Welcome to My Lane
"Welcome to My Lane" is a refreshing splash in the face of conventional open water swimming. Crafted by a renegade swimmer nestled in remote Montana, this blog is for those who swim against the current. If you're tired of rules, regulations, and the self-appointed authorities of the sport, welcome to my lane.
Dive into unconventional wisdom with topics ranging from innovative training plans and nutrition to supplemental workouts and candid opinions on both open water and pool swimming. Expect a tone of uncharted waters that challenges the purist's version of the sport.
Join Coach Mark on a journey that's not just about swimming but thinking differently. Here, the real victory is in challenging norms and forging your own path. Dive in, swim your own swim, and make waves.
Swim Your Own Swim
Explore the challenges and ethical dilemmas in the world of open water swimming. This post calls for a radical shift back to personal integrity and community spirit, urging swimmers to 'Swim Your Own Swim' and break free from conventional norms.
A Challenge to Conventional Norms in Open Water Swimming
Open water swimming is not just a physical pursuit but a spiritual one. It's a journey of self-discovery, battling the elements, and forging a personal connection with the vast expanses of water. However, the community faces challenges that, despite best intentions, seem insurmountable due to human fallibility.
The Inherent Challenges
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and in the world of open water swimming, all the links are fallible humans:
Boat pilots – Often prioritizing convenience and economics over swimmers’ desires.
Observers – Stories of falling asleep or not showing up at all abound.
Governing bodies – Varying rules across organizations, inconsistencies (or total lack) in communication, and a spectrum of services offered, creates numerous challenges.
Swimmers – Cheating, lying, embellishing, performance enhancing drugs, bending the rules – these cracks taint the achievements of honest swimmers and shake the community's core.
Economics – All of these links have a financial stake further increasing the potential for conflicts of interest and ethical compromises. There is clear collusion, restraint of trade, price-fixing, and monopolistic practices going on throughout the open water swimming world.
A Radical Idea: Swim Your Own Swim
Since humans are fallible and every link in the chain is prone to weaknesses, why not take a step back and return to the essence of open water swimming?
- Embrace Personal Responsibility: Encourage swimmers to take charge of their swims: Thoroughly research your own swim, your provider, and any support organization.
- Eliminate Third-Party Oversight: Remove the layers that add confusion and complexity, recognizing that adding more links can often create more weaknesses.
- Celebrate the Journey, Not Just the Destination: Recognize that the real victory is in personal growth, connections, and memories, not just in the final outcome of a specific swim.
Conclusion
This idea challenges the conventional chain of rules and oversight. It invites us to forge a new chain, one link at a time, by returning to the heart and soul of open water swimming.
Let's swim our own swims. Let's trust ourselves and each other. Let's recognize that a chain built on personal integrity and community spirit is stronger than one bound by rules and self-appointed authorities.