use of "Starting Block" in montgomery county swimming pool

[Anonymous]

Hello All ,
I am going to Montgomery swimming pool and recently tried to use starting block. I was surpirsed life guards on duty didnt allow me to use it. I asked pool manager about manual and its mentioned that "The use of the starting blocks is restricted to approved swim practices, swim meets, and during instruction."

Question is if its facilitate by tax payers then why we cant use it for practice? some of you will raise safety concerns but when there is a single person in lane(which is rare considering how crowded this pools are) they should allow to use it.

how these rules were created.

Thank you

[Anonymous]

Blame liability laws and how easy it is to sue. You use it and get hurt, you will then turn around and sue them. And let's say you don't sue them your insurance company will send you a letter asking where you were injured if you used the ER. You write down you were injured at a public pool diving in using a block and your insurance company is going to want the public agency to pay.

There is no real upside for you to use a starting block if you aren't racing and aren't training to race.

[Anonymous]

Forgot to add. It is in the swim rules:
5. The use of the starting blocks is restricted to approved swim practices, swim meets, and during instruction.
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/rec/resources/files/aquatics/aqrules.pdf

Just looked it up and in 1986 a 14 year old swimmer was paralyzed in Montgomery County using starting blocks and awarded 4.1 million.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Blame liability laws and how easy it is to sue. You use it and get hurt, you will then turn around and sue them. And let's say you don't sue them your insurance company will send you a letter asking where you were injured if you used the ER. You write down you were injured at a public pool diving in using a block and your insurance company is going to want the public agency to pay.

There is no real upside for you to use a starting block if you aren't racing and aren't training to race.

yes i am practicing for masters swimming race and used to be professional swimmer. it was really surprising to me but yeah may be safety issue how people are nuts. pe

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Blame liability laws and how easy it is to sue. You use it and get hurt, you will then turn around and sue them. And let's say you don't sue them your insurance company will send you a letter asking where you were injured if you used the ER. You write down you were injured at a public pool diving in using a block and your insurance company is going to want the public agency to pay.

There is no real upside for you to use a starting block if you aren't racing and aren't training to race.

but then why they allow to use diving boards. Chances are getting injured is even more there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Blame liability laws and how easy it is to sue. You use it and get hurt, you will then turn around and sue them. And let's say you don't sue them your insurance company will send you a letter asking where you were injured if you used the ER. You write down you were injured at a public pool diving in using a block and your insurance company is going to want the public agency to pay.

There is no real upside for you to use a starting block if you aren't racing and aren't training to race.

but then why they allow to use diving boards. Chances are getting injured is even more there.

No, because the water under diving boards is deeper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Blame liability laws and how easy it is to sue. You use it and get hurt, you will then turn around and sue them. And let's say you don't sue them your insurance company will send you a letter asking where you were injured if you used the ER. You write down you were injured at a public pool diving in using a block and your insurance company is going to want the public agency to pay.

There is no real upside for you to use a starting block if you aren't racing and aren't training to race.

but then why they allow to use diving boards. Chances are getting injured is even more there.

No, because the water under diving boards is deeper.

I am not sure about all pools but where I am going its atelast 10 ft deep (non diving area, diving area is atleast 20 ft deep).. I think thats not a valid concern of not allow to use starting blocks.
I am super frustrated with the limited availability of lanes in evening and some other rules.. not sure if i have any choices except county pools.

Any experiecen with YMCA heard you need to book time in advance to use pool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Forgot to add. It is in the swim rules:
5. The use of the starting blocks is restricted to approved swim practices, swim meets, and during instruction.
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/rec/resources/files/aquatics/aqrules.pdf

Just looked it up and in 1986 a 14 year old swimmer was paralyzed in Montgomery County using starting blocks and awarded 4.1 million.

They won't let you practice racing starts, but then you go to a swim team tryout, and they make the kids off the blocks who have never been off the blocks. You report them to USA Swimming Safesport, and they don't do anything. Oops sorry, then they blacklist you.

[Anonymous]

Fairfax county rec pools also don’t allow recreational swimmers to use the blocks.

[Anonymous]

Liability, Kramer

[Anonymous]

Normal. Pretty sure this is a universal policy at most pools everywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Blame liability laws and how easy it is to sue. You use it and get hurt, you will then turn around and sue them. And let's say you don't sue them your insurance company will send you a letter asking where you were injured if you used the ER. You write down you were injured at a public pool diving in using a block and your insurance company is going to want the public agency to pay.

There is no real upside for you to use a starting block if you aren't racing and aren't training to race.

but then why they allow to use diving boards. Chances are getting injured is even more there.

No, because the water under diving boards is deeper.

I am not sure about all pools but where I am going its atelast 10 ft deep (non diving area, diving area is atleast 20 ft deep).. I think thats not a valid concern of not allow to use starting blocks.
I am super frustrated with the limited availability of lanes in evening and some other rules.. not sure if i have any choices except county pools.

Any experiecen with YMCA heard you need to book time in advance to use pool.

You say you don’t have any choices and while this might sound crazy given that you say you are preparing for masters races, but maybe…. Join a masters team…..

[Anonymous]

You’re not Michael Phelps. Leave the starting block home.

[Anonymous]

wow this is new troll post variant, defund public pool....

[Anonymous]

Masters swimmer here: masters teams don’t practice starts. Most are about reaching a certain yardage. So if you want to practice your start, you’re screwed.

“You’re not Michael Phelps”: get bent. Masters swimming is full of former NCAA swimmers.