What makes a pool "Fast"

Question

They are saying that the olympic pool is "Fast" and to expect lots of world records. What makes it so ?

This is not about the new "speedo" suit

Answer 1

freestyle

Answer 2

Great question GK. Great answer Alex F.

My question I wanted to ask was just the opposite. The pool I swim in at the local YMCA is so slooooooooooooooooooooow.

The temperature is at low 82, high 83, too hot. I have asked the assistant aquatics director about lowering it to 80, but aquasize people whine that it is already too cold. The water feels heavy and each entry on the arm stroke feels like cutting through ice.

Thanks for to both of you.

Answer 3

okay umm i agree with alex f, and i also agreee that anything that is abut swimming that you try to explain to others just doesnt go down well. anyone who isnt a swimmer just doesnt get it lol, anyways what i wanted to say was that the ymca i swim at is like that tooo... very very veryyyyyyy slow!

Answer 4

What makes a pool 'fast' is a combination of many different things... it might be hard to understand for non-swimmers, but it's mainly A: the temperature, and B: the chemicals. Mostly it's how the pool makes the swimmers feel, because in swimming, if you feel faster, you go faster.(usually)  For example, a colder pool feels faster than a warmer pool, because the water feels less thick and it's easier to cut through.

There's also lane lines, which can really make a difference. If you're watching olympic swimming, you might notice that there are two empty lanes on either side of the pool. these open lanes are meant to help absorb waves and choppiness created by the swimmers. The lane lines also do this. I hope that answers your question!

Answer 5

"Fast" pools have profiles that minimize turbulence. If the pool is uniformly 8 or more feet deep, wave reflection off the bottom is minimized. (Any pool that has a "deep end" and "shallow end" will not be as fast.) Spill-over gutter systems absorb the majority of surface waves, rather than reflecting them back onto swimmers. An empty lane on each side (so nobody has to swim next to a wall) also helps.

Water temperature is important, but independent of whether the pool was built to be fast. US Swimming rules mandate pool water to be between 78 and 80 degrees for competition.