Swim League

CarlS · Swim League

Some of you may remember the swim league, started a couple of years ago out for a bit of fun. The idea was to publish the details of member's swims on the web site with their excuse. Whilst this was done in the interests of entertainment it was felt that the league may give the wrong impression about the club.

As the current holder of the swim league cup I feel that we should look at what to do with it. One idea is to perhaps change its title and award it to the member who paddles the most out outside in a season.

What do people think?

DaveS

I always understood the swim league to be a bit of a laugh, is there really anything wrong with it? If everyone knows it is just a bit of fun then what is the harm?
What sort of "wrong impression" can be derived from a it?

I know that I haven't been in the club that long, but I did manage to get on the swim league last year, and it gave Jon a great deal of entertainment that I got on and he didn't!
I think that we have to be careful that we don't take ourselves too seriously at times.

Having a laugh at our own expense - surely that is not going to upset anyone!!!

Steve T

I think there is a balance to be struck, and possibly an issue of perception outside the club. That sounds a bit deep so I'll explain:

Those of us who were on the league and/or "in on the joke" saw it as a bit of a laugh: light hearted Mickey-taking and nothing to be taken seriously. This applied to most of the club regulars and more experienced members, and it became part of the usual banter that happens when the club paddles together.

The perceived problem was that the league was published on the website, and regularly referred to when I updated the "News" part of the website - that was part of the whole "Mickey-taking" / banter thing.

It was pointed out in the middle of last year by a long-standing club member that this might give a poor impression to potential members, particularly novices, in two ways. Firstly that paddling necessarily involves significant amounts of swimming in rivers and by implication being wet and cold (novices don't have nice warm paddling gear) and secondly that when people do screw-up we'll all laugh at them. Taking a step back, I can see the point - sarcasm and banter is OK when you're in on it, from the outside it's different, particularly on a website where it's hard to see the context or the relationships between the members.

There was also a belief that some paddlers were holding back from pushing themselves, not because they didn't want to swim, but because they didn't want to be ridiculed in front of anyone with web access. I’m not sure about this – I owned up to a couple of swims that no-one else knew about, and I’m sure Carl was swimming deliberately just to keep up.

I don’t know how true the above issues are, but I quietly took the league off the site after this discussion (co-incidentally just after I had swum at Chester Weir – no connection, honest). The truth of it is that a group of more experienced members used it as bit of on-line banter. Complete novices were never put on the league; indeed, if you were on the league then it meant you were past the novice level! Lots of other clubs have swimmer's leagues, but perhaps mainly University clubs where it might be more appropriate than for ourselves where we attract quite a few junior paddlers.

Now the forum is getting busy, one idea would be to open up a new forum on here for people to record their own “boatless experiences” on an honesty basis, this gives them the chance to come up with a better excuse without my ruthless editing, and also for anyone else to add their own comments. The format of the forum makes it more obvious when people are being light-hearted, and no-one will be forced to confess if they don’t want to (oblique references to those who may have something they need to get off their chest may be permitted). Does anyone think this might work? Comments, as always, are appreciated before I start off something that doesn’t get used.

As for the trophy, I’m sure there are various things it could be awarded for, although Carl won so convincingly last time that it could have been awarded in perpetuity

. (sorry Carl – see it’s that Mickey taking thing again!)

That was a long post ….

Steve

CarlS

I agree totally Steve, we do need something and after all the swim league did provide a great deal of entertainment. I would go as far as to say that it improved performance as opposed to holding back, for example:

thought process prior to swim league: oh crap I'm upside down and feel cold and wet, try to roll, roll fails will bail out and swim

thought process during time of swim league: oh crap I'm upside down and feel cold and wet, try to roll, roll fails but will not bail out, try again (don't want to be on league), head bouncing off rocks (but don't want to be on league), try to roll again, success, feeling smug!

New members need to be aware that swims will happen even to the most experienced members; in anycase we have a good track record of carrying out rescues as necessary, it is simply part of paddling. I think that the idea of using the forum to own up to 'events' happening on the river is a really good one.

Steve T

DaveS

Excellent explanation Steve, I now understand the arguments and can appreciate them. With the possibility that a "swim league" could put off new members, or even existing members then it is definately not the right thing to do. It just strikes me as a shame if we lose the light harted banter that the swim league instigated. Maybe using this forum for "cleansing" our souls is the right way!
Also it might drum up a little more activity on the forum.....light harted banter is always good for getting, and keeping, peoples attention!

On a lighter note I am actually a slightly proud that I made it on the Swim League last year in light of your explanation........

