The Pre-pool Shower

The Awful Story

The other day, I was having a swim at the 24 Fitness pool down the street. 200 Free, 200 Back, 200 Breast, and then SPLASH! A huge, hairy guy cannonballs into the water in the lane next to me. Revolting. The crash startled me so much that it stopped me dead in my wake. I just stood there with my mouth open in the middle my lane.

"B-Tan, is that you?" Brent and Doug, some old friends, summoned me to visit with them in the hot tub.

Distracted, I exited the pool and caught up with my pals in the tub. While I was soaking my legs over the next 15 minutes, I witnessed at least three, sweaty dudes emerge from the steam room and sauna and jump directly into the nearest swim lane to cool off.

[I FELT ANGER!]

Every time it happened, I screamed in my head, "SHOWER FIRST!" But of course, I didn't say anything. (I never say anything--except for that one time when the words sneaked out of my lips and nasal cavity through clenched teeth, but I don't think he heard me since he was still underwater--but his girlfriend sure did.) Aside from that singular experience, the most dramatic thing I did was widen my eyelids at them and then attempt to ocularly direct their attention to the conspicuous sign, posted, as required by public health regulations, that read:

"All persons are required to take a cleansing shower before entering the pool."

I tried really hard to contain myself this time. I keep eye-contact with Brent while he explained to me the features of his new website. His ideas were excellent; but I just couldn't concentrate. I felt bad. Instead, I was working through politically correct scenarios in which I could express my feelings about pool-contamination with those blissfully ignorant miscreants who kept dropping into the pool like lemmings.

Here are some possible arguments I came up with:

1. The health regulation sign asks us to shower first.

2. "I feel" appreciative when everyone does their part to keep the pool as clean as possible since I am the one who ingests mouthfuls of waste products shed from other peoples' bodies throughout the course of a workout.

3. Jumping into the middle of lanes haphazardly disrupts the workouts of other serious swimmers.

4. I can smell/taste the shampoos and colognes that people wear into the pool. That stuff must be super-strong because it only takes a little bit to permeate the pool. (Strawberry flavored shampoo and Lacoste's ELEGENCE seem to be the most poopular.)

Not to mention the next, some-what frightening, rule stated on the list:
"No person with a communicable disease is allowed to use the pool."

If that doesn't strike fear into swimmers, I don't know what would! I decided to conduct further research before running my mouth.

History Behind the Required Pre-Swim Shower . . .

The reason a shower is required before entering the pool is that an infectious organism could be living on your skin and the shower is intended to reduce or eliminate the risk that you will expose others in the pool to that organism.

However, for those people who do take a shower before entering a pool, it is not likely that the quick rinse or even use of soap and water will do much to change what must be a very low risk in the first place. The acid level and chlorine in swimming pools already kills most infectious organisms (though cryptosporidia is a notable exception which we experienced last Summer at a public pool here in Utah Valley); and other than bacterial infections (that are spread by water contaminated with feces), most organisms living on your skin are of no risk to others anyway.

I looked into it and those health codes were established when we didn't know a lot about the dissemination of diseases; they were meant as more of a precautionary measure than anything else.

Why are the rules kept in place if they are out of date?

Even though those health codes are obsolete, who's to say that requiring showers of everyone entering a pool — even if it's unnecessary — is particularly harmful? On the other hand, the Public Health Department may just be lazy and not want to pay for the 25 million pool signs that are posted around the US. However, if a person with Hep A or an active bacterial infection is kept out of the pool because of his or her "communicable disease," that would be a discriminatory lawsuit waiting to happen; maybe there is a purpose after all.

Conclusion

So, it turns out there is no significant scientific evidence for me to be upset with "Pool-Ploppers." But that doesn't mean that I still don't like the idea of sucking up unnecessary mouthfuls of other peoples' sweat and body waste. My plight is not completely unlike that of the vegetarian or PETA advocate. We both fight for ideals as opposed to what is reasonable and convenient.

Do you think it would be appropriate for me to share my feelings, in a private and discreet way, with "Pool-Ploppers?" At the very least, tell me that I am justified if feeling grossed out!