Women men and lane swimming

[Slimeblimeclimb]

I was talking with a colleague who also does pool lane swimming. We both noticed that when men come to a pool where all the lanes have someone in them and we need to stay doubling up they will typically choose a lane with a woman rather than a male. We both started independently choosing the lane with a man in them to give the women some more opportunity to swim alone. I was surprised that it was not just something I did or noticed and I was wondering if others did the same.

This is such a timly thread. I go swimming sometimes in the morning and always take the middle lane. We have signs saying which direction and also no overtaking. So if someones slower than me I just slow down, wait till they stop at the end and then go in front of them. Today there was a man that 100% should have been in the fast lane going up and down the middle of the medium lane. Why????

It was so annoying and I saw one women not swimming much - I hope she wasn't intimidated. Should I have said something to the lifeguard - if he had stopped near me I would have spoken to him directly.

I lane swim outdoors all year round. Lido has fast, medium and slow lanes. I noticed again this morning how few men choose the slow lanes even when they are palpably slower than those in the slow lanes, and then came on here to see this 😀

And a little shout out to the men who take a little rest at the end of the pool, watching you come closer, then launch themselves ahead just as you try to pass/turn so you have to stop. Idiots.

This thread is giving me so much insight and truth (I only recently started lane swimming). At my pool there are 6 lanes and rarely more than 9 people or so (often not more than 6 when I go), so the main one I have noticed is the doubling up on lanes. Have been looking out for the other swimmer specimens listed here and have already ticked a few off the bingo list.

The pool at my gym has banned swimming butterfly precisely because of this kind of nonsense from men.

Yes exactly, unpopulated just like Captain Cook regarded Australia when he arrived in his big ship!

In this situation I would just let him know that I would be swimming in a circle and it's up to him to make his own arrangements. I can do a decent impression of a torpedo if I need to!

Yep, that's the big "if" isn't it? Glad everyone is considerate where you swim but sadly it's not so everywhere.

It shouldn't rely on women taking a risk, I used to be much more bolshy to obnoxious men until I got beaten up on the street for it (in addition to experiencing domestic violence from men on multiple occasions). I don't think that a bloke at the gym is likely to do anything but still the discomfort is still there that just made it not worth it. I went and swam indoors. There was a woman in the lane too who was completely ignoring the argument and swimming up and down, though I've never had a woman refuse to swim in circles before when asked, a bit of solidarity from somewhere else would have been nice. I also have a brain injury so I can't risk being crashed into, and crawl is no fun to swim when you keep having to look ahead. I was fairly scathing to him though 🤷‍♀️. I'm more disappointed the gym staff didn't seem to give a shit.

My mum learned tumble turns in her old age to shame these plonkers. I favour doing backstroke 'at' idiots butterfly men.

It's advanced level patriarchy chicken.

" I favour doing backstroke 'at' idiots butterfly men.
It's advanced level patriarchy chicken."

You've given me a proper laugh this evening Mrs T.P., thanks 😊

Thank you for starting this thread - I've swum in lanes for years and this has long been a bugbear of mine. As other posters say, it's #notallmen, but it's certainly enough for it to be a thing.

I think they like to assume they'll thrash women/ drive them out of the lane so they can have it to themselves. If there are other blokes swimming fast, they don't want to be in direct competition with them, so they won't join their lane. I'm a mid-speed swimmer - sometimes I'm faster than male swimmers, sometimes I'm slower. Just to make clear - I don't object to male swimmers joining a lane I'm swimming in - just male swimmers who clearly are much faster than me and could opt for a fast lane but choose to try to intimidate me instead.

Is it any wonder so many women don't do exercise?

So he was happy to inconvenience you and the other woman by making both of you swim against the wall and manage your transitions in the same half lane? I’m with the pp. I would have teamed up with the other woman and started circling in the lane. If he wasn’t happy with that he was free to move to the free area, dodging the Brownian motion swimmers.

