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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Lane-swimming etiquette (grrrrr)

139 replies

RevoltingPeasant · 27/01/2011 14:00

Last night I was swimming in the lanes section of my local pool, and after I'd been going about 25 minutes these two blokes got in and lurked around end section for a bit. Just as I was approaching the end of the lane, they both pushed off right in front of me and started doing slow breaststroke, thus totally cutting me up and meaning I had to speed up massively to overtake or stop.

AIBU to think that this is really rude, and that getting into a swimming lane is like being at a roundabout - if someone is already going round at a decent pace, you wait till after they've gone so you don't make them swerve? If you know you're not a fast swimmer, shouldn't you wait if you see someone 5m away doing crawl at a reasonable pace?

OP posts:

cakeywakey · 27/01/2011 14:59

Sea horses - yes! That's exactly what they are. They drive me mental.

Ooopsadaisy · 27/01/2011 15:01

I would like to station an armed marksman above our swimming pool to deal with anyone who slows me down.

That should make them swim faster.

Doing them a favour too as they'll get more exercise.

Honeybee79 · 27/01/2011 15:02

JamieLC - yes, what a pain in the arse. Just get in the correct fecking lane!

reluctanthomosapien · 27/01/2011 15:07

YAsooooNBU. I hate this, and it's usually men who just think they have a god given right to swim in a lane they don't have the ability for. I swam throughout both my pregnancies up until 40/41 weeks and was still in the fast lane overtaking most of the male swimmers. One prize twat invited me to change to a different lane in view of my condition, even though he was too slow for the lane and I'd been overtaking him. He got a mouthful. I hate the stress it causes when you can't just swim at a regular pace and have to spend your whole time overtaking people who should be in other lanes, or dodging the out of control limbs and drowning man splashing of people who can't actually swim properly.

forbetterorworse · 27/01/2011 15:09

I started a thread about swimming etiquette once after I was stopped in the changing and told that instead of overtaking I should flounder behind or turn round and go back the other way wtf?! One poster recommended that swimming under the slow coachies could be an option? I always think of this when I go swimming and smile to myself.

Needanewname · 27/01/2011 15:10

I've just started swimming again (managed a mile last night - ache like hell today though!) and am sick of (again mainly men) expecting me to move out of their way every time.

Don;t get me wrong, I didn;t expect them to move out of my way all the time but a bit of give and take surely.

Also those bloody women who dobn't get their hair wet and take up most of the free swimming part of the pool (not yet confident enough for lanes as I am very slow) MOVE OVER TO ONE SIDE YOU STUPID BLOODY WOMEN!!!!!!

Honeybee79 · 27/01/2011 15:11

reluctant - I am sooooo with you. It takes all the joy out of going swimming. And don't even get me started on the guy that used to try swimming underneath me when I was 40 weeks pregnant. Tool.

happystory · 27/01/2011 15:14

I still giggle about the mumsnetter who swam under a slow swimmer to get past him and caught her hair in the button on his swimming shorts

Honeybee79 · 27/01/2011 15:22

happy - .

There was something really disturbing about this bloke swimming under me. I was feeling very self conscious though as was the size of a whale at the time.

TooImmature2BMum · 27/01/2011 15:24

I love swimming and this sort of behaviour drives me mad and prevents me from going. I hate people who swim so much more slowly than me! Also, lanes get really crowded with too many people trying to swim in them at once - I wish more pools would open so that the swimmers could spread out a bit.

Sorry, whoever it was that said they hate length swimmers when they are swimming widths - I hate width swimmers! The pool is divided up into lengths for a reason. Widths are barely long enough to take three strokes before you have to stop again, especially if part of the pool has been cordoned off for lane swimming or lessons. That's not exercise. As a result, I will swim lengths even if you have to dodge small children playing or the sea horses doing very slow widths or worse, just standing in the shallow end blocking the way.

I don't mind the small children - I too used to be playing mermaids/sharks/shipwrecks and get overexcited. I just dislike the way a bunch of teenagers will turn up (girls in bikinis and full make up) and start flirting by splashing water and shrieking to the rafters if their faces or hair get wet.

I want my own pool...

FindingStuffToChuckOut · 27/01/2011 15:27

YANBU - they were inconsiderate & selfish

tyler80 · 27/01/2011 15:31

I was considering giving up my swim club membership and going back to public sessions as I have to drive a fair distance to get to club sessions.

This thread has reminded me why this is a bad idea!

