Swim Rant

How about this: stepping into a shower stall to find a used towel…with skidmarks!!! (I did not pick it up, but instead moved to another stall). I can forgive the messing up the towel bit, but I think the decent thing to do is to put the towel in the towel bin, not leave it for someone else to find.

This morning the lifeguard was cleaning the pool deck by dipping the broom into the swimming pool and then sweeping the deck. Well, at least it wasn't a mop.

The steps in some of the pools' deep ends. I hate those, where you practically need a step ladder to get to the first step!!

The pool was mostly in use by group lessons, so there was only one lap swim lane available. The woman in the lane was placidly grinding out a few million laps. I'm patient, so I waited politely for her to notice me, but this was in vain. She would not acknowledge me, even when I stood in the end of the lane, even when I stood in the end of the lane and waved cheerfully, and even when I crouched in the end of the lane, ducked under the water and waved cheerfully to her underwater. So, I watched her pattern and decided to just join in. She was going in a clockwise circle. Cool. I can do that. I let her get to the other end and then started swimming in the same circle, so that we'd have the most separation. Halfway down the first length, we crashed head-on. She had changed her pattern and had come straight back the same side of the lane she'd gone down. Ouch. Before I could ask her what pattern we should do, she'd resumed swimming. Huh. Okay. Rubbing my head, I completed the length and paused to look back the length of the pool, to see which way she'd be coming. I didn't want to hit her head-on again. She was coming up the right side. (Her right.) Okay, so I'll just swim down my right, I figured. Halfway down the pool, we crashed head-on AGAIN. She had crossed over the center line at some point. Before she could swim away again (what, is her head made of iron?) I accosted her and asked her which pattern she wanted to use-- circle one way, circle the other, or just divide the lane in two? She replied that she hadn't been using any pattern in particular (no ****, I mumbled). It was all I could do not to drown her on the spot. We worked it out and the rest of the practice passed without disruption. But my head hurt all day long. :bitching:

The pool was mostly in use by group lessons, so there was only one lap swim lane available. The woman in the lane was placidly grinding out a few million laps. I'm patient, so I waited politely for her to notice me, but this was in vain. She would not acknowledge me, even when I stood in the end of the lane, even when I stood in the end of the lane and waved cheerfully, and even when I crouched in the end of the lane, ducked under the water and waved cheerfully to her underwater. So, I watched her pattern and decided to just join in. She was going in a clockwise circle. Cool. I can do that. I let her get to the other end and then started swimming in the same circle, so that we'd have the most separation. Halfway down the first length, we crashed head-on. She had changed her pattern and had come straight back the same side of the lane she'd gone down. Ouch. Before I could ask her what pattern we should do, she'd resumed swimming. Huh. Okay. Rubbing my head, I completed the length and paused to look back the length of the pool, to see which way she'd be coming. I didn't want to hit her head-on again. She was coming up the right side. (Her right.) Okay, so I'll just swim down my right, I figured. Halfway down the pool, we crashed head-on AGAIN. She had crossed over the center line at some point. Before she could swim away again (what, is her head made of iron?) I accosted her and asked her which pattern she wanted to use-- circle one way, circle the other, or just divide the lane in two? She replied that she hadn't been using any pattern in particular (no ****, I mumbled). It was all I could do not to drown her on the spot. We worked it out and the rest of the practice passed without disruption. But my head hurt all day long. :bitching: Nova, I once was in the same situation, and after observing a few laps determined that the woman in the lane was actually circle swimming counterclockwise. I got in and swam over 100 yards with her before we hit head on. She did stop, and it turned out that she assumed that anyone getting in would split the lane with her, since she claimed to be swimming on the same side the whole time (but had somehow not noticed me swimming BETWEEN her and the lane line on "her" side of the lane--twice!) I don't think she even knew there was another person in the lane until we collided. I switched over to another lane (where there were already 3 swimmers who were actually circling), and reminded myself that sometimes when you see an uncrowded lane, there's a reason!

Swim lesson parents that wear street shoes on the deck to track in all of the goose poop that will end up in he water !!

OK the swimmers in the next lane need to trim the toe nails so as not to cut me when they do *** or back !!

