7 of the Biggest Swimming ‘Ughs’; Stop Touching My Feet!
Swimming every day with the same people can be fun, but can also be a little frustrating. In the sport of swimming, you create friendships with people that will last a lifetime, but sometimes their etiquette will drive you crazy. Here are seven of the most common swimming “ughs” that you, or some of your closest friends and teammates, have probably experienced at some point throughout your swimming career.
Leaving the Wall Early
Photo Courtesy: Emily Cheng
This might seem like an obvious one, but nothing is more annoying than somebody who pushes off the wall before everybody else. All swimmers know of the unspoken rule that you should sink down when the clock hits nine and push off by zero. Some people don’t always follow this rule which creates an unfair time differential and ultimately leads to some pretty aggravated teammates.
Touching People’s Feet
To build off the last “ugh,” leaving the wall early might also lead someone to catch the person in front of them more easily. When you feel somebody creep up behind you in the middle of a tough set, it is irritating enough, but when they touch your feet just to let you know that they are there… that’s a different story.
When People Just “Can’t Get Up” After a Race
Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr / Swimming Australia Ltd.
One of the biggest pet peeves among swimmers is when people get out of the pool after their race, and they lay down on the pool deck. Actually, let’s rephrase that. One of the biggest pet peeves among swimmers is when people DRAG themselves out of the water and SPRAWL out right behind the blocks where everybody else is lined up for their race. It’s understandable to be tired after a taxing race, but if you can get out of the pool, you more than likely can still walk.
When People Swim Down the Middle of the Lane
From a young age, swimmers are taught lane etiquette. Here’s the rule of thumb: If there is more than one person in your lane, then you have to circle swim. Swimming down the middle of the lane not only causes your waves to splash your lane mates, but it can also become dangerous as the chances of crashing into your teammates are much higher.
When People Sprint Warmup
We call it “warmup” for a reason. This is the time for swimmers to stretch out and prepare their muscles and body for the two-hour practice ahead of them. Who are you trying to impress? Nobody wants to get lapped by their lane mate in the first 400 of a practice!
When People Run You Over During Meet Warmup
What’s ickier than someone who sprints warmup? That’s right, someone who quite literally runs you over. Meet warmup can be one of the most chaotic parts about the sport of swimming. There are people everywhere. Some people are swimming while others are kicking. Some people are sprinting while others are doing pace. Sometimes, there is five times the amount of people in your lane during meet warmup compared to practice. Everybody is trying to warmup so they can best prepare for their race. As frustrating as meet warmup can be, we don’t need to make it any worse by people swimming on top of each other.
When People Don’t Help Put the Lane Lines in the Pool
All hands on deck! No matter how old you are, or how fast you can swim, everybody should help put the lane lines in the pool. Everybody dreads walking into practice at 6 a.m. only to see that none of the lane lines are in the pool. As much as you would rather do your own thing to get prepared for practice, it takes a team effort to make sure that the pool is set up and ready to go for everybody.
Everyone has their top list of “ughs” that grinds their gears, but hopefully this list helps create a lighter “ugh-free” environment on deck!