While on vacation, I´ve had the pleasure of being able to swim laps in an Olympic sized pool (sure beats the Y!) and it got me thinking about swimming races. Do the competitors favor say, being in the middle lanes in order to keep better track of their opponents, or are the outside lanes preferred (from my experience the outside lane has always been a little bit wider - whatever good that would do)? Are lanes assigned arbitrarily for each “heat”, or does the fastest swimmer from previous heats get to choose first (or maybe there is a predetermined order/method)?
On a related note, for track and field events when the distance requires the runners to be staggered so they all run the same distance, I´ve always thought the inside runner had the advantage but maybe that is an illusion. Or subjective…never having run a race like this I don´t know.
But, hey, with the Olympics coming up maybe now is a good time to ask!
usually the “better” swimmers are in the middle so they can watch each other, being on the outside you can only see one person so you don’t know how you are doing in relation to the other people. I came in fourth in a county meet years ago because I couldn’t see anyone else. lost by only a few inches I learned later. also there are the waves from the other swimmers that tend to bounce off the walls and into the outside swimmer making it harder. Olympic pools don’t have sides so this isn’t as big of a problem. I think for the olympics the two fastest by earler rounds are placed in the middle, then out from there.
as for the distance runners, they start them staggered then after ‘X’ meters they can all come into the closest lane so they run the same distance. if the distance is too short then you stay in your lane the entire race.
They usually go over this WAY too many times when they show the olympics so you should be able to pick up more then.
I believe the middle lanes are preferred. Lanes are assigned according to the time in previous heats. I’d guess on the first heat they’d draw for position.
The entire point of staggering was to make sure everyone runs the same distance. Before that, those on the inside track had a tremendous advantage and it was next to impossible to win from the outside.
Among runners, the lane preference might depend on the event. The 200 meters is a pure sprint, and starts on the curve. The staggered starting positions give each lane the same distance, but the runner on the outside can run a little faster since the track doesn’t curve as sharply. In longer races, I don’t know if they’re running fast enough for that to come in to play.
Aren’t the middle lanes in a pool subject to the least amount of turbulence? In modern pools, this isn’t much of a problem, but I think that is one reason why the practice remains.
As the other posters have said, the fastest from the previous heats are staggered; in an 8 lane pool: 4,5,3,6,2,7,1,8. And for a six lane pool: 4,3,5,2,6,1. The same works for the initial heats. The best entered time for each swimmer is used to determine the lane position.
Also, being in an outside lane can be advantageous, it is often difficult, while racing, to see someone so far away. They can sneak up on you at the end of the race.
One last thing, quite often swimmers will swim really close to the lane-line in order to drag off the swimmer next (and ahead) of them. Being a distance swimmer in college, I can tell you it works, not only physically, but psychologically as well.
To be precise, pools used in competetions, usually have empty lanes on either side of lanes 1 and 8. And then there is usually something built into the pool that further dampens out the wave action in the pool.
The cool thing to see in a swimming race is how smooth the water is just a few meters behind the swimmers. This is just seconds after they’ve thrashed through the water at a relatively high speed.
It is actually interesting how they build them (pools w/o sides). They have flow-through gutters that are slanted away from the pool. So the pool’s water level is actually a little bit higher than the deck. Another thing to note is that the depth of the pool is really important in creating a “fast” pool.
Yes, that is exactly how the sides of the Olympic pool I´ve been swimming in are built! Now, as for a fast pool, I notice that it is deeper in the center (unlike, I guess, your standard all-purpose swimming pool). From the center going outward, the slopes on each “half” are different, one stays deeper longer and has a sharper grade and the other is a long gentle slope. Does that make for a fast pool?
One thing I looked for but didn´t see were diving boards - so I guess it is custom built for swimming races only.
Olympic venues have a separate pool for diving, which is usually called a well. It is normally very deep, which is something people on the 10m platform appreciate.
I would appreciate it if I could: 1) swim or 2) be able to look down from that without paralyzing fear.
Well…quite often the actual diving boards are removed, so maybe look for just the platform part.
As for the slopes: Old pools look like that, they made them that way so you could touch the bottom. After whatever event the pool was built for (Senior Nationals, Jr. Nationals, NCAAs, Olympic Trials especially) the pool still could be used recreationally. Your average recreational swimmer would not appreciate 10ft depth all the way.
What is really cool is that some pools have bottoms that can move around. The depth can change as well as the angle of the slopes. If you wanna see a nice “fast” pool, check out the University of Indiana pool in Indianapolis.
