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Lap swimming etiquette
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 2017-04-06 6:13 PM |
 5 |  Subject: Lap swimming etiquetteAs someone who trains solo (my work schedule is fairly uneven) I swim during the open lap swims at my local pools. Nearly every day presents a different encounter, usually a head-up breaststroker swimming down the middle of the lane, sometimes a conversation with a fellow tri. This afternoon there was a gentleman standing at the end of the lane, loudly coughing and blowing his nose into the water. Not swimming, just standing there emptying his head into the water. Gross. What are some of the worst cases of shoddy lap swimming etiquette you've seen recently at the pool? |
| 2017-04-06 6:19 PM in reply to: jessicarandall |
| Subject: RE: Lap swimming etiquette Ewwww. At our "masters" (air quotes used because the coach just really gives a workout and never enforces any rules), there is the guy that leaves 2 seconds after you and swims right on your feet, then will sit out random 50s because he's too tired, and then pop back in behind you. Makes turns at the wall fun. Then there's the guy that stands up about five feet from the wall at each end to turn around (shallow pool), otherwise he'd have to go in the "slow" lane. The "coach" wants to be liked and rarely says anything about etiquette, and even those odd rare occasions he does, these clowns just keep doing what they are doing |
| 2017-04-06 8:45 PM in reply to: #5217814 |
New user 175  | Subject: RE: Lap swimming etiquette I have been involved in many sports through out my life. Good at some, but not at most. I will say that swimming (which i love and try so hard) ,is the only one which includes the word etiquette again and again. .I don't reallycare, just amuzing. |
| 2017-04-06 10:10 PM in reply to: jessicarandall |
Master 8248    Eugene, Oregon Bronze member | Subject: RE: Lap swimming etiquette Try swimming at a gym pool where people come from several different countries, which probably all have different "etiquette" for lap swimming or even basic understanding of what one does in a pool, plus most have very limited English, if any! I normally swim at our pool at work, but this week we are on break so have been using the pool at a nearby gym. To add to the fun, there are no lane lines, either above water or marked on the bottom of the pool. OMG. For starters, people who don't swim laps at all, even though others are when they arrive. Instead, they are determined to swim in a kind of circle around the edge of the pool. Or people who zigzag all over the pool. I almost ran into a woman who was doing breaststroke today. She'd been heading roughly parallel to me when I went toward the wall (hard 100's pull), but as I came off the turn, suddenly there she was. I can understand going crooked on backstroke, or maybe even free for a beginner, but it seems like even if your stroke is crooked/unbalanced, there would be ample chances to straighten out every time your head comes up with breaststroke! The lady actually seemed to be a competent, if not fast swimmer, except for weaving all over. Finally just decided to assume she must be visually impaired. The worst I have seen at my gym pool in the US is a very large woman who, when the lifeguard asked her to split a lane with me, did not, and continued water-walking down the middle of the lane, waving her arms (with weights!) around and up and down. I had to kind of slither past her on every lap. As for the guy who rides your feet constantly and then sits out 50's, I think he swims with my master's club in Oregon. Are we in the same one?? Ours also will tap your feet constantly while behind you until you let him go ahead, then slow down drastically the minute he gets the lead. Then you tap his feet, and he ignores you, until he decides to sit out a 50. I have rarely seen foot-tapper dude finish an entire workout. |
| 2017-04-06 10:11 PM in reply to: 0 |
Pro 15655 | Subject: RE: Lap swimming etiquette Originally posted by goforit I have been involved in many sports through out my life. Good at some, but not at most. I will say that swimming (which i love and try so hard) ,is the only one which includes the word etiquette again and again. .I don't reallycare, just amuzing. Oh.....you haven't really seen anything until you spend some time around "swim parents". There is no creature on earth more annoying.....even triathletes absolutely pale in comparison. Edited by Left Brain 2017-04-06 10:14 PM |
| 2017-04-06 10:21 PM in reply to: Left Brain |
