By Katie Wingert, Swimming World College Intern.
Open warmup sessions: when swimming becomes a free-for-all. It can be easy to get overwhelmed by the masses of chlorine-craving athletes who are gearing up for their races at the same time as you, but one way to fight nerves and surprise is to prepare for some of the most common “types” of swimmers you will encounter during an open-warm up session.
1) The Splash-and-Dasher
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
We all love a good sprint during warmup to get the blood flowing, but this swimmer takes cardio boosts to an extreme. He loves to mow down the four people ahead of him while he is churning out a 25-yard sprint. Then, he hangs on the wall stretching and waits a full three minutes of rest, in the way of those same four people, plus the eight people in the lane who were behind his wake for the whole lap. Watch out for this guy at the very end of a session, because he will charge when you least expect it.
2) The Breaststroke Fiend
Photo Courtesy: Stephen Frink/Florida Keys News Bureau
Many of us enjoy a quick stretch swim of breaststroke to loosen up, but this swimmer has another level of dedication to the frog stroke. The Breaststroke Fiend can pound out what seems to be no less than 700 to 800 yards of breaststroke during warmup, all at the most inconvenient times. You want to squeeze in a fifty sprint? Lilly King, Jr. is bound to be swimming breaststroke up ahead. Kicking on your back? If Adam Peaty’s understudy is in front of you, brace yourself for those ever-familiar toenails digging into your back with karate-like precision.
3) The Entertainer
Photo Courtesy: Dancing with the Stars
Every team has at least one of these. He or she slides in for morning warmup, clearly charged on coffee, and starts singing at random strangers in the lane. A good rendition of “Shut up and Dance with Me”–particularly if it is broadcasted via snorkel–can bring great joy, if you have the right attitude. With this swimmer, watch out for extra bubbles, produced by underwater jamming. Develop an exit plan in the event that “Don’t Stop Believin'” comes on the loudspeaker.
4) The Starting Block Squatter
Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
This one’s less disruptive than some of the others, because he or she is usually not actually in the lane during warm-up. Instead, he or she hangs behind the block in your lane to stretch, tighten his or her goggles, eye the clock, adjust his or her water bottle cap–really, the Squatter will do anything possible to be first in line when the lane opens up for sprints. Avoid this swimmer in the middle of a sprints session. He or she may grow irritated after the first start, when there will likely be a line for sprints in the lane.
5) The Coach’s Pet
Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr / Swimming Australia Ltd.
This swimmer can most commonly be spotted in warmup by his or her constant “Hey Coach” questions. “Hey Coach, how did that turn look?” “Hey Coach, can you watch my pull-out?” “Hey Coach, did you see that lap of fly?” It can be easy to let this swimmer make you worry about your own technique. Just to be safe, keep an eye out for the close cousin of the Coach’s Pet–the Commentator. This swimmer will apply all of his or her knowledge of swimming to your final dip before you race. The best response is to take a deep breath and focus on settling into your warm-up.
In the end, whether you know someone who falls into one of these categories, or whether you belong to one of these categories yourself, sometimes it’s worth embracing the diversity of the swimming community and marveling at the way we can all peacefully coexist during warmup.
All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.