How Many Swimmers Per Lane

RE: How Many Swimmers Per Lane

swimcat — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 10:47:16 GMT

i think a lot has to do with the time of the practice and where. the noon practice where i swim has the least amount of swimmers so therfore, short course max 3 and this is only in the fall if something else is going on, but most of the time 1 . long course 6 or more on weekends, on week days 3 max. right now, i am usually alone yes, because i am wearing fins (shoulder injury), and also maybe because i am a bit of a brat:lmao:

RE: How Many Swimmers Per Lane

Former Member — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:01:41 GMT

My opinion is this shouldn't be the lifeguards' responsibility. Their job is not to enforce pool etiquette. As a lifeguard and swimmer I disagree but not from an etiquette POV--a safety view. I watched one guy zig-zagging between 2 others it was acollision waiting to happen. I'd rarther not have to perform a deep water rescue and/or first aid if I can tell them to circle swim. Lane speed is tricky to enforce, b/c people still prefer to split than circle in appropriate speed but if there is 3 folks cirling and it's dangeous I'll step in. It's a tough call b/c not all folks are as happy about swimming and circling. Then you get the "I was here first" type of folks and such.

RE: How Many Swimmers Per Lane

Chris Stevenson — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:26:23 GMT

it all varies LCM 5, 6, 7, or 8 SCY 2, 3, 4, or 5 5 is about the limit SCY if we train on 35 / 100 pace swimmers will turn around 30 lead swimmer leaves on 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 6 swimmers in 1 SCY lane fills it up slower lanes can fit more but the funny thing is usually slower lanes aren't as full as a faster lanes Although 3-5 is more typical, every once in a while we have 7 swimmers per lane in SCY, then we have to leave 3 sec apart. Even so, it is still harder to do longer swims b/c of the disparity in speed between the first and the last person and the difficulty in passing in a crowded lane. I've noticed that the age groupers can often crowd more than masters swimmers because, within each lane, they are closer to the same speed. The problem isn't just crowding, it is the variability in speed. As far as passing goes, it is the responsibility of the passer. The slower person should not have to stop or slow -- indeed, s/he should not do anything differently...except perhaps be aware that s/he is being passed, swim in the proper part of the lane (esp not too far to the center) and don't do anything radical like speed up or move over suddenly.

RE: How Many Swimmers Per Lane

ande — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:33:58 GMT

RE: How Many Swimmers Per Lane

Midas — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 07:21:59 GMT

As far as passing goes, it is the responsibility of the passer. The slower person should not have to stop or slow -- indeed, s/he should not do anything differently...except perhaps be aware that s/he is being passed, swim in the proper part of the lane (esp not too far to the center) and don't do anything radical like speed up or move over suddenly. That's interesting to hear you say that, because I have the opposite view. I think the person getting passed should stop at the next wall and get out of the passing person's way. This is also the way it works in my lane (the person getting passed will stop to let the faster person by) so that might also influence my view of what is "right". But in any event it seems reasonably fair to me. It's the slower person holding the faster person up, so it should be the slower person to defer... EDIT: I made a new thread for this tangent topic: forums.usms.org/showthread.php Hopefully it's not duplicative of either this thread or any existing threads!

RE: How Many Swimmers Per Lane

aztimm — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 07:00:17 GMT

On a related note, our coach is usually fantastic with maintaining equal distribution of swimmers throughout the lanes, and moving people around based on speed. As someone else mentioned, on some days the fastest lane could have 6-7 swimmers, while a lane 2 down only has 2. There's days when I get in my, "usual," lane (3rd fastest), and the coach will ask me to move to one of the faster or slower lanes to even things out. I'll usually assess the number of swimmers in the lanes on either side, and move over on my own, depending on the set and the speed of the swimmers in those lanes. When we've done some FAST sets (such as 100s on 6:00), he does 2 (or 3) swimmers per heat (10 sec apart), with heats 2 minutes apart. Even our slowest swimmers can do a 100 SCY in 2:00, so it works out very well.

RE: How Many Swimmers Per Lane

Midas — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 06:52:08 GMT

Every group I've swam with has this issue. While visiting Tucson last week, I swam with the team there, and was elected to lead the lane, even though I didn't know or understand their system for intervals. I just went with the next lane, figuring if they didn't like it someone else could lead. I don't mind leading, but what I do mind is when someone doesn't want to lead, yet catches me fairly quickly. It screws up my set to have to stop to let them pass. I hear that. I really hate it when somebody refuses to lead but then gets right up my tailpipe and coasts. I presume it can't actually be slowing me down, but in my mind it feels like I'm literally dragging the person along. I try to maintain that 5 second distance when going second (or later) in my lane. That's usually not too hard. I swim with some very fast people!

