to wish lane swimmers would stick to lanes rather than open section in the family swimming sessions

[toastofthetown]

Very minor issue I know. My baby’s swimming lessons have been stopped for the summer holidays so I take him to the local pool because he loves it and it keep him used to swimming lessons. In the Swimming for All sessions which I take him to there are three lanes, and the other half of the pool is open. Almost every time we go swimming there are people swimming lengths covering most of the span of the open section while the lanes are either empty or have one person in there. The lane swimmers seem annoyed, but not annoyed enough to go to the lanes set up for what they’re doing. There’s a lane swimming session right before and an adult swimming session after so I’m really not sure why they pick the session which welcomes children, but are bothered that children are there.

I absolutely agree. I just use the open space as we need depending on the activity and if it gets in a swimmer’s way so be it.

I'm not sure that you can complain about people doing whatever they want in a swimming-for-all session! They are entitled to swim however they like surely?(And unless they annoyance actually gets articulated you're entitled to ignore it!)

I'd just ignore them unless they were splashing or pushing you or saying something to you directly. What the poster above says applies to you too. You're entitled to swim how you like in the open section with your baby and they have to lump it and get along or move into a lane.

But equally the swimmers are using the open space as they need for their activity. Why would your activity trump theirs in a swimming for all session?

I'm a lane swimmer, I'd much rather be in a lane than with random family swimmers bumping into me, so they're being weird. The exception is if the lanes are busy and too fast for me. Also a few pools seem to stop lanes sessions entirely over the hols, but that's not the case here.

@Coconutter24 because OP’s activity can only be done in the open area, whereas people who want to swim up and down have lanes just for that.

I agree with you OP. Our lido always has 3 lanes and half the pool for general swimming. The number of people who try to keep the bit immediately next to the final rope in the general area so they can do lengths rather than going in the lanes is funny.

Yes, this. The only time lane swimmers get forced into the main pool is when the lanes are overcrowded. Never known anyone choose to lane swim outside of lanes unless they’re very slow and can’t keep up in the lanes.

I'd bet you're imagining their annoyance.

I use the open section because I'm not a strong swimmer, swim only a length or two, slowly, before needing a rest, and don't feel belong in the "serious" section or sessions.

However, although sometimes people get in my way, I'm not annoyed, accepting we all have equal right to be there.

I'm not really sure of the point of all this though - unless @toastofthetown is going to ask the people swimming lengths to move? But they're totally within their rights to say: no, it's not a parent and baby session, it's for "all"!

This drives me mad too - and I'm definitely not imagining that some people get annoyed about it! My 7 year old can swim widths but not yet a length and when he swims widths in the open area adults swimming lengths get huffy - but they have the rest of the pool to do this!

The one that maybe is trickier, because they can't use the lanes, but also v irritating is the people who want to walk lengths in the open area. That would be fine except in the pool we go to a lot of them are women who are horrified at being splashed because they want to keep their face/hair dry. They're in a swimming pool, in the (very limited) period of the day where kids are allowed in - I really don't feel it's reasonable to expect there to be zero chance of getting a little wet!

I have to say, when I take DD swimming, we do lengths in the open area. This is because she's way too slow and uncoordinated for the lanes (I lane swim by myself on other days). I do think it's odd to see lone adults doing this though, but it's probably because at ours there's only a couple of lanes on a Sun, the rest is lessons or the open bit.

This happens in our pool where in term time it is a lane swimming session but they change it during summer and so there are less lanes for swimmers to use.

I'm a lane swimmer, and our pool is set up exactly as you describe. I think you're totally in the right, OP. Just ignore them and get on with playing with your baby.

If you swim in the open area during the family swim session, you accept that that part of the pool is a free for all and there will be children diving around, jumping in, swimming widths, playing tag etc. If you want to swim up and down without anyone getting in your way, you go to the lanes. If you don't want to be in the pool with children, you go during adults only sessions.

If you don't want to use the lanes because you're not a confident swimmer or you want to walk and rest, fair enough, but you then have to work around other people using that space in a different way. You can't just create your own private lane and expect others to stay out of it.