AIBU to think that if you are not swimming, you should get out of a swimming lane?

[Glitterandglue]

I don't mean if you stop for a minute at the end of the lane to adjust your goggles or take a drink. I mean if you just... stop swimming. Whether that's to take a five minute break or to chat to someone else - or even to sit on the side and dangle your legs in.

It baffles me as to why so many people think this is okay, when there is a specific section of the pool next to the lane for general swimming - which means anything goes. Swim up and down, stand and lean on the side, jump in, float about in circles, whatever. The whole point of a lane is so that people can all swim in the same direction and turn easily at the end, rather than having to avoid someone hanging about there, possibly whilst also navigating slower or faster swimmers. Surely?

I genuinely have to wonder if I'm missing something here.

Likewise, people doing breaststroke in the fast and/or medium lane.

Am i ok in the slow lane if im walking at a fast speed? Ie the speed of a slow swimmer. Always wondered this.

Nope. The pool is strictly owned and controlled by the ex-U14 County level swimmers and nobody who actually needs to be in the pool, has booked and paid for it is permitted to exist in the water if they are not able to plough up and down non stop at Olympic qualifying pace for 5k Butterfly.

Or that's what it feels like on Mumsnet, anyhow.

I'd think if you're moving, and at the same speed as a slow swimmer, then it's not making much difference to anyone else.

My breaststroke is faster than quite a few people's front crawl. I go in the medium lane because it's usually where I'm the same speed as the others. But maybe my pool is just slow!

People who go on the non lane section and proceed to do very splashy front crawl. Or backstroke where they can't see where they're going.

It sounds like the main issue at your pool is that the lane swimming isn't well enforced by staff/signage, etc, and because it's in the same pool as the general swimming, the behaviours from the general swimming area are spilling over into the lane area.

I would probably mention it to the lifeguard on my way into the pool next time (just "hmm, I've noticed...") so it doesn't feel like I'm telling on a specific individual, then see if they take more notice and/or move people over to the vegetal area for their chats.

If the staff aren't saying anything, and since these people aren't that interested in consistent lane swimming, they might not have even realised that other people are taking the lane swimming more seriously and that they're actually in the way.

I can confirm that pool rage does exist👍 I managed lots of pools, all had laned swim sessions, but we always had two issues…..those who ploughed through everyone with little regard, and those who were a nuisance just chatting in the lanes. I actually had to get into one pool, full of aggressive male elderly swimmers. Being a tad nippy in the pool, a few deftly aimed kicks to the gonad region calmed a few down (“ oh sorry, did I catch you🤭) and taught them the error of their selfish ways. The other issue was what we called the blue rinse brigade. Mainly female, trying to keep their hair dry…..in a swimming pool. I got staff to have a word when it occurred, moving persistent chatters to a non laned area of pool. We used to have fast, medium, slow lanes. No one allowed to crawl or butterfly in slow lane, up one side, down other. With boards to explain it all for the challenged few.

Don’t ask about the ones who wanted to do widths🫣

As a decent swimmer, my breastroke is faster than a lot of people doing front crawl so nope, will go in the lane closest to the speed I'm doing which is usually either the fast or medium lane.

But otherwise yeah, if you aren't swimming lengths then i agree with the op - get out of the lanes.

Those who aggressively plough up and down in the slow lane, splashing and crowding slower swimmers as they go past, should be required to move into a faster lane. It seems that some people prefer to show off that they are the fastest in a slow lane, rather then chugging along in the medium lane at the same speed as everyone else. It’s unkind as well as discourteous. I’m not very buoyant, and have to work really hard to stay afloat as well as move forward, so I’m pretty slow. People like that put me off swimming altogether.

I agree with you OP, I'm a slow lane breaststroke swimmer, I stay in the slow lane because I can't keep up with medium or fast and do t want to be swam over.

The pool I go to is 1.8m deep over the whole pool so it clearly isn't designed as a place to stand and chat because you can't stand. Every now and then a couple of women are there, get in the slow lane, do a length, then cling onto the wall at the end and have a chat about what they're doing at the weekend, where they're going on holiday, then 5 minutes later do another length, and repeat.

It's really annoying because they make it hard to get to the end of the lane and turn around. They also refuse to swim circuit style (despite the signs) wanting to swim next to each other so they can keep chatting as they move so on their infrequent lengths they block the whole lane.

See, my pool is split 1/3 "fast lane" and 2/3 general swimming (anticlockwise, with space in the middle to overtake).

