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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Swimming pool etiquette?

202 replies

miaowmiaowhiss · 28/07/2015 16:36

Went swimming today and it was one of the set ups where they have slow/medium/fast lanes, and you pick the lane you swim in based on the people already swimming in them, not your own ideas of speed (eg you might think you're extremely fast, but if the fast line is full of Olympians, you'd pick a different lane). There are signs up specifically telling you to pick your lane in this way.

I was swimming in the fast lane with two other people -we were clearly faster than people in the other lanes, so it was the right place to be. Another man came and got in the pool twenty minutes after I got in, and he was swimming much faster than any of us were going - which obviously means he kept running up the back of other swimmers! Every time I knew he was directly behind me I'd pause at the end and let him overtake me for the next one, but he kept huffing and rolling his eyes. He then started overtaking all three of us during lengths - which is fine in principle, just not if it means the person coming the other way had to stop and wait and the person he was overtaking got nearly kicked in the face each time.

AIBU to think this is really inconsiderate/rude? There was just so much tutting and eye rolling at the audacity we had to be swimming faster than people in other lanes, yet not swimming as fast as this man clearly wanted to. Minor issue in the grand scheme of things but it really annoyed me - as well as actually being quite dangerous RE being kicked in the face/kicking him in the face - and made my swim a lot less enjoyable Angry

Surely if you want to swim faster than everyone else you time it right and wait for everyone else to be on the length back before you start, or something, not just passive aggressively showing your displeasure at other swimmers?

OP posts:
EvansOvalPiesYumYum · 28/07/2015 17:37

Or, indeed, young women or men who swim very slowly?
Any of them possibly trying to learn to swim, therefore needing a lane for practice, but swimming slowly?

I'm only asking because I would like lessons and would therefore need practice, but am put off by comments such as I've read here.

EvansOvalPiesYumYum · 28/07/2015 17:37

Sorry - that posted twice, for some strange reason

CMOTDibbler · 28/07/2015 17:42

We have plenty of annoying elderly men in the pool I go to swim at. One of them likes to do backstroke in the lanes which is lethal.

The trouble with lane swimming is that theres not a lot to think about, you are under time pressure (lunchtime is 90 min session, but I only have 60 minutes to get over 2km done as I need to be back at my desk), and so small things really rankle.

TalkinPeace · 28/07/2015 17:47

I've recently had run ins with a person who thinks they have the right to do butterfly in a busy lane. Hmm

SantanaLopez · 28/07/2015 17:49

Someone tried to dive on top of me the other day Shock

I turned (haven't cracked the tumble turn after pregnancy yet) and the next thing I knew this massive oaf was practically on top of me.

My dilemma is that I can go fast for 50m, but if I am doing anything over 100m I am medium. Haven't a clue where I am meant to go.

TalkinPeace · 28/07/2015 17:59

I recently had a kid swim under me as I turned and then seem surprised that my knee hit his head quite hard

oldbrownboot · 28/07/2015 18:00

I love this thread! other people who are also dealing with all the lane politics that normally go on only in my head! I don't think you are BU OP. There are many many different speeds of swimmers and only 3 different lane speeds so nearly everyone has to accommodate/ adjust a bit. Although the guy who swims EVERY lunch hour in the MIDDLE LANE at my local pool despite being slower than those in the slow lane needs to be told!!!!!

TalkinPeace · 28/07/2015 18:04

I admit I once crashed into a couple of guys who were walking up and down the middle lane
but as they were premier league footballers I felt no guilt Grin

CamelHump · 28/07/2015 18:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

EvansOvalPiesYumYum · 28/07/2015 18:25

One of them likes to do backstroke in the lanes which is lethal
Are there rules as to which stroke you are allowed to do?

CMOTDibbler · 28/07/2015 18:30

You need to do a stroke where you can see who is in front of you, and which doesn't cause anyone else in your lane to get hit. Theres often 6 or more people in one lane which means being really careful as to what you are doing

SantanaLopez · 28/07/2015 18:31

Are there rules as to which stroke you are allowed to do?

