Let me first say that I had a blast in Atlanta and enjoyed every minute of it (even the last minute of the 1000), so this list is somewhat tongue in cheek:
10. No Starbucks within walking distance of the Hampton Inn.
9. The taste of an Italian soda called "Beverly" at the Coca Cola Museum; it reminded me of viscous lidocaine--what is with that?
8. The stairway access to the pool deck from the stands.
7. Missing out on a medal in the 200 free relay because eight of the teams finishing ahead of us were from "regional" clubs representing entire states.
6. Two swimmers from TXLA trying to recruit my 87 year old father to join their team instead of swimming for Nitro.
5. No Starbucks within walkiing distance of the pool.
4. Turning at the bulkhead, although I nailed all of mine.
3. That one starter who shall remain nameless.
2. Not getting to meet Rich Abrahams, among others.
1. It ended.
Whining about the warm up pool goes no where with me. It was crowded, extremely crowded, but what options did the meet people have? Here's all I can come up with:
1. Limit the number of swimmers in the pool. Negative, then a lot of us wouldn't get to warm up.
2. Put multiple 30 minute breaks in the meet or use only one pool for competition periodically so people could warm up. Negative, would still be insanely crowded and add a ton of time to the meet, which already took a long time.
3. Force slow, medium and fast lanes. Negative, would still be terribly crowded with the same predictable issues.
4. Have the meet elsewhere. This is the only option I can come up with.
Courtesy and common sense goes a long way in that situation. I always yelled "entering" as I jumped in.
When I did Tempe in 2003 the warm up pools were just as bad, maybe worse. What do you expect in a meet this size? It's a mess, just make do. Or, take up distance events cause it was not as crowded on Thursday.
So what you are saying is stop whining or stay home. I shouldn't have to accept battery to attend a swim meet. I expect crowds, I expect a few bumps, but not outrageous, aggressive, "me first" behavior. When someone pulls you under from behind to crawl over you for a pass, that is unacceptable! I'm not the only one concerned about this issue. As I said before, put the Hot Shots in the same lanes and let them duke it out.
Whining about the warm up pool goes no where with me. It was crowded, extremely crowded, but what options did the meet people have? Here's all I can come up with:
1. Limit the number of swimmers in the pool. Negative, then a lot of us wouldn't get to warm up.
2. Put multiple 30 minute breaks in the meet or use only one pool for competition periodically so people could warm up. Negative, would still be insanely crowded and add a ton of time to the meet, which already took a long time.
3. Force slow, medium and fast lanes. Negative, would still be terribly crowded with the same predictable issues.
4. Have the meet elsewhere. This is the only option I can come up with.
Courtesy and common sense goes a long way in that situation. I always yelled "entering" as I jumped in.
When I did Tempe in 2003 the warm up pools were just as bad, maybe worse. What do you expect in a meet this size? It's a mess, just make do. Or, take up distance events cause it was not as crowded on Thursday.
So what you are saying is stop whining or stay home. I shouldn't have to accept battery to attend a swim meet. I expect crowds, I expect a few bumps, but not outrageous, aggressive, "me first" behavior. When someone pulls you under from behind to crawl over you for a pass, that is unacceptable! I'm not the only one concerned about this issue. As I said before, put the Hot Shots in the same lanes and let them duke it out.
