Everyone here on the boards has way more experience than I do, so I'm looking for advice on how you handle rudeness in the pool.
It seems like the summer has taken its toll on me with the number of rude people of all stripes who've been sharing my rec center pool. It's gotten to the point where it's sapped my enjoyment, and I have at times thought about giving up the sport entirely because it's just too much hassle to come home feeling like I've been byatch slapped, run into, pushed against the ropes, told no to lane sharing, and insulted about the way I look in a bathing suit.
Yes, I'm too sensitive, that's a fact, but I'm a writer and an artist, so it kind of comes with the territory. I try to shrug these things off, but I get out of the pool depressed and replay incidents in my head. I'm starting to wonder if it's worth it. What's supposed to be a nice, relaxing, healthy form of exercise has, over the summer, become something I dread. The lifeguards aren't much help - they don't see most of what's going on in the lap lanes because they're busy watching the kids. I can't count on them to step in. :badday: So I'd like to know if any of you experienced swimmers have dealt with this turning point, and how you kept going.
I think you need to talk to the pool management about possibly dividing the lanes into a slow / medium / fast lanes. I used to swim at a YMCA that did just that. I know there's nothing worse than circle swimming with people that are all different speeds. The faster swimmers are totally shut down in this situation and are unable to get a workout that raises their heart rate at all. This can be as frustrating for the fast person as it is for the slower persons and could possibly cause aggressive or mean behavior toward lanemates. I had this situation occur the other day at a local community center. I was splitting a lane with a slower man and enjoying my workout. Another fellow jumped in the lane. This guy was swimming some type of hybrid breastroke w/a scissor kick that extended across both lane lines. He was taking about 3 minutes per 50 + kicking me each time I tried to swim down the lane. I tried to continue with my swim but it was totally impossible. The lanes are too narrow to pass in the middle. I waited at one end till he got there. I asked him if he could either move to a lane where the others were swimming breastroke, or switch to freestyle so the lane could have a better flow. Before I could catch my breath both slow lane mates were yelling at me, telling me they had as much right to be there as I did, and threatning to tattle to the lifeguards about me. I tried to tell them I got there first + I had a right to swim too but they just didn't get it. I finally just got out. I was out numbered, plus can't argue with self-righteous jerks. I later talked to the mgt. and they agreed to setting pylons at lane ends labeled slow-medium-fast. SOLUTION!!!!
I think you need to talk to the pool management about possibly dividing the lanes into a slow / medium / fast lanes. I used to swim at a YMCA that did just that. I know there's nothing worse than circle swimming with people that are all different speeds. The faster swimmers are totally shut down in this situation and are unable to get a workout that raises their heart rate at all. This can be as frustrating for the fast person as it is for the slower persons and could possibly cause aggressive or mean behavior toward lanemates. I had this situation occur the other day at a local community center. I was splitting a lane with a slower man and enjoying my workout. Another fellow jumped in the lane. This guy was swimming some type of hybrid breastroke w/a scissor kick that extended across both lane lines. He was taking about 3 minutes per 50 + kicking me each time I tried to swim down the lane. I tried to continue with my swim but it was totally impossible. The lanes are too narrow to pass in the middle. I waited at one end till he got there. I asked him if he could either move to a lane where the others were swimming breastroke, or switch to freestyle so the lane could have a better flow. Before I could catch my breath both slow lane mates were yelling at me, telling me they had as much right to be there as I did, and threatning to tattle to the lifeguards about me. I tried to tell them I got there first + I had a right to swim too but they just didn't get it. I finally just got out. I was out numbered, plus can't argue with self-righteous jerks. I later talked to the mgt. and they agreed to setting pylons at lane ends labeled slow-medium-fast. SOLUTION!!!!
