TENNESSEE
- Chattanooga
Downtown YMCA
SGOL Link
B+
25 yards, six lanes- all of them roped, cold
water, 2 synchronized paceclocks, kickboards, pull buoys. Oh, and a hot, hot
jacuzzi. Although I predict that someone will faint and drown before the end
of the millenium, I loved it.
There's no getting away from the fact that
you are in Eastern Tennessee. You can see Walton Mountain from lane 4. Swim
fast, Jim Bob.
A Master's team works out at 5:45pm M,W,F. although
it's a loose-knit group. Another quality I love: the lap pool is open all
day long and it's for for lap swim only. A second, smaller pool is reserved
for the warm-water loving combo of little kids and old people.
On a revisit, a lifeguard
offered me a job, a stranger lent me a cap and someone found my keys. What
nice people. If I didn't hate Nascar, I'd move to Chattanooga.
- Shallowford YMCA
D+
Sept, 2000
Very new deep pool, 25 yards, six lanes, all the amenities.
Burbs.
Unfortunately, this new, expensive pool is slow. I hadn't been in the water for six months and as I checked the pace clocks, I was astounded at how slow this pool was. And tiresome. This pool makes 300 yards feel like 3000 yards. This pool's paceclocks are off and this pool's water is heavier than any other water on earth. This pool's walls grab onto one's feet during streamlines and this pool's lane ropes crashed into my shoulders several times during a set of half laps of backstroke. This pool is also very close to several fast food establishments and twice made my car drive to McDonald's for fries. This pool, which knows I am watching my weight, supersized my order. Thanks alot, pool.
- Gatlinburg
Community Center
SGOL Link
A
Sept, 2000
25 yards, six lanes, paceclock and it's cheap- $1.50
The weight room.
This pool is the biggest upset in swimming since Misty Hyman snatched a gold medal out from the claws of Susie O'Neill. Who wouldn've thought a backass backwards town like Gatlinburg would have a great pool? Not me. It's deep, the water is clear and beautiful, and the pool's windows look out over the Smoky Mountains. This pool should score lower since it's minutes from such American cultural highlights as Dollywood, the Lousie Mandrell Theater and the Lee Greenwood Theater, but I was grateful for the distraction.
Yee haw.
- Maynardville
North Side YMCA
SGOL Link
C+
Sept, 2000
25 yards, six lanes, paceclock
It's a little warm.
Nice try Maynardville. This pool claims to be in the North Side of Knoxville. Honey, if that's the Northside then Eva Peron's Doughboy in Argentina is the Southside. The drive is about the same. Not only was I cranky from the drive, but then a party of screeching kids was playing Marco Polo so loud that the dead explorer himself turned over in his grave and shouted, "I'm over here you little shits, now shut the hell up!"
