Circulate or separate, I don’t mind. Just please don’t tumble turn!

I am a frequent swimmer, and by this, I mean that I usually make it to the pool at least five days a week. I should probably mention that this is aided by the fact that it’s directly opposite my flat. I therefore cannot neither leave my home, nor look out my window without seeing it and feeling somewhat guilty that I have not been – particularly when it’s a Sunday around four o’clock in the afternoon and I am still in my pyjamas scoffing down a pot noodle!

Any way I digress. As I was saying, I swim regularly and find myself continually faced with the same issue when it comes to lane swimming. The pool I use is not manned by a life guard and so the strict rules with regards to swimming up and down the lane in a circular motion are not as clear cut as they are in most local leisure centres.

Now I would hate to give you the wrong impression, that the pool where I swim is a free for all. It does still have the swim boards propped up at the end of the three lanes (yes – you would be right in thinking that it is not a very wide pool), that specify Fast, Medium and Slow and have the arrows that indicate the direction in which you are best advised to navigate your way up and down the lane. Yet somehow, I find that these boards do not adequately deal with the situation I find myself faced with time and time again when you are either the first person in the lane and are joined by a fellow swimmer, or you are the second comer. And it seems that I am not the only one!

I often where possible follow the other persons lead or else make the assumption that we will be following the direction as indicated on the lane board. Occasionally though, it is not clear how the other swimming is going to respond, and this can lead to the inevitable short, slightly awkward exchange of; “should we split the lane or would you prefer to follow the board?” I find in the majority of exchanges you are never actually required to ask more than just “should we split the lane.” I have found that most people seem to prefer this approach, as I myself do. I find it very useful when I am in the fast lane and am joined by a person that I think might be better suited to being in the bubble pool.

In a circular lane swim, in the example above I would be forced to swim very slowly where as by splitting the lane, I am not slowed by the other swimmer nor do I have to worry about making them feel like they are in my way, which I feel would be very inconsiderate – not to mention rude, of me.

I must state however, that splitting the lane is not without its hazards. I once agreed to split the lane with what transpired to be a very powerful male swimmer. The waves he created with his strokes lifted me so high against the wall of the pool that I did worry that I might find myself in the bubble pool before my swim was complete. It also does not work at all, if the pool gets busy and you are joined by a third person – the lanes do not allow room for it to be split again.

I should say that I am not against swimming in a circular fashion, but I do think that this type of lane swimming should be reserved for pools that are more than 25metres in length. If the lane is not sufficiently long then I cannot be the only courteous swimmer that finds their swim ruined by the continual stop start that happens in shorter lanes, when you have to stop and wait in order to give the person in front of you time to move on from the wall, and often slow mid stoke so as to avoid swimming to close them. I also feel guilty if they stop and allow me to overtake – this is a clear indicator that I have gotten to close and made them feel uncomfortable.

I would just like to finish by saying that whichever way you prefer to navigate the lane is fine with me. What is not however, is all those swimmers that think it’s acceptable to do tumble turns. To these people I would say, you’re not competing, most good swimmers can do this, and you are really impressing no one - especially the poor person sharing your lane that either keeps getting kicked, nearly kicked, or choked by the mouthful of water they inevitable they catch from the splash that the turn creates.