I truly believe that if we had 50 metre pools here in the US - we would not encounter the Caddyshack phenomena - or the lane walkers. I believe this for two reasons.
Once the water gets above chin deep - they stop walking as they cannot touch the bottom and god help them if they would have to actually SWIM
They can;t walk more than 25 metres without having to stop, grab the wall, regain their breath, summarize the conversation from the previous 25 metres and head off again towards the shallower end!!
At my local Y, the lifeguards are spineless and the pool management is not a presence at 6:00 am. So I’ve learned not to bother with complaining. Instead, I just swim. There’s a core group of 3 or 4 strong lap swimmers with whom I am happy to cooperate. But the rest of the group at that time is more interested in floating and yapping than swimming. So if there is someone in there just “caddyshacking”, I don’t ask them to move, politely or otherwise. I don’t say anything. The schedule says “lap swim”, so I get in and swim laps. If I’m doing a timed set of hundreds or something, and there’s someone floating around in my lane, then they get a rude awakening when I go by. Let them complain to the lifeguard - he’s as spineless with telling me what to do as he is with standing up to their ridiculous complaining. And if he does say something, I just reply, “schedule says lap swim 'till 8:00.” Dunk my head back in and push off. The oldies and the lifeguard have learned what an asshole I am, and are beginning to just leave me alone and stay out of my way.
I guess I’m lucky. Here I rarely encounter the kinds of problems described here. Most often, there are no more than two persons per lane, so circle swimming isn’t necessary. When it is, we seem to be able to arrange it without any hassle. And the older swimmers here (at 56, I’m just a young whippersnapper) probably tend to be the most polite of all. My only complaint would be that the pool is closed too often for high-school swim meets.
Am I allowed to post here if I don’t gripe? (wink)
OK, 1st reply ever! As a former college swimmer(mediocre), beach lifeguard, hyper triathlete, and NEW TRI STORE owner, I have read many of the posts concerning pool manners(or lack thereof). And, all of you are correct. I am still a volunteer coach for an age group and a HS swim team. I understand the young kids needs as well as our own. Pool time for us, the working triathletes in invaluable. I hopefully have a different mind set that helps me get through swimming with the gopher(poor Cadyshack reference). Please do not flame me for my opinion.
We are training for open water swims correct? When we are at the race, who hasn’t got kicked in the face, elbowed, or flat out just pulled while swimming? When people get in my way after I have taken the iniative(spelling) to be polite, I turn the remainder of my workout into race style training. What exactly do I mean by this? OK, let’s say I’m doing 5 x 200’s descending and Grandpa Noodle raids the middle of my lane. After being polite to him(and getting ignored) I will get into to sight breathing pattern. I can see everything he is doing. (And this gives me a bit more of a workout, because I sight breathe after every second breath cycle.) I also, honestly, don’t make a great attempt to stay out of his way. Now, I’m not saying you run him over, but, there are ALWAYS people that take up lanes floating. We are training, we will get our workout done and leave.
I am not advocating running everyone over on the first meeting. I’m just saying, minor physical contact while working out is a valuable training tool.
Aggression is a good thing.
IF you actually took the time to read my babble, AND, IF you would like to see a little bit of my new Tri store, then please write me personally. I have no intention of making this a look at my store forum!
This thread makes me realize how fortunate I am. Our 50 meter pool (hosted last year’s US Olympic diving trials) has a divider and we swim masters in the diving well section. No more than two to a lane. Floaters and rec swimmers use the other half and the shallow area is used for water aerobic’ers. $4.00 a pop. I’ll remember to be thankful at tomorrows workout.
I swim at a Y here in New York, and every swim is like open water practice. If there are only four people in my lane, that’s a good day. Even more so if they are doing anything resembling the freestyle. I tend to just look at it as mass start practice and bob and weave accordingly, throwing elbows where necessary. The other day, they decided to turn the lane I was swimming in into “family swim”, without warning. Suddenly, I’m swimming in the midst of toddlers and beachballs. Best of all, "Aquacize had just started, so we got herded from 3-4 swimmers apiece in six clearly marked lanes to total pandemonium of four lanes of indeterminate speeds with approx 6 people apiece. Total pandemonium.
Both of the pools I used to swim in have been closed since Hurricane Ivan with no opening date in sight. The other pools in the area all have other major drawbacks–cost, location, etc. So, I found one (after missing 2 months of swimming) that I really don’t like, but I don’t like all the others more.
All I can do is to offer you a little cheese to go with your whine.
I wish I could go the masters’ team route, but they practice while I’m at work.
Overall, I’ve got it good though- 4 semi-public pools in a town of about 10,000 people. One 25M heated and open year round as long as the air’s over 40F, another 25M pool open April-October, another non-competition sized pool open April-October for the kids and floaters, and an 8 lane 25 yard pool open Memorial Day to Labor Day. I don’t think I’ve ever really had to wait for or share a lane. (Though I’m generally swimming around 9:00am)
“Let them complain to the lifeguard - he’s as spineless with telling me what to do as he is with standing up to their ridiculous complaining. And if he does say something, I just reply, “schedule says lap swim 'till 8:00.” Dunk my head back in and push off. The oldies and the lifeguard have learned what an asshole I am, and are beginning to just leave me alone and stay out of my way.”
That Guy: you sound like an add for Endless Pools to me!
Whenever I am hassled by the elderly users of my local (public) swimming pool, I think back to the TV ad that showed a kid saying. “When I get old, I am going to move to Florida so I can complain about the government FULL TIME!”
I have just had to face the fact that some people aren’t happy unless their miserable.
I do and it’s heavenly. Granted it’s from 5:30am til 7am, but we get our LCM pool, all 8 lanes, to ourseslves. Best decision I made was joining that group. Can’t swim anywhere else easily though - I have to just be an agressive swimmer to get the Caddyshackers out of my lane for those few times I swim in other locales.
In the summer, when masters swim is off (boo hoo!) I swim in an outdoor 137.5m pool. You read right: 137.5m long. That pool (Kits) gets very busy and you have to be assertive. But it’s worth it. Right by the ocean, you can see the North Shore mountains (often still with snow on top of the Lions)… awesome stuff.
The other day, they decided to turn the lane I was swimming in into “family swim”, without warning. Suddenly, I’m swimming in the midst of toddlers and beachballs. Best of all, "Aquacize had just started, so we got herded from 3-4 swimmers apiece in six clearly marked lanes to total pandemonium of four lanes of indeterminate speeds with approx 6 people apiece. Total pandemonium.