As both a certified lifeguard AND attorney I was shocked to see how unregulated the lap lanes were, particularly in the early morning - the only time that people who commute to the city to WORK at REAL JOBS can swim laps.\r
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Octagenarians who did not want to be perceived as old by swimming in the ""SLOW"" lane would elect to use the ""MEDIUM"" lane. Fine, except not every one was a former Olympiad and one actually had a habit of standing up and walking - midlane - creating a major hazard for backstrokers that was routinely ignored by the lifeguards.\r
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The ""FAST"" lane is monopolized mornings by ""master swimmers"" that verbally claim it as their own, which surprises me since some of them claim to be off-duty YMCA lifeguards who must be familiar with the bylaws, rules and regulations of their facility. These ""competitors"" expect anyone entering their ""turf"" to comply with their training drills which include frequent rest stops. Since the respective Y and LIRR schedules do not give me the luxury of engaging in rest stops and I swim as part of REHAB (not to win some tinny master's trophy) those ""competitive swimmers"" become downright hostile. In fact, many swimmers in the INTERMEDIATE lane have voiced to me their preference to use the FAST lane but are TOO INTIMIDATED by the master's swimmers.\r
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Now, I know I sound like I have an axe to grind (I do) and that in response, in an effort to avoid liability, the facility manager would probably cough up some bs about the Y's mission to serve a broad base of users but not to exclude anyone because of their special interests and needs (while artfully avoiding the question of community inclusiveness which is the Y's longstanding mission).\r
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Apparently, politics are alive and well even at not-for-profits. I can't recommend this facility to serious swimmers who comply with official YMCA pool rules and regulations but seek fair and equitable delegation and regulation of the lap lanes.
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