My Masters team was recently forced to relocate to a different pool. At the new pool, we cannot accommodate all team members in our two allotted lanes, so some swimmers have been organizing in a separate lap-swimming lane and working out independently of the "official" team. Now, the facility has told us that we are not allowed to engage in organized lap swimming other than in the coached lanes. Has anyone run into a similar obstacle? Any suggestions?
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Former Member
I agree with jackkangaroo. The pool staff is in a difficult position.
At my pool the masters swimmers don't have pool passes. They have a limited membership that allows them to swim with the masters team at 5:00 in the morning. The pool is closed to everyone else. I have a normal pool pass and negotiate my own workouts. Life is just simpler that way. 5:00? I don't wake up at 5:00.
But, the problem with aeckler's situation is that pool reps have already decided on a solution: The team gets two lanes.
If the team consisted of ten people or less then no one should be complaining. But, if the team is fifteen or twenty - two lanes are not going to cut it and, of course, the team is going to spill into other lanes. Especially if there are unused lanes.
Unlike jackkangaroo, my answer is to renegotiate with the 'powers that be' for one more lane. As a concession however, give up that lane if less than an agreed upon number of people show for practice - even if the other lanes are empty.
You can't drive on the sidewalk because there's a traffic jam in the street. You can't have members of your team take up more space because they see that it's free. The good news is that the rules are negotiable. Any reasonable person would agree that 20 people can't swim in a single lane comfortably. You need to find the number at which the pool manager agrees that you should have another lane.
I agree with jackkangaroo. The pool staff is in a difficult position.
At my pool the masters swimmers don't have pool passes. They have a limited membership that allows them to swim with the masters team at 5:00 in the morning. The pool is closed to everyone else. I have a normal pool pass and negotiate my own workouts. Life is just simpler that way. 5:00? I don't wake up at 5:00.
But, the problem with aeckler's situation is that pool reps have already decided on a solution: The team gets two lanes.
If the team consisted of ten people or less then no one should be complaining. But, if the team is fifteen or twenty - two lanes are not going to cut it and, of course, the team is going to spill into other lanes. Especially if there are unused lanes.
Unlike jackkangaroo, my answer is to renegotiate with the 'powers that be' for one more lane. As a concession however, give up that lane if less than an agreed upon number of people show for practice - even if the other lanes are empty.
You can't drive on the sidewalk because there's a traffic jam in the street. You can't have members of your team take up more space because they see that it's free. The good news is that the rules are negotiable. Any reasonable person would agree that 20 people can't swim in a single lane comfortably. You need to find the number at which the pool manager agrees that you should have another lane.
