I like open swim for my kids - it's in the evenings at the pool we use outside of their swim lessons, and it is the only time they'd get to swim with daddy. But for me, I won't swim unless it is lap swim. I don't abide people crossing the lanes and such, it is dangerous when you're swimming quickly! Pool etiquette is not something enough parents enforce with their kids and adults don't bother taking notice, which can make open swims hazardous for any serious working out.

Our lap swim is in the evening, there are some morning slots, too, but normally it's 5:30-7:30 pm at the local high school and that's awesome as far as I'm concerned. Open swim is after that

This makes me very grateful our university has a leisure pool with a separate pool for lane swimming. Plus there's an Olympic size pool which is almost always laps, with few family hours during off season since it's indoor.

Argh! that's so frustrating. Sorry to hear your pool is so poorly managed. You'd think they could have a permanent lap lane somewhere in the pool, along a side or in the middle along a deep/shallow rope marker. Usually lifeguards are required to log a certain number of laps per week, so you'd think they'd want it too...

And I also want to apologize on the behalf of the synchro kids, of whom I used to be one (hence the name). I promise we're not all self-important and spoiled. Just usually a little odd from spending so much time oxygen-deprived and upside-down.

This makes me grateful for my city's public pools- which are free for all city residents, and despite that are fairly clean and well-managed. Our biggest problem is overcrowding/mismatched speeds in the lap lanes... That and the near civil war that broke out in the swimming community over whether one pool should be set up in the 50 meter or 25 meter configuration...

Just thought I'd update with how much better it's getting (not).

* The roof caved in over the women's change room due to the insane amount of snow we've had. So it's closed, has been for a month or two. They just finally posted signs telling men to please leave the family change room for the women (during non family uses of course) so that the women have a place to change. The guys are ignoring it and it's not enforced, so I've had to wait upwards of 25 minutes for a room on busier days.

*I wrote an email to the head of leisure services. Apparently he's too busy kissing the rears of the bands that are coming to the new event plex to respond to my complaint

*I waited 15 minutes to get into the pool one weekend (when we were only allotted an hour to begin with), because the woman running the desk was late, and she showed up with her grandson to boot. No apologies, nothing. I understand things happen, but at least apologize to the 7 people who's time you just wasted.

And lastly (this isn't a real complaint, but I want to whine): Road bans are on (Oilfield driven area), so all the guys are either on layoff or short days. So my nice quiet pool is now full of super buff riggers who think I'm fair game for mockery. Not worth getting upset about, but it's annoying. I usually ignore them, but man, bans can come off any time!

I really admire you Radiojane for keeping up with your swimming even with all those obstacles in your way!

I also really admire how you can just brush off the rude people that mock you openly. For me, the pool was the first place I was called horrible names for being ever so slightly plump. I have only just gotten over that feeling and it's been more than 15 years! I get serious panic attacks if anyone my age shows up! I can't imagine dealing with these jerkwads on a daily basis! I'm seriously impressed by your attitude. I'm so sorry you have to deal with this crud when you're just trying to get your exercise. It's not quite fair, is it?

At the city pool that I go to (which is just around the corner from me; a 5 min walk ) has some issues with the lane swimming.

I'm not much a swimmer but I'm doing it for the exercise benefits as well. There's 2 pools; 1 is a deep pool, 1 is the lane/public swim pool. I only go when there is lane swim times and in the evenings (which lane swim happens to be the last of the day, so there are no public/children waiting to rush us out). The deep pool has exercise classes but only a maximum of 18 people are allowed at a time due to regulations/pool size. Well, the people who don't sign up in time... like to go into the lane pool and do the class from there (so they stand at the end, which is just across from the deep pool and follow along). Well, where they are standing just happens to be part of the "slow" lap lane. Where I belong. I either have to go around, zig-zag, or stand up and walk around these people. Kinda buzz-kills my exercise. So what do I do? I go to the "medium" lane! I don't care if people have to swim around me - it's easier for them to pass me in the middle than it is for me to zig-zag between people who are doing jumping jacks and chit-chatting. The lifeguards never tell them they have to get out - altho, I have never spoken up about it. I may one day if it really really irks me.

I don't get it a lot, I guess. Just once every few days there's a snicker or a crack when they think I'm out of range. I think what bothers me more is that I am so uncomfortable around them. I don't feel confident at all.


My pool is bad for this: first thing in the morning, there's one old guy who just likes to walk back and forth across the pool, so you have to be on the lookout so that you don't run into him doing laps. But he's 80 and he's getting some exercise, so I just deal with him.

What drives me absolutely up the wall is that the lifeguards are giving private children's lessons during lane swim, so they just ask to "share" whoever's lane is closest to the side, so your lane is cut down by 30% you have to listen to and get splashed by little kids. (who then fill up the hot tub right about the time you want to get out.

There's a few people at my pool that walk so slow (I mean really slow). Another reason why I tend to prefer the medium lane.

Also, where I swim, there are signs everywhere stating that the hot tub and steam room are NOT included in lesson pricing. So I at least don't have to deal with that!

Wow, imagine if this was a free public pool. Well, I think you should get to the bottom of this. I would most definitely call the Better Business Bureau and file a complaint. I would also alert a local newspaper. Keep all your grievances in a file and write down any time the pool was no accessible to you when you were told it would be. 550 is ALOT of money to pay for something that is giving you this much grief! You really need to climb the ladder of authority here, keep reporting it, complaining to us will get you nowhere.

I definitely want it resolved, in fact I've finally gotten my hands on a phone number and can meet with the leisure services guy this week. I've encouraged everyone I know that wants to swim and is frustrated with the system to complain and speak up. I learned that they charge an outrageous hourly amount for both the lessons and the birthday parties (more than double what they're making if they fill up at lane swim, even if you assume people are paying the drop in fee), so really we're not a high priority for scheduling.

My job makes it a little difficult to kick up a big stink publicly; I'm the pr/marketer for a shopping center, my position is high profile, and we do a lot of work with the city and it's non profits, and so it would be counterintuitive (and upsetting to my employers) to raise a stink with the paper under my own name. What we have decided to do, myself and some other swimmers, is meet with the head of the center about the staff issues (not letting us in, the change room etc), and then circulate a petition for more lane times and earlier weekend hours.