Master 8248 Eugene, Oregon Bronze member | Subject: RE: Lap swimming etiquette Haha--It was one of the highlights of my youthful swimming life when one of the "swim parents" from another team got so crazy that she fell in the pool during a relay and they DQ'd her kid's team because she had blocked the progress of whoever was in that lane. I have told this story for years when coaching, so the kids will stay safely back from the pool edge during events, but in my version it's always a swimmer who falls in and DQ's their team's relay. But actually, it was a fully clothed SWIM PARENT! |
| 2017-04-07 6:54 AM in reply to: #5217814 |
| New user 175 | Subject: RE: Lap swimming etiquette That's funny stuff LB! Worse than the Select baseball parents? Lol. HotRunner, i guess, at least , you get good at simulated race starts with all of the obstacles and contact! That's horrible for those children, but i would have paid to see that mom. Ha |
| 2017-04-07 9:37 AM in reply to: goforit |
Pro 15655 | Subject: RE: Lap swimming etiquette Originally posted by goforit That's funny stuff LB! Worse than the Select baseball parents? Lol. HotRunner, i guess, at least , you get good at simulated race starts with all of the obstacles and contact! That's horrible for those children, but i would have paid to see that mom. Ha Select baseball parents are ranked amateurs compared to the boorish behavior of swim parents. My wife refused to go to any meets after just a few sessions. I became an official just so I didn't have to sit in the stands with those people. Honestly........it's the Olympics for idiot parents. |
| 2017-04-07 11:20 AM in reply to: jessicarandall |
| Alpharetta, Georgia Bronze member | Subject: RE: Lap swimming etiquette I've run into my fair share of questionable actions in the lap pool, but I try to look at it through the lens that most people are new to swimming laps, barely clothed and probably anxious about everyone looking and judging (even though that's not the case). The only time I've lost it in the lap pool was when a child, not allowed in the lap pool via YMCA rules anyway, was swimming the width of the pool and popping up in each lane, disrupting literally every swimmer in the pool. I ran smack into him twice. I may or may not have seen him coming and decided not to alter my speed or stroke |
, but after the second time I popped up and looked right at the lifeguard, who was watching him, and said "can you do something?" and they finally made the kid go to the recreational pool.| 2017-04-07 11:39 AM in reply to: lisac957 |
| Bronze member | Subject: RE: Lap swimming etiquette Water walkers in the lap lanes while the rest of the pool is doing water aerobics used to really bug the you know what out of me. You can walk anywhere you want in the pool. It is stupid to be walking in a lap lane when there are not even enough lanes for people who want to swim. One day I had a water walker swipe the lane I was swimming in when I got out to get a kickboard. It was clearly on purpose and she was clearly not planning on sharing as she walked directly down the middle of the lane. Just plain rude. |
| 2017-04-07 12:01 PM in reply to: jessicarandall |
| 11 , Noord-Brabant | Subject: RE: Lap swimming etiquette Not recent, thankfully, but the final straw that made me decide to stump up the cash for an expensive gym membership rather than sticking to the cheaper local authority owned pool was one old guy who I'm fairly certain deliberately grabbed my while passing me. It was always incredibly busy and never had lane dividers. Swimming there was always an exercise in crowd navigation, so it's just about plausible that it was an accident but I doubt it. Not long before he had been stood in the shallow end as I approached on a fast freestyle lap and I'd hit him at full speed because he didn't make any effort to move, so I think it was more likely to be a not at all subtle way of demonstrating his assumed dominance of the pool. |
| 2017-04-07 1:39 PM in reply to: jessicarandall |
Extreme Veteran 959 Greenwood, South Carolina | Subject: RE: Lap swimming etiquette I'm pretty lucky in my pool compared to some of the comments. I did have one of my Triathlete friends assume no body was in my lane and we both clashed heads about half way down the lane. I was pissed off until I saw who it was and he apologized right away. I travel for my job so I swim in various YMCA pools across country. Haven't had too many issues to report. One time I was swimming in a pool in Memphis, TN that had maybe four lanes and two were for lap swimming. After about 30 minutes, I was swimming in my lane and noticed about 30 kids swimming in the lane next to me. Their swim team was practicing but they didn't want to disturb me. I gave up my lane so they could use the two lanes. I realized how lucky I was at my pool. |
