Pool etiquette rules avoid large splashes

— Appropriately clad in a Speedo, swim cap and nose plugs, Bob Axelrod told me a story.

Not too long ago, pals of his planned to practice at the Wilson Aquatic Center in Washington, but when they hopped into the pool, they realized they had a problem: a woman trudging along at roughly the speed of a sea slug. As Axelrod, 61, explains: “So, one of them politely comes up to her and says, ‘Ma’am, this is the fast lane.’ Her response was, ‘I’m going as fast as I can.’”

Ba-dum-bum-ching! Except it’s no laughing matter to competitive swimmers like Axelrod, who’s on the masters team at the National Capital YMCA in Washington. Just as tourists who clog the left lanes of the highway can wreak havoc ona morning commute, so can clueless freestylers mess up a workout.

I say “clueless” not because they aren’t swift or “serious”: They’re clueless about lane etiquette.

Pools have rules.

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 - but only if the person in the lane first agrees to share. Once a third person jumps in (after asking permission, in most pools), the pattern 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. Some pools have their slowest lanes on each side and get progressively faster toward the middle. Some are slowest on the right, fastest on the left.

Some 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”? 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 people plant their feet to do a flip turn. It’s fine to rest there; just be sure to scoot 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. Although he has never had a confrontation quite like that, Rothway understands why it happens. “I’ve gotten pressure to leave early and not complete my workout,” he says.

What infrequent swimmers - like the sea slug - don’t understand is that the competitive ones aren’t just doing laps. They’re trying to stick to specific intervals or complete drills. Having to pass frequently and skip turns interrupts that. Also, many faster swimmers are hesitant to do the foot tap because they don’t want an inexperienced person freaking out about a stranger with a fetish coming up behind them.

Slowpokes don’t deserve all the blame. Doug Fox, manager of aquatics for the Montgomery County (Md.) Department of Recreation, says it seems several people missed the sharing lesson back in kindergarten.

“Some will do butterfly and hit other people in the face or just miss them,” he says, while others will flat-out tell others they’re not welcome in their lane. Once, a guy came to him complaining that “senior citizen swim” was preventing him from exercising. Of course, there’s no such thing - it was just crafty retirees scheming to keep one lane all to themselves.

Faced with such problems, some pools have posted etiquette directions. Savvy swimmers look for such posters and read the rules.

ActiveStyle, Pages 27 on 07/26/2010

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