Rude Noodlers!

RE: Rude Noodlers!

Former Member — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 14:02:54 GMT

I was ready for a fist fight last night when this A-hole jumped in the lane as I was touching the wall. Thankfully it was the last touch of a 100, but if I'd have flipped there'd have been an injury. No warning. No asking. No just get in and wait in the corner so I see you and move over. I said "WTF?" as I spun round and angrily stared out from behind my "mirrored" goggles (that's intimidating for many folks anyhow b/c you can't see the eyes). He quickly changed lanes to be with his buddy when the next lane had space. I always wonder what the guards are doing when this **** happens. I guess b/c I'm a known swimmer to them they don't worry about watching me so much but I was really pissed off.

RE: Rude Noodlers!

Muppet — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 11:28:52 GMT

Rich, I almost mowed over another little kid cutting through my lane tonight - twice. Same non-reaction from the lifeguards. This time, though, I think the mom saw how hard I was coming off the wall the second time and had her daughter play way far away from me. Which is a good thing, cause if I got injured the week of the bay swim, there'd be some serious wrath. :dedhorse::duel::frustrated:

RE: Rude Noodlers!

Former Member — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 16:17:11 GMT

Where I live we get a heckuva lot less snow than the American midwest, maritime climate blesses us here; I always accept that there could be wide variations in what 'fast' is, the ones I was referring to are virtual floaters who twitch their way up and down the lane.

RE: Rude Noodlers!

Former Member — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 15:02:55 GMT

So Canadian Peter isn't it nice to live in such a civilized country, except in the winter??? Yeah, but since your winter lasts 11 months I would rethink the possibilities. I got snowed on the head on a 4th of July in Canada, and the guide said it snows everyday in Canada. I must confess I was on top of some darn mountain in the Lake Louise area. My problem with sharing lanes, which occurs at most practices nowadays, is that I sometimes hit my fingernails or hand on the lane markers and once in awhile will actually hit or get hit by a neighboring swimmer on the arms and sometimes in the legs...but hey, remember way back when you shared lanes with a bunch of fast teenagers with no goggles?

RE: Rude Noodlers!

Former Member — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 12:28:37 GMT

RE: Rude Noodlers!

dorothyrde — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 07:22:41 GMT

In our pool we always circle, those are the rules posted and someone may join your lane at any time (no one would ever ask to share a lane) but it largely succeeds. It is just those whose definition of 'fast' differs from reality who sometimes clog up the works. Fast is relative though. I could come to the pool where three lanes are posted slow, medium and fast. In lane one is the 95 year old woman who swims a mile everyday, very slowly, but good gracious if I am doing that at 95, I will be happy. Lane 2 is a person who swims 50's in about 1:00, faster than the 95 year old, but not speedy. Lane 3 is the speedy swimmer that easily is under 30 for the 50. I am a lot faster than lane 2, but if I get with lane 3, I am in the way because I would get lapped and lapped and lapped. Lane 2 and 1 are going to be afraid to swim with me, lane 3 is going to find be a nuisance. I would chose 2 or 3 depending on the person and what I know about them, leaning toward 3 because at the pool I swim at, lane 3 people are rare, and when they get out, I would be in the appropriate lane.

RE: Rude Noodlers!

Former Member — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 05:32:20 GMT

RE: Rude Noodlers!

Former Member — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 16:48:34 GMT

I bet the person you said "50 fly" thought you were going to swim "50 laps of fly" most noodlers and others don't understand some of our terms. My worst experience was colliding head on with a woman who got into the lane I was in while I was at the other end, and she started swimming up the middle. :doh:KaPow - I saw stars for quite a while, she just looked stunned and then got out shortly thereafter. I really try to be gracious and offer to share a lane, sometimes though I think all the stuff, water bottle, fins, pull buoy, kick board, workout paper, stacked up at the end of the lane make people think twice...intimidation through toys certainly not ability.

RE: Rude Noodlers!

Former Member — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 16:35:07 GMT

If you want a lane to yourself, just bring a monofin. Most people take one look at that device, and look for another lane. :bouncing: ...or a timing clock. A woman did that Wednesday. The pool was full so I offered to split the lane. By the time I swam a lap (granted I'm slow but its a SCY pool). She was in her own lane and I was the only other swimmer!

RE: Rude Noodlers!

