Public Swimming Pool Lap Lane Etiquette

admin — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 16:12:58 +0000

Though not related at all to pool water testing, improper actions in a public pool that has designated lap lanes can definitely test some people’s patience! For that reason the Washington Post recently published an article entitled “The Misfits: Swimming Pool Lane Etiquette” and since we know you have better things to do than read a whole article, we have extracted the part you need to know:

The basics of lap-swimming are fairly simple. Two people can split a lane down the middle and stay out of each other’s way. Once another person jumps in, the pattern automatically switches to circle swimming (that means stay to the right in a counterclockwise pattern). You can pass on the left after tapping the foot of the person ahead of you.

It’s also critical to understand the lay of the land — er, water. Almost all pools have their slowest lanes on each side and get progressively faster toward the middle. Many pools have signs designating the speed of a lane, but figuring out where you belong is a bit subjective. What is “slow”? “Medium”? “Fast”? “Very fast?” No one really knows. It’s up to you to scope out what’s happening around you and determine whether you need to switch.

The walls at the ends of the pool may look like a good place to take a quick break, but they’re also where other folks plant their feet to do a flip turn. It’s fine to rest there; just be sure to scoot over to the side and keep the middle of your lane as clear as possible.

Not too complicated, right? But when people don’t know the rules, or decide not to follow them, it can make quite a splash. “One time, there were two guys on the verge of a fistfight in the pool. Definitely words were exchanged,” says 27-year-old Travis Rothway, a coach on the National Capital Y’s Masters team. ( source )

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Public Swimming Pool Lap Lane Etiquette