How do you deal with a slow non-stop swimmer in your lane?

RE: How do you deal with a slow non-stop swimmer in your lane?

knelson — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 12:11:48 GMT

The onus is on her to stop at the wall and let the faster swimmer pass. I disagree. A faster swimmer can pass a slower swimmer easily and then neither party has to stop swimming unnecessarily.

RE: How do you deal with a slow non-stop swimmer in your lane?

DeniseMW — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 10:59:29 GMT

I just want to put in a word for slow people. I sympathize with those of you who are fast swimmers. I see you guys at my pool, and I wish I could jump in and keep up with you, do what you do. I know it must be frustrating for folks who compete and/or are fast swimmers, but we're not slow because we're lazy or don't want to go faster. For slow pokes, of which I'm one, it's a matter of ability, and it takes time to build up to swimming at a pace where you aren't getting in anyone's way. For the most part, the folks here on the boards are pretty fast. Most of you have been swimming since you were kids. But that's not true for everyone. Most of us try to be respectful and stick to the slow lane, or swim in our own lane. But if the number of lanes is small and shared by people of varying abilities, it's not possible. I think it's the responsibility of both to reach accommodation, but in particular the faster swimmers because you understand safety and are comfortable in the water, you understand the rules of courtesy, whereas the slow swimmer may not be. I applaud the slow swimmer who can go non-stop, because at this point I can't and it frustrates the heck out of me that I have to keep stopping to catch my breath. It makes me want to cry and quit. AJS62680, that's not a fair comparison. I see a lot of people in the "passing" lane going at or below the speed limit, because they can. For slow swimmers, it's not a because I can attitude. It's because I can't. ScarletSwimmer is right, that everyone has a right to be in the pool. If you want to share your love of the sport and encourage others, then teach the less experienced through your example of kindness and support, not with a grumpy get the heck out of my way you're impeding my progress attitude which, unfortunately, I see in a lot of posts.

RE: How do you deal with a slow non-stop swimmer in your lane?

Former Member — Sat, 30 Aug 2014 11:17:34 GMT

She has as much right to a good swim in that lane as you do. Deal with it and get over yourselves. You must be one of these swimmers. That's like driving slow in the fast lane on the road because "you have a right to be there".

RE: How do you deal with a slow non-stop swimmer in your lane?

Former Member — Sat, 30 Aug 2014 11:16:15 GMT

My opinion is she's really not under any obligation to stop. She wants to get in and swim continuously. Sure it would be nice if she stopped to let people pass, but I don't like interrupting my swims for other swimmers, either. I really think the onus is on the faster swimmers to pass her, not for her to stop. The onus is on her to stop at the wall and let the faster swimmer pass.

RE: How do you deal with a slow non-stop swimmer in your lane?

orca1946 — Sat, 30 Aug 2014 07:11:38 GMT

The kids will then jump into the splash & grab lane & get away from from the real swimmers lanes, I hope.

RE: How do you deal with a slow non-stop swimmer in your lane?

knelson — Mon, 25 Aug 2014 02:59:34 GMT

Honestly, I'd never seen anyone act like that in the pool. Stick around long enough and you'll see it plenty. People (kids and teens especially) with no experience with lap swimming etiquette pull this kind of trick all the time. The good thing is 99% of the time they leave after five minutes.

RE: How do you deal with a slow non-stop swimmer in your lane?

DeniseMW — Sat, 23 Aug 2014 09:08:22 GMT

Yesterday, a couple of teenagers jumped into the lane next to mine, ignoring the person sitting at the opposite end getting ready to swim. They took off from the wall, side by side, swimming as fast as they could with their heads out of the water. Honestly, I'd never seen anyone act like that in the pool.

RE: How do you deal with a slow non-stop swimmer in your lane?

vwood123 — Fri, 22 Aug 2014 08:32:04 GMT

We are lucky in Santa Barbara. The pool is next to the ocean. I would just go back to swimming in the ocean. The cold water is good for you. Real ocean swimmers don't wear wet suits .

RE: How do you deal with a slow non-stop swimmer in your lane?