Of course.

Backstroke going in a straight line, at a reasonable speed, fine.
Backstroke going diagonally, clattering off innocent front crawlers, bad.
Butterfly is never appropriate in a lane of casual swimmers. Only club training or an empty lane.

EvansOvalPiesYumYum · 28/07/2015 18:32

I only have 60 minutes to get over 2km done as I need to be back at my desk)

So does that mean your 60 mins is more important than someone else's 60 mins?

Perhaps an 'elderly' person is a carer, and this 60 mins is his/her respite for the month.

EvansOvalPiesYumYum · 28/07/2015 18:35

Thank you Santana - are those written rules, or simply 'etiquette' as per OP

DoeEyedNear · 28/07/2015 18:37

At my pool you'd think breast stroke was illegal and anyone doing it had a bomb strapped to them the amount of tuts I get.

I physically cannot do front crawl but can go at a rate of knots breast stroke. This doesn't compute with some swimmers.

youarekiddingme · 28/07/2015 18:38

I had this swimming with DS. When we arrived there were 5 elderly ladies doing the slow head above water breaststroke in slow lane so we took the medium one. Was just me and him in there.
There was a very fluent swimmer in fast lane.

A man turned up and cam in medium lane and started doing sets of 50 FC. He'd wait for a period of time between each set so clearly was working on speed whereas DS was practicing his 800m FC.

He kept starting when DS and I had done half a length and then tutting when he caught up. He told us we should be in half with no lanes as DS wasn't as adult Shock I told him DS had the common sense to wait until someone was far enough in front not to be caught up if he decided to do short sets - so maybe he should get a grip or he should swim in main pool or fast lane.
He complained to a lifeguard that told him what I did. He asked to see a manager who told him exactly the same.

I felt shamefully triumphant Grin

Peshwari · 28/07/2015 18:38

I think it's a difficult one, on the one hand I understand the rationale for having fast, medium and slow as relative paces rather than absolute on the other I can see it must be really irritating if you find that every time you go swimming the fast lane is never 'fast'.

I've always found anywhere that only has 3 lanes is pretty useless as the breadth of swimming ability just cannot be accommodated over 3 lanes.

SantanaLopez · 28/07/2015 18:38

Common sense rather than anything else Evans.

bruffin · 28/07/2015 18:39

We dont have slow or fast lanes and its chaos when its bust. We have the two middle aged lady who swim side by side chatting but thankfully the LG has words with them and the old bloke who floats along on his back and gets in everyones way, he shouldnt be in the lane swim at all. This is why i have lessons, we have the lane for just 2 or 3 of us and can go up and down without anyone in the way.

tomatodizzymum · 28/07/2015 18:39

He was rude, ignore. He probably loved it, we would be really pissed off if someone was in the fast lane and actually faster than him. I'm guessing all the eye rolling and tutting was to ensure that you noticed that he was the fastest swimmer in the pool. Twat.

SantanaLopez · 28/07/2015 18:40

There's a woman at my pool who likes to imagine she's hammering down the pool for a gold medal in Rio when she does breaststroke.

It's very off-putting Grin

DoeEyedNear · 28/07/2015 18:42

Its not me I can assure you. I'm realistic about my pace. It's fast enough for the mid paced lane but I ain't a graceful swimmer Grin

SantanaLopez · 28/07/2015 18:48
Grin

I used to be a butterfly girl back in the day. I'd resemble a hyper seal nowadays!

PurpleDaisies · 28/07/2015 18:51

In the pool I swim in we get people walking in the laned swimming bit. That gives me the swimming rage like almost nothing else.

DoeEyedNear · 28/07/2015 18:51

Never been able to do any stroke that needs full shoulder rotation.

Butterfly does make me laugh though and why anyone would want to do it in public defeats me!

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