Lane Swimming Protocol A or B?

[The Parrot]

Originally Posted by KatieK

Red is the correct way to do it. Otherwise, you're practicing bad turns.
As for kids swimming across the lane, I just swim into them. It doesn't hurt (since it's not off the wall), and it makes sense to them. They automatically adjust their behavior after a crash. It doesn't seem to upset them either--a lot of kids I bump into come over to talk to me when I finish swimming.

KatieK, that might work in the US and perhaps also because you are a woman but if as a male swimmer in the UK you were to swim straight through the little darlings, I promise you there will be some very angry and protective parents complaining to the lifeguards. It will be them that will be coming over to talk to you . . :-)

Martin T.

[CharlesCouturier]

Originally Posted by The Parrot

KatieK, that might work in the US and perhaps also because you are a woman but if as a male swimmer in the UK you were to swim straight through the little darlings, I promise you there will be some very angry and protective parents complaining to the lifeguards. It will be them that will be coming over to talk to you . . :-)

Martin T.

Which reminds me that the last time that I saw a swimming voluntarily swimming over someone else, as a lifeguard that is, (that someone else what a disabled person though), I didn't need anyone to file a complaint, and the poor aggressor did not swim over anyone anymore.

[KatieK]

I think you're imagining more drama than there is. Kids bump into each other all the time. I don't swim over anyone, I just keep swimming. If someone's in front of me in the lane, I wouldn't see them unless I went to extra trouble to look for them. I just keep on swimming and give them a brief little "sorry" when I bump them. I've never seen anyone (kids or parents) look the least bit worried. Once in awhile, a parent apologizes for the kid being in my way, but usually they don't even notice.

[CharlesCouturier]

Yeah yeah, I see what you mean. Keep bumping it's just fine, otherwise you'd have been told already. That case (which I just remembered) was an extreme case. A very special too.

The aggressor was a 6 feet 8 giant, weighting at least 300 pounds, speaking Germain as primary language. A big scary dude. The victim was a 60yo researcher suffering from Parkinson's disease. All he could do as an exercise was to cross the pool underwater using a pair of fins. He would start from one end, perform the whole length, then pop out at the other end.

People were used to him, he was literally using the basement, inducing a 2 floor system. People would swim above, and him under (deep enough).

That German guy (the aggressor) was really scary. He came at me and complained that the old guy was not swimming in accordance to the rules in a lane. I explained that it was his only way to swim, as he was shaking too much to perform any stroke at the surface, that he had done this for at least 10 years now, with no incident whatsoever. That heartless bastard then decided to wait until the victim pop out, then perform a sprint to swim over him (to scare him).

I remember, I was standing on the big wall that separated the two 25m pools. When I called the German for a chat, he was standing on the side of the pool, ie 8 inch lower than me, and was still taller than I was. I yelled at him, and kicked him out of this session, threatening that if I was to every witness this again, he'd be kicked out of the entire sports center and that we would file criminal complain etc etc...

Really, I wasn't judging you at all and I'm sure your behavior is more than acceptable.

[azamy]

Originally Posted by CharlesCouturier

That heartless bastard then decided to wait until the victim pop out, then perform a sprint to swim over him (to scare him).

Dude you just made me laugh loudly with that sentence, sounds like you were really angry at him, even when you recalled the moment you got angry again :-D

[DD_l_enclume]

I know another protocol, different from A and B.
The one when someone circle without touching the wall.
Like, on a 25m pool, stopping 5 m before each wall, and then changing as if it touching an invisible wall.
That the kind of swimmer you have to overtake twice per length.
That drives me crazy.
And I don't feel like arguing about getting to the wall.

But then it reminds me of one of M. Bean episode ( and that makes me fell better).
When he is walking down a stair in a hurry.
But then, a very old lady is also walking down the stair very very slowly.
And he cannot overtake her (the stair is to tight).
He then decides to jump (climb ? cannot find the right word here ...) over the stair to the N-1 level.
But when he reaches that level, and happily starts his way down freely at full speed, he bumps again into that same old lady, who spent less time walking down the level than him climbing down the stair

[Mike from NS]

DD,

There has been a time (yes, one time) I was to the new pool in town for an evening swim. Never will return for that time again! My little story will explain why. I found this evening time to be very popular and the pool was extremely crowded. Bad enough; but it gets worse. It was impossible to reach the end wall because a group of males seemed to be simply standing at the end of the available lanes and continuously chatted for the entire swim time. I'm sure some one would have said something to them as you could feel frustration in the air. But there was no point - these guys just stood there oblivious to the surroundings and to any lane swim protocol. This was a time when pool management really should have stepped in. Others have told me this type of thing continues to happen still - even after 1 1/2 years of being open. And those who have mentioned this, say as I do - "I'll never return for an evening swim." I must ask at the reception desk at my next visit if in fact the evening lane swims still see this happening. Has anyone else seen this type of behavior - and what do you do in a case like this?

[DD_l_enclume]

Originally Posted by Mike from NS

It was impossible to reach the end wall because a group of males seemed to be simply standing at the end of the available lanes and continuously chatted for the entire swim time

I have the same experience frequently.
I usually try to introduce my feet in between bellys to reach the wall.
That's even better if you happen to have long toenails :-)

Originally Posted by Mike from NS

what do you do in a case like this?

What about a flip turn ?
:-)

Here is Mr Bean video I wrote about:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWwCj-GPel0

Not exactly the video I remembered, but pretty close my pool sometimes with the 'C' protocol (invisible wall 5m before the real one)