Dear Coach: Why has
the swim-only membership been removed? This is going to make swimming much
more expensive and I am seriously considering switching to another swim
team. X-Swim-Only Membership Holder
Dear X.S.O.M. Holder: The swim-only
membership was eliminated due to a review of Athletics revenue vs
expenses. As it is much more expensive to maintain the pool than it is to
maintain the fitness centre, it was not cost-effective for Carleton to offer a
lower rate to pool-only users. That said, to make up for the additional
membership costs that swim only members will incur this year, the Masters
program fees have been lowered. Note that the total cost for a year of
Masters swimming at Carleton remains competitive with the cost for other Ottawa
Masters teams. I do hope that you will reconsider and stay with
Carleton!
Dear Coach: Can you explain
the new rule for the backstroke finish again? Does it mean that I can now
do a flip from back to breast in an IM? A Backstroker
Dear A. Backstroker: The new rule is that you
can be completely submerged when you finish a backstroke race. However,
you must still be on your back. Thus, as the turn from back to breast in
an IM is considered a backstroke finish, you cannot do a flip turn.
However, you may now (well, as of Sept 19th, but the next season doesn't start
until October) do one dolphin kick in conjunction with the underwater arm pull
on the breast pull out of the back to breast turn, as well as a regular breast
turn or start.
Dear Coach: When our lane is
swimming in a circle, where should I be doing my turns? I'm always afraid
that I am going to collide with my lane-mates! Circle Swimmer
Dear C. Swimmer: First, whenever you do a
turn, you want to do a good (and legal) turn, which means coming straight off
the wall, rather than at an angle. Thus, to ensure that you don't hit the
person swimming (approx.) 5 seconds behind you, you want to move over to the
opposite side of the lane before starting your turn (as soon as it is safe to do
so without interfering with the swimmer [approx.] 5 seconds ahead of
you!). Thus, if your lane is swimming clockwise (up the left), you should
aim to do your turn on the rightmost arm of the cross on the wall.
And, if your lane is swimming counter-clockwise (up the right), you should aim
to do your turn on the leftmost arm of the cross on the wall.
Dear Coach: Some of the pace
clocks do not have minute hands. How do I calculate my time for a repeat
if there is only a seconds hand? Pace Clock Math Novice
Dear P.C.M. Novice: First, even on a pace
clock with two hands, an analog minute hand is next to useless for calculating
times, as it is hard to judge accurately. However, for all but the longest
swims (800-1500m), the number of minutes should be fairly easy to calculate, but
knowing the approximate pace at which you're swimming. For example, if you
usually swim around 2:00/100m, and you swim for 200m and start and finish on the
top, you can be pretty sure that your time is 4min (not 3min or 5min).
Also, for the majority of our workouts it would be rare for you to get more than
1min rest, so if you were doing 200s on 4:30 and you started and finished on the
top, you are more than likely going to have 30 sec of rest (rather that 1:30 or
negative 30!).
Private and Semi-Private
Masters Swim Lessons
