Dude. Dudette. Folks, circle swim. Just be receptive to it. Lean into it. Smile and say, “sure,” and enjoy being a member of functioning society, where other people exist. Alter your workout. Ask everyone what kind of set they’re doing and join it. Move your pile of fins and snorkels and and say, “oh, man, get in here, sorry about all my stuff.” Time your sendoffs so you can sprint. Say, “I might pass in the middle sometimes, sound okay?” Schooch over at your interval so folks can do flip turns. Find a lane where they’re swimming at your speed. Get up earlier. Appreciate the concentration and zen it takes to swim a mile of breaststroke with your head up.
Or, just, hang your gold medal on the starting block so we know not to bother you, I guess.
Some are scared of the circle swim at my pool also, and sharing is mandatory but I give the curiosity that I’m sharing with them. Sometimes I get the “don’t want to share because they had a bad experience”, whatever the f—- that is. I always ask when I see someone sitting waiting if they want to jump up but some like their own lane for some reason or another. Other times we’ve managed 4 to a 25yrd lane with 1 lady next to us doing the head up dry hair breast stroke,
I’ve had a few experiences where grumpy people tell me they don’t want to circle swim.
My universal response is “oh, well let me know when you own the pool and get to make the rules. Until then, we need to circle swim until lane congestion clears” They either agree to circle swim or they move somewhere else. I had no qualms about getting the life guard to remind them of the rules.
This was particularly problematic at the old pool I used to go to. And maybe it was just the location, but it was almost universally some boomer bobbing in the middle of the lane who thought they shouldn’t have to share because they “got there first.”
My personal favourite are the guys (always guys) who leave just as I’m coming into the wall.
Unless you know 100% for certain that you’re faster than me on the next set (and even then) or that you know I’m done my distance, don’t do that. When that happens, I make a point of re-passing, even if the next lap was suppose to be easy.
I’m assuming you are talking about when the 3rd person enters the lane, otherwise splitting is the best unless you know the person and are of similar abilities. I do feel for you folks out there somewhat, as I usually get to swim all alone, and I mean alone. Unless you count the water walkers, tube floaters, or elementary back strokers who bounce from lane line to lane line..
I do like the watch for someone your speed, occasionally I get the splitter that I lap every 100. Not a huge deal as we have our sides, but just make more sense to be in the most accommodating lane..
In Germany when I was there many years ago, they had a ton of open public pools. But it was populated with head up breast strokers who were determined not to get their hair wet. No lanes for swimmers, so we would get in against the wall and splash as much as we could. It was all about the dry hair, so we would get a lane or two through default…I dont think this narrative is isolated to the US, strange denizens of the pool span the globe..
Sure, I mean the unwritten (?) principle that you need to obtain the permission of the person swimming in the lane to join them is a U.S. local flavor. I think! In Europe at least, circle swimming is called simply swimming. Being first to jump in the lane is not a lane reservation… otherwise we’d go mad.
As far as everything else goes - the dry hair folk, the centre of lane breast strokers, the “push off 3 seconds before the oncoming faster swimmer has hit the wall” menace, etc. - we’ve obviously got that here.
I think it is just more of a polite thing to ask. I mean do you want to hear from the guy at the end of the lane on deck telling you I’m jumping in, or ask if it is ok to jump in? I think most everyone knows the answer to a question is always yes, and it often then leads to a discussion of what side, and quick discussion of what each of you are doing. The command is just sort of rude, no???
OK Here’s a doozy for you all. You walk into your pool, 4 lanes, all occupied with one *normal* swimmer. You could probably split with any of them just fine. Which lane do you pick?
I split with the solid recreational swimmer. The one that isn’t going to cross over the black line or hit me with a super wide arm recovery or breast kick. The former D1 wants the deep lane and probably is doing some fly, so I’m not going to cramp their style.
yeah definitely seems to be more of a us thing to ask to join. but if youre standing about to get in and someone comes up to the end, some eye contact and a small smile or a thumbs up is a nice way to kick things off. even if youre from kangaroo land in aus.
on my first swim in the us someone said do you mind if i join, split and ill take this side? i said nah i am happy to circle. a couple of minutes later when i was lapping him i could tell he was a bit put off so i just said, sorry I am not from here, do you guys always just split? and he said yep, so i said okay lets do that.
so when you guys come down under, you just jump in and do whatever the fck you want
I always always look for, and not particularly in this order, someone who recognized that the pool is filling up and is swimming to one side of the lane and giving space for someone to join and split, some that looks to be about the same ability as me, the slimmest swimmer. :-)
No. I’m not circle swimming with a 2 minute per hundred swimmer in the only lane available. We can split the lane. If a third joins, then we can CS. And I am always the first to move aside and ask someone if they want to jump in with me.
Im happy circle to circle in busy pools bust I’ve since swimming in pools with splits. I now swim in a pool with mostly senior citizens in off hours and they tend to just jump into my lane without warning but all is good.
This happens once in awhile, so I ask the lifeguard who has been in the longest. That’s the lane I get in that soon will be solo. As soon as they get out I start with my fly set too, because I do like fly, and also my peacock move to others looking for their lane.. (-;
