Terse exchange with woman - lane swimming

[SirChenjins]

I've just joined a gym and have been using the pool in the evenings when it's quiet. It's not the biggest pool (20m x 8m) and is sectioned off lengthways, with half of the pool for classes and general use, the slower lane in one quarter and the faster lane in the other quarter. The lanes have boards at the end on the poolside showing the direction you have to swim in, and this is also covered in your induction.

When I got to the pool last night an aqua aerobics class was in the half sectioned off, so I swam in the slower lane. 2 people were in the faster lane, I was the only one in the slower lane. Around 25 minutes in, the aqua class finished and everyone left, although a few stayed in the pool. One woman got into the slower lane where I was, waited till I finished a length and asked if it was OK if we swam side by side. I wasn't sure what she meant, so said no, we're meant to swim in single file clockwise like the board shows. She wasn't happy and asked why, so I repeated what I'd said, and started swimming again. I was aware that she was close behind me, and when we'd finished a further 2 lengths she asked why we couldn't swim side by side. Again, I repeated what I'd said, and she wasn't happy - she said she was swimming faster than me, and it made sense. I said she was in the slower lane (it wasn't marked on the board last night for some reason, but I've seen here there before and it's always marked - plus we're told at induction which lane is which) and if she wanted to go faster she could use the faster lane where there was only one person swimming. Lots of huffing from her, before she reluctanctly moved into the faster lane where I could hear her complaining.

I spoke to the manager afterwards and asked if they could make sure the signs were on the board. They were really annoyed with her and said that the lanes are not wide enough for 2 people, that it's dangerous to swim side by side as people can be kicked, and that she absolutely should have been using the faster lane and not arguing with people in the pool. They want me to fill in an incident report. WWYD?

Because it all pools that have lane swimming everyone knows that if there's only two people it's completely reasonable to ask to swim side by side instead

Yeah completely normal if it's only two people. I often say 'do you want to take a side each and we'll switch back to a loop if anyone else gets in'. No-one has ever said no! However if they did I'd just accept it and fume inside that I was having to work around their pace unnecessarily, not chase them down and keep going on about it. It sounds like both sides have made a bit of a mountain out of a molehill tbh.

I doubt she'd even looked at you enough to gauge your speed. She was likely focused on her class, then when it came to switching over to lane swimming, took a quick glance to see what's what, saw two people in one lane & one in the other and quickly surmised that the least occupied lane would be the most sensible place to jump in!

I have never heard of side by side swimming but out local pool is longer and there are Very often 5 or 6 in a lane. There would not be room to swim side by side as the lanes are narrow. Yes you can pass. You just have to go slightly under the rope for this. Having said that plane swimming can be a pain because people have different ideas of what fast medium and slow are. I think you should just follow the instructions on the board.

I know what op means. I find almost nobody follows the rules to swim up one side and down the other where I go, unless a third person comes into the lane. Happens a lot. I’d let it go, it’s just not worth it.

I think the odds are high that 'ooh yeah, definitely, you should file a report' was the very quickest thing that the employee OP spoke to could do to make the issue not their problem rather than their actual view on the most reasonable course of action.

She stood at the side at the poolside at end of the lane I was in while she was sorting her goggles after putting away her weight at the basket thing. There was one person in the fast lane by that point (I explained that in a pp) and plenty of space in the large area of the pool. Even after she'd gauged my speed because she was roght behind and knew she was going faster than me, she still didn't do the common sense thing and move to the fast lane or the larger area that was free. Instead she asked me again why I wouldn't swim side by side.

I swim in an outdoor pool.
I care much more about where the sun is shining than what the silly signs say.
Its not like we have lifeguards out there most of the year.

Much as I would like to swim in an outdoor pool in the sunshine, it's just not possible. Instead, I swim in an indoor pool and follow the various rules, as everyone else seems to without any difficulty.

My gym has the circuit signs for each lane, meaning if there is more than one swimmer in the lane you inevitably cross at some point. I would be fine with swimming up and down as she suggested though. I think this is a case of take the advice/ comments that this is very normal practice, even if the signs don’t say so (because more than 2 people swimming up and down would be problematic).

I think single file swimming is recommended as people swimming side by side in one lane may clip each other (i was scratched by someone long acrylics swmming breast stroke alongside me) There was only 2 people in the lane situation described by OP so surely theres plenty of room so that "chasing wouldn't be an issue? I appreciate others might not have had my experience but Most people wouldnt say "of course" when the pool rules say single file swimming .