RE: How Many Swimmers Per Lane

Former Member — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 05:31:47 GMT

As far as passing goes, it is the responsibility of the passer. The slower person should not have to stop or slow -- indeed, s/he should not do anything differently...except perhaps be aware that s/he is being passed, swim in the proper part of the lane (esp not too far to the center) and don't do anything radical like speed up or move over suddenly. Except that in a lot of cases (public lane swims, I mean, as opposed to club swims) the person being passed will try to put on some speed and avoid being shown off. I, knowing, most of the swimmers quirks and their idiosyncrasies, will when overtaking them, put on a spurt of speed so as not to give them time to react and I'll stop kicking as my feet come up to their head level so that they think that I have overtaken them (so fast) using only arm pull.

RE: How Many Swimmers Per Lane

Former Member — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 05:23:31 GMT

As a lifeguard and swimmer I disagree but not from an etiquette POV--a safety view. I watched one guy zig-zagging between 2 others it was acollision waiting to happen. I'd rarther not have to perform a deep water rescue and/or first aid if I can tell them to circle swim. Lane speed is tricky to enforce, b/c people still prefer to split than circle in appropriate speed but if there is 3 folks cirling and it's dangeous I'll step in. It's a tough call b/c not all folks are as happy about swimming and circling. Then you get the "I was here first" type of folks and such. What irks me most are the s---l---o---w swimmers in the fast lanes (public lanes swims) who, if asked to move to a slower lane, complain that the slower lanes are too crowded (completely ignoring the fact that they are causing crowding in the fast lanes and disrupting the tempos.) Whenever I hear one of those (usually -let's call them- ladies), I'll overtake them as often as I can and cut in right in front of them, almost flutter-kicking them in the face. Most of them eventually get the message. The one or two who complained to me, were told that, "Sorry, you're swimming too slowly for this lane and it was either cut in front of you SAFELY - I know what I am doing - or collide with slow swimmers coming in the opposite direction overtaking other even slower swimmers, thus creating havoc. This is the "fast" lane." P.S. I do however have to add a P.S. I confess that if the slow swimmer in my lane happens to be a very attractive (keyword) woman (18-60), I'll "suffer" her presence in silence.

RE: How Many Swimmers Per Lane

SLOmmafan — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 01:15:14 GMT

I swim at a private club, which typically has members who only like 2 people in a lane (split lane vs. circle swim). However, I swim with usually 3-4 other people for our morning workout (LC meters) and we will swim together even if there is another empty lane. We tend to push each other harder by staying in the same lane - no slacking off with a person on your feet!!

RE: How Many Swimmers Per Lane

Former Member — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:34:30 GMT

6 per lane SCY - that's crowded, impossible to do anything over 100. LCM I've seen 12 and it wasn't bad at all even for 300s. Everyone was close in speed, and the first person would come around on the first 100 in about 1:15 and not even sniff lapping person #12. I swim at a community pool sometimes and I can't believe that people will sit on deck and wait to get their own lane. Isn't sharing one of the 1st things you learn in pre-K? I asked a guy waiting the other day and he said "no I'll wait til you're done" little did he know I still had about 2,000 to go. And the lifeguards are half the problem because they should be telling folks to circle swim and labeling the lanes as slow, medium, fast, etc. If you occasionally have to split a lane and think that's an inconvenience, get over yourself. You have no idea how lucky you are to have that kind of space.

RE: How Many Swimmers Per Lane

Former Member — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:01:54 GMT

Had my own lane today. Long course.

RE: How Many Swimmers Per Lane

pwolf66 — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:55:26 GMT

And the lifeguards are half the problem because they should be telling folks to circle swim and labeling the lanes as slow, medium, fast, etc. OMG, do NOT get me started on this. I have asked the center manager to throw the big sign boards away. her response 'why?' um because there is no enforcement????

RE: How Many Swimmers Per Lane

Rykno — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:23:22 GMT

our masters group is so small only 4, but we swim with the HS kids that don't want to train 7 days a week, so we're 15 total in the group and we get 3 lanes. we usually have 3-4 per lane. we usually have 2-3 work outs to choose from, so it's happened that we have had 2 + 5 + 4 per lane since only two of us wanted to work distance. towards the end of the school year we were 2-3 per practice, but decided to swim in the same lane, since some people like to swim on the tales of others, and some people need to be pushed to swim fast.

RE: How Many Swimmers Per Lane

knelson — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:02:37 GMT

This summer it's been one or two to a lane when I swim short course and typically 4-10 per lane long course. During the winter up to six per lane is not uncommon, but it varies considerably through the week.

RE: How Many Swimmers Per Lane

Donna — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:02:09 GMT

In my old masters group we would have up to 6-7 per lane SC when we were outside last summer in a community pool. Narrow lanes, no fun, lots of bruises from that. With the older kids group that I swim with now we get 3-5 for SC and 8-9 LC. Not too much of a problem even with them being so much faster than me.

