Etiquette

I'm sure I've told this story here before, but it's one of my favorites. My wife was lap swimming in her own lane. She noticed a guy on deck kind of staring at the pool, presumably waiting for a lane to open up or something. My wife kept going for a while but then she saw him standing over her lane so she stopped and asked him if he would like to split the lane. He said yes, got in and started swimming. After about a 100 or so I guess he stopped my wife and said something like "this isn't going to work. I think you're going to cross into my half of the lane, so I think you should move." Let's recap: my wife was in the lane first and she wasn't crossing into his side, he was just afraid she might, so she should move.

I haven't found this to be true. :( Where I swim, there can be one person in each lane and an oblivious noodler will still want to jump in my lane even if I'm swimming butterfly or using my monofin. I know it's rude, but on a couple occasions where I'm in the middle of an AFAP fly set, I've asked them to try another lane. My theory is that sprinters are more vulnerable to noodlers since we are "wall hangers," not continuous lap swimmers. I actually witnessed a screaming match the other day between a noodler and a lap swimmer. The lap swimmer was in the wall lane first. The noodler tried to kick the man out, claiming that only noodlers can have the wall lane and asking him to join another lane. The lifeguard had to intercede. And first person in definitely gets to choose. I find it true as well, that butterfly doesn't always scare away the lap swimmers. I think they're looking more at sharing with the single person, vs. circle swimming in general. This happens to me all the time. Should I feel guilty that I'm doing fly and the nearly 80 year old lady is almost drowning? :) I vary my sets depending on who's with me, don't worry. :) Also, if I'm swimming at the Y, I just assume that at some point, I'll have a lanemate, so I just start swimming on the side that works best for me from the beginning.

I doubt the pool has a rule. Probably the best practice for etiquette is to chill. If she wants the wall, let her. If your side of the wall is the ladder, when you get to the wall, unless she's standing right there, you can always move over and flip turn a little in the middle and then glide to your side. No big deal. Otherwise doing a turn 3 feet from the wall is a good drill anyway. Peace

My opinion is the person there first gets to choose. That only seems fair. Is there a general rule or some type of etiquette that I am not aware of? The only thing you seem to be forgetting is some people think everything is about them! You did nothing wrong.

You did the right thing. However, if you do ever find yourself in that situation again (where the other person is not being polite), I always find that some fast 25s butterfly tends to ward off lane interlopers. Butterfly is to noodlers (or lap swimmers who don't know how to share lane-space or circle properly) as garlic is to vampires

Offer to do a swim-off. Winner picks the side.

Butterfly is to noodlers (or lap swimmers who don't know how to share lane-space or circle properly) as garlic is to vampires I haven't found this to be true. :( Where I swim, there can be one person in each lane and an oblivious noodler will still want to jump in my lane even if I'm swimming butterfly or using my monofin. I know it's rude, but on a couple occasions where I'm in the middle of an AFAP fly set, I've asked them to try another lane. My theory is that sprinters are more vulnerable to noodlers since we are "wall hangers," not continuous lap swimmers. I actually witnessed a screaming match the other day between a noodler and a lap swimmer. The lap swimmer was in the wall lane first. The noodler tried to kick the man out, claiming that only noodlers can have the wall lane and asking him to join another lane. The lifeguard had to intercede. And first person in definitely gets to choose.

The person who was in the lane first gets first choice. I often split with a lady who prefers the wall side.

Hello, I have a question regarding etiquette when sharing/splitting a lane that is against the wall (with the ladders). Today a woman wanted to share my lane with me but was perturbed when I told her that I wanted the pool side of the lane. It is my feeling that if I am in the lane first I get to decide what side I want, either the wall side or the pool side. Is there a general rule or some type of etiquette that I am not aware of? A pool I swim at occasionally has a sign saying that all shared lanes are circle swim. So there would be no splitting lanes there, apparently. But in the absence of such signs, I think what you did was fine. If I were in her position, I would have been 100% okay with things.

First person in the lane should have the choice. You should have told her to get her own lane if she wasn't happy.