Vindicate me (or not) in my fury (lane swimming)

[Jazzybean]

Went for a swim this lunchtime. Pool is busy in the leisure areas but the lane swimming is separate and tends to be quiet during the day. Just a few people in a double lane. I was trying to get an hour or so done as I’m going a 5km swim next weekend . I did my first km in the fast lane and then moved to the medium lane as there were people doing faster intervals in the fast lane and I was swimming steady (so not sprinting).

Despite there being AMPLE space for three people to swim in the medium lane, one woman seemed to take great offence at me swimming slightly faster in the medium lane (not unreasonably so at all but I did have to overtake - usually very easy in a double lane) and went, what felt like, out of her way to cut me up.

Firstly she stopped kicking about 5 metres before the end of the lane, meaning that she massively slowed down. Then rather than pushing off, walked the double lane width before starting her next length, meaning that it was really hard to overtake at the end of the lane!

Secondly, she kept pushing off (after a rest), just as I got to the end of my lane. Meaning that I was then stuck behind her for a length or had to overtake mid-length.

AIBU to think that the person who is already swimming and just turning, has right of way over the person who was resting at the end of the lane? This is just common sense IMO!

I have swum all my life and never had a problem with lane swimming until this year. I've swum in lanes with teams training and all sorts.

Local leisure centre only two lanes on as family swim also on. One fast lane, one medium lane. Fast lane had a man in doing crawl and 2 women swimming quite slowly so really they should have been in the other lane but all ok.

The women decide to stop together at length at the end and chat, despite there being space on the other side of the rope making it tricky to turn. As I came to turn I accidentally touched one of their hands. I stopped immediately and apologised then carried on.

As I came up to the end each time from then I stopped, stood up and turned well away from them but I could hear they were talking about me 'going too fast'. They then got out and went and spoke to the lifeguard! Was convinced the next time I went my photo would be up behind reception as a trouble customer!

Were you following the lane swimming etiquette for your pool?

It sounds like everyone where I swim has impeccable manners!
I’ve always thought it was standard to tap someone on the toes to let them know you are behind them, and they wait at the end of the lane to let you past, and you wait if you have your toes tapped. Plenty of ‘you go firsts’ and ‘thank yous’ from everyone.

The only proper dickhead I’ve encountered was a young woman club swimmer who crashed into me twice as she was doing backstroke.

This is why I never swim with lanes, people are so precious and I'm scared of getting it wrong!

ime, middle-lane swimmers often don't understand overtaking. It's outside their comprehension that overtaking happens anywhere in a swim lane. They just don't know how to facilitate that (& you can't change them).

Not sure I follow all the aspects but a few thoughts...

Just swim steady & considerately in the fast lane. Make it easy for faster swimmers to overtake you, then no issues, they won't object. Most sprinters stop a lot of the time to chinwag anyway.

Wait a bit to move off or turn around early to avoid conflicts with middle lane swimmers who don't know how to facilitate overtaking (of themselves).

I swim lanes in lots of places for decades & don't perceive all these conflicts PP talked about. Maybe I'm the cowbag, but mostly we just rub along. I have only one person I could gripe about & she's only rarely in my lane, so not Big Deal.

Don’t agree with this approach. Just because you need to overtake it doesn’t follow that you’re in the wrong lane. Maybe the person being overtaken is too slow to be in that lane, and if the overtaker were to move up a lane they would be too slow in that lane. Overtaking has to be an option, so I think the lifeguards at your pool are wrong.

I don’t like having to overtake, but sometimes I have to because I’m a bit faster than some in the medium lane but don’t want to go to the fast lane because it’s slightly too fast and, crucially, too narrow. The medium lane is wider. Perhaps in pools with all narrow lanes and many different speed options a ban on overtaking could just about work, but I’ve never been to a pool like this. It’s always been max 3 speeds and at least 2 fairly wide lanes.

In squad swimming you can touch someone's ankles but it would be very unwise in a leisure centre general public swimming session. No one ever does it.

Ooh you sound just like me! 👊. Although I do put most of my head under the water. My breaststroke has got pretty fast through practice as I stopped doing crawl due to a dodgy shoulder. Have also encountered the people who don’t expect me to be as fast and make decisions based on that.

The pp meant that if you move up a lane because of an overtaking ban, what happens if someone in that faster lane wants to overtake you? Are they banned from doing so in the system you talk of?

The ban is in place because its not really possible to have everyone overtaking each other without slamming into other people.
It's really disruptive.
It rarely happens anyway as most people go with the flow of the lane they are in.
It works well.
Perhaps we are just a civilised bunch !
It's not a public pool thank god
Tapping or touching anyone else is a complete no.

I should add, reading this I think some people like to take their anger and rage 😂out on others and turn up to the pool ready to fight.

Off to swim !

Overtaking in a pool is no different to driving you just make sure you have space

I can’t get my head round how you could train properly if you can’t overtake slower swimmers

This is quite a vitriolic response to quite a reasonable post.
The pool accommodates faster swimmers by having different lane speeds.
It's not up to any individual to give way to someone who has positioned themselves in the middle lane so they can be faster than everyone.
(I am talking about bloke referenced in this post, not OP)

I used to lane swim but very much in the slow lane and would rest out of the way in the shallow end on some steps when I needed to.