RE: How Many Swimmers Per Lane

Michael Heather — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 11:48:45 GMT

I have been barely wet for 4 months because of a shoulder injury and not even near a pool for 3 weeks, and the first time I get back into workout (with up to 7 per lane LCM), they all look at me to go first. So I do. And they mostly do not want to pass me, they just drag off of my wake. The lane does have honor, though. If someone has led and is gassed out (that would be me), someone else will take the lead after a reasonable whining period and arguing who is worse at (insert stroke and/or distance here).

RE: How Many Swimmers Per Lane

knelson — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 11:23:17 GMT

I don't mind leading, but what I do mind is when someone doesn't want to lead, yet catches me fairly quickly. It screws up my set to have to stop to let them pass. The solution to this is to make them pass you. No need to stop for them.

RE: How Many Swimmers Per Lane

some_girl — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:48:04 GMT

I'd say 4 to 5 is average, but it can definitely get up to 6 or 7 if it is packed, and 2 isn't uncommon. A lane to yourself is pretty much a Sunday treat, if ever. More than 5 definitely means leaving 3s apart and either getting lapped constantly or short repeats. Are all you folks with one or two per lane either on small teams or are you mostly in big pools? Our biggest pool is only six lanes (one is five lanes, the other four), and we have a fair range in speed, so you can also get into a situation where you have six in one lane and two in another, but that is still easier than trying to spread out.

RE: How Many Swimmers Per Lane

tjrpatt — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:51:40 GMT

You could look it up on Snopes.com, but they may not have it. I swim at Walnut Creek just about every day, right after I get off the deck in Oakland. I've been swimming with Coach O'Brien since 1982, long before I started coaching. So I feel empowered to tell you that what you "heard" qaulifies as an urban legend of the Masters Swimming variety. The Creekers swim in ten lanes of a 50 M pool going across (25 yds) at most of their practices, some are LCM (5 lanes) part of the year, and more often than not there will be at least three to a lane, five is not rare. If you tried to identify this "fast woman" you'd have a problem, one because she wouldn't be alone in her own lane, and two there's a lot of really fast women on that team. So do drop in for a practice if you're in the neighborhood. You and your Philly pals will get a wonderful welcome, a great workout, and maybe an a** kicking from several of those fast WCM women. I am sure that we would get a great workout and some asskicking from some of the WCM women. I am really not clear on the Masters team but I could have sworn it had Creek in it, I think. Snopes.com, never heard of it until your post. I was just going off on the idea that someone would forbid others from entering his/her lane and everyone would go along with it including the coaches. But, It could be an Masters Urban Legend.

RE: How Many Swimmers Per Lane

Former Member — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:09:19 GMT

My opinion is this shouldn't be the lifeguards' responsibility. Their job is not to enforce pool etiquette. Actually, it usually IS the lifeguards responsibility. A while (while!) back when I was a lifeguard it was right in our handbook that we not only had to display the placards indicating lane-speed, we were also to tell the members that circle-swimming was the rule if it became an issue. That was at a YMCA. At the community pool I swim at, the members handbook states that during lap swim hours, "patrons will circle-swim in the lap lanes, staying to the right side of the lane." Now there never usually are enough people during lunch-time for that, but we've had two to a lane. Technically we are violating the rules when we "split" the lane rather than circle. But it doesn't matter, the guards are more interested in watching the clock to see when they get to rotate again.

RE: How Many Swimmers Per Lane

Arlene — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 08:42:02 GMT

This is for two of the questions. I swim in a 10 lane pool, 25 yardsX25 meters. We only swim yards. Usually 3-5 swimmers. Sometimes I get lucky and am one of two. It doesn't matter which workout I go to, i'm never alone. With regards to leading off, everyone argues about who should go first in whatever lane I'm swimming in. When I don't feel very energetic, i move down a lane, but my coach makes me move back. I don't like to lead because my mind wanders (duh!) and I forget where I am. The older I get, the more I think about things when I swim. Glad to see I'm not the only one. Arlene:violin:

RE: How Many Swimmers Per Lane

elise526 — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 08:40:40 GMT

We swim one to a lane or split the lane. I'm not sure folks around here would know how to circle swim. Getting your own lane does spoil you since there are no worries about doing full-stroke fly and you can come off the wall in the middle of the lane.

RE: How Many Swimmers Per Lane

aztimm — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 08:11:41 GMT

Don't want you to get the wrong impression--that's absolutely the case with my lane too. Everybody wants to go second. It's a test of wills to see who will lead, almost like a game of chicken. We all know we're starting the next set on the top, but no one knows who will push off first until someone "blinks first" and caves. Every group I've swam with has this issue. While visiting Tucson last week, I swam with the team there, and was elected to lead the lane, even though I didn't know or understand their system for intervals. I just went with the next lane, figuring if they didn't like it someone else could lead. I don't mind leading, but what I do mind is when someone doesn't want to lead, yet catches me fairly quickly. It screws up my set to have to stop to let them pass.

RE: How Many Swimmers Per Lane

Former Member — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 07:45:08 GMT

I usually get the pool to myself most mornings!!!!! LOL At least when I can swim:doh: