Sharing the lane

RE: Sharing the lane

DeniseMW — Thu, 03 Jul 2014 06:59:48 GMT

loonytick, that's amazing your mil has made progress. Good for her. I convinced mine to get back to the gym because I could see lack of exercise was making her slow down. She's pretty amazing. She gets to the gym more than I do. She's in her 80s and in great shape with no walking, balance, or back problems. My complaint is that the walkers don't want to share the lane, but I checked with our rec center manager and they aren't allowed to deny me or anyone else access. I'm pretty slow, and I don't get in anybody's way, so I'm going to ask politely and not going to take no for an answer anymore.

RE: Sharing the lane

DeniseMW — Thu, 03 Jul 2014 02:46:38 GMT

I will, ElaineK, and I'll tell them you sent me.:banana:

RE: Sharing the lane

Elaine Krugman — Thu, 03 Jul 2014 02:39:04 GMT

My complaint is that the walkers don't want to share the lane, but I checked with our rec center manager and they aren't allowed to deny me or anyone else access. I'm pretty slow, and I don't get in anybody's way, so I'm going to ask politely and not going to take no for an answer anymore. :applaud: You tell 'em, Denise. Just give them a big :D as you say it, and then start swimmin' and don't stop! :cheerleader:

RE: Sharing the lane

Former Member — Wed, 02 Jul 2014 11:06:22 GMT

Jimbosback, I hear what you're saying about water walkers, though where I swim most of them are going way too slow or taking it much too easy to derive any benefit other than getting their suit wet. My mother in law is a water walker; you'd think she was doing herself no good just to look at her workout, but I've definitely seen improvement. She's got severe back problems, an artificial hip and two artificial knees, but since she started walking slowly in the pool she's almost completely stopped using a cane and I haven't seen her use the scooter at the grocery store in years. She's not losing weight, but her life is a little better. That's what I try to remind myself when I get to the pool and see a walker in a swim lane. But boy, it is frustrating. My pool has a double-size lane on the side with the nice, broad stair-style entry, and goodness knows you can fit plenty of walkers in that area, so why don't they all just go in there? Thankfully, though, none of our walkers are prissy; I've never heard any of them complain about swimmers. They just quietly do their thing while we do ours.

RE: Sharing the lane

knelson — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 10:28:50 GMT

I've asked her to share the lane before and she said no. I asked her to share the lane this morning, and she said no. There's only one thing to do in this situation and that's to just get in the lane and tell the person she's going to be sharing the lane. No one has an exclusive right to their own private lane. This is NOT being rude. This is the accepted lap swimming protocol. You should alert anyone else in the lane that you are going to join them, but you don't need to ask permission to join.

RE: Sharing the lane

FindingMyInnerFish — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 09:15:01 GMT

Forgive the rant, but what's with some people?:bitching: This morning I got to the pool at 6:30 and all the lanes were taken. There's this one woman who spends her entire workout floating on her back in the middle of the lane. I've asked her to share the lane before and she said no. I asked her to share the lane this morning, and she said no. The lane is not super wide, but there's room for two people if one isn't floating down the middle on her back. A nice young woman offered to share her lane with me or I'd have been either standing around waiting or in the shallow end with an early morning class. Grrrrrrrr.:frustrated: I feel your pain! Frustrating when that happens! Maybe she was afraid of sharing, but still, that's something one has to negotiate if there are more people than lanes. Sometimes it's worth talking to the lifeguard--we have one guy who's very good about getting people to work together and will intervene if someone's hogging a lane. (But I know not all lifeguards are like this guy.)

RE: Sharing the lane

DeniseMW — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 08:23:13 GMT

RE: Sharing the lane

DeniseMW — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 02:41:46 GMT

Jimbosback, I hear what you're saying about water walkers, though where I swim most of them are going way too slow or taking it much too easy to derive any benefit other than getting their suit wet. The ones with shower caps just crack me up, but hey, that could be me in ten years.:afraid:The way I see it, they have the whole shallow end open to them. It's fine for what they're doing. You don't need to hog a lap lane to push weights around or hang onto a noodle. I'll share my lane with them, though, but apparently they don't want to. The looks I get when I ask to share could drop the pool temp to uncomfortably cold.

RE: Sharing the lane

Jimbosback — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 02:17:29 GMT

I wouldn't want to absolutely guarantee it, but that's the general rule everywhere I've swum. You can probably check with the lifeguards or other pool staff. This should be the 'rule'. Where I swim, nobody gets it, though. We don't have very many actual swimmers (people swimming organized swim workouts, I suppose), but everyone seems to think that if they are the first in a lane, they own it. I just jump in with the person I think I will disrupt the least and ask if they circle swim. Some people look at me as if I'd suggested we do away with our suits for the day. I do disagree with the sentiment that just because someone is walking or hopping or whatever that their workout is less important than mine just because I am swimming. I just wish they'd realize that about 20 people can share a lane while working out like that, and that three friends walking together don't need all 4 lanes.

RE: Sharing the lane

knelson — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 01:59:06 GMT

I wouldn't want to absolutely guarantee it, but that's the general rule everywhere I've swum. You can probably check with the lifeguards or other pool staff.

RE: Sharing the lane

DeniseMW — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 01:16:15 GMT

Thanks, knelson. I didn't know that you could just get in. I thought you had to get permission, so if she continues to be rude, I'll just hop in and she can float around me.