Me and the mostly older ladies would be fine until a weird man would turn up and do an extremely slow butterfly stroke UNDERNEATH us for half a length before hogging the whole lane for the other half.

There was also a man who strode along for as far as possible before he swam. So for half a length he would be slowly walking before kicking off and swimming the rest.

This made it impossible to swim when he was in the water as I couldn't overtake him so would be stuck behind him and then when he swam he'd always manage to kick me no matter how far away I stayed from him.

Eventually I gave myself a hernia lifting weights and had to stop swimming, it was a relief not to have to manage my lane rage twice a week!

I always do this rather than overtake if it’s not particularly busy.

However if a faster swimmer was coming up behind me I would pause at the end to let them pass (I certainly don’t think it’s good etiquette to push off after a rest if a faster swimmer is clearly coming).

I don't understand why people don't wait at the end if its clear a faster swimmer is behind them?! It's common sense. That's why I'll stay behind them patiently for a good few lengths to give them a chance to realise. But if they don't stop to let me ahead I will 100% be annoyed and after a while, will overtake as fast as I can.

It might be a vitriolic response but the post I was replying to was in no way reasonable.

That poster was saying people should always have to swim as slowly as she does. She tried to justify her selfishness with an example of a bullying man. Trying to present herself as a victim so she can continue on her merry selfish way.

British pools tend to be crowded. We all should think of others and not just ourselves. That poster was only thinking of herself. That needs calling out.

However if my vitriol offends please just read the two previous posts (Decadactyl and Bayleaf) who calmly explain the proper way to behave in a communal pool.

Read my post again before being so weirdly aggressive, as it doesn't say anything like what you've suggested. My grumble is with fast swimmers who don't want to swim in the fast lane when it's busy and so swim in the middle lane but at the same speed as the fast lane swimmers (or even faster)- basically just deciding for themselves that they're designating it another fast lane. At my pool the lifeguards tell them to get out, quite rightly. You don't get to impose your own system just because you're quicker- you should swim in the designated lane.

The entitlement in your post is staggering. You don't own the whole pool just because you're faster than someone else. Swim in the lane appropriate for your speed.

For some reason the man in my lane decided to swim AT me on the wrong side of our lane today, despite having swum the correct way for a good 20 lengths. People are odd.

The pool next to the office only has a fast and slow lane - definitely lots of overtaking as we're often double-digits when I go at lunchtime (50m pool)! If I am on form, I can use the fast lane, if I want an easy day it has to be the slow lane, but either way have to overtake and be overtaken. I always wait at the end if someone is coming up faster, but the whole thing is often extremely messy. I've never seen the lifeguards intervene and the only rule they seem to have is which side of lane to swim on. I try to take a very late lunch so the place empties out a bit.

At home I swim in the lake in the morning and the ducks are far less bother 😆

I am not a fast swimmer and like most of the country I swim in the appropriate lane for my speed, but unless the pool is very empty there will be swimmers of varying speeds in every lane. I have spent 40 years happily allowing faster swimmers to pass me and thanking slower swimmers who allow me to pass.

As directed I have read your post again and perhaps you did not say what you wanted to say. Perhaps you were distracted by criticising 'some bloke'. But what you said is: "Faster swimmers don't take precedence over slower ones or get to dictate the speed of the lane and yet that is how people sometimes act."
As I have explained 2 possibly 3 times on this thread, lane swimming works best if slower swimmers accommodate faster swimmers. Otherwise the lane just becomes a procession with everyone swimming at the speed of the slowest swimmer.

In neither of your posts have you spoken of accommodating other people, you have objected to faster swimmers inconveniencing you and insisted they get out of your lane. We all have to share busy pools in Britain and we all have to think of our fellow swimmers. I am not the entitled one.

Again, you've completely misunderstood (and notably you're the only person who has- the other poster understood me perfectly). My post is about fast swimmers choosing a different lane because they fancy it and swimming fast there. Where I say fast swimmers "don't take precedence over slower ones or get to dictate the speed of the lane" I mean that they are not more important and they don't get to re-designate a medium or slow lane as a fast lane just because they fancy it. My point is as reasonable and obvious as it is possible to be- swim in the appropriate lane for your speed. If you're not willing to do that, you shouldn't be in the pool.

I haven't said anything about accommodating other people because that's not relevant to the point I'm making (of course everyone should accommodate other swimmers who are using the pool appropriately)- at my pool, if you tried to swim faster in the medium lane than the speed of the fast lane, you'd be told to get out, so luckily we don't have to "accommodate" people like you.

I'm leaving this now but please, if you're a fast swimmer who thinks you have the right to swim in a designated slow lane but at your full fast speed, stop doing that. It's a really shitty way to behave. Swim in the appropriate lane and everyone will have a better time.

Our pool dictates no overtaking in lengths but if someone is faster you (catching up to you) let them take the lane first on the return. If this is necessary with everyone else in the lane you go up a speed. If everyone is passing you at a turn you go down a lane. You also don't start until the one in front has cleared a flag marker.

Oh, the lane only allows resting at the shallow end. Top end is turn only unless allowing an overtake.

Well the lifeguard at my local pool just asks that we take whatever beef we have into the carpark so he won't have to deal with it. Fair enough