FindingMyInnerFish — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 04:41:55 GMT

Turn in the middle of the pool so you can position yourself just in front of the swimmer and at least get part of your swimming done at your preferred speed. It does work better LCM than SCY, though; and it does screw up your own workout. I've also bagged my plans for fast intervals or other swims where my swim times were important and did drills/kick/offstrokes until the offender left. I have encountered some swimmers in public lap swim who are 2:30/50y with a wide scissors kick and flat arm recovery "freestyle". They are impossible to pass or even tap their toes without risking injury. It hurts even watching their technique. One facility "solved" this type of complaint by putting up signs limiting swim workouts to 15 minutes !! It is a very strong argument for training in an organized workout (USMS workout) or shifting your workout times. The folks who swim 6AM are an order of magnitude better caliber than those that swim at 6PM at the fitness club I sometimes swim at. Good suggestions about doing drills when an incompatible swimmer is in one's lane. I have also found that sets of short sprints (25s/50s) are good b/c I can then recheck often to see if another lane has opened up or if the mismatched swimmer has left. I can also then pretty much take a look down the lane to get a sense of when to start and whether there's a "straight shot" path I can thread past the other swimmer. If I'm doing something w/ distance, I commit to it longer and thus don't have a chance to keep an eye out for a lane opening so that I can make the switch before I lose my chance. Fortunately, of late, I haven't had too much of a crowd during my swim periods. Had a nice response yesterday from a swimmer in the next lane (the pool was uncrowded so we each had our own lane). The gent was doing a head-up Weismuller type stroke, and I was doing some 50s. At one point, while we were both pausing at the wall, the man said, "Wow, you must be a pro!" Well, truth to tell, Michael Phelps can do a 100 and then some before I finish a 50 (right now I'm chasing a "blazing" 55 seconds), but it was still a sweet thing to hear! :) In between a couple repeats, I noticed that the man was trying to swim as fast as he could, and so figured he deserved some encouragement. "Not bad!" I said to him--and gently asked if he'd like to try it putting his face in the water--that it might make swimming a bit easier. Then I showed him the breathing. He said he hadn't ever learned the breathing, so was very appreciative and thanked me. Fortunately, the sparsity of swimmers allowed for us each to do our own swim. I can feel as frustrated as anyone when I'm in a lane with someone who is unaware of pool etiquette and whose swimming style is incompatible with mine, but I'm grateful for experiences in which swimmers at different levels can give each other a boost. Heck, how many times does anyone call me a pro in the pool! :) And I was glad I could offer a little help to him.

RE: How do you deal with a slow non-stop swimmer in your lane?

Former Member — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:56:17 GMT

There is a swimmer in our pool whose appearance is "dreaded" by many of us. What's the best way to deal with such a fellow swimmer? Pull out your kickboard and do a long kick set! Sometimes that is all you can do with a slow lane........even if you end up kicking faster than they can swim, you don't have to pass as frequently. You'll keep your heart rate up and your blood pressure down. However, I don't understand a few things that are happening in your lane. First of all, swimming 3 parallel in a lane sounds insane...you need to circle with more than two swimmers. And second, why are you standing at the wall waiting for her to stop and let you go? Why don't you push off and go before she gets there? There are lots of ways you can adjust your workout to make the best of what shows up in the lane.

RE: How do you deal with a slow non-stop swimmer in your lane?

Former Member — Sun, 31 May 2009 15:17:23 GMT

RE: How do you deal with a slow non-stop swimmer in your lane?

