My legs need the exercises I can do in the water to make them capable of moving me from point A to point B. I found a “Y” type center in Summertown called Ferry Center. It is a five block walk from my flat. Not bad you say, but remember my legs hurt. There is no cross bus to get me there, I have to walk. The hours before 1:30 are totally taken by swim team practices and staff retreats (they do a lot of staff training…at least that is what they call it on the schedule). They have two pools. One is a learning pool that gets up to about my waist. The second is a regular pool with room for about 6 lanes. That pool has built in tile steps on the right side of the pool where one can simply walk into the water (way cooler than the plastic steps at the Y in Athens). Now here’s the problem. They do lane swimming with those swimmers who are competing with each other in the water with about 5 to the lane. These are on the right side of the pool where the steps are. They use the far left lanes for general swimmers who must still swim in clockwise motion but who are slower. These lanes have ladders to get in and out of the pool. I try to find the best time to go and swim. There is a general swim at 1:30. I go. The pool is empty. I walk into the right lane and begin my exercises. In ten minutes I have three people breathing down my neck and knocking me out of the way. The smaller learning pool has 25 babies and a parent kicking around in the water. I leave.
So I ask the manager. What would be the problem in switching the lanes? Having the speedy guys kick water in your face on the left side of the pool and leave the right side to us slower swimmers who use water in different ways? The look he gave me was special. At first he did not comprehend that they could make any changes and then when he understood that it was simple and could accommodate other slower swimmers, he nodded and said something inaudible that sounded like, if I could wait a while he would talk with his superiors and see what could be done. I explained that it was a suggestion since I had already been friended by several women who had bad legs (Heidi has had four hip replacements and is looking to have a knee replacement…she recognized the exercises I was doing and introduced herself). There are no classes for water aerobics offered. They have 6 lifeguards, 3 people at the front desk, and a huge gym area with unused machinery.
Last evening I went to the pool for a general swim at 8:30 pm. All the lanes were as usual. No one was in the learning pool, so I did some of my exercises there in the waist high water. There must have been children with candy because there were wrappers on the side and evidence all around. I feel yucky when I get into the water and then not to be able to wear shoes in the dressing area. Something red is on the bottom of one of my feet. It does not itch, burn or cause any discomfort…I’m just aware. Yuck.
My surprise was when I entered the dressing area for the first time. The young man who signed me up gave me a brief tour but we didn’t go in. Should have, it might have been a deal breaker. It is coed. There are little cubicles with doors to latch, can’t wear any shoes into the dressing area, floor is crap, there are lockers you put a coin into to get the key and group showers in the entrance way to the pool. When I entered and saw a guy, I reversed and checked the door. Yes, it was right. I went back in and saw children and other women. Sigh. Not my idea of sharing. The dressing area and pool area are full of people and there is crap everywhere. I know, I have said that. But I am so much looking forward to Athens “Y” with its ladies and men dressing rooms (no matter how crowded it is, it is ours) and showers where I can take my swim suit off, and Mary to guide us. We really don’t realize our blessings until we travel outside our comfort zones. I can’t wait to see all my swimming mates in August. In the meantime, I do need the exercise and have paid for it already, so I’ll walk the 10 blocks round trip at 8:30 at night (luckily it is still twilight when I return at 9:45), and I will try to not think about how yucky it is, and I will look forward to great swim conversations and exercises in just 3 weeks time. Oh, I have learned to take 2 towels, one to stand on in the dressing area to put my clothes on so the pants won’t touch the floor and the other to dry off. What a waste of energy in washing all these towels.
Leara Rhodes 