out that lifeguards often know a fair lot about swimming, and seem to find their inner coaches once you engage with them a bit!
Once or twice I've had lifeguards in the situation you describe ask me about the swim set I'm doing. Once one even started giving me sendoffs and calling out my times as I came in. I wasn't self-conscious, just glad to have a makeshift coach while I was practicing on my own. The guard was happy to have something to do to make the time go by more quickly.
I have also occasionally asked guards during slow times to watch a particular thing in my stroke and give me feedback--something like, "Hey, I've been trying to put my left arm in the water directly in front of my shoulder--can you watch on the next lap and tell me if that's what I'm doing?" Once I ask a single time, I tend to give me really enthusiastic feedback for the entire session I'm swimming, and often on subsequent days as well.
It turns out that lifeguards often know a fair lot about swimming, and seem to find their inner coaches once you engage with them a bit!