We have Butterfly Man at our pool. Everyone avoids him, even the other men, and he often gets a lane to himself - a successful strategy! I don’t think it’s an accident.

https://metro.co.uk/2021/07/01/woman-dragged-underwater-by-swimmer-after-overtaking-him-in-pool-14856169/
At least they haven't tried to drown you yet.

Fucking gobshite.

This is why I tell my DD to take up space in the world and not make herself smaller to suit the boys.

I used to swim in a large city pool. Used to give me the rage almost every time. 50m pool but 15-20 people to a lane and so many inconsiderate people! (Men and women to be fair).

I was always in the fast lane and overtook almost every single other swimmer (politely and following the written etiquette instructions). When I had overtaken (in a 50m pool!) one woman more than 20 times I did question wtf she was in that lane...

The men were awful for hanging at the end of the lane and pushing off just as I was tumble turning. Despite having been swimming with me for 15 odd minutes and being overtaken every time...

Anyway, I moved overseas and now swim in a wonderful 50m outdoor pool where I almost never have to share a lane! Its bliss. Ive had more than 1 man come up to me to tell me that he was trying to keep up with me and couldn't and he was really impressed. They were very nice and polite. I feel much better after swimming now than before! Before I used to leave in a ball of rage and stress. Now im lovely and relaxed.

Oh and the woman I overtook 20 odd times was also being laped by the other 15odd people, not just me.

What about the men that seeing two or more women swimming happily in one lane decide to dive in over our heads? Women will adjust around each other but men don’t give a shit.

So much this! Often it's not just a little rest either. You'll have done four or five laps while they paint their nails and have a cup of tea (or whatever it is men do idk). They still have to time their push off the wall right in front of you, then you have to overtake them.

The men who do this also never park up to the side of the lane as per pool etiquette- they're always in the middle so even when they're not putting their feet in your face they're in the way when you want to turn. Manspreading pool style.
I won't let them make me stop any more, I just plough on past to deliver a little hit to their ego.

Yes I recognise this! Much better now that I have joined a private club as fewer people there so often get a lane to myself.

But men really annoy me when they thrash around in the pool getting in everyone's way. I used to be a competitive swimmer (don't look like it anymore!) and I take deep joy in joining their lane and speeding ahead with no splashing whatsoever!

I am a member at a very cheap and cheerful gym. This week there was a group of 8 men all just standing in one of the 4 lanes, talking loudly in a language that wasn't English.
They all stared at me as I got into the lane next to them that had 2 other people in. I proceeded to swim at a moderate pace, without stopping, which is what I do. They continued to stare, and then 1 dived into the lane I was in as I was approaching, then stood with his back to me blocking my way completely.
I asked him politely to stay in his lane and pointed out that no one was swimming in that lane, whilst he asked me what my problem was.
Fortunately for me someone had obviously seen on CCTV, as a staff member told him not to interfere with people trying to swim.

I'm a middle aged woman who didn't care what people think, but I saw other women get out, or go into the steam room to avoid that group.

Horrible entitled behaviour.

I am a triathlete so swim quite a lot.

Men display the same dominant behaviour in open water that they do in the pool.

Without fail in every race the people who cannot swim straight and just go through or over me are men. Same at our weekly club open water swim.

You know if there is a swimmer in front of you because they create bubbles FFS!!

and yes, foot grabbing, rib punching and face kicking during a race is a thing.

I laughed at 'performative butterfly', we have one of those men at our local pool. What is the point of butterfly?

For anyone over the age of 30 it's purpose is to keep orthopedic surgeons in a job. Same with the straight arm recovery splashy freestyle.

We may be forced to cope with their wake now. Our revenge will come later when their rotator cuffs make them regret their life choices. 😈

I too am an ex competitive swimmer. I solved the entitled male behaviour problem by training with two men in the pool. We set a programme and swam together twice a week and everyone left us alone. Bliss.

then I moved house and had no one ti train with and the crap behaviour in my local pool irritated me so much I’m that I don’t swim anymore.

I dream of swimming sometimes because I still miss it.