"You can share my lane, if you promise not to splash"

Former Member
Former Member
The indoor pool at my gym is closed for two weeks because they are painting it. This leaves 4 lanes in the outdoor pool, instead of the usual 10 combined lanes. I went for a brief swim today at lunch, which is the busiest part of the day. All four lanes were full - two floaters in lane 1, a woman kicking breaststroke in lane 2, a woman swimming fly (very badly) in lane 3, and a floater in lane 4. I had originally planned on doing some sprint fly with fins, but after surveying the situation I decided I would just swim freestyle for a while first until the pool cleared out a little. So, I choose lane 2. As soon as the breaststroke kicker turns at the wall, I step into the lane and make a motion asking which side she wants to take. (My gym has a mandatory lane-sharing policy, as do most. It's not a question of "may I share your lane" but rather a courtesy notitifcation that I am about to share your lane.) She acts as if she doesn't understand, and continues to kick right down the center of the lane. So I wait until she gets back to the wall. At this point she utters the phrase: "I'll let you share my lane, but only if you promise not to splash. I can't get my ear wet." I stare at her for a couple of seconds, trying to ascertain whether this is a joke or not. She seems serious. So I say "Are you kidding me? You're in a pool. You can't expect not to get wet." "Maybe you should swim in a different lane, like that one over there." (points to lane 3). "No, she's swimming butterfly. I'll try not to splash, but I can't make any promises. Splashing sort of happens naturally when you're swimming." Then I dive forward and start to swim freestyle. I swim carefully, hugging the lane line, delicately recovering each arm and scrutinizing the droplets as they drip from my hand. All the while I'm thinking about how stupid her request is, and about how it's sort of funny that I met up with a genuine swim stereotype. After about 200 yds I notice her moving over to lane 4 by the wall. Oops. I guess I must have splashed. After 400 I pause for a rest. Since she abandoned the lane I figure I may as well do my originally planned sprint workout. I put on the fins and start swimming 50s fly on 1:30. Still hugging the lane line and leaving plenty of room in case someone wants to share. After 2 or 3 repeats, I am accosted from lane 4. I didn't hear it all, but it was something like "You're a bad man. You have bad manners." "What?" I say. I look over, and there she is, lecturing me while kicking breaststroke heads-up. "You have bad manners. Didn't your mother teach you how to treat a lady?" "Did you seriously come to a pool expecting not to get wet?" "That's bad manners. We all hear you. These ladies can hear you." (looks around at the deck loungers.) At this point my interval is approaching and I'm watching the clock. "You know what, I don't care." I say, then push off and swim. That was the end of our conversation, although she continued to glare at me for a few minutes afterward. I'm not sure what she was trying to imply about the other "ladies" hearing me. Maybe she thought I was there trying to meet women. By the way, this woman was not much older than me so it was somewhat ludicrous to hear her lecturing me like a grandma. I continued to ponder the situation as I finished my fly set and then cooled down. Today was mainly about weights, so the swim was just a little something to loosen up after lifting. I didn't have much time to spend since I was on lunch break, which I suppose is one reason I had so little patience for this woman's request. I tried to put myself in her place and sympathize, but I just couldn't do it. I came to the conclusion that she was just an idiot and her request was undeserving of respect. I felt a little sorry for her, but not enough to regret blowing her off. So what do you think, fellow swimmers. Am I a bad man with bad manners?
Parents
  • I'm a woman in my middle 50's so I'm sort of old too. My answer to your question is "NO! You were not rude, the lady was rude to expect the pool to swim carefully so her ears could stay dry!" I don't understand why anyone would hop in the pool if they couldn't get their ears wet. Why didn't she just take a walk or something out of the water? I just don't get people like this. Swim, splash, kick, and have fun! Sincerely, Bob
Reply
  • I'm a woman in my middle 50's so I'm sort of old too. My answer to your question is "NO! You were not rude, the lady was rude to expect the pool to swim carefully so her ears could stay dry!" I don't understand why anyone would hop in the pool if they couldn't get their ears wet. Why didn't she just take a walk or something out of the water? I just don't get people like this. Swim, splash, kick, and have fun! Sincerely, Bob
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