Pool Etiquette.

I'm no expert but I suspect I've spent more time swimming laps than your average person. In a perfect world, no one would have to share a lane. You could swim down the middle, doing your weird elementary backstroke, zig-zagging all over the place, to your heart's content. But, sadly, the pool is often not a perfect world and people have to dig deep to that kindergarden place and share.

There are two ways to share a lane: circle swimming (which only really works well when the swimmers are roughly the same speed) and splitting the lane (which only works when there are only two people who need to share the lane and that they can manage to stay on their side of the lane). Pretty simple really.

BUT, here is the key: before jumping in and sharing the lane, you need to stop the person already swimming in the lane and ask/tell them that you will be sharing the lane. That way you avoid what happened to me this morning.

I had followed proper etiquette and was splitting a lane with an older guy. He clearly was not happy about it. Both from his grumpy "fine" and the face that he kept crossing over to my side. I was hugging the lane line but one time I could not avoid my arm hitting his. Thankfully, another lane opened up and he went over there. Everyone was happier. I was mid-way through a sprint set, when another person showed up and wanted to swim. The coach on deck suggested she share with the guy rather than me because they were better matched speed-wise, as I was sprinting while he was slow and she wanted to do drills. Apparently, he did not like the idea of sharing with her for whatever reason. I was at the far end of the pool, making my turn, when he pushed off the wall, went under the lane line and started swimming in my lane. I didn't know that though because I had my head down and was swimming hard. I only learned that when we collided, with him punching me in the chest. I popped out of the water with a loud "motherf-er" from the shock and pain. He didn't say anything but kept swimming. I made it to the end of the lane but it hurt!

By that time, he had gotten out of the pool in huff saying he couldn't share lanes because HE kept getting hit. He said I hit him twice. Which, I guess if you count my chest colliding with his fist, is right. But, I don't count that because he punched ME. He never did apologize either. Swimming usually makes me happy in the mornings but today it left me in a much more aggressive mood!