Swimming Etiquette

Fani2003 · July 2012

My husband and I took our two little ones to the outdoor pool yesterday at the Y.

Pool is the wrong term, it is like a crazy, Willy Wonka water wonderland. Buckets dumping water on you from everywhere, fountains, water slides, etc. There is also an outdoor Olympic pool where half is play/big water slide area and 4 lanes are open for laps. In the 100+ degree weather we have here, it was a very popular place yesterday. There is also an Olympic indoor pool on the other side of the wall.

After about an hour in the pool I decided to go swim some laps while hubby played with kids. Every lane was packed, so I took the least packed one with 2 people in the lane.

I am former swim team from high school, but that was a long time ago. I do not swim regularly anymore. I do love it, but it has been awhile.

I started a lap and back of breaststroke and it was wearing me out, esp without my goggles. So, I flipped to backstroke. My right arm is much stronger than my left, so I veered quite a bit in my lane and kept trying to right myself, always looking to see where one of the other swimmers was. Honestly, I was very worried about this (even before the next thing happened). I hugged the rope much of the way too. I never bumped into anyone.

At my very first stop, another swimmer was there. 20-something, fit, guy.

He looked at me and said, "Would you try to stay on the right side???"

I said, "Sure" and went along.

Then I got upset. Clearly, I was not doing well. Which I knew. I wanted to get out of the pool. I was embarrassed.

Then I got mad. Excuse Me? I am working my butt off to lose weight and get more active? Clearly, I am not doing this ON PURPOSE! I am not stopping through the lane, I am going with reasonable speed, I am just veering. If you don't like how I swim or think I am not Michael Phelps enough, go in another lane. Or, go inside with the "real" swimmers and not the 8 million kids that are out here.

My whole life I have let embarrassment/fear of what other people think of me/how I do something limit or stop my doing things. It literally made me fat. Why should this rude guy have any impact on my workout? It was early on (3 lengths total), if I had stopped then, I would not have burned the 200+ calories I burned in the workout. And why? Why should his opinion affect me?

I did not let it. I kept going. Tried harder to stay on my side but still worked in that same lane. I was mad for a bit but got over it.

Time to be responsible for me. Stop worrying about other people. I will never see this person again. Next time I get in the pool, I will do even better.

mslack01 · July 2012

Yes, don't let them get to you. He sounds like a real jerk.

DrMAvDPhD · July 2012

I honestly don't get what you're upset about. You admit to veering. He (politely from the words you quoted) asked you to not veer as there was a crowd. You're just going to have to be less sensitive if working out in a public area.

jwhite1301 · July 2012

I honestly don't get what you're upset about. You admit to veering. He (politely from the words you quoted) asked you to not veer as there was a crowd. You're just going to have to be less sensitive if working out in a public area.

"Would you try and stay on the right side" could be said both politely and impolitely.... I could see it being said very hateful and condescending...

It is not a question of being sensitive.... it is a question of respect.

almostatgoalweight · July 2012

Presumably OP is in the US. Do people swim in an anticlockwise pattern?

Di3012 · July 2012

By swimming in the lane, you go up one side and on the way back you go on the other side, so you swim in an elongated "circle", if you do not do that, there is not enough room for everybody swimming in that lane.

He was merely asking you to stick to the etiquette as he too was trying to swim and do his own exercise.

braign · July 2012

Yes in the US they also swim on the wrong side haha. As I found out when I moved here from the UK.

lciupa · July 2012

My husband and I took our two little ones to the outdoor pool yesterday at the Y.

Pool is the wrong term, it is like a crazy, Willy Wonka water wonderland. Buckets dumping water on you from everywhere, fountains, water slides, etc. There is also an outdoor Olympic pool where half is play/big water slide area and 4 lanes are open for laps. In the 100+ degree weather we have here, it was a very popular place yesterday. There is also an Olympic indoor pool on the other side of the wall.

After about an hour in the pool I decided to go swim some laps while hubby played with kids. Every lane was packed, so I took the least packed one with 2 people in the lane.

I am former swim team from high school, but that was a long time ago. I do not swim regularly anymore. I do love it, but it has been awhile.

I started a lap and back of breaststroke and it was wearing me out, esp without my goggles. So, I flipped to backstroke. My right arm is much stronger than my left, so I veered quite a bit in my lane and kept trying to right myself, always looking to see where one of the other swimmers was. Honestly, I was very worried about this (even before the next thing happened). I hugged the rope much of the way too. I never bumped into anyone.

At my very first stop, another swimmer was there. 20-something, fit, guy.

He looked at me and said, "Would you try to stay on the right side???"

I said, "Sure" and went along.

Then I got upset. Clearly, I was not doing well. Which I knew. I wanted to get out of the pool. I was embarrassed.

Then I got mad. Excuse Me? I am working my butt off to lose weight and get more active? Clearly, I am not doing this ON PURPOSE! I am not stopping through the lane, I am going with reasonable speed, I am just veering. If you don't like how I swim or think I am not Michael Phelps enough, go in another lane. Or, go inside with the "real" swimmers and not the 8 million kids that are out here.

My whole life I have let embarrassment/fear of what other people think of me/how I do something limit or stop my doing things. It literally made me fat. Why should this rude guy have any impact on my workout? It was early on (3 lengths total), if I had stopped then, I would not have burned the 200+ calories I burned in the workout. And why? Why should his opinion affect me?

I did not let it. I kept going. Tried harder to stay on my side but still worked in that same lane. I was mad for a bit but got over it.

Time to be responsible for me. Stop worrying about other people. I will never see this person again. Next time I get in the pool, I will do even better.

I vote he was just worried you would realize he peed.....

DaveC29 · July 2012

Yes in the US they also swim on the wrong side haha. As I found out when I moved here from the UK.

