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.
Bobinator, thanks for the suggestion. It's a good one. The management here isn't what you'd call responsive, but it's worth trying. They generally don't pay much attention. I've asked about cell phones in the locker room, and they did put up a sign, but it's way in a corner. I'm not even going to try and tackle the overage boys in the women's locker room.
I swim slowly, but try to find someone who's compatible to lane share. The guy who jumped into the lane with you and swam up the middle sounds like an idiot, and incredibly rude. He has a right to share the pool, but not at the expense of the other swimmers. We have a woman who likes to swim on her back down the middle pulling with both arms simultaneously, and she always refused to share a lane.
My main motivation for getting over my fear of the deep end is that most of the swimmers there have a clue, whereas the people who use the shallow lanes at our pool are often not really swimmers and have no concept of courtesy. Plus, you don't often have to share in the deep end.
Bobinator, thanks for the suggestion. It's a good one. The management here isn't what you'd call responsive, but it's worth trying. They generally don't pay much attention. I've asked about cell phones in the locker room, and they did put up a sign, but it's way in a corner. I'm not even going to try and tackle the overage boys in the women's locker room.
I swim slowly, but try to find someone who's compatible to lane share. The guy who jumped into the lane with you and swam up the middle sounds like an idiot, and incredibly rude. He has a right to share the pool, but not at the expense of the other swimmers. We have a woman who likes to swim on her back down the middle pulling with both arms simultaneously, and she always refused to share a lane.
My main motivation for getting over my fear of the deep end is that most of the swimmers there have a clue, whereas the people who use the shallow lanes at our pool are often not really swimmers and have no concept of courtesy. Plus, you don't often have to share in the deep end.
