login
Pool etiquette (Page 2)
-
No new posts
|
 2015-03-12 3:00 PM in reply to: simpsonbo |
 Oakville |  Subject: RE: Pool etiquetteOriginally posted by simpsonbo I would never wait for an open lane. Pretty entitled to think people should. When entering a lane I used to ask whether they would mind if I join in. I thought it was a rhetorical question until one guy told me to wait as he'd be finished in about 5 minutes. Now I just make sure they know that I'm there before I start my workout. |
| 2015-03-12 5:52 PM in reply to: Goggles Pizzano |
Elite  4435   | Subject: RE: Pool etiquette move to Australia - we all circle swim - lanes are marked slow, medium, fast. Typically between 5 and 10 in each lane. If you're faster jump up a lane, if you're too slow jump down. Never had any issues. we don't do pool etiquette here. |
| 2015-03-12 6:44 PM in reply to: #5100299 |
| 160 | Subject: RE: Pool etiquette I am pretty sure proper pool étiquette is to share the lane... Circle is the only way when you are more than two. I pass a lot of swimmers and a lot of swimmers pass me. It is the way it goes. I just try to do it in a way to accomodate everybody. There are propre times to pass and there are times where you should accept to be slowed down. You should also expect contacts once in a while. Not everybody is equally agile in the water. |
| 2015-03-12 7:33 PM in reply to: jobaxas |
Veteran 2297 Great White North | Subject: RE: Pool etiquette |
| 2015-03-12 8:23 PM in reply to: #5100378 |
Member 91 | Subject: RE: Pool etiquette Pool etiquette threads are always entertaining. In my pool I frequently encounter the dude or chick that joins the lane with a sense of entitlement that implies I'm in their way. For some reason they put a pair of tinted goggles and their interpersonal skills are squashed. I'm amazed how few please and thank yous are given in pool swimming. It's refreshing when I share a lane with someone else that can smile and be cordial. I don't really care to start chatting but hell, have a bit of personality! |
| 2015-03-13 6:54 AM in reply to: simpsonbo |
1660  | Subject: RE: Pool etiquette Split when there's two swimmers only.
Circle swim when 3 or more. Unless the lane is already in circle swim mode, ALWAYS inform the people in the lane (both of them) you will initiate a circle swim with them.
Circle swim shouldn't be a big deal, but it unfortunately can be. It's definitely the single biggest workout-killer I experience swimming at the YMCAs here.
The inevitable problems I run into: - Slower (much slower) swimmers who don't know to yield at the wall, or get blow a hissy fit if you tap their toes warning them of the pass at the next wall - Swimmers who want to do backstroke at 3:00+/min in the clearly marked fast lane when 3 other swimmers are going sub 1:30/100 pace, just because they swim 1:55/100 on freestyle and feel that they're thus too fast for the slower lane when they turn over to freestyle
Like it or not, unless you're on a youth swim team circle swim where everyone in the lane is nicely matched in speed, it's nearly impossible to do quality sets of anything longer than 50 if there is a circle swim and one of the swimmers is 20sec/100 slower than the fastest swimmer. That's unfortunately the case in pretty much all of my circle swims at the faciltiies I swim in. |
| 2015-03-13 6:58 AM in reply to: Jpro19 |
| 504 | Subject: RE: Pool etiquette Last time I went to the pool some guy jumps in my lane unannounced from the far end while I was splitting the lane with someone. I collided head on with him. He looked up and said "I thought we were circle swimming" I said "Where did you come from?" "The other end." he says. I wanted to scream but said "Nice to meet you." It's the only pool open right now and I didn't want to be banned for life. So....I guess the moral of the story is make sure the others in your lane know you are jumping in. |
| 2015-03-13 7:17 AM in reply to: skibummer |
Member 91 | Subject: RE: Pool etiquette Originally posted by skibummer Last time I went to the pool some guy jumps in my lane unannounced from the far end while I was splitting the lane with someone. I collided head on with him. He looked up and said "I thought we were circle swimming" I said "Where did you come from?" "The other end." he says. I wanted to scream but said "Nice to meet you." It's the only pool open right now and I didn't want to be banned for life. So....I guess the moral of the story is make sure the others in your lane know you are jumping in. LOL. Truth is - that dude was wrong. It's his due diligence to watch the lane and find out what's happening. That's a pretty funny story. I would have done the same thing. |
| 2015-03-13 12:43 PM in reply to: Jpro19 |
Member 2689 Denver, CO | Subject: RE: Pool etiquette This is kind of a dumb question but I don't circle swim much: When circle swimming and being overtaken by a faster swimmer, which side of the wall should I stop on (assuming L & R are as you approach the wall)? I'm kind of slow and don't want to be one of those idiots who gets in the way of a fishie. When I had a regular swim buddy (who only does breast stroke), we'd split the lane if it was just the 2 of us, but circle swim if somebody joined us. |
