I recently got a email from my age group swim team. They sent out a mass email about deck changing. Ohio rules now are if you are caught changing on deck before or after practice you are then suspended for a week and also the next swim meet. If caught at a meet doing this, you will be immediately removed from meet and the team will suspend you one week.
Is this pretty much a standard rule across the club teams or now a USS rule? I suppose I can see how this can become an issue and concern. Have to say I have not seen many masters doing the deck change, although I admit, I have deck changed at a masters meet but not at a USS meet.
I can't imagine not showering after swimmingWhy get rid of that super-clean chlorine smell? Not showering after swimming allows you to quietly re-live the beauty of a morning swim every time you breathe in. :agree:
I can't imagine not showering after swimming, so there's no reason for a deck change. A beach change, OTOH, is a whole different story.
I sort of agree with geek. Showing up to the pool with your suit already on is weird. It just is.
If you smelled the locker rooms at NHS on a weekday night you would probably come prepared to jump in! Any other facility I use.....I change in the locker rooms. :angel: I'm not a clean freak, but I do have my limits on filth oozing between my toes!
Besides, what's wrong with a swimsuit under sweats? I drive straight home (commando) afterwards and basically go to bed.
OK, since we're already here: I've noticed at my gym that the people who come to the pool already in their suits are the least likely to shower before entering the pool. (Showering is mandatory and there is a shower on the pool deck, so there is no excuse for not showering.) Within this set of people, the women are less likely to shower than the men. Also within this set of people, the women are more likely to bring their own towels.
Now as I think more about this, I realize that many of the nutjobs that I've seen are noodlers. Some of them are members of the inner circle who don't let their hair get wet. Noodler classes at my gym probably average around 15 women and 1 man, thus the gender imbalance that I've seen among the non-showerers and towel-bringers. If there's a lesson here (and that's a big if), it's just say no to noodling.
I can't imagine not showering after swimming, so there's no reason for a deck change. A beach change, OTOH, is a whole different story.
I sort of agree with geek. Showing up to the pool with your suit already on is weird. It just is.
Why is that weird? Why bother getting up to get dressed to go to the pool to change again? Just get dressed once - at home and it saves an entire step. I get to the pool with just enough time to stretch and then wait for the coach to give us our warm-up. I'd rather not have to get up 5 min earlier to change in the locker rooms since I'm already getting up at 4:10am.
Nude is changing, not just top layer of clothes. By the way, why shower when they let all parents on the pool deck to watch their kids with God knows what on the shoes of all of them ! :confused:
Why is that weird?
I don't know. I'll tell you this, though. I'd sometimes wear my suit under my clothes to the pool when I was a kid. Whenever I did this I'd invariably forget to pack my underwear and be forced to go home commando after practice. Do this a couple times and you learn it's worth the extra couple minutes changing time to just put your suit on when you get to the pool.
I won't miss the deck change anymore (though I used to use it here and there). The thing I can never figure out is why anyone would wake up for a 5 AM practice, put on clothes, then immediately come to the pool and change into a swimsuit. Unless maybe you want to waste warm-up time changing in the locker room, it seems like an unnecessary step to me!
By putting on your clothes first, you eliminate the possibility of having to go home (or to work) commando because you forgot to bring your under garments. True story, we had a swimmer on our team that borrowed a bra to wear to work since she had forgotten hers.... We also have swimmers that forget to bring a suit as well. I always keep about 4 suits in my bag - 1 4 practice, 1 4 the hot tub at the gym, 1 in case I need to get in the pool when coaching, etc. I definitely loan out suits from time to time, when someone forgets theirs. And everyone pretty much knows that I have extra suits, swim caps, and goggles.
So what actually constitutes "deck changing"? Taking off tee, shorts and flip-flops worn over your suit is hardly changing....or is it? :confused:
Now a full on good ol' british change under a towel that blows away in the wind is an entirely different subject....:bolt:
I agree. We need a precise definition of "deck changing".
Swimmers put-on/take-off sweat pants and sweat shirts behind the starting blocks regularly at practice and meets. How is this different than disrobing on the deck if you already have a suit on underneath?
Why is that weird? Why bother getting up to get dressed to go to the pool to change again? Just get dressed once - at home and it saves an entire step. I get to the pool with just enough time to stretch and then wait for the coach to give us our warm-up. I'd rather not have to get up 5 min earlier to change in the locker rooms since I'm already getting up at 4:10am.
Thank you! Maybe you have to have "boys" to understand the weird part??? It's all about efficiency for me...
By putting on your clothes first, you eliminate the possibility of having to go home (or to work) commando because you forgot to bring your under garments. True story, we had a swimmer on our team that borrowed a bra to wear to work since she had forgotten hers.... We also have swimmers that forget to bring a suit as well. I always keep about 4 suits in my bag - 1 4 practice, 1 4 the hot tub at the gym, 1 in case I need to get in the pool when coaching, etc. I definitely loan out suits from time to time, when someone forgets theirs. And everyone pretty much knows that I have extra suits, swim caps, and goggles.
That doesn't make suit-wearers weird. Just organized :)
