Stand Back And Stand To The Side
As the summer comes to an end, thousands of people want to get in and participate in an open water swim.Some may be less experienced, overweight and under-trained. And usually more motivated to simply make the swim from start to finish rather than aiming for an award or being competitive.
In those cases, stand to the back or stand to the side at the start. Allow the Alpha Dogs and competitive types to bully themselves at the chaotic start and around the first few buoys.
Take your time getting in and casually get into your own rhythm in your own space without the Alpha Dogs clawing at your legs or smashing into you.
Enjoy the rest of your summer and the last swim.
Photo above shows the Waikiki Roughwater Swim on Oahu in Hawaii. Video shows the King and Queen of the Sea in Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source
Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards, Oceans Seven, Openwaterpedia, Citrus Corps, World Open Water Swimming Association, Daily News of Open Water Swimming, Global Open Water Swimming Conference. He is Chief Executive Officer of KAATSU Global and KAATSU Research Institute. Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor - Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame's Poseidon Award (2016), International Swimming Hall of Fame's Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award (2010), USA Swimming's Glen S. Hummer Award (2007, 2010) and Harvard University's John B. Imrie Award (1984). Served on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and as Technical Delegate with the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, and 9-time USA Swimming coaching staff. Note: WOWSA only recommends products or services used or recommended by the community. WOWSA does not receive compensation for links or products mentioned on this site or in blog posts. If it does, it will be indicated clearly on that specific post. See WOWSA's privacy policy for more information.
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