What is it about men ? ( in swimming pools)

[Ramblingnamechanger]

Another argument in the pool today. Several lanes available to share…one with 2 guys , ours with 2 women and one mixed. The man who arrived later chose ours. Nearly headed into me at 50 mph. I challenged him and suggested he moved into the lane next door with faster male swimmers. He said that he did not want to swim in the lane with the side of the pool. I said my preference was to swim in peace with other women and why was it that my preference was seen as not as important as his . He insisted that he would stay . I told him it was a macho view and we women should have our views and wishes given the same weight. So fed up that again an entitled male pushed it even when challenged.

I swim a lot and there are some incredibly irritating male swimmers but I can't see that the guy in your situation did anything wrong. I think your comments to him were a bit OTT

In my pool males and females often swim in lanes with the same sex in but it's an informal arrangement.

Is it not worth pissing them off by going slow and blocking them? Thats likely what I would do.

I swim at my gym which is only a small 15 metre pool. Realistically, the most you can have swimming comfortably is 4 then is starts to get snug. If a female comes into the pool area, you can guarantee she will weigh it up, hang around to see if any one looks finished or go in the sauna etc.

If a male comes in, he tends to not give a shit. Will get in, start swimming butterfly or just generally like a whale and nearly drown everyone 🙄

Nothing worse than getting in the public jacuzzi by yourself and an old fat man gets in. Every time.

It's like sharing a bath with an old fat man.

I wouldn't mind but they always, always start talking to me about something.

If I'm in the jacuzzi and another woman gets in, we usually respect each other just wanting to be in the gym/swimming pool and we dont talk at each other

Why aren’t you wearing prescription goggles? I cannot imagine swimming without mine. How else do you see the clock / swap your equipment around / faff with your fins / see who else is in lane and what pace they are and adjust your pace or wait at the ends of the lane etc? 🤷‍♀️

Ageism & body-shaming aren’t things I like in my jacuzzi either.

Well it's a public place

And there's no need to be rude

And maybe he feels that he has to talk to you so you feel more comfortable. I know other women on here would feel less comfortable with a man getting in and saying nothing...

Absolutely my experience too. Lane swimming at my local pool. Am lucky to go at a time when it's relatively empty and only three of us swim - two men and I - a lane to ourselves. I always use the slow lane as I like to do backstroke and a leisurely breast stroke. The two men always do an energetic crawl. Occasionally another man joins and every single time, he gets in my lane and starts swimming at speed, nearly always swimming into me. However when a woman appears, she's a fast swimmer and get into the correct lane.

Thankfully, one of the life guards always tells the man in my lane to move, even so, am so tired of this shit. Am tired of this shit.

This is why I swim in the sea! Lots of space and no annoying show-off men taking up as much space as they possibly can and kicking you in the face as they zoom past. It's almost 100% women swimming in the sea (going with a group is safest).

Obviously not an option for everyone but recommended if you can - in winter just wear lots of neoprene.

tbf women have also annoyed me in pool lanes - the ones who swim slowly two or three abreast having a chat. But generally women are much more careful to notice and make space for each other and take care.

Because they are bloody expensive.... and they only slightly help because they don't suit my prescription. It's not really any of your business

I wear them to the pool side, leave glasses with towel, don't have "equipment" with me and have to try and judge other people around me as best as I can.

Victim blaming is not nice either.

I know lots of nice older men. I don't mind polite older men.

However the old men that get in the jacuzzi when I'm in it are always, always perverts and nasty.

I've stopped going in the jacuzzi altogether for fear I'll get stuck with another pervert.

Other women in my gym have said the same thing. That they don't feel comfortable with the men that go in the jacuzzi

There should be more female only spalces

I, too, encounter entitled 'splashy thrashers' as I call them, all the time. Recently one barked at me 'YOUR HEAD IS TOO HIGH', without introducing himself, asking if he could give me some advice etc. Just shouted at me in the lane. I am a self taught swimmer and pretty flippin proud of how well I can swim now (usually in the fast lane and can swim 40 length in under 40 minutes, front crawl, I have filmed myself in an empty pool and know I have a fairly decent technique by now!). I doubt he'd have barked criticism at a man.

