How do you find a pool that allows mer fins? I got kicked out of a pool half way through my workout yesterday. Totally put a damper on my day. I know I'm not the only one. Stupid life guards...ggrrr
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How do you find a pool that allows mer fins? I got kicked out of a pool half way through my workout yesterday. Totally put a damper on my day. I know I'm not the only one. Stupid life guards...ggrrr
Ugh, I know, it's hard. YMCA's don't allow it I know but I have a local pool that's very lax because they don't make much money (they'll take what guests they can get) and they'll probably allow it once I get a tail but I'm not for sure. A lot of hotel pools allow it. Just call around and make sure to tell them that a monofin is used by professionals and for workouts, they it assists you to swim, that you're a strong, capable swimmer, et cetera.
Its not the usual one that I go to . Mine just happened to be closed that day and I needed some water. It just shocked me where said I can have flippers but not a mermaid tail . Totally racist foot flopper
I have a YMCA that allows tails and monofins, that's weird that yours said no. That was one of the first questions I asked about the pool. An they said that it was fine and had no problem with it. The people an the life guards said it was cool.
It's hard to have a standard, sensible policy about something that's still unfamiliar to most people, therefor the inconsistent hodgepodge of rules. As people in general become more familiar and more comfortable with swimmers wearing monofins and tails, things ought to improve. (Of course, on the other hand, logic doesn't always win.)
So very true. Like up at a local camp site where my gf's aunt lives they say that it is ok to swim in a tail and fins and what have you, but I also went to a state camp site for a few days, an they said no because they considered monofins and tails to be underwater apparatus for diving.:doh: Go figureQuote:
Originally Posted by Alveric
What really?! It says so on the main Y site I thought.Quote:
Originally Posted by MerAnthony
ThisQuote:
Originally Posted by Alveric
The attendant at the door and locker room saw me holding my monofin. When I was sitting on the deep side of the pool putting my monofin on the life guard asked me to take my socks off but that I could wear it. Giving me a new blister and a few slips Then halfway through my workout he said it was to busy when I had been swimming with kids the whole time.it was an indoor all year round pool.
Attachment 9864Emma that depends on what Y site you go on. I live in upstate NY in Amsterdam an I went to the Y in johnstown. It's a new place an when I called for prices I asked if I could use a monofin there? An they said that it was ok to use in the pool.
I'm still working on my fabric tail. Can't wait to swim in it!
There was a bit on places banning mermaiding in this thread. Basically my input is to go to the manager or the lifegaurds and educate them as to why your tail is a swim AID and piece of water equipment, not a swim hindrance or danger. Explain to them the materials it's made of and why it's suited for water wear. Offer to do a swim test for them in tail to show them you are capable. Some have suggested legal liability waivers as well. For those who go pro performer's insurance is a big weight off everyone involved, including when you're at a pool for practice (not an actual gig). This may not always work, but it can't hurt to give it a try! Education is the first step, right? :)
I started to do that but you know sometimes people get snippy. I wont forget next time to ask if they're accepted or not before I waste mytime again
Lucky! My Y is super super strict. No swim fins unless being used for laps, no floatation devices at all, no-one under 2 can swim, etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by MerAnthony
My Y let me, and they even asked me if I'd come back during the summer when they do swim lessons with kids. I think they wanted the kids to realize what you can do once you learn to swim. But my dad's neighborhood pool lifeguards don't really want me doing it. Two of them (the girl lifeguards, oddly) will let me, the guys won't. O.o Weirded me out, but yeah....
I was lucky last year. A local bar/inn/restaurant was letting me use their salt water pool (outdoor, and heated. It was heaven!). I called ahead and the manager basically just came out, watched me swim, made sure I knew what I was doing and then she was cool with me using the pool. However I just found out it's in the process of being sold so chances are I may not be as lucky anymore. :( I think once you prove that you can handle yourself in the flipper and you know what you are doing they are generally ok with it.
What they told me at my Y was that I can wear my monofin (I asked to wear it in the lap lanes) but if the lanes get too full, I need to take it off because they don't want me accidentally hitting someone in the face Haha I haven't tried wearing a tail yet, but I will once I finish my new one. Can I ask where your Y is?
I've been using the olympic pool at usc. They let me use it ...no one batted an eye. I guess our public pools just have those weird rules
I've said this a dozen times before so ignore me if you've heard this speech already xD
As a lifeguard, you HAVE to enforce the rules. For me, I could lose my job if my supervisor came around and saw that I let someone swim in a monofin/tail. It's strictly against our policies. Mainly the pools do not want to get sued for an accident. Lifeguards are not trained to save people in tails. So it can put the employed lifeguards at a risk as well. The easiest thing to do is to just ban tails in general so that pools don't have to carry that burden.
The best thing to do, as said before by others, is go to the manager or lifeguard and explain about your tail. Tell them how you're practicing in it and just need the water. You know how to swim in it and you will not disturb others purposely with it.
