Pool Etiquette...Or LAck Of! (Page 3)

And if they are stupid enough to get into a lane, where they can plainly see that the individual swimming is smack dab in the middle of the lane, then they can pay the price and learn the hard way.

No, the lanes are not infinitely wide.  However, as stated above, it is common sense, as the joiner, to see what the rules, whether written or unwritten, of the lanes are. 

I'm not interested in intentionally running into someone even if they're being a jerk because I don't want to hurt myself. 

I had a swim where a group was hanging out near the end of the pool (the pool only had one lane roped off, and it was being used) and kept inching closer and closer to me.  Now I can do flip turns, but they aren't always *precise* so I'd just as soon not have someone hanging out 3" from where I might *flop* instead if flip...Nice thing about flip turns is your head is under water so it's hard for the interloper to engage you. 

awesome, smack that beeyatch.

LA tri club?

In a sense I think it's kind of simple really, as you swim clockwise around the lane (that being the lanes are seperated).  This way you don't really have to wait for someone to finish.  If they are half way down the pool when you arrive and you start swimming (clockwise) then the other swimmer should see you... everyone is happy

I know you do things a bit backward down there, light switches go up for off and all , but if you travel north of the equator you'll need to circle swim counterclockwise!

Folks - c'mon.  I swim slower than probaby anyone else on his site and it would take me - at most - 1' between when somone would walk up to th edge of the pool and when I would get back the the egde of the pool (say 1:30 Round trip).  Are you telling me that someone has to walk up, get in, and start swimming in that less than two minutes? 

I'm not sure how that could even happen, but in any case, there is no reason why someone can't be courteous and wait for you to come back and acknowledge them before they start to swim. It's a couple of minutes.  Stretch your shoulders.

As far as "you should expect it, look at some of the stories" - that's what is wrong with the world anyway.  We start to excuse stuff like that and don't make a point to menion it, and it becomes the norm instead of the exception.  I'm not saying rip their head off, but have a decent converstion that says, "Hey, this is the accpeted courtesy".  Chances are they didn't know.  If you don't say anything, they still won't know and if you rip their head off they are going to be defensive. 

My Mom once told me somehing about a "Golden Rule".

Wow, what a way to bag a workout.  Our lanes at the rec center are uber wide and plenty to accomodate two.  Even the "pool ediquette" (yeah the geniuses spelled it wrong but it's there) indicate that if there's already two in the lane to"seek permission" before dropping a third in.

 I must be fortunate that the pool expects folks to share lanes.  Seems like a waste of water to have only 8 folks swimming in a generous sized pool.

Now as far as courtesy or what are the rules, I have never been until recently on any kind of swim team.  When I first started learning to swim, I looked around the web for rules talked to the guards etc. to see what to do and they all said the same thing as people here are saying.  Basically, it is my opinion that if you are going to swim laps be prepared to share a lane, period, end of story.  If you get to the pool and don't want to share simply wait and start swimming.  If someone gets in your lane (properly, I mean, sits down, waits for you to acknowledge them and then split or swim circles), either get out or shut up.  If they don't follow the rules, it is acceptable to pull  KSH on them.  If there are 2 of you in all lanes and another person shows up, swim circles.   People who don't know these rules either don't look around or just don't care.  I think alot of times when people just get in and start swimming circles they probably were on a swim team and figure people just expect it.  I will swim in the middle of the lane until I see people enter the pool.  Then I shift to one side and always offer my lane.

I'm still confused about some issues of pool etiquette after all these years of swimming. 

It's been a while since anything unexpected happened in the pool, but the last time something unusual happened was when some gal got out of the spa with her friend and climbed into the end of my lane.  She stood there and proceeded to chit chat for ten minutes with her (male) friend who had climbed into the next lane.  That was a bit odd since the two lanes on the other side of him were empty.  But I kept doing my set and ignoring her.  Then, I come down to do another flip turn and she is standing on one leg with her other leg sprawled out horizontally right across the wall where I was pushing off on my flip turns.

So I really wasn't sure what the proper thing to do was.  Should I have just done my flip turn, planted my feet on her inner thigh and crushed her leg with a really hard push off?  I really don't want to contemplate if that was some weird invitation for a threesome in the spa or something.  Anyway, I just stopped, looked at her, and said "No problem, I'll go use those empty lanes over there."  She got out and left right after I moved over.

My worst experience with lack of pool etiquette had to do with someone who wasn't even lap swimming (well didn't happen to me specifically but I witnessed it...good thing too or I might have gone postal on the dude).  The lane next to the aerobics class had 2 people sharing a lane.  Shortly after the class started a very large older man (I'd call him a gentleman but he's clearly not) got in the pool and looked like he was going to join the class...well he did, but he decided he was going to take up a position in the lane next to the class and block both swimmers (he was that big).  They both threw him dirty looks but he didn't get the hint so they both just got out of the pool in a huff.  I probably would have at the very least practiced full body contact swimming skills. 

I don't know if the guy was just super clueless, didn't want to pay for the class, or what, but who the heck gets in a lane where 2 people are swimming up and down and stands in their way and does water aerobics?