Territorial dispute in swimming pool

[tamade]

I am lucky enough to have a proper lunch break and at least three times a week I go to a nearby hotel and swim a mile, sometimes 2km.

Today I was alone in the pool and started swimming in lane two (of four) which is one lane away from the side closest to the changing rooms entrance. About 30 min later a man got in and stated to swim in lane 1. Five minutes after that he changed into my lane. I caught up with him at the far end and when he turned he looked at me swimming toward him and seemed surprised (surprised I hadn't moved lanes?). He then kicked off the wall and swam beneath me and under the lane divider into lane three. Not long after I finished up and went to get changed. Before exiting I looked back and sure enough he had moved back into lane two, which I presume is "his". And based on that I believe that he was trying to claim lane 2 when he initially moved in.

He is another regular I have seen him coming as I am going although we don't usually use the pool at the same time.

I think this is knobish behaviour

I can't see the problem.
Man moved back into his preferred lane after you left - that is fine.
If there had been more swimmers in every lane some might have swam underneath slower people every lap.

I don't see a problem.
Man swam unerneath you so not to upset your swimming and then chose another lane while you were swimming. He problem solved for himself and caused you no harm.

Because it’s like having a favourite spot on the sofa! Or favourite table in a coffee shop.

That’s his favourite lane. Didn’t work for him or you when you were innit so he moved - once you weren’t in it he went there.

I used to take my DD to our local pool before school when she was training for national championships. She would do her 100 lengths in the fast lane while I did 20 - 30 in the slow lane.
The behaviour of men trying to pass/obstruct/annoy my DD in the fast lane was disgusting. So rude and childish. She was far and away the fastest swimmer in there, I had to get special permission to allow her to train at that time as she was under 18. (This was a battle in itself).
Honestly there is so much bad behaviour in swimming pools.
IME the life guards just stand around chatting.

Just push off them.

The ones on here who don’t get it are probably the faffers who swim slow in the fast lane and are oblivious I meet them at my pool too
He was rude no need to go in your lane it really annoys me when men and it’s usually men just think they can push you out your lane

@Floormops I don't mean to be rude, but it is actually really annoying for the lane swimmers when a club swimmer tries to do a training session in there alongside them. Club swimmers need to be training at actual separate club sessions where lanes are specifically booked for them. I say this as the parent of an ex-club swimmer, who easily outswam the average adult at a fairly young age (in technique and speed).

I could have written your post about the many occasions when male swimmers have tried to force me to move. However this is more, not a non-event, as he swam underneath OP. That’s the crunch, particularly if she was doing breast stroke. Territorial Man, like the goon who did exactly the same to me a month ago, could be accused of “up skirting” albeit without a device. Identify him and make a complaint OP.

Men should have their own pools . They’re a bloody nuisance with their over zealous splashing and puffing. They never last long though

You were very lucky to have a club pool and booked sessions.

I really don’t understand the issue here - he went to your lane out of habit, saw you were using it and moved. There wasn’t a dispute

So do I. I also think there are a number of Reddit migrants that come on here to wind us up.

Eh? I didn't say we had a club pool.
I said that clubs book sessions in the public pool. Lane swimming is for, well lane swimming, not doing a club session where you think you are #1 priority. Everyone at our local pool finds that really annoying and the lifguards would remind anyone doing this that it's a public lane swimming session, where nobody is more important.

Maybe the first person who arrives should swim in lane one. Second person in lane two. This would seem logical. So you were in the wrong lane.

It's just like a motorway isn't it? Lane 1 is the hard shoulder - the preserve of those who walk up and down the pool, and the women who insist the pool is the place to swim side by side chatting. The the other lanes allow for adjustment for speed. If the lane on the left hand side is empty you move back in until a another swimmer arrives.

The lane closest to the wall is generally the worst for actual fast swimming, the middle lanes of the pool are better.

What?

Not sure what's so complicated tbh.

Non event. Maybe he hadnt noticed you were in the lane, maybe he thought you swam the same pace and you'd both swim in it half a pool apart, maybe he did think you'd move out for him. He moved when he saw you.

Well yes, obviously he saw her then, I mean when he got in & then moved into her lane, if she was at the other end or if he wasn't wearing glasses for instance it can be difficult to see

Perfect solution.

You were territorial, not him.

How was she competitively swimming without a club? Sorry, genuinely confused here. Been around it all my life, never known an "independent" non club affiliated swimmer.

She was there first and there were three other entirely empty lanes he could have used.

It's like a man choosing to sit right next to you in an otherwise empty train carriage. It's not normal to put yourself in close proximity with a stranger if you don't have to be, and if you choose to we can infer some sort of nefarious intent, especially when it is a man doing it to a woman.

Even if you choose a particular seat on a train, lane in a swimming pool or table in a coffee shop because it is your favourite, in the hope that the other person will move into another space so you can have it yourself, you are relying on the innate knowledge we all have that most people do not like having their space invaded unnecessarily, and deliberately making them uncomfortable so that they vacate that space.

He's marking his territory like an animal would. Any more behaviour like this and you should report to the reception for intimidation.

Aggressive swimmers, mostly men, is a main reason I barely go in a pool. I'd just rather not have to deal with it. Pathetic I know. Even jogging it's frequently the same, they pass you and actually brush you. I live in Germany so personal distance is unfortunately less than the UK which gets me even madder (like if you sit on a park bench and people walk past, they frequently walk so close they brush your foot), or in a queue they will mostly come right up to you so they just brush or bump you, then they will move back (but there is always that first little bump). Oh dear.