Baltimore/ D.C Mermaids?

[ElectricMermaid]

Hi, I'm new to the community. I'm a freediver who is also a performer and am looking to connect with others with an interest in mermaiding professionally in the Baltimore or DC areas. It would be great to find a partner(s) to practice some breath holding techniques with, as well as costume making! Let me know if you would like to meet up or if there is already a community meetup I could join. Thanks!

[Mermaid Pear]

Hi there! Belated welcome! I will try to figure out a few ideas for meetups soon! Check back on this pod often. It's hard to get it back off the ground. But I'm sure we'll figure it out


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ElectricMermaid]

Awesome! Good to hear you want to get it going again! I'm Iooking forward to a meetup soon

[MermaidMerida]

we've been trying to get this thing back on its feet but its not easy lol welcome to the pod btw :3

[Fun123joker]

wh00000a i th0ught i was the 0n1y 0ne in the area

[ElectricMermaid]

I'm going to go ahead and set up a weekly meetup that will alternate between DC and Baltimore. If enough people are interested I would also be willing to start one every third week of the month in Richmond. The focus will mainly be on the physical aspects of Mermaiding, specifically on tail swimming and breath hold training.
I currently hold an advanced freediver certification and will be working on my instructor course very soon. I also have an athletic background in roller derby and synchronized swimming that I will use to create a custom training regimine. The meetup will be two hours with the first 45 min dedicated to a discussion on dry land, then a 15 min on land warm-up/breathing meditation routine followed by an hour of specific drills and practice. Hopefully I can schedule it early enough to leave time for free swim afterwards. If anyone else is interested let me know, I currently have a wide open schedule and the day of the week will depend on which pool has the most convenient schedule. I'm out of the country right now, but when I get back I will make a new pod post with the details.

[MermaidMerida]

O.O I dont even have a tail yet...and Im not in the best shape....I dont intend on mermaiding professionally at least not for a while if at all...I thought meet ups would be more social..and of course there would be swimming and stuff but the way you discribed it makes it sound so clinical... :/

[ElectricMermaid]

I can see how my description of a meetup would seem daunting. It may not be for everyone, but this is just what I would want to achieve with a group of like minded people.

It seems wanting to become a mermaid would mainly be about swimming. I feel that this new trend of mermaiding shouldn't just be about owning an elaborately crafted tail, but instead a platform to unlock your freedom in the water. Becoming comfortable and safe in the water seems like it should be a prerequisite before getting a tail.

Swimming is the best thing you can do for your body, as well as learning to control your breathing. Water is a thereputic, I have seen severly sick and disabled people regain their vitality through water therapy!

If you are out of shape, this would be a great motivational tool to get in touch with your body. In the water you are weightless, it's like you are floating in outerspace. You can move in any direction, with the slightest effort. An hour of swimming will burn between 400-800 calories as well as build and strengthen muscles. An hour will go by and you won't even realize how hard you have been working, with or without a monofin!

I want to share the freedom and confidence I have in the water with others. I want to help people understand their bodies, as well as get in shape. I know from years of being on sports teams, that if you have a guideline or routine to follow you are more likely to practice it in your free time. Its honestly just more fun when you have a purpose, otherwise you are just kind of swimming around.

But this is just my opinion, I like the idea of getting a group together to socialize as well as workout, even if it doesn't lead to being a professional. Why can't Mermaiding be a new platform for mentally and physically challenging ourselves for those of us who are dreamers?

[MermaidMerida]

I get what you are saying but you have to keep in mind that theres a large portion of the mermaiding community that do this for fun. It doesnt have to only be about breath training and all that jazz Im not saying those things arnt important but Im not here to be a professional mermaid Im here to make friends and have fun and be a mermaid because I want to be a mermaid not to make money.... Im not in this for a workout or anything like that.... if you want to make a group like that thats fine but thats not what I want so maybe this isnt the place for me....

[PearlieMae]

It's hard enough to coordinate a lunch with mermaids, much less this military-like endeavor! How about coordinating a meet up and then inviting participants to participate in your regimen...and if they just want to swim in their tails, then they aren't required to participate. A meet up is usually more about camaraderie rather than boot camp. I know if I were to attend a meet up, I would be less likely to go at all if the sole purpose was to whip me into shape.

Ask Mermaid Lotus. She coordinates the meet ups in Dallas and seems to do a good job of it.

[ElectricMermaid]

I respect what you are saying and totally agree with it! There are those who are only interested in certain aspects of Mermaiding, mine being the specific mental and physical challenge of free diving. This kind of special community embraces all levels of participation.

That's a great idea Pearlie! I know not everyone is into a butt kicking workout, but being a former roller derby coach it's just what comes naturally to me. Lol

I just want to meet others who share similar interests in the area, no matter what the commitment or skill level. Id be happy to offer an alternative training regimine at a meet up, no pressure tho!

[MermaidMerida]

K Electric it really doesnt seem like you are understanding what Im saying or what Pearlie is saying.... YOU can have a training regime with like minded people but people like me do NOT want a freaking training regime at all. What comes naturally to you is NOT what comes naturally to others and your "training Regime" thing is so off putting its insane. I was honestly in tears when I read your post about what YOU felt was the right way to do this... I began to feel like I had no place in the mer world and Im sure Im not the only one and Im sorry but thats not okay. Also who made you the leader of this pod? Im pretty sure no one did so why are you acting like you are? There needs to be a place for you and those like you who want that kind of mermaiding and there needs to be a place for me and those like me who dont want any of that crap and just want to have fun and be social with other mers.

PSA: I am NOT trying to start anything by saying what I have in my above post but I needed to get how I have been feeling about all this out there because it feels like Im not being heard at all.

[ElectricMermaid]

OK, wow. There's no need to get so upset and act so highschool about this. I'm not trying to be leader of anything, I'm just trying to find my place in this community just like you. It doesn't seem like there is a whole lot of people who want to participate in the Chesapeake Pod community anyways, it could be helpful to figure out what is not wanted and that could make it easier to figure out what is wanted.

Maybe we should be working together on how to accomplish something that everyone can enjoy, instead of segregating each other. I DO understand what you are getting at, but to want to exclude someone based on theoretical ideas is just wrong. If no one wants to swim the way I do that's fine, I'm not butt hurt at all. I just want to find someone to swim with, it's not like there are lot of people willing to put on a fin in a public pool and be subjected to that kind of judgment.
Now I feel like I'm being attacked a little.

How about we both just start over...hi it's nice to meet you, I want to be a mermaid. Want to meet up and talk?

[PearlieMae]

Don't feel attacked. Let's all take a breath and regroup.

I appreciate that, as a coach for a very vigorous sport, you have a knack for putting together a plan with a goal. But, baby steps! Get a meet up coordinated and then MEET! Then present your plan and see who is up for it. Were I in the area, I would be perfectly happy to float like a manatee and watch what might look like a feeding frenzy from across the pool!

I'm just suggesting that you don't implement a specific agenda without a consensus.

[PearlieMae]

PS: welcome to the network!

[ElectricMermaid]

Hey, thanks for the input! I can see how my original notions could seem daunting and overzealous to those who just want to hang out and swim! I will keep that in mind for any future meetups... hoping to not make any waves!

Happy to be here, love your tails btw!!

[MermaidMerida]

This post is now deleted