Let us know how YOU would answer the following [b]Question of the Week[/b].|
I get to the pool early and make sure I'm at the edge of the lane at least 10 minutes before warm up starts. I know it will take me that long, staring at the water, before I get the courage to jump in. |
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I have entered the water at practice the same way, exactly, for almost 20 years (no compulsive behavior there) Jump, as far as you can, enter feet first, in the shallow end, do two dolphin dives and on the third, push off the bottom and swim freestyle to the other side (short course) without breathing. Done, now I can start the swim. |
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It doesn't matter what the water temperature is; it's going to feel cold. I put several toes in, splash water on my other foot, bend down and with my hands, splash water on both legs below the knees. Then I splash water on both my arms and with both hands directly on my face. Then I dive or jump in (depending on where I am). Sometimes after the splashing, I like to dive in off the block. If it's really cold, that first 50 is a fast one.
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Put on cap and goggles. Place toys and fluids at edge of pool. Sit on edge and put one leg in to test water. Put on fins. Sit on edge and kick legs to get the fins working (this step can take from 30 seconds to 2 minutes, depending on water temp and amount of sleep). Hop in. Big breath and then enter the underwater world with a streamlline push and 10 to 12 underwater dolphins, just feeling the water rush by and looking at the depth and quality of the water, and feeling immersed and ready to go. |
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I dive in head first(arms at side) and do dolphins for as long as I can on one breath with arms at side still and then do a few strokes freestyle or whatever is left to the other end. If I dive hands first in streamline I do the same but usually just a 25 underwater dolphin kicks. B4 backstroke races I always jump out as far as I can and pencil down to the bottom and start situating my cap, I come up and do breast kick for a whole situating my cap till it's just right because I usually have latex and they usually like to fall off but not with my ritual now! Then I grab the bar and place one foot up at a time and feel a nice stretch and tension in my legs and relax my head looking down. |
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Okay, so here's the whole thing. I get to the pool every morning...and have to sit on the edge dangling my ankles for at least two minutes. Meanwhile, I carefully pull everything out of its mesh bag and arrange it within easy reach: pull buoy, paddles, fins, kickboard. Then I take my day's workout (enclosed in a Ziploc bag) and stick it on the edge of the starting block where I can read it from my lane. Of course it's 7 am, there's one person per lane, if that, and nobody's watching except the lifeguard. she glances at me...("is she going to get in now or what?")...and I look at her...(oh, god, she's wondering when I'm going to get in...)
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I don't have a ritual for getting in the pool in practice. If I'm about to swim in a new for me pool, I only check the water temperature. Otherwise I just jump in. |
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Rachel
sprinter
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