One of the reasons I hate swimming in outdoor community/development pools is the lifeguard glare you get when you come in with all your gear, prepared to swim and hour or two. :banana: I've been swimming outside for 25 years in the summer, and find that the guards are mostly all the same - texting, playing ball, sleeping, eating. Heaven forbid, they have to sit up and watch a swimmer. I feel like they really hate when I walk in because they have to actually do their job. I've treated them to lunch, ice cream, treats and some are fine, but overall, they are mostly very lazy. I tell them I had a guard cert, (I can swim better than almost all of them!), and they don't have to sit in the chair, or even watch, but I still feel the glare. I've even encountered a few occasions when the sun was shining and guards claimed they heard thunder. What happened to the good old days when guards sat in the chair and did their job without resentment? I only see that type of mentality at the indoor pools. On rainy days, they really give me the evil eye. :badday:
I actually have a funny story. A friend of mine was in Paris and went to a public pool to swim laps. The other people in the pool were splashing around and started yelling at him, and the lifeguard kicked him out. He said what my friend was doing was inappropriate. They don't swim laps there. :D They are evidently not into swimming for fitness. So when the lifeguard glares at you, remember at least here they let you do your laps in a pool LOL.I lived in Paris and swam in many of the public pools there. Some pools designate sections of the pool which are open water (no lane lines) for people who do not want to swim laps and sometimes there are specific hours designated for lap swimming and for recreation. Perhaps that was the misunderstanding in this case. I know swimming in Paris can be complicated and I have dealt with very crowded lanes and rude fellow swimmers, but haven't been told I can't swim laps during lap swim time!
I lived in Paris and swam in many of the public pools there. Some pools designate sections of the pool which are open water (no lane lines) for people who do not want to swim laps and sometimes there are specific hours designated for lap swimming and for recreation.
That seems similar to many pools in the U.S. I wouldn't expect someone to swim laps during an open swim time and I think it is borderline inappropriate.
@renie, this might be a NJ thing? I've swum in pools all around the country, indoors and outdoors, and never had this problem. Most of the guards I run into in the west are smiley, happy people and I have had more than a few of them want to talk with me about swimming after I've done my workout. My recommendation - head west!
I actually have a funny story. A friend of mine was in Paris and went to a public pool to swim laps. The other people in the pool were splashing around and started yelling at him, and the lifeguard kicked him out. He said what my friend was doing was inappropriate. They don't swim laps there. :D They are evidently not into swimming for fitness. So when the lifeguard glares at you, remember at least here they let you do your laps in a pool LOL.
Lifeguarding is a horribly boring job. Time goes really slowly when sitting there watching people splash around in a pool. When I guarded back in college I was always thrilled when nobody was in the pool because then I could sit and read a novel or something. So I can see where the resentment comes from--you're making their day drag on as they will have to sit and watch you for hours as you say.
Of course, that's the job and I wouldn't care if they glower at you. It's your right to swim in the pool. I'd ignore them. If nobody swam in the pool, they'd lose that job and might have to do actual hard work.
