Why do rec swimmers split the lane?

I have never done circle swimming at a rec pool, and have no plans to ever do so. It would be unbelievably frustrating and annoying. I'd be plowing over/into people constantly with the amount I do backstroke ... No thanks.

Um, no, which is why I said we split if doing different stuff within a set. I guess if you always split it's fine but going back and forth gets me confused. Plus, our team circles 95% of the time. The thread topic was about rec swimming, not team swimming. I think most teams have to circle due to space issues. I was just saying that having been a swimmer for a long time doesn't immediately translate into needing to circle when rec swimming.

Circle swim should be the LAST RESORT. I like what my YMCA has done. They post rules for lap swimming. And it calls for circle swimming only when there are three or more in the lane. (And our etiquette calls for adding a 3rd to a lane only when all other lap swim lanes have two each.) And if you are the 3rd to join a lane, it is up to you to stop the other two and let them know you are in there and y'all will be circling. And if you are going to be the 3rd in a lane, assess all the lanes and get into one where the others are of similar capability/speed. Please, Ms. Manatee, don't try to do your cadaver-float-stroke in my lane. And they posted circle swim etiquette points, such as STOP AT THE WALL AND LET THE FASTER SWIMMER PASS when he is catching up to you. They also call for circlers to move at least to the center of the lane when you get to the wall and turn. But, dudes and dudettes, circle should be the last resort.

I'm closer to a lap swimmer than a master's swimmer, and I prefer to split the lane, regardless of whether the lane mate is faster or slower than me. It is easier to understand the idea and easier to do. Granted, once you have swum literally thousands of miles in a circle, that will seem easier. Remember most lap/rec swimmers have never practiced the way you do. And frankly, it's intimidating enough swimming with someone way faster than you without having it emphasized by them lapping you every 90 seconds.

And frankly, it's intimidating enough swimming with someone way faster than you without having it emphasized by them lapping you every 90 seconds. Exactly, it would throw Ben Bloom into a spin ... his poor learning levels al out of whack.

I have never done circle swimming at a rec pool, and have no plans to ever do so. It would be unbelievably frustrating and annoying. I'd be plowing over/into people constantly with the amount I do backstroke ... No thanks. If there are only two people in the lane I completely agree! There is no reason for me to keep passing someone time and time again or waiting for that person if we are nearing the end of the lane...

Oh, and one more thing. . . While I, too, prefer the ease of having a lane to myself, I don't get upset when I have to share. Pools are expensive to maintain, and if usage is low, that pool is in danger. I'll gladly split or circle if it means my pool stays open, healthy, and convenient.

Granted, once you have swum literally thousands of miles in a circle, that will seem easier. I wouldn't cede that point so quickly. Teams have to circle swim due to the number of bodies, but at least they practice together daily so they are divided by speed and a limited number of passes occur. At rec pools, we aren't divided that way, and even if we have a routine, the mix of summers varies almost daily. I circle swam for years on a club team, but much prefer to split in a rec pool where there is no guage on speed. Even the more savvy Y's that have posted speeds for lanes present confusing situations. At a Y in Chicago, I was the fastest in the pool, but at a pool in Arlington VA, I was doing good to keep up with the moderate folks so choosing a lane is guesswork. Fortunately, at my home Y, splitting is only occasionally needed so when it happens, I choose the courteous route and never swim fly or use paddles, and I stagger kick sets to minimize waves.

Why can't rec. swimmers wait on the wall, until the person in the lane knows he/she is there to swim? I get run into more often than not by a rec. swimmer who doesn't know to wait until the person/persons in the lane know they are there...geezz

I agree.I spent years circle swimming and while I'm just a lap swimmer at the moment, I prefer to split the lane. I am about middle speed compared to the lap swimmers that do come and swim (some days I am the fastest and that ain't sayin' much, believe me). I always split if possible or I'd be lapping people or they'd be lapping me.