| 2017-04-07 2:25 PM in reply to: jessicarandall |
| 249 | Subject: RE: Lap swimming etiquette If I could throw something in here. Whenever I am in the pool and I see someone waiting on deck, I always ask if they want to share the lane. If I arrive at pool and all lanes are being used, should I be asking to join or just jump into a lane? Most swimmers who see me ignore me, which is frustrating. Also, we never swim circular in our pool, we just take left or right half of lane....some people cant seem to get the circle down, which makes for interesting collisions. I should probably note that we almost are never crowded beyond having 2 people to a lane. |
| 2017-04-07 5:05 PM in reply to: goforit |
| Subject: RE: Lap swimming etiquette Originally posted by goforit I have been involved in many sports through out my life. Good at some, but not at most. I will say that swimming (which i love and try so hard) ,is the only one which includes the word etiquette again and again. .I don't reallycare, just amuzing. Lots of sports do Cycling has etiquette Weighlifting has etiqutte Golf has etiquette Running tracks have etiquette too. Anywhere you have people doing potentially different things in a confined area, there needs to be understanding etc |
| 2017-04-07 5:54 PM in reply to: Burchib |
Master 2760 Los Angeles, CA | Subject: RE: Lap swimming etiquette Originally posted by Burchib If I could throw something in here. Whenever I am in the pool and I see someone waiting on deck, I always ask if they want to share the lane. If I arrive at pool and all lanes are being used, should I be asking to join or just jump into a lane? Most swimmers who see me ignore me, which is frustrating. Also, we never swim circular in our pool, we just take left or right half of lane....some people cant seem to get the circle down, which makes for interesting collisions. I should probably note that we almost are never crowded beyond having 2 people to a lane. If they don't acknowledge me I just jump in and wait for them to get near the wall again for a turn. They usually stop for a moment to agree splitting the lane or circle swimming. |
| 2017-04-07 6:25 PM in reply to: #5217837 |
| New user 175 | Subject: RE: Lap swimming etiquette I agree Chris, I just don't see the term repeated again and again as with swimming. No biggie. |
| 2017-04-07 9:40 PM in reply to: jessicarandall |
| 12 , Texas | Subject: RE: Lap swimming etiquette Even with my own experiences, reading this makes me cringe. I've got one to add from this January So, my really frustrating time was while I was swimming with a training partner. I always lead, and my partner follows right after (3 to 5 seconds). Someone new to lap swimming decided to jump in right as I reached the wall for a flip turn and proceeds to swim infront of me. I tapped their foot a few times as we swam down the lane, just because I was a bit irritated. At the other side of the pool, I do a flipturn because she paused. I get down to the end of the lane and she's now inbetween my training partner and I. My training partner was equally disrupted by the new swimmer. For the next 10 or so laps, I am constantly having to pass her because she keeps waiting until I get right under the flags to take off from the wall. On a funner note, I was swimming in an outdoor pool and hit some ducks who decided to land. I think I scared myself more than I scared them. |
| 2017-04-07 11:56 PM in reply to: jessicarandall |
Veteran 2297 Great White North | Subject: RE: Lap swimming etiquette Circle swim for starters... |
| 2017-04-07 11:59 PM in reply to: Left Brain |
Veteran 2297 Great White North | Subject: RE: Lap swimming etiquette We have a drunk dad on of the teams here... gets hammered at meets. Thank god his kid is in the AM sessjon tomorrow. Mine is PM. |
| 2017-04-08 12:04 AM in reply to: kloofyroland |
Veteran 2297 Great White North | Subject: RE: Lap swimming etiquette Same. Nothing like 30 swimmers in a lane... |
| 2017-04-08 9:42 AM in reply to: Left Brain |
