Live long and prosper at Byron Bay, May 3 ... more
Hahn Super Dry Fine Ocean Swimmer of 2009 -- a most unlikely winner, South Curly-Freshie, Coogee-Bondi, Avoca, Apr 26 ... more
Favourite beach - Chinamans, NSW North Coast ... more
Etiquette ... a code of conduct for ocean swimmers ... more
os.c at large ... Berlin, Dresden, Prague, Munich, Venice, Riviera, Marseille, Provence, le Tour et Les Pyrenees, Paris, etc, June '08 ... more
Etiquette ...
Often the last or the last few swimmers in at the end of an event are those who have tried the hardest. My suggestion is, as a show of the current of camaraderie in our sport, that some of the early finishers swim or are paddled out to the last few swimmers to provide them with an escort (no, not a girl in fishnet stockings), swim GENTLY beside them, help them re-establish their rhythm and confidence, offer encouragement.
Don't tell you've already finished. Just tell them you cut the buoy and got disqualified so you're taking it easy.
If possible, grab a fuel belt with a bottle of Powerade or a gel on the way out. A struggling swimmer in the water for an hour is likely to be dehydrated an could pick up a lot of speed with a little boost.
And as they exit the water hang back 2-3 metres so they do not feel exposed as coming last. (You never know they may have brought their children with them to watch Mum or Dad finish their first ocean swim.)
Any swimmer that finishes should have a sense of triumph.
Collie Kinsela
(Collie receives a prize from View Swim Gear for his contribution to Etiquette ... click here to submit your suggestion ...)
Coaching ...
After competing in the Byron Ocean Classic, there were many complaints in the women’s bathrooms about ‘tog rub’! I’m just throwing out the point that although it might sound like an old/no good idea, Vaseline really DOES work! Rub it around the edges of your togs, and don’t go easy on it! There are creams such as ‘3B’ cream that you can buy from the chemists as well, (designed for chaffing), but for swims like these, Vaseline really is the best way to go!
G. Verriest
(G Verriest receives a prize from View Swim Gear for her contribution to Coaching ... click here to submit your suggestion ...)
