I, Too, am a Skinny White Sinker
Further, I know where the terms "floater" and "sinker" came from. You see, I attended Ga. Tech, where Drownproofing was invented, and of course we all had to pass THAT course. The technique was invented by Fred Lanoue(sp?) who had been swimming coach there, years before. I don't know what y'all think of the terms "ectomorph", "mesomorph", and "endomorph", but the first two classes are dense enough that they have not much bouyancy, the third floats just fine, what with all of that fat. Not coincidentally, swimming is the sport in which girls can most easily do as well as, and sometimes better than boys. Yes, women do have more fat on them than men. Helps to produce that shape we love to look at. (snork)
Well, Mr. Lanoue said that floaters and sinkers are found everywhere, but there seem to be more sinkers, proportionately, in those of recent African ancestry. He determined this by EXPERIMENT. Nonetheless, all can learn his proven techniques, and save their lives if they fall overboard and have to wait a while for rescue. Myself, I can't float in fresh water, except by using the"deadman" style taught in drownproofing.
Another thing: Weren't Roman soldiers expected to swim across rivers while wearing their armor and carrying their weapons? If yer a big strong guy, being bouyant is not as important (for a short time, which is all we should ask of policemen) as churning your way across. (Think aqueous helicopter).