To be furious at swimming pool regulars who think they own the bloody pool. To the point of kicking a disabled child?

[Sneezecakesmum]

Dont know who I am angrier with. Myself or the middle aged woman swimming in the local pool apparently doing her daily 50 lengths of breast stroke, when we (the interlopers) dared to be in her way and which gave her the right to kick a 5 year old disabled boy in the chest!

FFS she came up behind us so definitely saw us. I was holding a child festooned in buoyancy aids, (so both arms needed) and facing away from her so I didnt see her. The first thing I knew she kicked/or hit me lightly then with the next stroke kicked out strongly and I felt the childs body rock against me. Luckily he is a tough nut and just looked a bit shocked.

AIBU to want to rip her fucking head off? No apology, no acknowledgement despite being fully aware she hit us!

I just stood there like a wimp feeling it was my fault for being in 'her' pool

You know that thing where you do/say nothing at the time, but rage and vent afterwards? Well I am venting!

fatlaz. There were no lanes. no lane markings of any kind, this was the smaller ancillery pool. I am also careful to keep out of other peoples way, but when I am facing the opposite direction with an awkward child in my arms, I cant move fast enough to get out of anyones way.

Judging by what DD has just said. The other womans side of the story would be, I was swimming as I usually do and these ridiculous people with babies/children in their arms were IN MY WAY! So I just carried on and if they got kicked tough!

OP
when you do something accidentally you would stop immediately and apologize straight away but it is maybe just me

Sneezecakesmum, I understand that it seemed a bit aggressive but I reckon it wasn't meant that way.

People who are doing full-on swimming are really focused. They just sort of power ahead without a care in the world as they are in "zone". Even when they get out they are a bit like that. As you wouldn't jump in front of someone running laps, getting in the way of someone swimming laps causes accidents. It doesn't sound like your pool handles this well. They should rope off a part where you and child and other folk can swim in peace.

There's a secondary consideration, and I hate to plead special needs, but. I sustained damage to one of my feet. I will need multiple operations and have had a few already, but although I can walk better, the nerve function will never come back completely. I could hit someone with that foot while never knowing I had done it while swimming, because my leg is there but my foot is sort of not completely there. I have been in trouble before for treading on someone's foot not knowing I had done it! This could have been the case with her, and then she could have felt guilty and handled it badly.

All in all a horrible experience but one the pool needs to sort, not the woman. I hope he is feeling better now.

It's done and dusted and I am not bothered by it any more but we do intend to go to that pool with baby DGS2 when DGS1 is in school and if she is there again and any repeat, it won't be tolerated.

Especially as DD has just informed me it's a learner pool! The big one was closed as school kids were there for lessons and games. Maybe this woman was annoyed they had been turfed out of the big laned pool.

Rude nasty people are not worth it but they are also not going to be allowed to bully me or my family again.

I'm so for you sneeze. After I originally broke my ankle I used to go to the pool & regularly got kicked out of the way by 1 particular entitled swimmer. I'm an adult, so I reluctantly put up with it, but to do it to a disabled child in floats, wtf .

I would put a letter in to the leisure centre manager, to alert their attention to what went on & ask him/her to instruct the pool attendants to be on the lookout for similar dangerous swimming.

for your little one.

I'm a serious swimmer and I have to say a normal breast stroke kick is actually pretty hard when it hits you. For this reason in open water races breast strokers really annoy me ! Front crawl is recommended for this reason.
The woman surely didn't mean it , she should have apologised however.

Front crawl or back stroke or butterfly you may not see someone but very doubtful in breast stroke IMO

Meh.Getting jostled, kicked etc is par for the course in a swimming pool and the kicker is usually half wqy up the pool by the time it hasd registered.Your child didn't do anymore than 'look shocked' so can't been that bothered.

What the doubters here seem to have missed is that it was the second time the woman made contact?

fast window i was just about to point that out she didn't accidentally kick once she kicked twice and did not apologise for it she was rude rude rude why cant people see that? the pool is not there for "experienced swimmers only" its there for whoever pays the money if you want to lane swim with no disruptions go on a day with restrictions otherwise be aware other people enjoying the pool!

and the fact he is disabled is relevant i bet he has more floats than a sports shop on him and would be very visible

Frances.... Perfect, I am going to write to the pool manager having spoken to DD who was also kicked by this woman.