Grrr, I'm pissed. And I think I'm jinxed but I'll explain that second. First, so, in the meet today I was supposed to swim a 500 and a 1000. I was really pumped up for them because this was the first time I was doing the 500 since last April and the first time I was ever going to do the 1000. I had been preparing myself mentally all week, heck, all month, since I was going to do them them for a meet two weeks ago but I unexpectedly got violently ill and had the kind of cough that starts up if you make any sudden movements. And then in the weeks since, I got a mild case of bronchitis but I just soldiered through it and continued swimming. I had a meet to prepare for, y'know! Anyway, on Wednesday night, I saw a report that there was going to be another big storm here on Friday (today). In case you didn't know, while the rest of the nation has been blanketed under snow, California has been getting a much needed windfall of rain. We haven't had rain like this in several years. So it's a good thing we're getting even more rain... we need it to end our stupid drought. It didn't occur to me that the storm would cancel the meet. :bitching: I got there early and everything. Helped out a young coach from the USAS team (I swim for both them and the college one of their pools is at) set up the chairs and the tables. Meanwhile, I chit-chatted with various teammates as they arrived. Got my cap for the season (suits still to come). And then the rain came. The coaches started getting calls and the team from San Francisco bailed. They apparently swim in an indoor pool. Wimps. Can't take a little rain? Gawd. That influenced the other team which was already arriving and all the sudden our little tri-meet was over before it began. The frustrating thing is, the real heavy rain started right as we would've began warming up, and then it ended just at the time as the meet would've ended. What the hell, man, what the hell. Where's the storm god at so I can punch him? My college teammates' reactions to the cancellation were positively disgusting, too. Everyone was sooo happy and saccharine. Doesn't anyone want to RACE?! Christ. Two meets in a row I've psyched myself up for and ultimately ended up not swimming. The fates are conspiring against me. Sorry for the rant. But it is a rant thread...

Grrr, I'm pissed. And I think I'm jinxed but I'll explain that second. First, so, in the meet today I was supposed to swim a 500 and a 1000. I was really pumped up for them because this was the first time I was doing the 500 since last April and the first time I was ever going to do the 1000. I had been preparing myself mentally all week, heck, all month, since I was going to do them them for a meet two weeks ago but I unexpectedly got violently ill and had the kind of cough that starts up if you make any sudden movements. And then in the weeks since, I got a mild case of bronchitis but I just soldiered through it and continued swimming. I had a meet to prepare for, y'know! Anyway, on Wednesday night, I saw a report that there was going to be another big storm here on Friday (today). In case you didn't know, while the rest of the nation has been blanketed under snow, California has been getting a much needed windfall of rain. We haven't had rain like this in several years. So it's a good thing we're getting even more rain... we need it to end our stupid drought. It didn't occur to me that the storm would cancel the meet. :bitching: I got there early and everything. Helped out a young coach from the USAS team (I swim for both them and the college one of their pools is at) set up the chairs and the tables. Meanwhile, I chit-chatted with various teammates as they arrived. Got my cap for the season (suits still to come). And then the rain came. The coaches started getting calls and the team from San Francisco bailed. They apparently swim in an indoor pool. Wimps. Can't take a little rain? Gawd. That influenced the other team which was already arriving and all the sudden our little tri-meet was over before it began. The frustrating thing is, the real heavy rain started right as we would've began warming up, and then it ended just at the time as the meet would've ended. What the hell, man, what the hell. Where's the storm god at so I can punch him? My college teammates' reactions to the cancellation were positively disgusting, too. Everyone was sooo happy and saccharine. Doesn't anyone want to RACE?! Christ. Two meets in a row I've psyched myself up for and ultimately ended up not swimming. The fates are conspiring against me. Sorry for the rant. But it is a rant thread... Wow,what a bummer.Maybe Fate is telling you to be a sprinter.

Grrr, I'm pissed. And I think I'm jinxed but I'll explain that second. ... It didn't occur to me that the storm would cancel the meet. :bitching: ...You have a right to be pissed. You need to come to a meet in Arizona -- we swim in harsh conditions (mostly too hot, but often too cold) most months out of the year (our April state meet and a meet between Oct 15th and Nov 15th are usually nice) and don't let things like wind and rain stop us. I though NoCal folks were supposed to be tough? Clearly you are, but those indoor pool wimps from San Fran need an attitude adjustment.