Practice lane etiquette

[Anonymous]

Did it as a swimmer--summer, club, college and do it now as a masters swimmer. My kids do it. Echoing that it's definitely a thing. Also....tapping of the foot compared to contact in just about any other sport other than ones where you're completely individual??? Don't sign your kid up for cross country because that's a elbow fest!

[Anonymous]

Former club swimmer and masters swimmer here. I wonder if the foot touching is more common among men than women, even though you obviously share lanes at times depending on intervals, etc.? I generally find the swimmers doing the touching are the ones that don’t wait five seconds and/or are good at the first maybe 1-2 100s but can’t hold that pace for the full set.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did it as a swimmer--summer, club, college and do it now as a masters swimmer. My kids do it. Echoing that it's definitely a thing. Also....tapping of the foot compared to contact in just about any other sport other than ones where you're completely individual??? Don't sign your kid up for cross country because that's an elbow fest!

Same here. Summer, club, college and they were taught in club to foot tap. You don't want mayhem in the lanes, and potentially someone passing inappropriately and causing a problem, especially when the kids are younger and learning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Former club swimmer and masters swimmer here. I wonder if the foot touching is more common among men than women, even though you obviously share lanes at times depending on intervals, etc.? I generally find the swimmers doing the touching are the ones that don’t wait five seconds and/or are good at the first maybe 1-2 100s but can’t hold that pace for the full set.

Way more common with men/boys.

My experience with the gender divide: women and Girls are usually more self-aware in the lane and are less likely to let ego get in the way of arranging themselves appropriately in their lanes. If they’re not the fastest or can’t be bothered to hold pace, they know it. If they feel someone needing to pass (and yes you can tell without someone touching you) they will pause at the wall after their turn to allow the pass, no foot tap needed.

Men usually shove off too early and will go fast on the first laps of a set no matter what, even if it’s a negative split or a steady effort, if they have a chance to pass someone. They will also take off at the wall adjacent to someone else who has cleanly passed them even if it creates a dangerous situation.

This was all in hilarious effect when I was enormously pregnant and still swimming seriously. Men would see my huge pregnant self get in the “fast” lane and would get out of the “medium” lane, walk to my lane, and jump in right in front of me during my sets. Then they would be in my way because they were doing 2:00 100s but believed deep in their hearts that they were going to beat the pregnant lady. And then I would pass them mid-lap in all my pregnant glory.

I had a few longtime male lane companions who got a kick out of witnessing this over and over, but once I was in month 8 they got worried about my safety would block the
interlopers from joining our lane.

[Anonymous]

My DD just started swimming this fall 8u, and the coach told them not pass unless it’s backstroke