tjrpatt — Sun, 31 May 2009 11:54:01 GMT

I realize this is actually off-topic, because it wasn't a problem, but I like happy stories. Last Monday, I was in a lane with one of our slowest swimmers. This 55 year old had trouble completing a single lap when she started last summer, but tries to tackle whatever the coaches ask her to do. She even had the guts to race at Nationals and did a 40.8 in the 50 Free and 1:30 in the 100. It wasn't crowded, so people were picking lanes based on space, not speed. Another guy who is around the same speed as this 55 year old joined us, so we circled. It worked out fine, mainly because both are very nice people and 3 people in a LCM lane is still plenty of room even with a big range in workout pace. I told them not to stop when I come up on them, it's my job to go around and not interfere with their workout. They could do a 600 while I did an 800. At one point, Coach was working with both of them on technique & I was able to pitch in some help due to my underwater view of their strokes. As for my wake, the 55 year old thought it was helpful because she's talking about trying to tackle an OW. Nice story. My lanemate is working on his freestyle tech. right now so he can go all out right so I will just pass him or he will stop at the wall. We have a system in pass right now. Slow people in LCM is not an issue because you have enough room to pass someone and you don't have to put extra energy pass them like you do in Short Course. Here is a story from my college days. One day, this former American U/1996 Olympian swimmer was training with us one day. It was me, a fellow teammate(another douche) and the Olympian. Why I was in this lane that day, I will never know because I was the very very slow one that day. The scholarship guys should have been in that lane, not me. Well, the Olympian was obviously lapping me like nobody's business. But, this douche later was telling people that I should stop at the wall when he was going to pass me. Sorry, I was raised at my age group program like that. Of course, he never said this to me. Just because you got 9th in the 1996 Olympics in the 400 IM, I wasn't going to stop my swimming so he could pass me the easy way. From the famous word of Whitney Houston, "Awwh! Hell to the Nawww!!!!" I guess that I was supposed to bend over backwards for him and ruin my practice efforts because the almighty was in my lane today. :censor:

RE: How do you deal with a slow non-stop swimmer in your lane?

Former Member — Sun, 31 May 2009 07:00:04 GMT

RE: How do you deal with a slow non-stop swimmer in your lane?

Former Member — Sat, 30 May 2009 15:23:56 GMT

The fact is we all have to get along. Does she join the lane or do you all? If she joins, then yeah, someone should explain the rules of the road to her. Nicely. If you join her, then you have to accommodate to her pace. Sorry, faster swimmers don't own the pool. I'm appalled at how many of you would "swim fly", create turbulence or otherwise harass this woman.

RE: How do you deal with a slow non-stop swimmer in your lane?

Former Member — Sat, 30 May 2009 08:26:34 GMT

My team has a guy that wears an old, seriously big, nylon drag suit. It is so big, or maybe he just doesn't tie it, that you can see his butt crack when he stops on the wall, does a flip turn, swims breaststroke, etc. He has a decent body, but COME ON! I will NOT swim near him because I cannot stand to look at his butt crack throughout the whole practice. We don't just see a little crack, we see more than half of it, especially when he stops on the wall and makes sure that his backside is facing the oncoming swimmer. If talking to her doesn't work, pull out the dirty tricks and gross her out.

RE: How do you deal with a slow non-stop swimmer in your lane?

Former Member — Fri, 29 May 2009 16:16:33 GMT

She's not old, she's in her 20's. Yes, the lane is very narrow, it seems to be built for exactly 2 people in parallel and no more. ddl, are the lanes circle swim? they should be, if they are not it is unsafe. The approach is simple: if she shows up in your lane, stop at the end and wait. Stop all the swimmers and announce that you are going to circle swim because it is unsafe otherwise. If she disagrees, tell management. Word it like this, "there is a swimmer who is not cooperating with the rest of the lane and she has created a dangerous environment for everyone else." 95% chance that it works. Also, considering you haven't spoken to her, there seems to be some/alot of assumptions made about her behavior that are based on pure speculation. I do that too, but in reality the only one that hurts is you. It is tough to take a step back and give people the benefit of the doubt, but you will live longer and be happier if you do. The suggestions that you make it uncomfortable for her are ridiculous. If you really want to go that route, why don't you just punch her in the face? That would be way more effective.

RE: How do you deal with a slow non-stop swimmer in your lane?

Former Member — Fri, 29 May 2009 14:44:09 GMT

Some of you are very cosiderate of others when handling slow swimmers. Some of you are water terroists.

RE: How do you deal with a slow non-stop swimmer in your lane?

Former Member — Fri, 29 May 2009 14:13:24 GMT

find a group to swim with. this doesn't have to be large, but 2 others make a good lane group and the slow poke may be less likely to want to join your lane. if you don't know anyone who is available to swim your hours, put an ad in the paper. offer small compensation like sports drinks and peanut butter crackers if they successfully deter "the dreaded one" from joining your lane.

