This is really annoying to me, but why does it seem the first option for most rec swimmers is to split the lane when there are 2 swimmers. I always say we should swim circle if I am in the lane and someone else is coming in, but if I am coming in the person usually wants to split the lane. It is so unnatural to be swimming on the left side of the lane.
I prefer splitting as opposed to circle swimming on the rare event that I swim during open swim. Sure, when a third person tries to join, everyone needs to understand to shift to circle but unless the 2 people in the lane are approximately the same speed, there will be quite a lot of passing.
I was splitting a lane with another person one morning when a lady came into our lane and insisted we circle. I said fine then noticed that there was a lane next to us with only one swimmer. I made the recommendation that she mosey over to the other lane and split with that person, saving us the trouble of ruining our workouts. She refused and told me to go over. :mad:Why insist on circle swimming when you could split, she clearly couldn't hang with our lane. A long story short she told on me to the lifeguards(they told me she wouldn't have been able to keep pace) and stormed out of the pool. 15 minutes later she came back and tried to get in again, fed up and already out of rhythm and focus I ended my workout short and told her she could have the lane. Without saying anything she stormed away and never came back. The next couple of days it just so happened that her and I shared a lane, well that was when I insisted on doing fly and kick sets. There is no point in circle swimming if there are only 2 to a lane and you are doing different workouts.
In the masters club I swam with, we never circle swam with two per lane, it was always split, until we had a third swimmer come in, then we circled. And of course when we did circle, the swimmers were matched.
I think its normal to split a lane with two than circle especially if you're swimming in a public pool during lap swim times. Fortunately, it hasn't been crowded enough to have three swimmers in a lane.
Chris
I swam with Mel Nash at Greater Pitt Swim Club on Twin Oaks Drive in Penn Hills (near Plum Boro) when it was coached by *** Bower. Mel was a good five or six years older than me. We little age groupers pulled a prank or two on good old Mel. GPSC had Mel, Ricky Hoffstetter, Billy Glasstetter, Billy Bower, Scott Root, Reed Slevin, Moochy and Jody Eyles, Kathy Stettler, and a host of awesome swimmers - for the East Coast anyways. We were the tri-state powerhouse along with LEC and CPM.
How is masters swimming in western PA? Seems a little limited...
All's well in PA. Alas, no be-floatied candy-stripers in lane 3 of the Sewickley Valley Family YMCA today. I plodded along 160 lengths with nary a soul to be molested by or to molest.
I was thinking about Penn Hills swimming just the other day. Did you ever swim here in the Mel Nash era? Seems like he swam for the Suburban Swim Club, which was once (and maybe still is) headquartered somewhere near or on Rodi Road in Penn Hills.
Because, more that likely you are doing different workouts/strokes/etc. Who wants to keep passing or getting passed over and over. It gets old REAL quick. Plus you should swim straight in a meet...I used to have the bad habit of circle swimming in a meet due to doing it day in and day out with my team.
Spllit until a 3rd trys to join.
I prefer splitting if there are only two of us. It's a lot easier than having to pass over and over or be passed. Circle swimming only really works well if the people sharing the lane are about the same speed
I greatly prefer splitting a lane with two swimmers rather than circle swim - mostly because we are almost never swimming the same workout. The very few times I circle swim I enjoy drafting behind someone and am always surprised how strong the draft can be.
The only real drawback of splitting lanes is when we hit the wall at the same time and turn simultaneously. But that can also increase the competition (a good thing).
I have no problem swimming right or left side of the lane.
Why should rec swimmers follow the conventions of club swimmers?
This is a nonstarter.
100% agree.
As it is, the rec swimmers don't like swimming with me because I make a lot of wake. When I share a lane with them I don't swim fly out of consideration, so the feeling is mutual.
Just because two people "swim" doesn't mean they are equal.
One time I was splitting a lane with an older gentleman. I was tired and became disoriented after a flip turn. Instead of stopping and checking the situation, I continued swimming and collided with the dude. Hokey Smokes, was he mad...... oops.
