Here in south-central Pennsylvania, there are not many places to do open water swimming. That may seem hard to believe, but most of the rivers/lakes are either on private land or pretty nasty places due to pollution (farm run-off, esp.) The few places that there are to swim are usually in parks and are regulated out the wazoo. (A friend of mine was arrested earlier this year for training out of bounds at one of the state parks.) For those of you who do freshwater training swims, how do you deal with/circumvent the legal issues or do they not apply in your area? I realize that saltwater swimming is a different story, but we are several hours from the nearest saltwater - too far for regular swims.
Or is freshwater training all "Jersey legal" - i.e. legal as long as you don't get caught?
-LBJ
Parents
Former Member
I wonder this myself, as I get yelled at by lifeguards at the town parks I swim past. One of the guards told me that staties will stop swimmers who are out of bounds - I think that is the legal thing, having to do with swimming allowed in marked areas only - but I have not been stopped. Of course, we are out there pretty early in the morning, before the cops are out; though the friday of July 4th (a busy time at the lake) a zealous cop did follow me around the lake as I swam. I was tempted to ask if he'd mind carrying my snacks if he was going to be there sharing his gas fumes...boy did I swim fast that day, picturing the indignity of being pulled unwillingly into his little motorboat and driven back to my starting point (all the while trying to explain WHY I must get in one more mile, etc).
I wonder this myself, as I get yelled at by lifeguards at the town parks I swim past. One of the guards told me that staties will stop swimmers who are out of bounds - I think that is the legal thing, having to do with swimming allowed in marked areas only - but I have not been stopped. Of course, we are out there pretty early in the morning, before the cops are out; though the friday of July 4th (a busy time at the lake) a zealous cop did follow me around the lake as I swam. I was tempted to ask if he'd mind carrying my snacks if he was going to be there sharing his gas fumes...boy did I swim fast that day, picturing the indignity of being pulled unwillingly into his little motorboat and driven back to my starting point (all the while trying to explain WHY I must get in one more mile, etc).
