Oddly Enough Blog
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The worst swim-up bar EVER!
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Blog Guy, I normally love tropical swim-up bars. There’s nothing like paddling over for a refreshing cocktail.
But this week I’m staying at an Italian seaside resort, and I can’t figure out their system. The drinks were already made, but they pulled them away when I tried to grab one. Not only that, they used these long poles to beat me senseless.
How terribly odd. You aren’t by any chance in Ostia, are you?
Yes! How did you guess?
The world acquatics championships are there, and I believe you saw a “feeding station,” where coaches use poles to deliver drinks to their swimmers during the competition.
Now I feel like an idiot!
Well, I’m sorry you had to swim away thirsty.
Who said I did that? I got four piña coladas. They can beat me with a pole all they want, but they’re not keeping me away from my rum. By the way, do you think they’d pay for treating my concussion?
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Above: South Africa’s Natalie Du Toit takes a drink at a feeding station for the women’s 10 km open water race at swimming championships in the seaside resort town of Ostia, July 22, 2009.
Left: Coaches prepare to deliver drinks to their athletes during the men’s 10 km open water race.
REUTERS photos by Alessandro Bianchi
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“They can beat me with a pole all they want, but they’re not keeping me away from my rum” I’m proud of him lol
rum, pineapple yummm. maybe he looked silly but still got 4 of them 
You forgot to mention that at this swim-up bar, most drinkers only take 2-3 seconds to down their drinks before they have to swim another 2.5K to the next swim-up bar.Seriously though, the feeding stations are one of the unique aspects of open water swimming due to the interaction between the athlete and coach. An athlete can be disqualified, for example, if the coach falls into the water or intentionally impedes the forward motion of another swimmer with the feeding stick.
It’s a joke, Steve. Laugh.