Masters swimming in Ft Walton Beach/Niceville/Eglin AFB area?

Update on the FWB Y. No masters program, but the swimming in the morning is better this year. Last year they only had 1 lane open for members to swim in the AM as there was swim team practice. It was really not usable. They have now moved the practice time so there are 5 lanes available. Figured I'd update as I had given up on it last year and would not have known the situation had improved if someone had not told me.

I've been swmming on Hurlburt all winter preparing for my first Iron Man.  Since there are no good masters group in the area I think I would benefit from some one on one instruction.  Can anyone recommend someone? 

I'm also interested in doing some open water swims in the area.

Thanks,

Ken

They didn't move the swim team practice.  There are just about a dozen different teams that use the pool and they don't all swim year round.

The YMCA team practices from 3:30-6:00 YEAR ROUND.

From Aug/Sep to mid-Feb various school groups (mostly the high schools) swim in the morning, so for that entire period they are down to 1 lane for everyone else until about 7am.  Though, I think for the first 30' of the day all the lanes are open.  However, that's virtually useless since most people swim more than 30' at a time!

Also in that timeframe there are a bunch of other times the middle schools swim...random 1-3 times a week, some on weekends, some in the middle of the day.

So we're in the "good season".  It will end once school starts and morning swimming will become evil again.  I need to remember to ask when the morning high school team practices start up again.  I know Niceville goes back to school on August 6th or something crazy like that so I wouldn't doubt that by sometime next month we'll be suffering again.

It absolutely kills me.  I know these teams pay them a lot of money to use the pool, but the Y is double dipping!  They are charging them to take the pool and then not charging me any less despite reducing my available swim hours by about half.  I think there should be a YMCA membership discount during the months the kids teams are swimming in the mornings.

Pam at Dragon Sports has been taking a group at to White Point every Sunday for swim practice.  I have church on Sundays so that's a no go for me.  I'll echo what jdicarlo said about the Y in FWB having the best pool in the area but don't expect world class facilities.

I'm lucky enough to work from home which is really close to the Y so I swim at lunchtime. Just before noon is pretty good and at 1pm the place empties out.  I sometimes get the whole pool to myself. No masters courses though.  Seems to be a demand in FWB though.  Wonder if we could get one started up?

Ah forgot about the White Point swims... Nice bunch. Pam may be interested in coaching too, I have seen her a few times at the Y helping people.  I mentioned John as I took a few lessons this year and found the one on one to be really helpful. I've had some much improved swim spits in some Olympics since.   I swam Masters down in Orlando with a well know pro triathlete as the coach. It was a fantastic workout and we really pushed ourselves, but you really don't get much help with form when there are several people swimming. 

Where do they swim on Sundays and what time?  I live on White Point.  I might want to try that out just to see what they do.

Yeah, the Y seems to be hit or miss between 8am and 2pm.  Some days I walk in and it's FULL, other days it's empty and I have it to myself.  I haven't really noticed a pattern.  But generally speaking between 8am and 2pm you can swim with maybe 1-2 per lane and no one waiting.  I kind of swim all over the map because if I don't wake up on time I have to go *sometime* during the day and it's whenever I get around to driving over.  The real kicker is arranging your swims around the thunderstorms.

I think a masters program would be welcome in the area.  They wouldn't be able to do mornings year round though.  And I have no idea what the Y would charge to reserve several lanes.  If anyone is or has been heavily involved in masters it would be a good thing to investigate.

Don't get me started on the thunderstorms.  I still find it silly that they have to close an indoor pool due to t-storms.

I'll also echo Lori on MPI.  I've done one free open water swim clinic with them and they know their stuff. I think they do their swim sessions at some resort on Pensacola Beach.

For legit lightning it's a risk.  A strike could travel through the pipes.

However, what gets me is that they will close even if the radar is clear because the lifeguard "thought they heard thunder/saw lightning".  One night I drove 20' to get there, looking at the clear skies the whole way.  The sick lifeguard "saw lightning".  Radar was clear.  Lifeguard pretty much wanted to go home.  Sad.

Newsflash...you can hear thunder and lightning REALLY far away.  How about actually using something scientific like the WEATHER REPORT to decide how far away it is?  At the very least don't stand at the door staring out waiting to see or hear something.  If you see or hear something during the normal course of your duties...great, I agree.  But to turn your back to the pool (and all the people swimming in it) so you can crane your eyes and ears for any little rumble/flash so that you can get off work?  That makes me mad.

I've been working on the certifications and such to start a program in the area; the need is definetly there!  It will be a certified USASwimming Group rather then USMasters Certified, but will still be good!  The problem is the availability of pools to accomodate a good sized group.  But keep tuned, its coming!

For now, if anyone wants to work on group open water swims let me know; I usually swim over at Navarre beach so we could get some workouts (including some swim/bike bricks) in out there.

A group swim would be great. I need to be pushed more. It could be really difficult to work that out with the Y schedule. When all teams are practicing, it is available after 6:30 am til 3pm, then after 6:30 pm.  The pool closes at 7:45pm, so if you have a longer workout with drills, it gets rushed.

Lately, it's been available in the morning and also at 6pm. Mornings are a better bet due to the Tstorms though.

I was asking at the Y today when the high school teams start practice again.  Probably early to mid-August.  So, get those morning swims in while you can!  Once they crank up you can't get more than a lane before 7am.   Once they are there if I have a long swim I usually try to get into the one lane around 6:45 to start warming up.  That way the ladder and aquajoggers won't bug me so much since I'm just warming up.  By the time I'm done warming up it's 7 and the kids get out and I can finish the rest of my workout in peace.  It only works because I don't have to be at work until 9 if I'm working out.  If I had to be there any earlier mornings would be completely shot because of the swim teams.

I can't believe with all these swim teams in the area that the Destin Y doesn't have enough business and is shutting down.  I wish they would make the swim teams practice over there and leave us alone in FWB!

12 week program at the club gulfbreeze starting this saturday 8:00 am open water swim coach  run and bike, nutrition coaches to follow in pre for santarosa tri oct1. WE WILL DO OPEN WATER SWIMS

I was almost hoping the city of Destin might take it over and make it a town pool.  I swam in a town pool in South Dakota and it was SO much better than the local YMCA.  I think part of their downfall was having unreliable hours.  They claimed they had short hours because of lack of use, but they were not open early enough for anyone that has to work to go there!

It's a shame the YMCA can't keep it open during the times that the high school teams are practicing.  Maybe open from 5-9 in the morning or something for people other than the kids teams....

I wish the YMCA didn't have the only decent pool in town because it is absolutely criminal the way they run their stuff.  The YMCA membership is more than friends of mine pay for WAY better pools and gyms in other locations.

If the town of Destin was smart they would take over the pool and expand the hours...especially in the school year.  Heck, they might be able to steal business from the YMCA if they can offer the swim teams a better deal.  Though, I would have to go over the bridge both ways...making it an extra $5 every time I wanted to swim there in addition to whatever fee.  Admittedly, that would be a deterrant....

Just a heads up.  The high school team is going to start up on 15 August (according to the person I asked at the Y).  Which means from 5-7 am there will only be one lane (the one with the big yellow ladder in it).

*sigh* back to reality until next Feb.