Rafael Domeyko is a swimming photographer and a masters swimmer. He has swum his entire life and he continually learns new things about the sport and swimming culture.
ONE
Beats wireless studio headphones weren’t built for lap swimming…no matter how cool you look wearing them.
TWO
Eating a hotdog in the men’s locker room is normal…and it’s an not polite to laugh when you see it.
THREE
Clipping your toenails in the men’s locker room is done, often. I have witnessed it several times…toenail clippings scattering to the floor.
FOUR
Once this year I witnessd a guy in the men’s lockerroom reveal a “pumice stone” from his bag, which he used to scrape the build-up of dead skin off of his feet. After some time and considerable effort it looked like an accumulation of saw dust in a wood shop. This gentleman simply kicked the dead skin build-up, scattering it across the floor. If I’ve witnessed this once, at one pool, in one men’s locker room, it may be happening across the United States and the world. What do you think?
FIVE
When pools in DC (Washington D.C.) are set up short course, the people standing on deck are waiting for their own lane.
SIX
Eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich during practice can be done when fuel is needed…and you can use a little bit of the pool water to accelerate the digestion (though I am not a doctor and cannot professionally recommend this).
SEVEN
For long course in DC (Washington D.C.), jumping into the “clearly marked” fast lane — because it has the least amount of swimmers — then proceeding to swim a 4-minute lap, is normal. 4-minute lap swimmers love to take the fast lane. Fast lanes are like catnip for extremely slow recreational swimmers.
EIGHT
Telling your lane mates that you really need to go to the bathroom at the beginning of the main set, then saying you no longer need to after the set is done is common. I would not be surprised if this happens daily, in swim practices across the nation.
NINE
Running late for practice, and after I changed, I placed my swimsuit on my shoulder and made a bathroom stop. When I stood up and flushed the toilet, I noticed my suit was missing. PLEASE NOTE: a small men’s swimsuit can easily be flushed down the toilet by accident. This is a real hazard, however, 99% of the time a friend will have an extra suit so you won’t miss your practice.
What odd things have you learned from swimming?