I was looking at the photo gallery from 2008 Trials and the competition pool was a ten-lane pool with only eight lanes used, even in preliminaries. The two end lanes did not even have blocks. For USMS Nationals, we should use all ten lanes, like at Atlanta nationals last week. I'm putting this out there early, so that we don't end up with those two extra blocks not being installed in the temporary venue :)
Very good observation. I asked the same question a couple months ago. The answer: FINA is most likely going to 10 lanes in the 2012 Olympics and as such Omaha is planning on going with a 10 lane course for 2012 Trials. Which means there will be 20 blocks (10 from each end since the 50 starts at the far end).
The other nice thing about using the OT venue will be having a second 50 meter pool "behind the curtain" for warming up. Anyway, I assume that's the case.
Great interview, hopefully a lot of people saw it. Omaha in July after Trials should be a lot of fun and will certainly draw more attention to masters. Hat's off to Rob for a great interview!
Pssst, Peter Busch needs to check out the list of pools at www.azlmsc.org/placesToSwim.asp :)
FINA has used 10 lane pools since the Seoul Games in 1988. If you look at all the olympics since then, plus the World Championships, they have all used 10 lanes.
The U.S trials went to 10 lanes at the 2004 trials. 10 lanes isn't anything new for the Olympics.
Send me a link to any FINA LCM World Champs or Olympic Games or USA Trials that used 10 lanes for competition and I'll buy you a cold one the next time I see you.
You got me. I shouldn't have been so quick to fire off the open ended challenge to Wookie. When he said FINA has been using 10 lanes in the Olympics and World Champs since 1988 and our Trials went to 10 lanes in 2004 I scratched my head and figured I would call him out on it because I don't think any of that is true. To my knowledge 2009 was the first year FINA offered 10 lanes of competition during a major championship (the link you posted) and since there hasn't been an Olympics since 2009, that means it wasn't obvious if 2012 would be 10 lanes or not.
The reason they leave those two outside lanes open in Olympics and world championships is so no one gets stuck swimming next to the wall, which sometimes is advantageous, sometime disadvantageous. As it is, the people on the outside have that empty lane which isn't creating a wave. The two sprint freestyle races in 2004 for men had amazing swims from lane eight to win medals (Duje Draganja in the 50, Ian Thorpe in the 100).
Anyway, if 2012 LC nationals has a large attendance, as I imagine it will, using 10 lanes will be a no-brainer, so we can be out of there at a decent hour each day. Imagine having only one pool for 1,000-plus swimmers at a four-day meet!
It would be pretty cool to have Nationals right after Trials. Nice! I can get done my LCM season in Mid July for a change, very nice.
That other thing that he talked about won't be popular with the "folks" out there. So, USMS wants to be on the "pot" for another yards season.
For someone so opposed to yard swimming, if usms decides to keep them, why does it matter?
Granted, I think that since the decision has been made, I think usms should stick with the FINA rulings(unless some idiot bans jammers) .
Likewise!
Go Rob, go Rob, go Rob!
Love the idea of keeping them just for SCY.
Why? USMS made their decision back late last year to allow them until June 1st of this year(excluding open water Chris)
The issue should be dead by now. While I supported the idea of all of swimming to keep bodysuits(at least fs pro and before style) All of swimming's leaders made their decision about them.
Why can't this be a dead issue and move onto new suit rules.