RE: How do you deal with a slow non-stop swimmer in your lane?

Former Member — Fri, 29 May 2009 14:12:36 GMT

She's not old, she's in her 20's. Yes, the lane is very narrow, it seems to be built for exactly 2 people in parallel and no more. Whenever there are three people swimming in parallel, what happens is usually the middle person would hold back his/her arms and quickly slip through underwater then resume his/her strokes. And again as I said, having such a swimmer in your lane is worse than having an 80-yr-old who just stands/floats still within a small area whom you just need to pass at that one spot then go on. As for the suggestion to talk to her, I think people haven't done that probably thinking as what some of you said, she has her right just as everyone else (which I agree). I tend to agree the strategy of returning the same, so maybe when we are both at the same end of the pool I should not wait since she doesn't wait ;)

RE: How do you deal with a slow non-stop swimmer in your lane?

Former Member — Fri, 29 May 2009 13:47:00 GMT

ddl: Are your lanes unusually narrow? Every pool I've been in there's room to pass even when someone is coming the other way. If there is such a large disparity in speed just swim around her. Of course someone needs to nicely talk to her to explain how she inconveniences others. After that, contact when going around her might emphasize the message. I sometimes encounter the opposite issue. My workout pace is substantially faster than almost everyone else where i swim. People will try to leave the lane, seeking calmer water if I get in. I always re-assure them they need to do their own workout. Don't stop for me or worry about what I'm doing. I tell them it's my job to get around them without interference.

RE: How do you deal with a slow non-stop swimmer in your lane?

knelson — Fri, 29 May 2009 12:50:59 GMT

RE: How do you deal with a slow non-stop swimmer in your lane?

Former Member — Fri, 29 May 2009 11:55:28 GMT

My take is that if this isn't an organized swim workout, you really can't say anything, she has just as much right to be there as you. If, however, it is a formal workout and/or you and your training parters are already in the lane then you have every right to tell her what you will be doing and then hope she moves on. But, still, absent a formal sponsored workout by the facility, she has just as much right to be in that lane as you. It would also make me crazy. But, they can talk to her about when people want to pass her, how she should let the faster one's go around her at the wall. Plus, if there are other lanes open, ask her to find one with similar speed. This lady has to know that she is lower than the other people in the lane. Yea, she has the right but it doesn't mean she should. If common sense approach doesn't work...go with Lump's idea.

RE: How do you deal with a slow non-stop swimmer in your lane?

Former Member — Fri, 29 May 2009 11:39:59 GMT

My etiquette is a direct reflection of their etiquette. From the original post this person has no business being in their lane (unless all the other lanes are packed with folks). I don't go onto a Tennis court next to a couple good players start hacking balls into their court....same premise. 100% agree. First, do try talking to her. If that doesn't work, just keep swimming and if you end up running over the top of her...that's her fault. At some point, it's happened to all of us. You eventually learn if someone faster is coming up on you or find a lane more suited for your speed.

RE: How do you deal with a slow non-stop swimmer in your lane?

FlyQueen — Fri, 29 May 2009 09:31:05 GMT

My approach would be one of two things; First, try talking to her. Politely explain the ettiquette. Invite her to join your lane if she will do your workout on your intervals. Otherwise suggest strongly that she find a lane that will suit her better. Second, swim fly. This seems to deter a lot of people. Sounds like it might not work with her. Yesterday I was swimming on my own before I coached. The pregnant ladies class was going on at the same time so there were only 2 lanes available. I got the dreaded wall lane. There was one swimmer in the other lane. A third swimmer came by and asked me if I could share. I quickly surmised that she would be a pain to share with and said sure but said that the non-wall lane is easier to share. She went into that lane just fine. Good luck!

RE: How do you deal with a slow non-stop swimmer in your lane?

aquageek — Fri, 29 May 2009 09:04:59 GMT

One thing that hasn't been considered is if she is one of the seniors that spends 9-12 hours a day hounding the aquatics director. If that's the case, you might as well give it up.