It's a public place yes.

But the point is there should be more public swimming places that are female only.

Some very perverted men go to our gym/swimming pool and just stare at the women. They make the women uncomfortable.

Having to get in a jacuzzi in our swimsuits when perverted men are in it, (again not ALL men) is not nice.

I actually brought it up to people that work in the gym. I asked them could they have a female only time to use the jacuzzi, like even one hour a week, but they wouldn't do it.

I need to find a female only gym, but I think the nearest one to me is very far away

This is why I stopped swimming years ago. I'm more middle speed, but often the faster swimmers seemed to think they were entitled to take over the slower lanes if they fancied and go at it top speed. Yet people seem quick to have a go at slower swimmers in faster lanes. Just too overcrowded to get a proper work out. Especially when kids swimming lessons and play sessions are on.

Btw, has anyone else read Nomad by Alan Partridge?? 😅

I'd really like to see someone swim at 50mph. Zoom!

Bloody hell, the misandry. Imagine if this was a man moaning about some old, fat bird getting in with him.

Bloody hell the victim blaming. Women like you are the absolute worst. You never think the men do anything wrong. And you blame the women.

Do you not think the men who say sexual things or nasty things in the jacuzzi are wrong ? Do you not think that women should feel comfortable

Why do you think that they created female only gyms?

It's so women can feel safe.

I have an alternative experience when swimming but is linked.

I am an average swimmer so go in the medium paced lane.

Fairly often there are incredibly fast women swimming in the medium lane. I've always suspected it's because they might be intimidated by going in the fast lane that may or may not have a male in. I've not experienced any fast males in the medium lanes though.

I totally get the frustration though with swimmers not sticking to their paced lanes! The pool I go to is always busy at any time of the day and usually 3 or 4 sharing a lane. I've only been doing it a year and it's very off putting when someone is wanting to overtake every other length!

Right lets say you get into a jacuzzi at the gym. An old man gets in with you and tells you thar have good tits and a good arse.

Let's see how comfortable you feel and if you'll stick up for the "poor old men" then.

There's men that go to my gym that are total perverts.

Women have stopped getting into the jacuzzi altogether, for fear of getting stuck with them

I reckon it is a sex issue - though OP missed a step in her reasoning. Men swim faster than women (physiology) and tend to be very much splashier (sociology). Although some (very few) women can swim fast butterfly, they don't create a small tsunami with every stroke.

The only time I confronted a bloke about doing this, he explained that he didn't want to use the Fast & Splashy lane because the other swimmers there made it uncomfortable ... instead, he'd chosen to make the middle lane uncomfortable to us!

That's not what you said in your post though is it. Big bit of information to leave out, no? You just moaned about old, fat men getting into the jacuzzi and trying to talk to you. If you had said they were creeps then you'd have got a different reaction to your post. So good back peddling. Just admit you hate men and own your gross opinions.

Anyone splashing around a lot is not attention seeking ina good way, it's usually the sign of appalling technique. Hands should be entering water with minimal splash. Kick shouldn't produce a huge amount either because that is wasted energy flinging legs and feet well above the water line. So, if people are doing this, they really aren't much good!

But as I've just replied, that's not what your post that i quoted said.

Just leave** that reminds me of the over 50's swim at our local pool.

6 lane pool. 1 lane hired out for club swimmers during school holiday for a training camp session.

5 lanes of open pool. 8 over 50's.

Oh the riot of the over 50's (6 woman and 2 men) at the audacity of having swimmers in a lane who may splash them.

A) they are good swimmers who didn't cause splash and b) they could have gone into space away from the end lane but no - they all wanted to complain the space right next to the lane rope.

They weren't budging either! In fact I think the whole hour they complained not one of them got splashed nor did any of the kids even acknowledge them 😂

I thought it would have been obvious that I was talking about the creeps. I'd hardly complain about a nice polite older man in a jacuzzi with me, would I.

We live in a world where it's obvious that the older men I'm uncomfortable about are creeps, i would have thought .

I hate men now?

Thats strange seeing as I have a boyfriend.

Why are you so rude? Bad day?