So that deck changing thread got me thinking, what is normal for public sessions? I'm going back to my UK/USA comparisons........
When I took my kids swimming to the public sessions in the UK, I'd pack up a bag of suits, towels, floats, toys etc and schlepp along to the pool to change in the changing rooms.
Now an FYI 'cos things are different here....Changing rooms consist of a number of cubicles for people to change in private as well as a communal change area and are split between male and female change - although some pools have a changing village with huge family-sized cubicles and no communal change. All modern (ie non-victorian) UK pools have pretty good changing facilities, even those with not much more than a 25m 6 lane pool.
So I take my kids to our local-ish pool here in Texas. 8 lane, 25yd competition pool, plus leisure pool with waterslide, lazy river and kids play structure and walk into the women's locker room.
It is full of lockers and has 2 small benches...eh? Where do I change???
Anyway being a communal-change gal, I get myself and the kids suited up and we swim. We finish swimming, we shower, remove suits wrap ourselves in a towel and dress by one of the benches.
Now whilst drying off and dressing there are a few ladies/kids shuffling around changing in the toilets and dressing in the showers. I get a couple of odd looks standing there in my underwear directing 2 small children to dress as well, but don't care - we're all naked under our clothes after all.
While we were swimming a number of families came in, most it seemed already in their suits, they "undressed" on the deck and when they left they wrapped a towel around the kids or pulled on a t-shirt and that was it. And it wasn't summer! All I could think of was the chlorine eating away at their suits.
So what is normal? and am I the only female living in Texas not afraid to strip down in the women's locker room? :afraid:
And do they build pools here with crappy changing because no-one uses it? Or does no-one use the locker rooms because they're so crappy?
Or is this just a Texas thing, not a USA thing? :D
Deck changing at USA Swimming meets is rampant, and quite scary to see. Most of the kids are one inch away from showing off their, um, endowments, and the women have a tougher time with it.
I understand that most don't want to walk all the way across the pool to the locker room, but I don't know why deck changing among kids is just so commonplace.
I have done a few deck changes in my life, but not since joining Masters. When I was a member of the USA national junior team in 1990, a swimmer on the team was "setting up" to do a deck change. When he removed his suit and leaned over to grab his underwear, one of the coaches reached over and yanked off his towel. The kid, surprisingly, wasn't embarrassed, and no one outside of our team who witnessed it was shocked. I thought it was funny, but I swore to never do a deck change within arm's reach of anyone.
Most locker rooms don't have adequate changing areas, and I know the Mesa pool (site of 2011 nationals) only has space for about four people to change clothes in the locker room. I'm sure we'll see lots of deck changes next spring. But not from me. Since I live 20 minutes away, I'll probably just wear my racing suit home and shower there.
Deck changing at USA Swimming meets is rampant, and quite scary to see. Most of the kids are one inch away from showing off their, um, endowments, and the women have a tougher time with it.
I understand that most don't want to walk all the way across the pool to the locker room, but I don't know why deck changing among kids is just so commonplace.
I have done a few deck changes in my life, but not since joining Masters. When I was a member of the USA national junior team in 1990, a swimmer on the team was "setting up" to do a deck change. When he removed his suit and leaned over to grab his underwear, one of the coaches reached over and yanked off his towel. The kid, surprisingly, wasn't embarrassed, and no one outside of our team who witnessed it was shocked. I thought it was funny, but I swore to never do a deck change within arm's reach of anyone.
Most locker rooms don't have adequate changing areas, and I know the Mesa pool (site of 2011 nationals) only has space for about four people to change clothes in the locker room. I'm sure we'll see lots of deck changes next spring. But not from me. Since I live 20 minutes away, I'll probably just wear my racing suit home and shower there.
