It all kicked off in the swimming pool

[Poppystone]

Session times have changed because of the school holidays. There's no lane swimming during the day, only general swimming, which is making the early morning and evening swimming very busy.

My friend is a big man, well over six ft (ie takes up a lot of space) and a very good swimmer. He's gone into the fast lane and done his thing. There were two women also there swimming much too slowly for the fast lane. The target times for a length are published, so fast is not subjective, although they didn't appear to be aware of this.

Anyway they've objected and said they think he's very rude to be ploughing up and down. He thinks that's what the fast lane's for....

If swimming in a fast lane of couse he is right. A non issue.

People who usually lane swim can't go during the day, so everyone is going morning or evening.

He was swimming early.

We've lost sight of what constitutes a kick off.

I think both sides being unreasonable if he is making physical contact with them ploughing up and down. Otherwise it’s just on the slow swimmers to have some awareness to move to the slow lane.

If there is no lane swimming anymore, how can there be a fast lane?

That said, if I saw someone doing fast laps at one end of the pool, I would leave them to it out of courtesy and take my slow strokes elsewhere.

If there’s a fast lane, then surely that’s where fast swimmers should swim? Where else is he meant to swim?

I presume op is saying that there’s fewer lane swimming times available, and consequently, these times have got busier. During the day, it’s more general swimming, and there’s no lane swimming.

Never mind given OP’s clarifying! If a fast lane is still in place, the women are in the wrong.

I'm ab old lady breast stroke swimmer and would absolutely move to the slow lanes if a fast swimmer came into the fast lane I was in.

Silly women, they need schooling in lane etiquette!! They are BVU

I guess the problem is the women not realising the fast lane has a minimum speed, no-one communicating this to them but a man just barreling past them. Why didn't he point out they were in the wrong place?

The op said lanes in early morning so they are all cramped together. The women are unreasonable. The fast lane is for fast swimmers. If they find it too much they needed to switch down a lane. I swim a lot and always switch lanes if I feel I’m too fast or too slow if I can.

if times are published he
women
even more unreasonable

Never mind who swims where, I want to know more about the kicking off.

Women are in the wrong.

It depends if he pushed by them, hit off them or whatever, saying that people can be very stubborn when it comes to having their space in a swimming pool, I’d guess the ladies had found where they wanted to be and weren’t budging.

Short answer there’s no compromise left in the world, people all feel entitled!!!

Tell us more - what happened ?

Haha. Once I did see a real fight between two women in a pool. They were wrestling in the water and swim suits were being pulled off and all sorts. Their kids were getting upset. Apparently one owed the other money.

it was very amusing apart from the kids being upset.

this was in Harlow.

also in Harlow I witness someone put a whole plate of roast dinner over someone’s head in a restaurant and a full
punch up in a kebab shop.

this was mid 90s.

sadly
now I’d imagine knifes would
be
involved. and would
be a more scary prospect.

This sort of shit is why I swim outdoors in rivers.

I suspect there was contact. Not deliberately agressive, but not taking too much care to avoid them, possibly out of frustration.

They were outraged and felt this was not the right pool for him. He left and I was left with people demanding "are you with that ignorant arsehole?"

He is a very big man and it is often best if he walks away. It's interesting to watch the way people respond to a big man.

@Poppystonewas there no lifeguards there that could arbitrate?

Yes, the lifeguard did eventually come and agree that the women had been in the wrong lane, but friend had left by then, and they were still ranting about how rude he was and that the lifeguard was wrong.

I don't think a 'big man' should be passively aggressively or just aggressively making physical contact with women. Yes, they were in the wrong lane. Doesn't mean he can just plough through them does it?

What do you mean it's interesting to see how people respond to a big man?

Unbelievable! Except not really, sadly.

Too fast for the fast lane is ridiculous. But it depends how much barging into them there was, he might have been being completely unreasonable too. Why didn't he speak to the life guard if he had an issue? Not got much sympathy for him tbh.

They were in the wrong lane. The slow lane is where the chaos happens (and I speak as a slow lane swimmer). Medium and fast plough up and down.

Hope he splashed them as he past.
Stupid woman.

If it’s extra busy, though, a bit of give and take would be courteous.