| 2015-03-13 1:09 PM in reply to: laffinrock |
Elite 7783 PEI, Canada | Subject: RE: Pool etiquette Originally posted by laffinrock This is kind of a dumb question but I don't circle swim much: When circle swimming and being overtaken by a faster swimmer, which side of the wall should I stop on (assuming L & R are as you approach the wall)? I'm kind of slow and don't want to be one of those idiots who gets in the way of a fishie. When I had a regular swim buddy (who only does breast stroke), we'd split the lane if it was just the 2 of us, but circle swim if somebody joined us. Stay on the side that you are swimming on. So if swimming clockwise, stay to the left - if counter clockwise, stay to the right. |
| 2015-03-13 4:19 PM in reply to: skibummer |
| 631 | Subject: RE: Pool etiquette Originally posted by skibummer Last time I went to the pool some guy jumps in my lane unannounced from the far end while I was splitting the lane with someone. I collided head on with him. He looked up and said "I thought we were circle swimming" I said "Where did you come from?" "The other end." he says. I wanted to scream but said "Nice to meet you." It's the only pool open right now and I didn't want to be banned for life. So....I guess the moral of the story is make sure the others in your lane know you are jumping in. The dude was in the wrong. But the best solution to this is to always circle. It makes it easy for some to join at any time. |
| 2015-03-13 7:48 PM in reply to: Left Brain |
Master 3205 ann arbor, michigan | Subject: RE: Pool etiquette Originally posted by Left Brain Originally posted by mike761 Originally posted by Left Brain It is easy and any busy pool people should do it. My pool is rarely ever full, splitting lanes is almost always fine. The other issue is circle swimming at different abilities. When you are twice as fast as others in your lane circle swimming will kill your work out. SO you have to have people close to your ability in your lane. Unless I go back to my old competitive days of swimming when etiquette was to grab the ankle with one hand place the other hand on their back and go over them!. I don't think too many people would appreciate that, but on the team it kept people in the right lanesEveryone should circle swim, and every pool should require it......it's an easy concept and should be understood by everyone. If not, it's REALLY easy to learn. It seems to me that would end the problem of not knowing how to handle more than one person in a lane. Look, it's what swimmers do......that's part of what makes them swimmers and the rest of us left to figure out what good "etiquette" is.  We have people at our pool who think you should wait if there are already 2 people splitting the lane. Uh....................no. I'm always amazed when folks will wait on deck to get a lane all to themselves. No one has time for that! If I get to the pool and the lanes are all being used I pick the lane that looks best and dangle my feet until they come back to the end so I can let them know I'm joining the lane. Two seconds of conversation to determine side by side or circle and get the training started. I can tell the "deck waiters" get upset that I don't get in line but I'm not responsible for their hangups. Lots of people can fit in a lane. Recently I dangled my feet, guy already swimming in the lane flip turned and didn't acknowledge me. I jumped in and stood at the wall, guy flip turned and didn't acknowledge me. At that point I needed to get started so I just started up, caught him right before we got to the other end and lightly brushed his shoulder (he was in the middle of the lane) to let him know I was there. He moved over and we both swam. Never said a word to each other for the next 45 minutes so I'm not sure what the deal was but I got in the training. |
| 2015-03-14 6:57 AM in reply to: 0 |
Master 8247 Eugene, Oregon Bronze member | Subject: RE: Pool etiquette What's wrong with fly? If you're doing it right, you shouldn't be swinging your arms out far enough to the sides to whack swimmers coming back the other way, nor should you be splashy enough to drown people. At any rate, if you know someone's coming toward you, you can narrow up your stroke a little. I guess I would avoid fly if sharing a lane with the elderly/infirm/beginners/people doing kick sets (where it does get annoying), but that's not normally where I'd put myself if I had to choose a lane, and they usually use the warmer indoor pool anyway. We do fly in master's practice all the time and I don't think there are any more issues than with freestyle. Backstroke's the one that's a bit risky--some people, even fairly fast swimmers, just don't go very straight, especially in outdoor pools where you can't sight on the ceiling. Most of the collisions I can