It’s official – we have welcomed in the new year, and with it the next portion of the swim season: the *dramatic pause* long course season. For some athletes, those three words cue the ‘Jaws’ theme song, haunting them as they longingly look back at their beloved short course pools. For others, this part of the year is welcomed with open paddle-clad arms and sweet relief. In fact, I have found that there is often a comically distinctive divide between short-course enthusiasts and long-course lovers, so that each swimmer tends to belong exclusively to one of the two groups. In an attempt to explain this split in the swim community, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each.
While the short course season typically only lasts a few months, some teams train the majority of their year in either a short course yards (SCY) or short course meters (SCM) pool due to the facilities they are confined to, so these people are often more comfortable in these pools. The most obvious positive aspect of a short course pool is having twice the amount of walls to push off of. This can be a huge bonus to someone who has great turns and strong underwater kickouts, so people with a powerful kick tend to dominate short course races. This is especially true in…
