Swimming+Starting+Block



I created a swimming block that would help deaf and blind people. Most people know when to leave the swimming block and dive into the water when they hear the official say, "take your mark." Then there is a beep and everyone goes. Also, when you hear the other people dive in you also know when to go. If you are deaf you cannot hear the beep to start and you can't hear the other swimmers dive in. You could rely on seeing when the other people dive in, but that is not always the most accurate, especially if the person you were watching false started. So in the case that you were deaf I added a section of lights on the front of the platform you dive off of that would be connected to the official's speaker so you could leave at an accurate time. In the case that you were deaf and blind you would not hear the beep and you would not see the lights go off so I made the handles of the block vibrate when the beep went off so the swimmer could leave at the correct time. If the deaf and blind person felt the bars that vibrated were too far apart, they could move the position of the bars, which go in and out to insure the best start possible. The buzzing in the bars only goes off when it is set to. The lights always go off when the beep comes. The handle bars are able to lock in place to insure steady positioning.



The block that I made is made to the standards using the USA Swimming Rulebook 2012. The surface is made of a nonslip material along with the handles. The block is no taller than 2ft 5.5in and no shorter than 1ft 8in. My block is 2ft tall. The surface is more than .50 meters squared (1ft 8in). My block is 22in by 24in on the top. It must have less than a 10 degree slant on top, mine has a 3 degree slant. My block includes a backstroke bar 8 inches from the surface of the water. The bar has to be between 6 and 12 inches above the surface of the water. My block is anchored to the ground.

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