Lane Etiquette (question on moving lanes)

Former Member
Former Member
I was wondering whether anyone had problems moving up a lane. I find myself frequently leading the lane; not by choice, but because I have slowly become a bit faster than my usual lane mates. (In fact, today I think they were getting a little annoyed because I was trying to keep us moving along quickly to the next set.) I would move into the next lane, but I am usually reluctant to because often I am not familiar with the pace of the people in the next lane and I'm afraid I won't be able to keep up and they'll laugh me right out of the pool! I suppose I also have a bit of a complex because last week a woman who is only slightly faster than me, whom I have successfully swum with before, moved out of my lane during warm up and into the next lane with two other men. I ended up swimming by myself when there were three swimmers in the next lane! Not sure what that was all about, but it sort of hurt my feelings. :badday: (Of note, I pretty much kept up with that lane during the entire workout, so it's not like I am dreadfully slow.) Of course, it's possible I am being overly-sensitive, but I am relatively new to this team and I truly don't want to offend or annoy anyone. Any tips to resolving that conflict in your head as you decide which lane to dive into right before you start your warm up?
Parents
  • It doesn't hurt to challenge yourself every once in a while. If you think you can hang with the next lane up, go for it. Unless your current lanemates suck at math and can't figure out intervals, they'll quickly move on to life without you. Asking your coach for their opinion is a good idea too. They may have something insane planned for your target lane (say you're usually at 1:25 base, and they usually go on the 1:20 base, and coach has them doing stuff on 1:10 today), and if that is indeed the case, it is not something I'd want to get mixed up in on my first day out of my comfort zone. Then again, as I started, it doesn't hurt to challenge yourself every once in a while.
Reply
  • It doesn't hurt to challenge yourself every once in a while. If you think you can hang with the next lane up, go for it. Unless your current lanemates suck at math and can't figure out intervals, they'll quickly move on to life without you. Asking your coach for their opinion is a good idea too. They may have something insane planned for your target lane (say you're usually at 1:25 base, and they usually go on the 1:20 base, and coach has them doing stuff on 1:10 today), and if that is indeed the case, it is not something I'd want to get mixed up in on my first day out of my comfort zone. Then again, as I started, it doesn't hurt to challenge yourself every once in a while.
Children
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