Points to make.

We were in the small learner pool with no lanes marked. It was not crowded (around 20 people) so no excuse for kicking anyone.

She was swimming across the centre of the pool with no regard to other users.

I had a disabled 5 year old DGS in my arms full of floatation aids and was facing away from her so had no way to avoid her.

She was doing a powerful breast stroke so could easily see us. She came up behind me.

She hit me lightly with her arm and with her next kick kicked DGS in the chest so hard we were rocked back. DGS looked shocked. I could feel the kick and had to fight to keep balance in the water.

She continued to swim to the pool edge where DD had DGS2 (14 months) in her arms and on turning kicked her too. Hard enough to feel but a normal swimming pool kick.

She did not stop so we got out of her way. She did not apologise but continued in this way despite a few small children in the pool.

It was not crowded so she had plenty of room to swim near the edge.

I realise I should have spoken out at the time but was unaware DD had also been hit and was also feeling vulnerable because I was holding a child in my arms.

If similar happens again I will speak to the pool attendant, but I would request that the attendants monitor strong lane swimmers behaving as though they owned the pool and causing distress to other pool users.

Kind regards....etc

You need to get a life

You cannot kick someone on purpose with breaststroke and carry on swimming

To be kicked by breaststroke you must have been behind her or to the side so she could not have swam at you on purpose.

Your gc was not upset about it, these posts sre all about you and how it affected you not your gc which says a lot.

I used to swim regularly at lunchtimes, but am by no means a proper swimmer i do old lady head in the air swimming

But I did go to swim up and down for half an hour. Its a frequent occurance to kick/be kicked unfortunately. People tend not to apologise - I started out apologising but it soon became apparent that it was pretty much accepted that accidental kicking occurred.

I would certainly have apologised if i kicked a small child though.

That said, its infuriating to not be able to swim up and down the same 'lane' without people constantly drifting into your path.

At our local pool we have set times for lanes swimmers. And even then, if you accidentally catch someone you apologise, I see it all the time. The swimmers are certainly able to see other people, even those with their heads down, because they swim around slower people all the time. I did my 50 lengths this morning and certainly saw polite behaviour.

Outside of those times, lane swimmer are actually reminded that the pool is available for recreational use, and thus may not be able to swim in lengths.

This woman kicked the child hard enough to move him and OP, she could not have been unaware of that and should have apologised, if not straight away, certainly on her way back along the pool.

And I have a high prescription and certainly can see other people in the pool (although I do swim wearing an old pair of glasses).

Please don't send that letter. It makes you look very silly. The pool management are not responsible for one person's rudeness and tbh getting kicked IS part of communal swimming sessions. like getting splashed is. It's not pleasant and I would have expected some acknowledgement but it's done now. You didn't react at the time so you need to let it go now.

If she was coming up directly behind you, it sounds as if she did take evasive action by swimming to the side of you - otherwise she would have hit you head on, as opposed to only her foot catching your son.

Obviously she misjudged the distance a bit but that happens. Occupational hazard of public swimming. She should have apologised.

However, if you didn't hear the woman approaching you from behind (ie, splashing, kicking) isn't it just possible she did apologise and you simply didn't hear above the background noise in the pool?

It was not crowded so she had plenty of room to swim near the edge.

I think it's sensible to leave the edges for less competent swimmers and children though. Certainly in a normal pool.

Be careful, Bruffin, you'll be accused of enjoying being deliberately confrontational and offensive soon.

Am I reading this correctly. You were in the shallow what we call the baby pool at our local baths?

Those pools are not meant for serious swimming? They are for water confidence building/very young children's/beginners lessons. People specifically take children in there to play/stay away from stringer & more confident swimmers.

Saying that I wonder if the woman was warned. At our pool we are told on paying our admission which pools are open

All the pools I have ever been to have a timetable with set times for lane swimming/ family swimming. If you go during the latter time you should expect not to be able to swim seriously, the pool will be full of people just bobbing about.

OP - YANBU.

so if you had your back to her, how do you know that you and your kid, inadvertently moved into her path, in which case you should be apologising to her?

I think its quite clear it was an accident not a deliberate assault. She should still have apologised. Or at least I would have. No good expecting her to swim round the edge though. For length swimming the middle of the pool is preferred. Waves hitting the side slap back at you the nearer the edge you are.