| 197 | Subject: RE: Lap swimming etiquette Originally posted by Left Brain Oh.....you haven't really seen anything until you spend some time around "swim parents". There is no creature on earth more annoying.....even triathletes absolutely pale in comparison. As a parent who has a child on an age group swim team, I will have to respectfully disagree. And before I get accused of not seeing what you are talking about because I am one of them, I rarely sit in the stands during meets (or practices for that matter). I officiate most meets I attend, and if I stay for more than a few minutes for practice, it's because I work the help desk. I have seen a few parents that really aren't doing their kids or anyone else any favors by behaving the way they do. Up to a few years ago, my daughter also did ballet dancing. Those moms are just... well, this is a family forum. I've heard cheerleader moms are worse yet, but dance moms were enough for me. They made the swim parents who give me grief for DQing their kid for doing the wrong stroke ("it was just for a few feet!") seem like angels. And to get off on a quick tangent, as an official, I never DQ a swimmer; I witness them DQ themselves and then I tattle on them. I will also be the first to admit that for every infraction I see, I likely miss 3 or 4. At most meets, we are watching 3 lanes for half the pool and your eyes can't be everywhere J White |
| 2017-04-08 10:07 AM in reply to: Burchib |
| 1502 Katy, Texas | Subject: RE: Lap swimming etiquette Originally posted by Burchib If I could throw something in here. Whenever I am in the pool and I see someone waiting on deck, I always ask if they want to share the lane. If I arrive at pool and all lanes are being used, should I be asking to join or just jump into a lane? Most swimmers who see me ignore me, which is frustrating. Also, we never swim circular in our pool, we just take left or right half of lane....some people cant seem to get the circle down, which makes for interesting collisions. I should probably note that we almost are never crowded beyond having 2 people to a lane. I don't ask. I politely tell them that I am going to split the lane with them. If they ignore me, I just jump in. |
| 2017-04-08 10:18 AM in reply to: jessicarandall |
| 1502 Katy, Texas | Subject: RE: Lap swimming etiquette I don't have too many issues at my gym. One amusing story that pops into my head was when I jumped in with a masters team a couple weeks ago. I arrived early as required and spoke with the coach, showed my US Masters membership and paid the drop in fee, etc. Then she says (without asking my background), "We have three groups. Group 1 is the fastest. Perhaps you would be comfortable in group 2 and if that's too fast for you, you can always move to group 3." It took me back a bit that she just went ahead and assumed I'd be struggling to stay with group 2, which I thought was odd. Then I realized I was wearing an Ironman shirt and had my Ironman backpack.....oh right, that's why  . So I politely asked what sort of paces group 1 holds, and she told me 1:10is/100yd on repeats, so I said, um, yeah, I think I'll be ok in group 1. Another thing that struck me....of all the people in the pool, and there were at least 30, almost everyone kept their flippers on the ENTIRE practice. Myself and one other dude (who was crazy fast) were the only two that went without. Man...take off the training wheels |
| 2017-04-09 11:53 AM in reply to: Jwse30 |
Pro 15655 | Subject: RE: Lap swimming etiquette Originally posted by Jwse30 Originally posted by Left Brain As a parent who has a child on an age group swim team, I will have to respectfully disagree. And before I get accused of not seeing what you are talking about because I am one of them, I rarely sit in the stands during meets (or practices for that matter). I officiate most meets I attend, and if I stay for more than a few minutes for practice, it's because I work the help desk. I have seen a few parents that really aren't doing their kids or anyone else any favors by behaving the way they do. Up to a few years ago, my daughter also did ballet dancing. Those moms are just... well, this is a family forum. I've heard cheerleader moms are worse yet, but dance moms were enough for me. They made the swim parents who give me grief for DQing their kid for doing the wrong stroke ("it was just for a few feet!") seem like angels. And to get off on a quick tangent, as an official, I never DQ a swimmer; I witness them DQ themselves and then I tattle on them. I will also be the first to admit that for every infraction I see, I likely miss 3 or 4. At most meets, we are watching 3 lanes for half the pool and your eyes can't be everywhere J White Oh.....you haven't really seen anything until you spend some time around "swim parents". There is no creature on earth more annoying.....even triathletes absolutely pale in comparison. Ah yes, the official koolaid line of a swim official.
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| 2017-04-09 10:33 PM in reply to: Left Brain |
Veteran 2297 Great White North | Subject: RE: Lap swimming etiquette Had to DQ a kid today... rollover turn in 200 I'M (back to breast) ... total brain farther mistake but it's an advantage gained so no discretion... |
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