RE: Sharing the lane

FindingMyInnerFish — Mon, 23 Jun 2014 09:29:04 GMT

FindingMyInnerFish, your name is so funny. I should think of something like SeekingMyOwnPersonalLane. I didn't get to the masters swim, but am back in the pool after a week and a half layoff due to my dog's illness. It was crowded. At 6:30 a,m. I asked ladies in two separate lanes if I could share, and they both hemmed and hawed, and basically looked so uncomfortable I wound up on the the shallow side until one of them left and I was able to grab her lane. I've offered to share my lane with water walkers, which doesn't bother me. They don't clobber me with arms, fins, or watches LOL. At my Y, during the lap swim period, they don't like to let swimmers in the water walking lane--even if there's room. (As one lady said, "I get splashed"--and I want to say "um, sweetie, you're in a POOL which is filled with water. There's a nice track across the street and treadmills upstairs....") OTOH, the lifeguard in the morning is activist--he will notice who swims compatibly with whom, and sometimes call on us to move to compatible lanes. If people ask to share, I'm cool. And mostly no one seems to object to my sharing. They kind of expect us to be willing to share. Of course, I've had people come in with very wide breaststrokes or who half-walk, half swim or who almost float from end to end. Those folks are the toughest to swim with. I give them credit for getting into the pool and doing some kind of exercise--just it's hard to work around such individuals. Typically, if someone comes to my lane with, say, a pull buoy and kickboard, I'm relieved b/c that person usually has lane-sharing experience and is better about negotiating for space.

RE: Sharing the lane

DeniseMW — Mon, 23 Jun 2014 08:27:46 GMT

RE: Sharing the lane

DeniseMW — Mon, 23 Jun 2014 08:20:49 GMT

That well is where all watches worn in the pool should be tossed! LOL.

RE: Sharing the lane

orca1946 — Mon, 23 Jun 2014 06:23:50 GMT

And the education continues!!! Pass along any info to "non lane sharing" swim/walkers - please!

RE: Sharing the lane

FindingMyInnerFish — Sat, 21 Jun 2014 11:17:24 GMT

I can sympathize--I started masters swimming as an adult, having never swum in competition as a kid (except for the recreation program swim meets that any of us could participate, and I was always either last or second last in those). I find it hard to share lanes even with one or two people, let alone 5, but I've at least gotten more or less used to it, and yes, still hit lane lines, but manage to survive. :) I'm in a group now where those of us ... um velocity challenged... swimmers share a section of the pool with no lane markers, and oddly I like that better. We're all so polite to on another and somehow seem to sort out the space we share in ways that are harder with narrower lanes. It's a friendly group, so we don't get too unnerved over almost-collisions. (I have gotten stressed over my lack of kicking ability but that's another story--and even then, the others in the group were very consoling.) I must apologize--I've been known to wear watches (a hold-over from running), but usually by myself when there's no pace clock... when I'm in a practice, I've learned to leave the watch in my bag (a habit helped somewhat by my having forgotten and thus lost a watch at one practice when I took it off and left it on the deck, then didn't take it with me afterward). I still find that it's hard to focus on my technique when swimming in a narrow lane that I'm sharing. But I'm not as worried about this fact. T'is what it t'is. :chillpill:

RE: Sharing the lane

gobears — Fri, 13 Jun 2014 08:55:01 GMT

Welcome back to the water, gildaswims! It took me about 20 years after my "official swimming career" to really get back into swimming regularly. It's been really fun rediscovering the sport as an adult. Enjoy :applaud:

RE: Sharing the lane

Former Member — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 08:48:23 GMT

I'm also a newbie on this site and this thread caught my attention since I too am getting back in the water...its been a couple of years but competitively I can safely say 20yrs!!! Being a co-captain for my high school swim team, community swim league annually, and overall fit for it, at 42 yrs. young, I feel more confident than ever...only though I am really working out my mind and "back" because of health reasons. What better way than to get back in the water. Thank you for the encouragement and advice AMY because I definitely do need it in some areas, and I love this form of community when it comes to swimming!!! I have to leave my frustrations/stress...or anything such as, to my strokes and kicks in the water's buoyancy.

RE: Sharing the lane

That Guy — Fri, 06 Jun 2014 08:06:15 GMT

Kirk wins infinity points.

RE: Sharing the lane

Elaine Krugman — Fri, 06 Jun 2014 06:45:51 GMT

That Guy's true identity has finally been revealed. He's Terence Trent D'Arby! I had to look him up on Wikipedia for a little assist on figuring it out, but I got it! :doh: Good one, Kirk!

RE: Sharing the lane

knelson — Fri, 06 Jun 2014 05:10:31 GMT

That Guy's true identity has finally been revealed. He's Terence Trent D'Arby!

RE: Sharing the lane

orca1946 — Fri, 06 Jun 2014 04:15:17 GMT

That well is where all watches worn in the pool should be tossed!

RE: Sharing the lane

Former Member — Thu, 05 Jun 2014 16:16:33 GMT

Hey Jayhawk, does it affect your swimming? What are you symptoms (sorry if I"m hijacking the thread!)? How long have you had it? I will send you a PM.

RE: Sharing the lane

Elaine Krugman — Thu, 05 Jun 2014 12:50:48 GMT

I will send you a PM. Hey Anna Lea, will you copy me on that as well? Thanks!

RE: Sharing the lane

orca1946 — Thu, 05 Jun 2014 12:34:59 GMT

Is there a pace clock on at the time you swim? It is a good way of keeping track of times. Ask , they may have one that they can plug in/ turn on for you and other swimmers.