Territorial dispute in swimming pool

I’m a swimmer in a competitive squad. If I’m ever in a public pool session it’s so often ruined either by a bloke unable to cope that a middle aged woman swims far faster than him (Even worse when I was fat AND old) or a woman getting into the lane im in, who wither can’t judge speed, or swims heads up breaststroke because there is a bloke in the slow lane.

i have told blokes that they might be better suited to a slower lane, it doesn’t go down well. I hate public swimming sessions

i Find that club swimmers in public sessions DONT behave like this. But they do get pissed off if they’re rightly in the fast lane and some wannabe triathlete in baggy swim trunks gets in their lane. The best way to deal with people like this is to swim fast, don’t stop and make the point that they are in the way.

what this bloke did to @tamade is idiotic

what swimmer in their right mind will LEAVE an empty lane they have all to themselves to get into a lane with another person in it? Answer: none. A lane to yourself is perfection itself to a swimmer.

this dick was doing it on purpose because he wanted @tamade lane. Which he could have had first if he’d been there earlier and if it was free.

I think I’d have said, “mate I’m training here, there are 3 other lanes, we don’t need to share”

Until she wasn’t. And yet she still found an issue with him moving into the empty lane

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Exactly. But why let the truth and a sensible solution get in the way of a good man bashing thread?!

They may. But if the car park was full they’d still have those kids and bags and have to deal with it!

I refer you back to people wanting others to follow some unwritten rules rather than a need.

It annoys me when people park next to me when there’s others spaces but I accept they have as much right to be there as me and don’t assume it’s because they are a dick.

In fact the only people I label dicks in car parks are the ones who are “just gonna be a minute” in disabled space’s (without a BB) because ds cannot get in and out the car with his wheelchair in a normal space.

Most if not stems from the change in humans behaviour whereby everyone feels they are entitled to have a space how they want it. Tolerance of anyone else is dwindling.

In our pool the splashy noisy front crawlers often have to have a little ( 5 minute at least) rest at the end of every length as they have used up all their precious testosterone in one go.

I love people watching at the pool, there is one poseur who you rarely see swim but is often to be found doing fancy handstands or complicated stretches to get in or out of the pool. He does have a very shapely body I have to admit. Then there is Mr Half a Length who is prone to stopping suddenly, so watch out for him. The Bouncing ladies who stand and chat at the side while bobbing up and down . I also like seeing Miss Prep, who spends at least ten minutes sorting out her hat, her goggles, her ear buds her funny swim faster flippers……

Who says swimming is boring!

It’s not HER lane! Perhaps he usually swims somewhere with lanes by speed and lane 2 is usually his speed. Perhaps it was habit. Perhaps he didn’t see OP. Once he did, he moved out of the lane without interrupting her swim.

Presuming both lanes 1, 2 and 3 were empty? sorry if you've confirmed this later.

That is weird behaviour. I would have been annoyed at that. So it's like he expected you to leave lane 2 when he got into lane 2 and the big underwater push-off was to make a point. And him returning to lane 2 after you left confirmed this. Bit dickish. Keep swimming lane 2 😂

I used to go to a gym where I liked a particular treadmill as I felt I could keep going on it longer 😂so would go right next to someone in a row of 8 treadmills when there were others free 😂 wouldn't do that now. People must have wondered why I did that at the time.

He swam under her to get out of the way. What were his other options? If he had waited two seconds she would have swum into him.

"I caught up with him at the far end and when he turned he looked at me swimming toward him and seemed surprised (surprised I hadn't moved lanes?). He then kicked off the wall and swam beneath me and under the lane divider into lane three. "

I still can't see what he did wrong here. As soon as he realised she was swimming towards him he got out of the way and out of the lane. Considering he's been accused of being a perve multiple times in this thread for swimming under her, I'm sure he'd be accused of the same thing if he hadn't moved and she'd crashed into him.

I was a lifeguard for several years. It is usually but not always men who think they own a lane and get VERY offended when a woman overtakes them. I have had to sort out arguments about this in tbe past.

Since it was a hotel, I'm guessing there might not have been a lifeguard. If the pool is nearly empty and somebody gets in the same lane as someone else, I used to tell them to switch lanes.

Lifeguards should promote good etiquette. Eg tell swimmers to wait at the end of the lane if the other swimmers are faster than them and have caught up.

It is also a dickhead move to park right next to a car in an empty carpark. They may have bags or small children to load. Common consideration.

He sounds like a twat. No need to swim so close to you - and to swim under you - what!!!!

I've just started swimming again and the politics of the lane thing confuses the hell out of me. Last time I went there were two lanes labelled fast and medium. I would have gone to medium but there was a woman doing a very strong and fast front crawl up and down. She was the only one in the lane and the fast lane was empty. I was feeling a bit awkward anyway being quite new to the pool, so ended up swimming lengths in the public swim area, which was fine but required a bit of dodging around people.

He swam under her to get out of the lane.