Steve T

Dave

I like the phrase

DaveS

Nice one Steve, now we just need some more paddlers to come and use the forum......maybe these new areas will intice a flurry of activity!

Keeping in line with the confession theme maybe the Cup should be given to the person who makes the most confessions, we could call it the "Our Soul Cup".

They do say confession is good for the Soul!!!!!

grahambrooks · Swimming League

Having read all of the recent comments all I can say is that Ribble Canoe Club have a "Swim League" and unfortunately one of their leading contenders had a swim on the River Crake on December 30th. Sadly he died! He swam a Grade 3 rapid just above Sparks Bridge and according to the report by his son (a hell of a brave statement considering the circumstances) died as his spraydeck was caught on a rock pinning him underwater before he was rescovered by the emergency services.

This could happen to anyone but I would be surprised if Ribble Canoe Club continue with their league after this unfortunate tragedy.

Full details of the incident can be found on the UK Rivers website.

Graham Brooks - Club Chief Coach and paddler of 30 years - incidentally I now hate paddling when its cold - I've seen the video bought the T-Shirt and read the book! Club members, particularly Chris Hopkins and Paul Mullineux may remember my infamous swim on the same river several years ago just above the place where this tragedy took place.

Sorry to go on like this but I've known too many people who have died canoeing and it has usually been when they have capsised and swum!!!

Steve T

Graham

I was aware of the tragedy on the Crake, from reading UKRGB, and of the casualty’s son’s moving description of the event, but hadn’t made the connection to the swim league. I can see your point to a degree.

As well as the reasons described above, the league was probably inappropriate because no-one got asked if they wanted to go onto it. By allowing members to post their own account of any events in the forum, we can continue the traditional banter (for which I think there is clearly a demand) while allowing anyone who doesn’t want to join in the “fun” to keep out of it.

Although we all recognise that self-rescue (ie roll up) is the best and safest form of rescue, we also realise that any of us can (and occasionally do) take a swim, and that more often than not this is embarrassing but harmless. At the time the priority for the rest of the team is to get the swimmer safely ashore, making sure he/she is OK, followed by recovery of any gear – all treated with complete seriousness at the time. If the swimmer is one of the more experienced members, and assuming no injuries, some minor Mickey-taking will take place after that. I think we all know each other well enough to know how far we can go, with newcomers or novices obviously a more supportive approach will be taken. The small, informal nature of the club lends itself to this and it is one of our strengths.

The forum is just another method by which we can continue this banter. I think if someone took a genuinely bad or upsetting swim, they just wouldn’t post about it. This is protected also by the forum sticky which states that we shouldn’t post about anyone else’s swims – I would have no qualms about deleting any posts which broke this rule.

I suggest allowing the forum to run and see what happens. If it turns unpleasant or offensive it can easily be killed. Any other opinions please? I'd be particularly interested in the views of novices & newer club members as I'm aware this could be seen as a bit of self-indulgence amongst us old-timers.

Question:
Would reading accounts of harmless-but-embarrassing swims, and associated Mickey-taking, put you off paddling with the club?

(As an aside – this is a good example of how the forums can be used to stimulate and promote serious discussion within the club. I think it’s a healthy sign.)

Steve

DaveS

The proposed paddle at Mile End Mill got me thinking back to the Paddle there two years ago. It was the first time I had paddled with the club and I was fairly nervous, I had paddled a bit as a scout and then after a long break started to make tentative steps to get back into paddling again.

In my (lack of ) wisdom I decided to tip my boat over and have a little swim. I was pretty embarrased as this was right infront of everyone, and as soon as I, and all my gear, had been safely recovered, one or two people started to tell me about the "Swim League" and I feared that I would be put on it. While initially it was a little disturbing it only took a couple of seconds to realise that they were joking and that the league itself was nought but a way of having a bit of banter anyway. Almost before my kayak was emptied of water I was being entertained by the banter between members of the club talking about their own experiences (swims).

In this instance the swim league had a positive benefit as for me it washed away a slightly awkward moment and led to a feeling of raport with the more experienced paddlers as I then knew that they could take a swim as well as me!!!

I do see the point about the seriousness of swimming and the obvious potential to cause injury, and sadly, worse. But the use of some forum to have a laugh at ourselves for swimming does also have the benefit of reminding everyone that even the most experienced of us can, and do, take swims. Surely it is better to have a frequent light hearted banter about the risks in our sport than to have the tragedy of a fatality as the only reminder.

Swim League

Swimming League