We Are All About Being Fast... So What Makes A Pool Fast?

What Makes A Pool Fast?

In the realm of competitive swimming, the pursuit of increased speed is a continuous journey that goes beyond the physical strength of the swimmers. Various competitive swimming pool characteristics create additional elements that ultimately define how quickly swimmers move through the water. Among these elements, three factors stand out as the primary determinants that make a competitive swimming pool "fast": water depth, gutter design, and temperature.

• Water Depth
  The deeper the water depth, the faster the pool. This is because a "quiet pool" is ideal for increased speed in competitive swimming. In shallow pools, waves will reflect off the bottom of the pool, which causes the water to become turbulent. Additionally, water in a deeper pool acts as a quelling force to lessen the impact of the wave, which is essential as most swimming happens at the surface, in the top 18" of the pool.
• Gutter Design 
  The pool gutter design of a competitive swimming pool helps reduce waves and keeps the water calm. The proper gutter can help eliminate any bounce back of a wave on the outside swimming lanes of a competition swimming pool.
• Temperature 
  If the water in the pool is too hot, swimmers overheat. The swimmer's muscles will not warm up or perform appropriately if the water is too cold. Both conditions can cause a swimmer's muscles to cramp. The ideal water temperature for a competition pool to mitigate these concerns is between 78- and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. 

At Colorado Time Systems, we understand fast swimming and even faster results. Thousands of aquatic and sporting facilities trust our accuracy, precision, and reputation regarding timing solutions for the world's fastest swimmers.

The GEN7 Swim Timer is the latest in competitive swim timing and will have you rethinking how you've been timing your events. Our patented Gen7 swim timing platform provides long-lasting technology that will save you time and money. Combine this with a LED Video Scoreboard to display results and give your athletes, coaches, and spectators an exceptional event! Our video scoreboards can display text, scoring data, animations, live videos, video replays, and more.

SwimSwam was sourced for information regarding this blog.