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Anonymous wrote:USA Swimming rules state 4 ft as the minimum depth for starting from blocks or a deck. Under 4ft, in the water starts (eg push off from the wall) should be performed. NVSL makes exceptions to the USA swimming rules to accommodate the inadequate facilities.
I guess the naysayers know more than USA swimming as they are unable to admit it is a danger.
1. I don't think anyone said that it's not a danger. It's a calculated risk, it's not ideal, and the only other option was to not have IAS. If you feel this is too much of a risk, you are welcome to sit your child out. No one is forcing you to let your child swim. If you believe the option of not having a meet - you are making yourself judge and jury to determine the amount of risk you feel everyone else should be comfortable with.
Once more for those in the back - if you feel the risk is too great YOUR CHILD DOESN"T HAVE TO SWIM.
2. I would wager 80% of NVSL pools (and other Northern VA summer leagues to Colonial Swimming League, Reston Swim Team Association, and Country Club League) do not have a 4ft deep start end.
There is merit to the argument that summer leagues should find safer venues. Yes, your child doesn’t have to participate. This is the same argument that people made when a few disgruntled parents argued for 12 and under soccer players not to head the ball, or for safe sport rules that prohibit coaches from being alone with a child, or for coaches to stop weight-shaming children. Of course, your child doesn’t have to participate. But that’s a dumb argument that ignores whether or not the organization should improve. The only argument that is worthwhile is that shallow diving is a low risk, and therefore acceptable. And since shallow diving can have a catastrophic consequence, the risk has to be very very very low.
Is it unsafe to dive into shallow water? Yes, but maybe it’s not unsafe enough to warrant spending money to rent a large venue that could host a SCM meet. In this country, it’s usually the insurance that determines the answer. Who is liable if someone gets injured diving into a shallow pool?
This is not an apples to apples argument. Both of your examples involves behavioral/rule changes. What you’re proposing would mean that 80% of the summer pools in NOVA would no longer be able to host swim meets. It’s logistically not possible.
The behavioral change would be to change the starts from a dive to a push.
The rule change proposal window closes in October. I'm sure you'll be submitting this. Can't wait for the debate.
I won’t, because I don’t care enough about your local summer swim. In my area, summer swim is done with blocks, touchpads, and USA swimming approved pool depths.
People have changed rules and procedures about sports in the past for the better (requiring helmets in ice hockey, requiring neck guards in ice hockey, banning heading for 12u in soccer, instituting pitching limits in baseball, eliminating kickoffs in football, reducing contact drills in football practice). All of these changes were met by the same arguments about how hard it would be logistically to comply, how everything in life has risks, and how you can simply choose not to participate. I find it strange that people here are so recalcitrant to the idea of change. It’s okay to discuss whether organizations should change their rules.
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