What annoys you?

Originally posted by Rowdy One of the lifeguards at the Y I periodically swim at stops me in the middle of the set so that he can tell me some one is joining my lane (so annoying!). The person is never very fast and should be in a different lane. Like the one right next to the one I'm in that only has one floater in it. Nothing annoys me more than a swimmer of any calibre who thinks they are entitled to a lane to him/herself. If you are swimming up and down the middle of the lane, the lifeguard has every right to stop you and tell you to move over for someone else to share your lane. Why should the lifeguard be forced to wait for your to finish a set to enforce common pool courtesies? What if your set is 2500 y/m? You think someone should stand around for 30-40 minutes while you hog a lane? Something else annoying is when I get to the pool and it is full of two people per lane standing at the end of the lane talking. I typically will tell them I'm getting in and we're gonna start circling.

There are a lot of people who are afraid to initiate sharing a lane, and it is the guards job to help them. There is a lot of guard bashing on this thread. I have seen swimmers yell at the guard for things that are quite out of their control, such as the swim team taking 2/3 of the pool during lap swim time. The guard does not do the pool schedule, they guard. When intimated in such a manner all the time by forceful swimmers, can you imagine why in their time being paid 6.83 per hour, they tend to let things ride? Of course, having to wake the guard up 3 times in a shift is bad!

One of the lifeguards at the Y I periodically swim at stops me in the middle of the set so that he can tell me some one is joining my lane (so annoying!). The person is never very fast and should be in a different lane. Like the one right next to the one I'm in that only has one floater in it. I never deviate from my planned workout and generally don't mind sharing the lane as long as the person I am sharing with can actually stay on their side. One thing I don't get is that look of horror when I start doing fly and the stubborn refusal to move. If you think I might hit you or the wake it too much, move. I always do one arm fly when passing people just so I won't hit them. Common sense, it would seem, tends to dissolve in water. I love swimming and I love the water. God bless anyone who wants to work out in the water. Its the best place in the world! Just don't forget your manners. They are more important than your goggles.

Sorry Geek, you miss understand or I stated it poorly. I don't mind another swimmer joing me ,and I belive I stated that I don't mind sharing a lane. However, I belive the swimmer should be the one to initate the lane sharing. Aside from the fact that the gaurd usually bonks me with something to get my attention instead of saying something. AND I never swim down the middle of the lane.

Originally posted by Rowdy One of the lifeguards at the Y I periodically swim at stops me in the middle of the set so that he can tell me some one is joining my lane (so annoying!). The person is never very fast and should be in a different lane. Like the one right next to the one I'm in that only has one floater in it. Is this just to tell you that someone else will be splitting the lane with you? Or to tell you that you will now be circling... When I am the only person in a lane, I do not swim in the middle. Based on various factors, if I had to split the lane then one side would be my preference over another, so I just start out on that side and stay there. If someone wants to share my lane, it should be clear which side will be theirs, and I don't expect to be stopped just so that other person can tell me. (Sometimes politeness extended to me is annoying, regardless of intent.) Most times at my pool all the swimmers know the routine. You don't have to stop the other swimmer. Just get in the other side of the lane and once the swimmer who was already in the lane has done one turn at your end, you can assume s/he knows you're there and off you go! When one swimmer is in the lane, and if he is swimming in the center, and if I am going to share that lane, I get in the water and stand to the side. Almost always he will turn in the center of the lane, but move over to the other side. And if he prefers the side I chose, he'll stop and ask me to switch, and I gladly do so. No need to stop the other guy. But if the new swimmer is the THIRD to enter the lane (causing the need for circling) then the protocol has to be different. I think each existing swimmer needs a personal contact to make sure everyone knows they'll be circling. There can't be guesswork. Everyone needs to know if the circle will be clockwise or counterclockwise. Maybe assess individual capabilities to determine order. Make it clear that if someone touches your toes, let the other guy pass. Stuff like that. Once circle is established in a lane, new swimmers should be able to hop in without stopping any of the existing swimmers. Just the way I see it anyway.

Originally posted by dorothyrde In our pool, they often go to the fast lane for the ladder. And it is kind of, whatever lane is open, they hop in. I am OK with it.....if they can swim a straight line. Just love the ones swimming backstroke with very wide arms, and not straight. Swimming backwards and upside down aint easy. There is no T on the pool bottom to look at to know when to turn and you can't tilt your head slightly upwards to see the wall coming. If you're lucky the ceiling will have beams you can try to follow while waiting for the flags and then counting for the turn. Outside, there are no beams. Because you don't breathe to your side in backstroke, there's no way to gauge your distance from the ropes. Free is easy to swim straight with a black line on the bottom to refer to. Backstrokers are taught to use peripheral vision and that doesn't help much especially if you have poor eyesight and/or bad goggles (most aren't made with back in mind). If you're just learning then all of that can be extra difficult. I'm lucky to get lanes to myself. Sometimes when sharing becomes necessary I tell the person that watching out for them, flags, ropes - it's overwhelming. Some people accept it, others flee There are some people who can swim back pretty straight, but even Natalie Coughlin veers wildly in competition. I don't personally feel backstroke swimmers should lap swim with freestyle swimmers.

