What annoys you?

Dude, I'm not exactly sure who your directing your comments too....but I take some offense to them if they are at all targeted towards my posting....Are you saying I don't have the right to complain about kids who are clearly disturbing the lap swimmers even though they have thier own recreational spot set aside for them??....and all the while thier parents sit and watch and do nothing....come on dude....I'm not following your logic here....sure the public pools are for everyone ....but there are also specifications and rules set forth by each pool and all patrons should abide by them....i.e. I don't go over to the recreational side and start deliberately messing with the kids playing there....Graham pointed out that the lap lanes at his pool are clearly marked so that everyone knows which lane is the fastest lane....so are you saying that the guy in question there had every right to swim 2:00 plus per lenth in that fast lane?....Maybe I'm just misunderstanding your posting or something b/c I have to admit that I'm a little baffled by it. Newmastersswimmer

I remember when I was a kid and was dropped off at the country club pool all day. I knew not to disturb the lap swimmers. The lifeguards would kick the kids who did out of the pool and they learned fast. Who wants to play tennis instead of swim? Not that group. The aquaerobian who decided to disturb my swimming instead of walking, around the pool deck, to his aerobics lane was not a punk kid. I don’t think the guards could kick that guy out of the pool, but they should. How funny would that be! You’re outta here! Go play racquetball.

Jim are you at all scary or stern. I know when kids get in my way or do something like that, I turn my stern Mommy voice and look on and they don't mess with me after that. And geez on the parents not doing anything. My kid would have been yanked outta there so fast.....

Have you ever considered what the other "slow" swimmers could think about you? Well, they think they are in their perfect legitimate rights and actually, YOU are the annoyance of the lane. Once a while I got kicked in the leg or abs by a slow breaststroke swimmer in front. Once, I was certain that the man kicked me purposely. I would never understand the reason why a slow swimmer chooses the faster lane. It is so frequent that now I get used to it. The fast lane "magnet" effect can be sometimes so powerful that the better lane is actually the medium lane (less crowded). Other irritations: - Swimmers with a very strong body smell. Unfortunately, it's not the agreable lady fragrance. His is suffocating and the guy rests very often at the shallow end. I have to rest on the deep end to keep some distance. - People who swim 20% of their pool time. The remaining 80% is standing daydreaming at the pool end.

I swim almost exclusively in organized masters workouts exactly because of the reasons mentioned. My favorite is the people swimming in the fast lane (granted, they are usually faster than your floater, Graham!) who get ticked when you constantly pass them. Usually they don't say anything, but you can tell. It's sort of like they're saying "Darn it, I'm fast. How dare you come in here and start passing me?" The people who push off right in front of you deserve to be shot. :D :D

To Newmastersswimmer: Not knowing Matt personally, I cannot speak for him, but my best guess is that the point he was trying to make is that we've read these same complaints/moans/gripes/etc. periodically on these boards over the years, the old "Same Sh** Different Day" story . . . that they serve no real purpose . . . do not educate anyone . . . do not solve any problems . . . are completely predictable . . . and he was just trying to (in a clever and non-offensive way) to cut to the chase and bring this thread to a quiet close. So Matt, how close am I? carl botterud and so that I don't seem like a total spoil sport, here are things that annoy me: Pools that are too hot Pools that are too cold Pools that are dirty Pools that are crowded Pools that are shallow Dirty locker rooms Dirty showers Cold Showers High taxes The price of gas Rigid, unquestioning, uncritical political dogma from either side Racism Sexism Poverty Pollution Global warming Anna Nicole Smith TV Commercials Backstroke Christmas music in any month other than December Jellyfish Brussel sprouts Yardwork Hip pain (until I get my new one) Late bloomers who complain too much Early bloomers who complain too much Complainers Whiners Gripers people who don't agree with me cheap wine warm beer gas barbecues (real men use charcoal) anything pierced other than an ear or two people who lie or cheat the conditions that caused the cancellation of the Waikiki Roughwater getting up at 5 a.m. to swim and lift (which I do anyway . . . sometimes not as regularly as I should) did I mention brussel sprouts?

...almost every time I swim. =( Heather (who has clocked a few people who insist on cutting the length short right in front of me - I can't stop on a dime, people!)

"things that annoy me: the conditions that caused the cancellation of the Waikiki Roughwater" Oh man, don't get me started on this one. I was there this year, what a joke! There was a little current, but not enough to warrant canceling! Some of the Aussies swam it right after they cancelled...under an hour! They have to rename it the Waikiki CALMwater swim!

Well, in fairness to the organizers, 2003 was quite the debacle and there is no way that they could afford a repeat. It was very fortunate that no one was lost. I think that the coast guard and local water safety officials pulled the plug this year(just a guess). You'll recall that they were going to delay the start for about an hour until the tide switched and then cancelled about 20-30 minutes later. I'm guessing that having the lifeguards, paddlers, coast guard stand by and be available for the race longer into the day became problematic. And the current was very serious at the time that we should have started, as bad as in 2003 if not worse. I'm sure it changed around 10 when the tide changed. Stuff happens. carl

We've been swimming in various pools since apx 1980 and seen pretty much the same things in all of them: a) Those who insist on "hogging" the faster lanes; b) Those who cannot follow a straight line; c) Those who block the turns and/or stand at the ends and push off just as someone is making the turn or approaching it. d) Those who dive/swim under the lane markers either by accident or to get to another lane or to retrieve a lost object e) Those who jump into a lane without noticing swimmer "x" is passing swimmer "y" and headed straight at them. On only 1 or 2 occasions in 25 years have we seen a lifeguard say or do anything about any of the above.