What's a "lap" anyway?

[cjsmith]

If a "lap" is out and back, then I did ten laps this morning. My arms are pathetic. I hope to ramp up slowly.

Before 8AM, there are three swim lanes: slow, medium, and fast. This morning I learned I am solidly medium. I held my place with the guys in that lane just fine.

Comments

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Oh weird. We've got a 25-yard pool; would swimmers in a 50 count differently?

[klwalton.livejournal.com]

In the *cough* old days, a Short Course was a 25-yard pool, and a Long Course was a 50-meter pool. The competition pool at Ohlone College is a combination - it's 25 yards wide and 50 meters long :). In either case, a lap is the length of the pool. When I was competing, starters were required to announce the race and to declare how many laps. For example, a 100-yard freestyle race was "four lengths of the pool" or "four laps of the pool" (although they usually said "lengths" - much clearer). A 100-meter freestyle race, however, was "two lengths of the pool" except in the very rare instance we'd be racing in one of the very few 25-meter pools out there.

So the short answer is a lap is the length of the pool, whatever that length may be.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Fremont High (in Cupertino, oddly enough) has the same setup: a 25-by-50. I'm not sure if their 50 is meters, but given what you describe, I wouldn't be surprised.

I've encountered a couple of swimmers who think a lap is a round trip, and you and Ami say it's one way. I suspect your answer is the authoritative one, but now I think I'd better abandon the word "lap" completely and measure in lengths. (Hmm, now I am musing on the word "lapped" as it is used in races on circular/oval/whatever tracks, as with runners at a track meet or with race cars.)

Anyway: I swam 20 *lengths* of a 25-yard pool today! Ta-daa!

[cassidyrose.livejournal.com]

Competitive swimmers consider a "lap" a single length (in general) and I find the more casual "lap swimmers" (non-competitive) to consider a lap out and back. I do what you do and just call it "lengths" for clarity. However, the word "lapped" in swimming does mean that one passed another a full two lengths.

A 25x50 set-up is standard for the nicer pools as both long and short course meets can be held in them. Kathy's recollection of short and long course is accurate in today's competitions as well. Most all high school events are short course, with United States swimming being a mix, though short course is more common as the 25 yard pool is more common. Olympic swimming is all long course, and master's events (19 years of age plus) is a mix.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Huh: that meaning for "lapped" seems inconsistent with a lap being a single length. Oh well. Y'know what? "Lengths" it is! :-)

Thanks for the info!

[hitchhiker.livejournal.com]

A lap is technically one circuit; i.e. when you complete a lap you're in the same place and moving in the same direction.