recall at masters have involved backstroke, or a back/fly combo when doing IM sets. At our community center pool, if there's only one swimmer in a lane, the done thing is to wait until he/she finishes the lap or set, then ask, "Want to split or circle?" If there are more than two swimmers, then everyone circle swims. You're expected to choose a lane with swimmers of similar speed if possible. In general, people also follow the convention of faster swimmers in the center lanes. (Or maybe it's just because the faster swimmers are regulars who know to avoid the outside lanes, which have powerful jets coming off the side walls at one end that do a number on your pacing and turns.) Now, if you want complicated etiquette, try a super-long pool! I swam in one in Vancouver that was some incredible length (150m? 175m?). The traffic was so confusing I had to ask someone what was going on. Turns out it was set up like a freeway with a swimming lane and a passing lane in either direction. You couldn't just flip and head back, you actually had to transit at each end into the return lane. On a dare from one of the local swimmers, I actually did an IM in that pool (one length each stroke) and managed to avoid any freeway collisions! Edited by Hot Runner 2015-03-14 7:03 AM |
| 2015-03-14 9:08 AM in reply to: Jpro19 |
Veteran 495 Calgary | Subject: RE: Pool etiquette Originally posted by Jpro19 Originally posted by skibummer Last time I went to the pool some guy jumps in my lane unannounced from the far end while I was splitting the lane with someone. I collided head on with him. He looked up and said "I thought we were circle swimming" I said "Where did you come from?" "The other end." he says. I wanted to scream but said "Nice to meet you." It's the only pool open right now and I didn't want to be banned for life. So....I guess the moral of the story is make sure the others in your lane know you are jumping in. LOL. Truth is - that dude was wrong. It's his due diligence to watch the lane and find out what's happening. That's a pretty funny story. I would have done the same thing. My local pools usually have two or three people per lane. Everyone circle swims. It gets to be a habit - even when I'm by myself I circle swim. No uncertainty or drama is involved, new swimmers can jump in any at time. I can see how someone who is used to this could assume that people were circling when in fact they were splitting the lane. |
| 2015-03-14 11:30 AM in reply to: donw |
| 160 | Subject: RE: Pool etiquette Originally posted by donw Originally posted by Jpro19 Originally posted by skibummer Last time I went to the pool some guy jumps in my lane unannounced from the far end while I was splitting the lane with someone. I collided head on with him. He looked up and said "I thought we were circle swimming" I said "Where did you come from?" "The other end." he says. I wanted to scream but said "Nice to meet you." It's the only pool open right now and I didn't want to be banned for life. So....I guess the moral of the story is make sure the others in your lane know you are jumping in. LOL. Truth is - that dude was wrong. It's his due diligence to watch the lane and find out what's happening. That's a pretty funny story. I would have done the same thing. My local pools usually have two or three people per lane. Everyone circle swims. It gets to be a habit - even when I'm by myself I circle swim. No uncertainty or drama is involved, new swimmers can jump in any at time. I can see how someone who is used to this could assume that people were circling when in fact they were splitting the lane. My tought exactly. If you know you will end up sharing why not circle swim to start with. This way you avoid those kind of problems. World is not ideal so you will always have a person who ends up in the middle of the lane or who missses is turn or slows down on a specific style. It would not be called sharing if there were no inconvenients. I just do my best to be curteous and pleasant while taking my place in the pool. It is a public area after all... |
| 2015-03-14 2:19 PM in reply to: nrpoulin |
Extreme Veteran 1234 West Michigan | Subject: RE: Pool etiquette I'm truly spoiled. At my local pool I not only rarely have to share my lane, I get the same one each day. It doesn't open until 6:00am and us regulars are waiting outside the locker room door at 5:55 each morning... It's usually the same crowd to start the day and I can almost tell to the minute when my workout is about done because of the regulars I see walking onto the deck getting ready to start their workouts... It's like a relay and we're handing our lanes off... We also don't have the lane dividers set up in the mornings so when someone looks to join they ask to swim between the lanes. For example I'm usually in lane six, another regular next to me in lane 5, the new guy wants to swim the space between the two lanes' black lines... It works but it would be weird if someone else came up and tried to figure out what was going on...