I can understand that but he saw me putting it on before and said nothing against it. I understand having rules but miscommunication and inconsistency would frustrate anyone
That's something we battle with at the pool all the time. Inconsistency is TERRIBLE. I think lifeguards have a hard time saying no because the really do want people to enjoy themselves at the pool. And they personally have nothing against it, it's the pool owner that does.
I'm excited! I just found out that my schools pool (College) allows monofins!
Cool deal. Lately I have been talking with the life guards at our local Y , an I have been telling them I have been working on my neoprene tail, byt repainting it an adding a few things to it. They say they want to see it when finished. An they have also told me that there is a few others that work there would like to see it as well.
Nice. ^__^
I swim with my monofin for practice at 24 hour fitness I know they allow that. I have my monofin and my tail is coming soon so idk about the whole tail.
Hope that helped :)
Maybe if you just bring the monofin and show them that you can swim in it, they might change their minds.
wait what does YMCA stand fOr? whats a Y?
Young Men's Christian Authority (there's also a YWCA, but they're kind of rare :/). It's a sports-gym chain in the US (not sure about other places?). They recently shortened it to just The Y as their name.
We have them here in Australia too. There is one in every alternate suburb or so. Its usually has pool facilities, tennis court, skateboard ramp, basket ball court, a small cafe. Basically, its an activities centre that kids can go to, and you only pay a small fee to use.
vhat. vhats this. why havent i heard of this? all i see are planet fitness. i dont know if they have pools. we have abunch of public pools not really chain pools. I got to the pool at the local rec center. They dont mind the pool is big enought for everyone
I have 2 locations to swim. GSU and Swim Atlanta. Both have no issue with my tail.
Strangely, my pool has no problems at all with my tail but the only day I took my Finis Wave all was trouble: it is too stiff; it is too big; if someone complains you have to take it out; all said in quite a rude tone. What do they think there is inside the tail but a monofin? I guess out of sight, out of mind.
Thankfully, I know a lot more staff now, including a very nice and friendly life guard. I still have not ventured with the Finis again, but only because I love my tail so much I want to use it always :yay:
That's what it stands for? I was told it stands for Young Men's Club of America. We have both a YMCA and a YWCA here, I used to do cheerleading as a kid at the YWCA.Quote:
Originally Posted by MerEmma
It's Young Men's Christian Association. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YMCA)
But they don't do any proselytizing, at least I haven't seen it here. They just offer some of the best gym/athletic setups out there, and at such a great cost. You'd never know the name had anything to do with religion unless you asked.
The Ys here in San Diego not only allow and provide fins, they allow monofins and apparently tails, too.
San Diego Y's sound great. The ones here in central Florida are very unorganized, don't allow monofins or tails and only allow fins in the lap lanes. They also disallow anyone to make money on their property (performers for birthdays for example). No advertising of anything or anyone (yet they don't enforce this for pizza boxes or Publix cakes...).
I'm in San Diego, and I just today swam in my tail! Love the Cameron (in Santee) YMCA!
I have a couple of other mermaids that swim with me, and they do frown on taking pictures (As the kids are around now and there are perverts in the world) and they also seem to frown on passing out business cards, so we're sneaky about giving cards out (or we don't bring them and give folks our facebook pages to go to instead), and they'd never allow a party there. However, they all LOVE the tails, and the lifeguards are usually cool about pictures when people ask, then immediately put their phones away. I have several photos parents have taken of me with their kids, I always ask if it's ok to post on my FB page, and as long as the phone gets put away, the lifeguards have been pretty nice about it. I was able to bring my underwater camera, but since the kids are around now, they don't want us to use it. I'll take the "downsides" if it means I'm not getting harassed and kicked out of the pool!
I've been very lucky with my local pool. My friend and I started swimming and then I brought my monofin and okayed the use of that and then tripple checked with them about the tail. Asked a few lifeguards and the front desk. Explained the fabric and stuff and turned up today to swim and it was great. The staff were excited and there were school groups who were pointing and gasping. I even got a fan with a mother and daughter. The mum knew of Mermaid Nerissa through a local paper and she wanted to chat lots about tails and swimming C: it was really exciting! But education is the key and explaining things carefully and showing people how good you are at swimming first!
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By me nobody allows me to swim in a indoor pols. Its crazy and sad:cry:
I'm currently a junior at Rutgers University New Brunswick and we have two gyms with Olympic pools, and one with a patio pool too and both allow mono fins and tails. The other swimmers we pretty amused as I flopped about and the lifeguards just silently judged.
I feel like people are a lot more lax in Australia. To be fair I've never been to a chain owned pool place, but usually I'll just rock up to wherever I wanna swim with my tail and ask at the front desk if it's okay if I swim in 'this' and hold up my tail. I've never had a problem, some have even seemed surprised I asked, or it might have been surprise at what I had asked about but I've never been refused entry to a pool because of my tail, which is nice.