Incriminating emails to the downtown YMCA director Cynthia Klever

(1)

June 17, 2015

Subj:  FYI, Personnel File, etc.

Hello Cynthia,

I think you need to know that one of the lifeguards, Clayton, has been saying negative things about me recently, both to me in person and to at least one other person, Gary.   His assertions cannot be borne out unless he is willing to identify the swimmer whom he claimed I yelled at and that person relate their experience.

As a 14-year member of the YMCA, I believe it important that not only that accusations be taken seriously but that they also should be given credence only insofar as they can be objectively corroborated.

For the first time since I can recall swimming at the downtown Y, someone entered the medium while during the time I went to the bathroom.   I did not see anyone in the lane when I returned.  However, I did once I had swum several meters.  The woman and I averted a collision by both stopping.   I said to her, "I'm sorry.  Could we split the lane?"  She nodded assent, not unhappily as far as I could tell, and for the next 15-20 minutes we both swam without any problem, on our own sides of the lane.

Clayton on Monday accosted me after the morning session was over, about 9:05 a.m. and began to harrangue me about how others did not want to share the lane for various reasons, including splashing water.  He advised me repeatedly to be more aware, all the while repeatedly saying how he could not figure out why I had swum into the woman after my return from the bathroom.

Apparently, Clayton, who has been a lifeguard he stated for the past seven months, is not himself aware that I am extremely myopic.  It is difficult to address another swimmer when one cannot even see their eyes, mouth, or nose. 

For the past several years, nine out of ten times another swimmer has swum into me.   I no longer am surprised and in these cases I have simply said, "Could we split (divide) the lane?"  Not having guidelines about how to share a lane with others probably has not helped matters.

To be frank, I have no idea the extent to which Clayton, who may or may not be all of 20 years old, is telling the truth.  Or, for that matter, exaggerating or distorting it.  Clayton has always appeared to me to be apathetic/indifferent to the point of being perceived as morose or even sullen.  He has never intervened when there was a near-collision or other issue in the pool or said anything to me directly except on one occasion.

I would be glad to meet with the swimmer who I unintentionally swam into Monday morning and offer my apology again (it is annoying for this time to happen to oneself, no matter if one acts otherwise), as well as get her version of what happened.  Clayton told me and    that she was so frustrated that she went into the other side of the pool and did some water aerobics.   I have no idea at all if Clayton actually spoke to the woman or if he is extrapolating from what he observed.

When I talked to Gary this morning, who only know it from hearsay (Clayton), I also stated that people who can do laps seem to have no problems.   Gary stated that it is difficult to do the breaststroke or backstroke if one has the wall-side of the medium lane, to which I agreed.   

Ironically enough, this morning, two other swimmers in the medium lane, at different times, were doing the backstroke and the breastroke, and neither they nor I were hitting each other.  This is usually the case.  My hunch is that people who cannot swim with a great deal of proficiency but do not want to be in the slow lane either will find it uncomfortable swimming with most other people in the medium lane.

I realize that my backstroke is still "wide," but speaking to Becky about my swimming technique, I got the impression that she as a lifeguard had not had problems with the way I was swimming.   ("People always complain about other swimmers.  They complain about how I swim").   To the list could be added in my opinion a majority of the downtown YMCA lifeguards over the past 14 years. 

What I also know is that several years ago I was unfairly treated by a group of lifeguards, where the disrespect ranged from refusing to tell me the time, selectively enforcing guidelines, and to other more blatant forms of discrimination or humiliation (running after me into the elevator and staring at me the whole time).

I also do know that we live in a world of social networking and twittering.  People still targeted for "being different," despite our professed concern for "diversity."  Collective bullying does not seem to be uncommon.

If Clayton is not telling the truth--or exaggerating, distorting, or embellishing it, I would be inclined to strongly suggest that this sort of behavior, which was appearently tolerated by the head lifeguard several years ago, is inappropriate.

I would appreciate that this email be kept confidential and on file, as it is a direct testimonial from a member about what he has observed about the behavior/performance of one YMCA staff person.

Thank you.

[Note:  In fact, my crawl is probably not wide; it is only my backstroke that is.  Will the YMCA want to prevent wide shouldered or heavy-set people from using their pool.  Even swimming backstroke I rarely even brushed other swimmers if they, like me, could swim laps.  As with everything in this world, it is relative.]

(2)
January 14 2015

Hello Cynthia,

I am writing to express a concern I have with the pool.  This morning Gary the lifeguard on duty seemed very displeased over what seems to be a lack of proper training [this was badly worded.  I meant that the lifeguards themselves had not received proper training].  He had been standing at the side of the pool while another swimmer and I were still swimming.  Then he blew a whistle, which stopped both the other swimmer and me.

He indicated that he had given us "visual signals" to leave the pool (before he had blown his whistle).  Furthermore, he stated that the "pool closes at 8:55." and what I took as a scolding, "Didn't Amanda explain  this to me?"

In fact, on Monday Amanda had told me at the end of the morning lap session that "swimmers were supposed to be not only out of the pool but also of the pool area by 9 a.m."     Having been swimming at the downtown YMCA since 2002, I told Amanda that in years past, that had not been the case.  She replied that the rule had always been there but that it had not been enforced.

I don't think that this latter assertion is true.   I'm not sure where she got this "information."  But if she can provide written documentation or oral testimony to that effect, I would be give her assertion more credence.   No one had ever made that assertion, and in fact, the then-director of Healthy Living (I can't remember her name now) had said that a leeway of five minutes to take a shower was in order.  This I have been doing for the past seven or years.

In fact, in the past 20 years swimming in Seattle (Meredith Matthews, Coleman, Garfield, Seattle U., etc.), I know of no other swimming pool that tries to close early by getting swimmers out of the pool five minutes before the posted closing time.  These other pools allow swimmers to take a shower immediately after the posted hours.

I don't think we want to get a repeat of past experiences where, for example, Daniel the tall lifeguard, would decide he wanted to leave early and thus decide closing time that day would be at 8:50, much as a shop owner might decide one day that he would like to close an hour earlier than usual.   The lifeguards should not make up rules ad hoc as they please, for their own convenience.

(In the past, swimmers have taken a shower anywhere from 5-10 minutes after 9:00 or have had discussions with lifeguards, without any "problem," while the lifeguards finished up other tasks).

If the pool is to close at 8:55, then it should be posted as such and not 9:00.  I think that though it may seem like a small matter, integrity requires that we finish our work when it is actually finished; when we say we do X, Y, or Z, that we fully commit to doing X, Y, and Z and not cut corners for the sake of convenience.

As it was, this morning after getting out of the pool and explaining how lifeguards use a rubber board to get the attention of a swimmer at the end of a lane, I still had time to take a quick two minute shower and still be at the elevators at 9:00.

But still, I that in the interests of respectful communication between swimmers and lifeguards, I would think it not particularly advisable to have lifeguards, most of whom who are a third the age of some swimmers, treat those members with discourtesy or annoyance, something I experienced this morning.

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