He didn’t enforce his right to be there and get in her way. He moved. Then moved back when it was free.

Thats totally the opposite of forceful intimidation.

The OP just doesn’t like the fact he went in that lane because she wanted it to herself and went back because he also wanted that lane to himself.

Of people have such an issue with sharing a space with people who may or may not behave as they feel they should they should book private spaces.

The real world doesn’t work how the OP wanted it to.

I watched a whole pool full of swimmers for 1.5 hours ( at stupid o clock this morning 🫣😂) and it’s amazing how 20 kids aged 13-21 both make and female managed to swim without the drama MN likes to find. Even changing lanes when a certain set wasn’t their strongest or dropping under for someone to overtake because it’s their week stroke/drill.

If a bunch of kids can do it so should a couple of grown arse adults be able to. 🤷‍♀️

Maybe he likes to swim in lane 2 but nothing about what you describe suggests he wanted you to give it up for him. It doesn't sound as though you had much interaction at all. Sounds like he did his best to keep out of your way. A lot of people like to swim in the middle lanes not the side ones.

And when you say he looked at you in a certain way, you should really allow for the fact that a lot of people aren't at their best in the swimming pool. Maybe without his glasses on, or inevitably with chlorine water in his eyes. I don't think you can assume anything from a look in these circumstances.

Yes! Actually, I've had more issues with women swimming into me / over me.

And I agree that the comment about being a size 18 is unnecessary.

As stated, many of us have been swum into by females too. As for your size, being as most of your body is under water, it's still quite possible for people with poor sight to not see you straight away.

I know they don’t. I completely accept the possibility in that a busy or somewhat populated pool that that could very plausibly happen with absolutely no ill-intent. And I’m sure that your son swims very respectfully. I don’t remember questioning that

But that isn’t what this is. It was one woman swimming. A man got in, who was very likely put out that he couldn’t swim in his normal lane, and instead of shrugging his shoulders and moving to a different lane just this once, he swam right under her.

You can rationalise this all you like, justify his behaviour with a 100m swimming badge, whatever. But I personally feel that if the person who was actually there tells you how they felt in that situation then maybe, just maybe, you should believe them.

And I’m not an idiot

I knew this was going to be a man. I swim regularly, keep decent lane etiquette and have only ever been swum into by men. I’m a size 18, it’s pretty obvious I’m there.

People are creatures of habit. He likes that lane and would prefer to be in it. He went in it when you finished your swim. I really think you are trying to find an issue where there isn’t one. Move on, it really isn’t worth the headspace.

Who knows? It’s like why do people park next to you in a car park when there’s millions of empty spaces elsewhere?

Im guessing because most humans aren’t MNers and manage to live their lives with the presence of others quite happily without it becoming a drama 😉

I mean we are talking about the place where someone cannot visit without a 6 week warning and calender check, text to check it’s happening, text to say they’ve left , a window at which it’s suitable to arrive in etc.

Meanwhile in the real world ……

I agree.

So what? I have lanes I prefer too - I hate swimming in an end lane by a wall for instance. I honestly can't see the issue. He moved! Then when you got out, he moved back. I'm amazed you've started up a whole MN thread on such a non-event!

Loads of folk don't have prescription goggles, and aren't that aware of who else is in the lane, especially if it's a larger pool. Again, while this is slightly irritating, it's not uncommon.

Someone with such poor eyesight or observational skills that they don't notice another swimmer in the pool before they get in is a danger to others.

They need to be more observant or get goggles with corrective lenses.

The chances that he didn't see the OP are virtually zero though.

You are both entitled to prefer and use that lane, at the same time. He did nothing wrong. He was possibly taken by surprise that he couldn't stay ahead of you? He then sensibly moved to another lane to accomodate this. You sound very territorial over "your lane".
I do regularly experience bad behaviour from males in the pool. I swim in a pool that is a free for all, other than 1 fast lane. There are men who pick their spot, in the open pool, and plough through in a straight line, no matter how busy it is, and who they might "take out".
He doesn't sound like one of those men, in fairness.

Don’t be an idiot. Sometimes people do what they’ve always done because they have always done it.

Not everyone sets out with the intention of upsetting someone else and making them feel uncomfortable.

My DS is a swimmer ( and a good one) and when he goes during the summer shutdown for a gentle swim he’s extremely considerate to the point the other swimmers comment on it. He keeps out of their way (and yes by ducking under for them to turn over him and waiting for them to get halfway back before he goes)

He knows the “fast” lane is for those who swim 25m in 30 seconds. He will do 50 easy in the same time. So he respects that and acts accordingly.

He’d feel awful if someone thought he was deliberately being obtuse - but he can’t control someone feeling like that when that’s not his intention.

in fact people have got more annoyed when he’s been given his own lane to swim than they have when he’s in with them - some people don’t like feeling others are getting something they aren’t 🤷‍♀️ (btw they add a lane during some sessions for him during quiet times if he lets them know he’s going)