I remember the noodler thread of a long time ago, and I just kinda laughed at the idea of how annoyed some swimmers were with the "noodling". Today, I had a particularly ugly encounter with some noodlers.
I haven't swam since my unfortunate exit, after the 200 IM, at Nationals. Tuesday and Wednesday I had really bad food poisoning that had me laid out the entire time (when I wasn't yakking my guts out!), and on top of it all, I'm one month pregnant with number 4. (Happy about pregnancy, not so much about the other things).
So, my first day back swimming was today at the gym, on this beautiful, sunny 75 degree day. Ahhh. There's a 5 lane 25m pool. Albeit too warm because of the charming noodlers!
I got in, swam an easy 1000, and then the noodler class started. I was in lane 2 as lane 1 is really narrow. I knew that the noodlers get lanes 3-5. I went to push off the wall and a noodler was about 7 meters out right in front of me. Good thing I looked, or she would have had some owies. I stopped and looked at her (she couldn't see the glare in my eyes because I had my goggles on). She just stood there looking at me. A "friend" of hers said, "Do you want to move over?" She asked. I said, "No. I don't." To which she replied, "We get three lanes." I said, "You HAVE three lanes." Apparently, when a lane line isn't in, that counts as one! Long and short of it is I moved over.
It gets better. The "lady" (blue suit) who told me about how many lanes they get started chipping on me as I was swimming/kicking. I held my tongue for awhile and then suggested that she "grow up."
I finished 2,000m which was just right for me, now, and was sitting on the deck, while a guy who was obviously waiting for our ONE lane, got in. I was watching the noodlers noticing that of the 25 of them or so, they were all much older ladies or younger, MUCH heavier "ladies". I'm guessing over 300 pounds, which might account for their ill temper. Blue suit was probably pushing 350. As I was sitting their I saw her turn around, look right at me, and clear as day, say to her friend, "The b!t@h got out!" I couldn't believe my ears, was she kidding me?!
I walked over to her and from the side said, "Do you have a problem with me?" She said, "No. Why?" And I said, "I have a problem being called a b!t#h for no good reason." She didn't answer again, but her friend said, "She didn't say that." I told her that I clearly heard her. She said, "She doesn't even use words like that. She said, 'You got out.' " (Oh, they sound so similar! Plus it doesn't even make sense, she wasn't talking to me! Anyway...)
I said again, "If you have a problem I think you should talk to me." She still didn't answer. Her friend said, "If you have a problem, maybe you should go to the front desk." I said, "I'd rather work it out with you." So, I hadn't thought of going to the front desk, but it sounded good.
The manager came over and I pointed them out and he said he'd give me a call... we'll see.
I couldn't believe the rudeness. I'm sure not all noodlers are that rude, but she was over the top.
Thanks for clarifying. I try to chose like speed lanes when the place is busy, but I know that sometimes people don't do that. They look at the lanes and if yours has less people, they jump in no matter that they don't match speed. For me, I am not that big, so I just swim around them and let them side stroke or whatever. However, if I am doing fly, I don't let the splash or waves I make bother me that I may be getting their perfect hair wet!
In the morning I used to have one woman just glare at me if I got anywhere near her in the pool. I got to the point I would slip into an open lane, she would glare, I would smile sweetly and say good morning, how are you? She would glare. I figured she had the problem not me.
One day when one of our local Master's swimmers who is quite tall and quite good(as in world record good), got in, I saw her get really angry. In the lockerroom later, she was complaining about all the waves in the pool because of "them". That is when I realized, because I knew and talked to this swimmer, I was one of "them" to her.
She has not been there lately, just the "thems". We outlasted, ha.
The fact is, the slower swimmers, and the noodlers tend to be quite afraid of someone with any speed. When the pool is busy, they are afraid to tap into a lane and circle swim. I have shown several people at our pool how to effeciently circle swim and that the faster people will swim around them, not over them.
Thanks for clarifying. I try to chose like speed lanes when the place is busy, but I know that sometimes people don't do that. They look at the lanes and if yours has less people, they jump in no matter that they don't match speed. For me, I am not that big, so I just swim around them and let them side stroke or whatever. However, if I am doing fly, I don't let the splash or waves I make bother me that I may be getting their perfect hair wet!
In the morning I used to have one woman just glare at me if I got anywhere near her in the pool. I got to the point I would slip into an open lane, she would glare, I would smile sweetly and say good morning, how are you? She would glare. I figured she had the problem not me.
One day when one of our local Master's swimmers who is quite tall and quite good(as in world record good), got in, I saw her get really angry. In the lockerroom later, she was complaining about all the waves in the pool because of "them". That is when I realized, because I knew and talked to this swimmer, I was one of "them" to her.
She has not been there lately, just the "thems". We outlasted, ha.
The fact is, the slower swimmers, and the noodlers tend to be quite afraid of someone with any speed. When the pool is busy, they are afraid to tap into a lane and circle swim. I have shown several people at our pool how to effeciently circle swim and that the faster people will swim around them, not over them.