However, I think it would be much fairer if it were set up as "everyone just standing in the pool, mucking around or stretching" in the 1/3 section, and up and down swimming in the rest.

As it is it's usually one person doing fast lengths (but stopping for long pauses), 2-4 muckers about and 2-4 people crammed around the muckers about.

2-4 in 1/3 and 3-5 in 2/3 would be a much more sensible distribution.

I am shameless about nabbing the fast lane for back crawl. Even if I'm not the absolute fastest, I don't mess around, never stop, and my stroke means I can't look out for faffers easily.

I agree OP, they drive me mad. I changed my usual swimming time to get away from two of these people, they came for half an hour every week and did not a single stroke, ever. They just stood at the end and chatted. The pool even has a jacuzzi! Go and use it!!

Drives me batty OP. Worse though are the people who refuse to let you past when you're right behind them and obviously swimming faster than them. Have no idea what goes through their heads

There is no general swimming "section" in my local pool, just lanes. The people in the fast lane tend to pause the longest, too, as they're often doing sprints. They also often turn up in a group and stand at the end chatting, taking up the whole width of the lane.

Any staff member should tell them, but from all I’ve ever seen, all too often they don’t. Probably told not to do anything to annoy paying customers!

My local pool recently introduced 'timing' signs at lane swimming times (ie 'this lane is for swimmers who consistently swim a length between and seconds'.
It has transformed the lane swimming times- got the slow swimmers out of faster lanes, and very fast swimmers no longer knock people out in the middle lane!

I hate inconsiderate swimmers of both ilks. The ones that go in the slow lane and insist on swimming side by side and having a chat at the end. Or do 4 lengths and then decide to "rest" at the end of the lane. Just move over to the normal part of the pool for your rest. But my biggest hate is the aggressive "triathlon training" swimmers, they come in, bang their clocks down at the edge of thr fast lane, attach their paddles and flippers and swim hat, bang the clock, dive in the fast lane and proceed to do the splashiest front crawl that splashes everyone in the pool, aggressively overtake the others swimming the bang the clock and do some huge sigh. Then do it all again. There is no need for it and it is really annoying. They all seem to be men that do this as well at our pool. They don't seem to realise that if they perfected their swimming form they might go a bit faster (and splash less). There is a woman who swims the fast lane daily, she is a competitive swimmer and she manages to use a clock, swim front crawl and butterfly and get in and out the pool without any of the carnage that comes with the "triathlon training" men.

Perhaps, but if they're offering lane swimming, the staff really should make more of an effort to balance the needs of different types of paying customers, otherwise a they're not keeping their lane swimming customers happy.

Someone who's serious about swimming for fitness (or training for an event or whatever), wouldn't choose to attend a general session if they wanted lane swimming, as it wouldn't suit their needs and would be a waste of money.

It's not fair to sell lane swimming and to expect the customers to have to enforce the rules of said lane swimming with other customers or to accept not having the lane swimming they paid for - if you're paying for lane swimming, it's the staff's job to make sure you receive the thing you've paid for; the customer shouldn't have to fight to receive what they've paid for!

Obviously, staff might think everyone is fine with the current situation if no-one has said anything, so they might not even realise that lane swimmers are leaving feeling frustrated and let down. I would definitely mention it to staff, OP.

You can do this?? As exercise??

I genuinely think you've just changed my workout life 💜

This is such a good idea!

I don't really mind the natterers at the end of the lanes. I just turn around and go the other way before I get to them.
But what really annoys me is the people with long hair not tied back (equally men and women where I am). Especially when random floating hairs come my way. Ugh.

I have thought about mentioning it several times, but I'm usually so frustrated by the time I've done my lengths and had to avoid people that I just want to be out rather than try and talk to anyone politely (because obviously I don't want to be an arse, that's not helpful). Maybe I should mention it on my way in next time like @LonginesPrime suggested. Just not sure whether the message will filter through to any of the other staff, but I suppose we'll see.

Ahh, I'd always put them down to shitty technique, but the arm angle in open water front crawl is different as it's more efficient to slap it down through waves and the benefits of an angled slice into the calm waters of the pool are lost in choppy waters.
They're nobbers for not adapting their technique though and treating a 25m pool like an expanse of windswept water

TBH lane rage and being stuck at a medium-fast pace at never quite the right pace for a lane as it's relative to who's there that day is a big lure for having taken up open water swimming.

I never understood the appeal of standing chest deep in tepid water as a place for lengthy conversation either.

I have to vary my strokes regularly due to a neuromuscular condition. If I am swimming in the medium lane it is because I am comfortable that I can keep pace with everyone in it.