As I mentioned before I love to swim. If owned a pool, I would be in it every single day, maybe even twice a day, but I live in NYC which has a pool shortage. The pool I go to is overcrowded and often filled with obnoxious people who don't seem to comprehend other people are in the pool with them. Because of this and the fact I work a 9-5 job, I only manage to get to the pool one or twice a week. In two weeks I will be going to vacation in Vermont near a lake, where I will swim every single day, probably twice a day.
When the pool is over capacity, I find myself on line to get into a swim lane because they only allow 6 people per lane. Three times when I got to the front of the line, the lifeguard looked me over and said "Slow". (Meaning slow speed lane), and all three times I corrected him that I needed a medium lane.
Fat = unhealthy is so ingrained in people's head that this lifeguard looked at me and thought I was a slow swimmer.
This is Holley Mangold.
This is Sarah Robles
Both women are Olympic athletes in Women's weightlifting and will be in London. Sarah can bench press 570 pounds and has a good chance at the gold. She lives in poverty and couldn't find a sponsor.
Meet Sarah Robles. She can lift as much as 570 pounds. In last year's weightlifting world championships, she bested every other American—both female and male. Sarah Robles is going to the Olympics in London this summer. But at home, in the United States, she lives on $400 a month.
Finally media company Solve Media did what Nike, Reebok and all the other loser companies wouldn't do, they sponsored this Olympic hopeful. Risto Sports is also sponsoring Sarah and Holley.
Holley Mangold is athletic and comes from a family of athletes. She tried different sports including football and swimming before she decided on weight lifting. She weights between 300-390 and is not ashamed of her size
"I want people to be comfortable with who they are, whether they're big or small or have a huge nose and are uncomfortable with it, or are in the ugly duckling stage. Just be happy with who you are and what you've got," Mangold said. "I am a big proponent of trying to be healthy. I don't think anyone should be my-size big, but if you are, you should be happy at that size."
In the pool, the lifeguard may look at them and ask "Slow lane?"
Fat swimmer chiming in here.
Wish I had wise words for you, but I have this experience a lot, too. I go waaaay out of my way (swim at 5;30 AM) to avoid crowded pools so I don't have to explain myself over and over again.
No-I don't need to be in the slow lane, already.
Glad to hear these ladies are getting some of the support they need.
Posted by: Chutti | July 24, 2012 at 11:12 AM
I apologize in advance if this seems nitpicky, but 570lbs is not Ms Robles' bench press. Rather, it is her combined total in the clean & jerk and the snatch.
At the Olympic Trials back on Mar. 4, she lifted 114 kg (251.25 lbs) in the snatch and 140 kg (308.5 lbs) in the clean & jerk for a total weight of 258 kg (568.75 lbs). In training, her totals have been even higher: 118 kg (260 lbs) in the snatch and 150 kg (330.5 lbs) in the clean & jerk for a combined total of 590lbs. (Source: http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Weightlifting/Features/2012/July/02/Robles-once-a-spectator-now-an-Olympian.aspx)
Posted by: Mich | July 24, 2012 at 01:42 PM
"The pool I go to is overcrowded and often filled with obnoxious people who don't seem to comprehend other people are in the pool with them."
This doesn't really have a lot to do with the rest of the post, but I didn't know you were here in NYC, and lately I really feel as though "pool" in this nice rant could replaced with "sidewalk".
I've been wondering for sometime if there was something infused in the water or air recently I didn't know about, because seriously ... people these days seem completely oblivious.
(Here via the Feed)
Posted by: littlem | July 24, 2012 at 09:07 PM