Just wondering from you more experienced public pool swimmers what the general social rules are for swimming in the roped off lap lanes?
I've tried doing so once with kickboard, but found myself going quite slow (and also needing to rest more) and decided to not use them until I felt I had the speed and stamina to not slow the lane down.
Our pool uses circular lane swimming, where a person can swim up the sides (either left or right) of a lane and then swim down the middle of it when going back.
Depending on the day, the lanes can either be completely open or have as many as 4 people in them.
Should a person requiring significant rest between lap cycles get out of the pool during that time? Should a slower person use the open pool area instead of lanes? What type of lap lane etiquette have you guys found most common in public pools?
There is a general Pool Etiquette article here:
www.usms.org/.../pooletiquette
On the left side bar there is link to a circle swimming diagram. What you interpreted as "swimming down the middle going back" was swimming back on the other side. Knowing the basics is a great start, but it seems that many pools and many groups of swimmers develop some additional unwritten "rules". Before you join a lane take minute to look around and pick one that looks closest to your speed and is not too crowded. When in doubt ask to join a lane before you hop in and be courteous. Hopefully the other swimmers will be courteous back.
If your lane mates get ticked off at you, join the club. It's happened to most, if not all,of us. Learn from it (you may have done goofed or maybe you are in the right) and then continue with your work out.
Good Swimming!
There is a general Pool Etiquette article here:
www.usms.org/.../pooletiquette
On the left side bar there is link to a circle swimming diagram. What you interpreted as "swimming down the middle going back" was swimming back on the other side. Knowing the basics is a great start, but it seems that many pools and many groups of swimmers develop some additional unwritten "rules". Before you join a lane take minute to look around and pick one that looks closest to your speed and is not too crowded. When in doubt ask to join a lane before you hop in and be courteous. Hopefully the other swimmers will be courteous back.
If your lane mates get ticked off at you, join the club. It's happened to most, if not all,of us. Learn from it (you may have done goofed or maybe you are in the right) and then continue with your work out.
Good Swimming!