Thanks

DublinMammy · 27/01/2011 15:33

It's the snail-like old dears that get to me - it's like a cene from Cocoon in our local pool sometimes. Listen, if you want to bob about with your crazy hair in a big straggly bun, defying the swimming caps rule then do it in the small pool. You are not entitled to do what you like just because you are old.

That applies with trolleys in the supermarket too. Not the swimming cap bit obviously...

DublinMammy · 27/01/2011 15:34

Ahem! "scene" not cene.

Grumpla · 27/01/2011 15:35

YANBU.

What are club sessions like though tyler80? Do you get shouted at to go faster? Because that would put me off even more than eejits in my way.

MsSparkle · 27/01/2011 15:39

Yanbu. Our local pool has a slow, medium and fast lane. I am a slow swimmer and about 3 years ago when I was pregnant with ds I was swimming in the slow lane. I was the only one in the slow lane when a man, who was in the medium lane came into the slow lane, I think it was because there was lots in the medium lane. I was happily swimming along when suddenly he swam over me, wacking me on the head!

He was clearly too fast for the lane but was using it because I was the only one there.

I stood up in a daze and he just said "your alright" more telling me rather then checking I was ok. Then he just swam off!

I got out the pool because I was shocked and felt dazed. I went into the changing room and got dressed and I haven't been swimming since.

fatpantsandgladrags · 27/01/2011 15:41

A few weeks ago I made the mistake of going to the women only swim session at the local pool. I swear not one woman was there to swim apart from me. They gathered in packs in the middle of the pool, at the ends of the pool so I couldn't get to the wall at the end of each length, and everywhere in between. I wanted to grab the life guard's microphone thingy and yell "it's call a women only swim so swim you fuckers!"

Needless to say I shan't be going back.

Original poster

RevoltingPeasant · 27/01/2011 15:43

Honeybee -- you should've stood up suddenly. That woulda taught him....

reluctanthomo: I think we are the same person!!

Anywho thanks all, glad to see I've struck sore spot chord.

OP posts:

GeorginaI · 27/01/2011 15:43

I have recently started swimming again. First session was great and I felt really motivated to go back again the following Sunday. Unfortunately it turned out to be a bad move... first issue was that the powers that be had decided it would be a good idea to hold a kids swimming lesson in the one lane that was in operation. Great. I moved into the main pool until they were done. When the swimming lesson was done, I moved back across to the lane, managed a few lengths but found myself getting increasingly irritated by the 3 blokes who congregated at the end of the lane and proceeded to stand there and chat for the next 25 mins, oblivious to all the swimmers who actually were there to exercise having to dodge around them every time. Grrr. They literally did not swim a single length before calling it a day. Seriously, I wonder though, do they actually go home thinking they've been swimming just because they've donned their trunks and got wet?? To top it all off, the showers were freezing cold, the changing room floors were really grubby, and then I discovered that my water bottle leaked all over my undies so I had to go home commando, ha ha.

tyler80 · 27/01/2011 15:44

We are 'encouraged' to go faster sometimes, it depends on what sort of set we are doing. Some are more technique than speed based. But lanes are still staggered so you are with people of similar ability. The big advantage is you're all swimming the same session, so nobody holding you up doing breaststroke when you're trying to do crawl etc.

trixie123 · 27/01/2011 15:55

club sessions are great for getting lots of actual exercise but the masters sessions (over 25s) tend to be after 8pm so I know I would never go. Swam in a club for years until i went to uni and public lane swimming drives me nuts but it is all about relative. You might be the fastest person in the pool and therefore in the fast lane but if six new and quicker people turn up, move over!

tomatoplantproject · 27/01/2011 15:56

Ohh the swim lane rage! Although I went swimming this morning and had a giggle to myself at a chap who was in his very own fast lane displacing ALL of the water in the pool. I do think you should be tested on your speed before you are allowed into the pool to make sure you only swim in the right lane. Its the slow blokes in my medium lane who wind me up.

pascoe28 · 27/01/2011 16:04

Slow, old, chatty 'swimmers' should all be shot.

Mind you, I sometimes feel I deserve what I get because I can't be ar&ed to get up for the early morning sessions or hang about for the late ones.

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 27/01/2011 16:14

It's the pool 'walkers' who drive me potty. They do laps of the pool (1.5m all around) and more than one means that you often can't get to the end.

Our pool is really small too.

pacinofan · 27/01/2011 16:17

Just out of curiosity, how many of you swim in private gyms v council run pools? I swim generally every day, I use the local council baths which has recently had a big tart-up and is now really quite nice. The pool is larger than most - 33m 8 lanes wide, so I tend to find even when it's 'busy' at midday it really is not a problem.

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