I thought it was the 'Right' side, not the wrong side... wait what is the left side if that is the 'Right' side? You Brits are so confusing... LOL!

crooks_RN · July 2012

I say great for you, you shouldnt let someone else's view of you limit what you do! For the other sad posters on here (who are in the motivation/support section) and their unsupportive comments, I say look at them the same way you viewed the guy in the pool, do what works for you and forget about everyone else!

knk1553 · July 2012

As a former swim coach, lifeguard, swimmer, etc. here is my 2 cents, and mind you it all varies by the pool. When lap swimming you swim in the circle method, which it sounds like you did, and you also pick the lane with the swimmers who are most at your speed, which might have been your mistake. At all the pools I worked at they had a system set up and said which lane was the slowest and which one was the fastest and you picked your proper place. Depending on how he said it I could see how you could get upset, I've had some people be total jerks to me before and yell at me for not swimming "fast enough" but yet they would never pass me, which is done by tapping on the swimmers feet and they'll slow down and you go around. I would say just don't listen to them, swimmers can be jerks, and most people who are jerks when they swim are people who don't actually know etiquette themselves. I would just apologize the first time and just go on about it, then if you notice your lane is moving too fast for your speed hop out and grab another lane that looks to be moving more about your pace.

devil_in_a_blue_dress · July 2012

He was probably worried about running into you and didn't want you to get hurt. He probably didn't realize you were struggling - probably just thought you weren't paying attention. I think you need to re-read what you wrote and really think about if this guy was being nasty or if you were nervous about trying something new and looking for an excuse to quit because that feel comfortable. But good for you for continuing on.

almostatgoalweight · July 2012

Swimming is a contact sport. I used to swim but stopped because of people who just stood at the end of the lane and got in the way. Also the swimmers in the next lane who had really bad stroke form and you ended up hitting their arm with yours, as their arm was in your lane. Swimming in a pool when you're the only one in your lane is glorious, for the busy times, it's not really worth it.

KALMdown · July 2012

It's so hard to share lanes. LOL. When I accidentally brush someone's arm when swimming it throws my whole rhythm off. Then I start hugging the lane line and always catch my watch on the lines. UGH. I will purposely rearrange my whole schedule just so I can go at the slowest times of day when it's only the senior citizens quietly aqua jogging.

Sometimes even good swimmers can veer when doing backstroke, perhaps save that stroke for when you've got a lane all to yourself?

LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo · July 2012

Swimming is a contact sport. I used to swim but stopped because of people who just stood at the end of the lane and got in the way. Also the swimmers in the next lane who had really bad stroke form and you ended up hitting their arm with yours, as their arm was in your lane. Swimming in a pool when you're the only one in your lane is glorious, for the busy times, it's not really worth it.

I agree on this one. I prefer to swim in the morning since there's only very few people around the pool at that time. I hate to swim with lots of people around the pool just soaking their bodies in it, it ruins my momentum. Not even the best swimmer can do it perfectly if the pool is packed.

Di3012 · July 2012

Yes in the US they also swim on the wrong side haha. As I found out when I moved here from the UK.

Ahh you mean the same as driving pmsl

Don't deny it US peeps, you know you drive on the wrong side of the road.

:::::::runs off::::::

Really fast...........................................

Di3012 · July 2012

:::::::::::::::::: Peeps round the door::::::::::::::::

:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

for all those in the US :happy:

Di3012 · July 2012

I say great for you, you shouldnt let someone else's view of you limit what you do! For the other sad posters on here (who are in the motivation/support section) and their unsupportive comments, I say look at them the same way you viewed the guy in the pool, do what works for you and forget about everyone else!

Supportive doesn't always mean you agree.

Fani2003 · July 2012

Hey guys..

Just to clarify..

a) I would veer and immediately correct, was not like I was zig zagging along the pool the entire way down nor was I just swimming on the wrong side of the circle the whole time. I just did not have enough control to go a straight line the whole way.

b) I picked a middle lane, not an outer lane, hence not a fast lane

c) i was keeping up in terms of pace of my lane and never dallied at the edges

d) he said it crappy

e) my issue is not that i think i was doing right (I was clearly not in good form) but I never hit into him nor him me.

No big deal and I respect everyone's opinion. Thanks so much.

Finally, my point of this post was actually something different than complaining about the guy who critiqued me... it was not what he said but the fact that I did not let being embarrassed stop me from my workout. People may not understand that, or why that would affect me, but it truly has handicapped me in the past. This was an NSV for me.

HausfrauB · July 2012

Good for you for brushing off that dude's attitude! It takes no more time to be polite than it does to be rude, so in my eyes he was being a jerk.

I've been in comparable situations and let someone else's rudeness end my fun and later I'm always mad at myself for walking away.

tadpole242 · July 2012

Feeling embarrassed for doing something wrong is right, never get comfortable with mistakes, that way you make fewer.
OP you don’t have to hit into someone to ruin their swim, you can runi their swim just by not swimming at a constant speed or cross into their path as they swim on the return leg, or forcing them to speak to you as probably you interrupt they swim again and again. I meet ‘former’s all the time at my local pool. Former swimmers, former fit people, you know people who think they can still swim as fast as they used to, and pick the middle lane when clearly they are out of their depth.

AwesomelyAmber · July 2012

I'm pretty sure that it was embarrassing to be 'scolded' in a public pool. And while people want to tell you why YOU were in the wrong, on something that they were not there to witness in the first place... I will just say that if YOU felt like you were trying to right by the other swimmers and they (he) wasn't all that nice to you... I'm sorry. That sucks. BUT Good for you for rising above and focusing on YOU and your health. :drinker:

Swimming Etiquette

Replies

Categories