Originally posted by Zirconium Once a while I got kicked in the leg or abs by a slow breaststroke swimmer in front. Once, I was certain that the man kicked me purposely. Had that happen to me and it got real ugly after that... Which is sad. Really sad. A lifeguard did get involved, but he's an exception it seems. The pool is not my treadmill and just a place to "workout". I absolutely positively love water and swimming. That would be my list: bad attitudes and aggressive behavior. It takes me back to something Ernie Maglischio (sp?) said years ago about the 2 reasons people swim. People in group #1 have personal goals and really love the water. People in group #2 have poor self-esteem and major insecurites.

I did not mean to guard bash or insinuate that I deserve my own lane or .... I was simply trying to agree with earlier posts that people should swim with others of like ability. I don't understand the fast lane magnet. If there are people in all the lanes doesn't it make sense to get into one with someone who is more compatible? I feel bad when passing someone and knowing that I generate a big wake. Therefore I tend to swim with people who are more compatible if I am joining a lane. If someone joins me I am fine with that. I always swim on one side as an invitation to anyone who needs a place to swim. Just hop in and wait for me to come back. I'll stop and we can talk about who swims where. If we circle or split. The instance that I am recalling that annoyed me is when the guard hit me on the head with something instead of saying something to me. This was not a kid it was an adult. If it was a high school guard it probably wouldn't have bothered me as much. None of the other lanes were doubled up and the woman looked almost terrified to be swimming with me. It appeared that the guard was assigning people to lanes. Which is fine, but the peoples' comfort/preference should be taken into account. Did she not like sharing a lane with me? Probably not. I was doing an IM workout and she was swimming breaststroke with her head out of the water at a fairly sedate pace. Also, she was swimming in the middle of the lane and I had to keep hitting the lane line with my body to not run into her or get kicked (I would have said something, but I was afraid to offend her or make her feel like I thought she didn't belong--which was not the case). It was not the most enjoyable time in the pool that day. I have shared a lane with the little old ladies wearing the flower caps, with swimmers who are my speed, as well as ones who are faster. I am not a lane hog or snob (or at least try not to be). I have a great deal of respect for all people who get in and make an effort. I am sorry if my previous posts (or this one) made it seem that way.

Quote: Heather said... "If I am swimming and all the lanes are full and I see someone coming I immediately start doing a fly set ... I don't share lanes with non-swimmers well ..." __________ I do the same, but feel terribly guilty about doing so. Many times I've been at the pool and there has been just one swimmer in each lane. I've noticed that very often I become a sort of magnet to the new person who walks on to the deck. They always choose my lane. The swimmers in the other lanes visibly swim better and become more relaxed when they see the newcomer has left them in peace. I can see 'Zirconium's' point..."Have you ever considered what the other "slow" swimmers could think about you? Well, they think they are in their perfect legitimate rights and actually, YOU are the annoyance of the lane." I was in the lane this morning with five other swimmers. Two of them were very slow, and clearly in the wrong lane. All swimmers did their usual continual 40 or 50 laps before going to work. OK, I understand that they have a right to do this, but by the same token, (us/you) faster swimmers should also have the right to do their own thing. I had to keep stopping to allow for the very slow ones and for those slow swimmers who pushed off just when I was about to. I thought to myself, "There's a guy in America who reads the discussion page on the USMS website who would shoot you for doing what you've just done!" As for strong body smells, I've never noticed this, but we did have one guy who trained with us who was fond of eating loads of garlic. Now that breaks all records in the annoyance factor when you are all at the same end of the pool, mid-set, gasping for breath together.

Maybe we need another thread: What is your pool's etiquette? Our senior lifeguards make well above minimum with full benefit packages, 401k, and domestic partnership. Rules posted for lap swimming actually say: if you have a problem talk to a lifeguard. So, you know, I expect them to do something. Supposedly, if you are repeatedly passed you should move to the next slowest lane. I don't recall ever having seen anyone do this, but recommend involving a lifeguard if you are the passing party and someone isn't speeding up or moving to another lane. I've watched guys stand at the end of a lane, express frustration that someone is swimming too slowly in their lane, and openly plot to "take him out." That's very disturbing and not in the spirit of good swimming sportsmanship. Most of my swims are with elderly, disabled, and aerobic people. A little kindness has gone a long way in the free area. They don't try to chat me up very often, they move to give me some room, and they cheer me on! In return, I don't splash them, intimidate them, or hog the area. :)