Over at the DG, I write about something I think about quite a bit: how not to behave at a public swimming pool.

Here's an excerpt:

"I swim laps at the YMCA frequently, and I’m pretty happy with it. Sure, I have my complaints, but as long as I can swim laps with a minimum of hassle, I’m OK.

I do, however, become greatly annoyed whenever I witness an egregious breach of pool etiquette. Sometimes I just hear about such breaches from other swimmers. For instance, this week one of my lap-swimming friends reported that when she attempted to share a lane with a female swimmer, the woman directed her to another lane, saying, 'You’re going to splash all over the place and I can’t get my face wet!'

My immediate reaction: If you can’t get your face wet, maybe a public swimming pool is not the place for you! The Y has treadmills — go use one. But don’t ask the other swimmers not to splash. That’s unreasonable. My mom doesn’t like to get her head wet due to some sensitivity stemming from a childhood case of frostbite, but she’s never gone to a public pool or swimming hole with the expectation that she could avoid water. In any case, my friend did what the woman asked and found a different lane. But she’s a much nicer person than I am. If I’d encountered this woman, I would have tried to splash her. And I bet I could have made it look like an accident, too, because hello! You’re at a pool! There’s water everywhere!"

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