Michelle Chow sent me a PM: Hi Ande, Love the lane threads! Will you start one more - not sure what to call it - but for ideas of what people do "on the deck before getting in" or "in lieu of being in any lane!" I'd love to hear pre-water warmups!
Which inspired "The Pool Deck" It isn't a lane, It's where folks wait for practice, sitting or standing, doing something, doing nothing, stretching, telling stories, getting ready to get in, Conversation, Procrastination, communication, Coaches, guests, swimmers,
There's those who dive in early, on time, or late.
Those who arrive early, on time or late.
It's where teams meet & friends greet.
Wecome to the pool deck. Please share your stories.
What happened today on the Pool Deck?
the breastroke lane
The Middle Distance Lane
The Backstroke Lane
The Butterfly Lane
The SDK Lane
The Taper Lane
The Distance Lane
The IM Lane
The Sprint Free Lane
The Pool Deck
Stretching gently while waiting for the rats and other debris to be removed from my lane. Sometimes I get in early just to count the hairballs on the bottom. Some of them have been there so long they receive mail.
:rofl: Boy, can I relate to that. The pool where I swim gets its fair share of debris in the form of plant matter, hair, band-aids, and items that are unrecognizable, but during Thursday morning's swim workout, I swear I saw a dead scorpion on the bottom of the pool. :afraid:
It was really windy the night before and it wouldn't surpise me if one got blown off of a palm tree and drowned. While swimming we stir up the water pretty good and I couldn't find it later, so I'm hoping it ended up in the skimmer. I'll gladly let the poor soul who cleans out the trap deal with it.
Where I show off the cut & big bruise that I got from a guy wearing a watch that swings his arm out to the side & clobbers my hand on the top of my left hand!!! :badday::cane:
Every Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 1 pm is Family Swim Time at my gym. Although there are always 2 or 3 lap lanes set up during that time, I know better than to try to swim then, since it's total chaos. So typically on weekends, I either get to the gym before 9 so I can be done by 10, or I don't show up until after 1.
There is a shower on the pool deck. I walk out of the locker room, hang my towel on a hook, take a drink from the water fountain, use the shower, and then get into the pool. Right at 1:00, there are still lots of families clearing out of the pool, fully dressed parents telling their kids it's time to get out, etc. So I was standing there using the shower at maybe 1:05 pm, and a fully dressed dad walked backward right into me. I stood my ground (my shower!) as he turned around to see that he'd walked backward straight into me, and as a bonus, he was now *soberly* standing in someone else's shower, fully clothed. He walked away, speechless. While this was happening, someone swiped my towel off its hook. (Easy mistake to make, all the gym towels look alike.)
Lesson learned: On weekends, do not arrive on the pool deck until well after 1:00.
It does not happen much in masters, but what about the person who jumps in quickly and then splashes people on the deck. It happened this morning at 7:00 a.m. - air temp. 62.
When that happens I tell them, just because I came to swim doesn't mean I want to get wet.
I like to use active stretches to get the major muscle groups moving, some rotations and such. Then (because I hate the initial plunge) I dabble with my goggles, engage other swimmers, anything to delay that initial drop into the pool!
Swimming would be so much better if I didn't have to get wet!
