I was at a huge meet recently (more than 600 swimmers) and thus the warmup/warmdown pool (3 lanes, 25 yards) was very crowded.
There were about 5 people in the lane I was warming up in, including one guy who kept barreling into the wall when there were two of us already there, who did flip turns at full force and nearly killed me with one, and then kept swimming down the middle of the lane between the two-way circling traffic.
I felt this was dangerous. I stopped him by pulling on his suit and told him so. He said something back that wasn't "Oh, sorry!" and continued to barrel around people.
I got out.
What is the etiquette for warmup/warmdown pools at such large meets? I know people need to sprint some, but this guy really could have hurt me or any of the other swimmers in the lane.
I tried to search to see if this has been discussed before but didn't find anything. I know that most accidents/injuries at meets occur in the warmup/warmdown pool.
What is the etiquette? Should I have gotten a more official person to tell this guy to respect the other swimmers?
P.S. I swam all my events despite only 3 weeks back in the water, including the 400 IM, which I decided to consider performance art.
Etiquette dictates that you do not impede any other swimmers on purpose. If you were standing in front of the cross at the wall, you were in the wrong. If he aimed for you, he was wrong also.
Gabbing in warmup lanes is usually OK, but by the description you gave, it would have been just thoughtless. There was not enough warmup space to begin with for a meet that size and swimmers sitting idly in the lanes or at the walls compunds an already impossible situation.
I was that guy in a meet about a year ago, and Ahelee was the recipient of a terse, "please don't block the wall" from me as I tried to turn. This shows that, in certain cases, we all can be what we preach against if we are not aware of where we are and why. Me, for being rude, and her for blocking the wall without realizing it.
We all need to remember where we are and why, realizing what it means to everyone. And that really means that everyone has different reasons and motives to be there, none of which, I presume, is to get in the face of other people.
Ahelee, sorry for growling at you. I wanted to turn more than I wanted to be polite and that was wrong of me.
Etiquette dictates that you do not impede any other swimmers on purpose. If you were standing in front of the cross at the wall, you were in the wrong. If he aimed for you, he was wrong also.
Gabbing in warmup lanes is usually OK, but by the description you gave, it would have been just thoughtless. There was not enough warmup space to begin with for a meet that size and swimmers sitting idly in the lanes or at the walls compunds an already impossible situation.
I was that guy in a meet about a year ago, and Ahelee was the recipient of a terse, "please don't block the wall" from me as I tried to turn. This shows that, in certain cases, we all can be what we preach against if we are not aware of where we are and why. Me, for being rude, and her for blocking the wall without realizing it.
We all need to remember where we are and why, realizing what it means to everyone. And that really means that everyone has different reasons and motives to be there, none of which, I presume, is to get in the face of other people.
Ahelee, sorry for growling at you. I wanted to turn more than I wanted to be polite and that was wrong of me.