|
| 2015-03-14 9:32 PM in reply to: donw |
Veteran 2297 Great White North | Subject: RE: Pool etiquette Some goofs were splitting at Talisman of all pools... I dove in started a right to left circle and crushed their dreams. When only 4 lanes are open there pretty rich to split. Even worse when its 2 or 3 long course lanes available. Originally posted by donw Originally posted by Jpro19 Originally posted by skibummer Last time I went to the pool some guy jumps in my lane unannounced from the far end while I was splitting the lane with someone. I collided head on with him. He looked up and said "I thought we were circle swimming" I said "Where did you come from?" "The other end." he says. I wanted to scream but said "Nice to meet you." It's the only pool open right now and I didn't want to be banned for life. So....I guess the moral of the story is make sure the others in your lane know you are jumping in. LOL. Truth is - that dude was wrong. It's his due diligence to watch the lane and find out what's happening. That's a pretty funny story. I would have done the same thing. My local pools usually have two or three people per lane. Everyone circle swims. It gets to be a habit - even when I'm by myself I circle swim. No uncertainty or drama is involved, new swimmers can jump in any at time. I can see how someone who is used to this could assume that people were circling when in fact they were splitting the lane. |
| 2015-03-15 5:51 PM in reply to: simpsonbo |
Member 667 | Subject: RE: Pool etiquette Thought of this thread today when I asked a guy if I could share the lane with him. There were two walkers in two different lanes and three lanes with swimmers. I picked the lane that had the fastest swimmer. This is our conversation: Me: Mind if I share? Him: This is the fast lane so you need to go over there. Me: Umm.. we really don't have fast or slow lanes here, we just look to see who is about the same speed. Him: How do I put this nicely? There is no way a woman of your age is going to be as fast as me. Walker: Just get in my lane and I'll walk with the other person, even though they won't like it. Me: Thanks! I get in and do my warm up and start my main set. I'm having a horrible swim today but still passing "fast guy". When we both stopped at the end of a set I can't help myself and say, "It sure does stink being 50 sometimes. I'm at least 15 seconds slower on each 400 today than usual. As a woman of my age I guess I should understand that we have bad days once in a while." Look on his face was priceless. |
| 2015-03-15 6:31 PM in reply to: fortissimo |
Master 8247 Eugene, Oregon Bronze member | Subject: RE: Pool etiquette Good one! Was going to mention the sexist (as well as, apparently, ageist) element to pool lane seeding. When I put myself into a lane with guys who are decent swimmers, unless they happen to swim on my master's team in the summer and know me, I usually get a doubtful look. Figure it's due to being scrawny and female. (Yes, dude, I KNOW I don't look like a swimmer. Been getting that reaction since high school, especially when I got on the blocks to swim fly against "big girls".) Funny but no one ever comes out and says it, they just give me that look. They are usually in my age range (40's) so doubt it's due to that. |
| 2015-03-15 6:56 PM in reply to: fortissimo |
Veteran 2297 Great White North | Subject: RE: Pool etiquette A friend recently passed from cancer and she swam 18xx in the 1500m at 55. I would have love to have schooled your fast guy... nothing like sub 1.10/100m at lane swim to turn heads. |
|
|
|
|
| |||
| |||
| Pool Etiquette...Or LAck Of! Pages: 1 2 3 4 | ||
| Pool Etiquette Pages: 1 2 | ||
|
| ||||
|
| |||
|
| |||
|
|
View profile
Add to friends
Go to training log
Go to race log
Send a message
View album
CONNECT WITH FACEBOOK