It's not problematic - it's been the way it's done every time I've been there and in every other lane I've swum in. The problematic thing with lane swimming is when someone is swimming much faster than the person already in the slower lane - so the usual thing is for them to switch into the faster lane, especially if there's only person in it. Or, go into the larger area where there's no-one swimming and go up and down at whatever speed you want.

@allthingsinmoderation

the optimal swim for anyone is one where you can just go up and down at your own pace.

i think I’ve worked out why the op and a few others don’t get why she asked..

if you’re the slowest in the lane, you don’t really have to think about what anyone else is doing, you go at the only pace you can. so it makes no odds to you if you go in circuits or side by side.

for faster swimmers, single file swimming is quite a ball ache, because the onus is on the faster swimmer to be constantly on guard for catching up with slower swimmers. Switching pace, stroke etc constantly.

if space allows, which it does in the ops instance, (4m is 1m wide each), the only way all 4 swimmers got to enjoy going at their own pace was side by side. It is actually a luxury opportunity for everyone to swim at their own pace, not just the slowest person.

for faster swimmers, single file swimming is quite a ball ache, because the onus is on the faster swimmer to be constantly on guard for catching up with slower swimmers. Switching pace, stroke etc constantly.

Only if they're very much faster, or the lane is too full.
Mostly communication happens between everyone. I am often a slower one in the fast lane and a faster one in the middle lane. If I'm the slower one, I often wait at the end to allow the faster one to get to the wall and bounce off again before I go. That's the pool etiquette. I'd say that actually being the slower one is more problematic as you can't see who's behind you.

I deliberately avoided saying this initially @BringBackCatsEyes- but only if you’re one of those swimmers who is actually aware of others. I get the impression (I think I saw somewhere that the op doesn’t stop at ends for faster swimmers) that the op isn’t one of those.

In my experience most people very much do say 'of course' - I have never had anyone say no and I would say it's about 50-50 in terms of whether it's me or the other person who says it first if there's two in a lane. I have never been in a lane with one other person and swam in a circuit.

Ive mostly been in pools where people adhere to the pool rules on single file clockwise or anticlockwise when lane swimming.
I have encountered people wanting to swim side by side a couple of times,the first time i was scratched by someone breast stroking alongside me with long acrylic nails.the second time the life guard blew the whistle and said single file please and pointed to the instruction board ..

OP, you don't get it. She came in to your lane because you were the only person in it and therefore she believed she would be able to go up and down on the right of the lane while you went up and down on the left, so the speed you were doing would not have mattered at all. It only matters if you are swimming in circuits.

I am a mid pace (non club) swimmer doing about 25-30 seconds a length. If the middle lane already has 2 or 3 people in but the fast lane or slow lane only 1, I will often move out of the middle lane and ask the faster or slower swimmer if we can swim one side each in the respective lane. Only 1 person has ever said no. Obviously if another swimmer subsequently joins the new lane who is genuinely fast, or genuinely slow, I move back to the middle.

Were you thinking you wouldn't have space because you can't both fit in separate side by side "circuits" within one lane? But if you are side by side you go straight up and down the same line (often I follow the tile lines at the bottom of the pool to keep straight). I really just don't understand how it was a problem to you to just change from up the left, down the right of your lane to up and down the left while faster swimmer went up and down the right. Everyone swims at their own pace; no one is crowded, pressured or frustrated.

I think you’re right. OP keeps talking about being caught up, no mention of hanging back at the end of the lane.

I’m normally at the faster end of slow or slow end of medium. I prefer to be fast end of slow as I find it stressful to feel I am holding people up behind me until we get to the end of a lap. Though I find it frustrating in the slow lane how often slow swimmers don’t give way the end of a lap.

Aren’t you just as likely to clip someone using the same space in circuits though?

Of course.

If going round and round you pass them once a length, going in the opposite direction.

If splitting the lane you will meet them every couple of lengths, sometimes going the same way, sometimes going the other way.

In the open part of a pool, length swimmers pick a track, not go round in circles

It makes sense for those swimming laps in the lanes to also pick tracks so that the speed of any swimmer does not impact on others

Quite!

Getting kicked in the face seems a bigger risk if you’re both travelling at the same direction at different speeds

And even if you are both moving at the same speed starting at opposite ends of the pool, you’d be passing each other twice as often as if you’re doing circuits do it doubles the risk.

So I can see why pool management would offer people to do circuits vs side-by-side.

But as a pool user it’s rare to get clipped and it’s more relaxed going side by side so it’s an understandable preference.

i'ts possible but less likely passing once per length than stroke for stroke next to each other all the length (when theres only 2 of you in the lane as in OP situation)