Former Member — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 16:01:34 GMT

I think the reason most people are either clueless or rude about swimming is because anyone can jump in a pool and having a suit apparently qualifies you as a swimmer. No lardo would go on a basketball court, golf course, tennis court or baseball field without any knowledge of the game or the rules, yet give some 350 pound granny a noodle and she's the new authority on swimming. The ironic thing is that most pools go out of their way to post signs and rules whereas other sporting areas generally don't post a thing. In my brief visit to the pool yesterday (I got to the deck before the storm shut the pool) two things I noted were: The aquarobic class were damn fit looking ladies. Not a large gal among them...shattering the Water Buffalo image. The other thing was the guy swimming FR with an almost butterfly recovery...it wouldn't matter that he refused to move over...he was going to collide with that wide recovery...my buddy said it didn't bother him..he'd whack him a few times back...sadly thunder and lighting nixed my anticipated moments of amusement watching them share the lane...

RE: Rude Noodlers!

swimmieAvsFan — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 12:55:18 GMT

I bet the person you said "50 fly" thought you were going to swim "50 laps of fly" most noodlers and others don't understand some of our terms. that would get my vote. i've definitely told noodlers that i only had about a 300 to finish up and get some nasty looks and world-weary sighs, as if a 300 is going to take me another hour. i've tried to get in the habit of telling them how much i've got left in terms of minutes, rather than distance... but thankfully, this should be my last weekend to have to deal with noodlers on a near-daily basis- our pool opens back up on monday! :party2:

RE: Rude Noodlers!

aquageek — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 11:55:43 GMT

RE: Rude Noodlers!

Muppet — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 11:24:34 GMT

Maybe he had no clue what a "50 fly" was or how quick it would be :laugh2: Maybe FlyQueen was racing the Queen of Fly (aka some_girl).

RE: Rude Noodlers!

FindingMyInnerFish — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 09:47:17 GMT

Ha, ha! One of the true challenges of swimming is not only swimming one's workout but dealing with "pool politics"! :argue: If all the different users of the pool could just get together (on or off-line) and vent and then hammer out some sort of Geneva Accord, :argue: could turn into :smooch: and/or :hug: but I'm not holding my breath (well, except sometimes, unevenly, during 25s). I have to get your opinions on an incident I experienced yesterday--which in retrospect, I think may have just reflected a communication problem rather than anyone being intentionally rude. I was doing my workout during the lap swim period in a lane that was empty and not marked with any speed (fast, medium, slow). Sometimes the signs are up, but often they're not, and generally speaking, there's some diversity of speed in all the lanes except the one for water walking/very easy swimming. I was doing a 300 (circling) while some kids from the swim team came into the lane, swimming pretty fast. It gave me a bit of a start b/c suddenly the kid was almost on top of me, and although I had no intention of getting in the way, and also assumed that they'd probably be able to manage with me in the lane, since they'd chosen that lane, even so, I was uneasy enough to move into the next lane where there was a gent swimming about my speed. And I waited until he knew I was interested in sharing before I started to swim. Most of the time, I'm cool w/ ppl wanting to do a workout in the lane I'm in, but still would have felt better if the kids had said something to me before just sweeping up the lane. It's always possible they didn't know when I'd pause and didn't want to interrupt me. One of the kids finally turned to me after I got in the next lane and said (not too convincingly, but maybe that was me), "sorry we kicked you out of your lane." But then again, they're kids, and probably just eager to get in some extra practice, so not really thinking of anything or anyone else. (Maybe they deserve credit for being so focused.) In retrospect, I don't think they meant to be rude, just I felt kind of miffed at them for how they moved into the lane. But since I was circling, they may have felt that I was already giving permission to share. It's just that often older swimmers with serious workout intentions will let me know what they're planning on and I can either hang in or move depending on whether I'm up for the intensity or not. I didn't feel I had that chance with the kids. But maybe they took for granted that they could move in as long as they circled. I want to be respectful of others' workouts, and at the same time to have mine (albeit slow) respected as well. Should note (don't know if important): after I left the lane, one or two more swim team members came in to use that lane, so there were maybe 3-4 kids at a time. Decided it was good I left the lane when I did. Also should note that although I shouldn't and have to work on this, I lose concentration/focus when someone comes into my lane unexpectedly. If, as the guy who later shared my new lane did, the person signals their intent to join me, I'm cool, usually feel okay w/ it, and can work around the lane partner. But not so easily if I'm caught off guard and the other person's speed/ swim style is way different from mine. Pools are small, and the number of people wanting to use them is growing. The good thing is that maybe more people see the need to get away from the tv set and do something. The bad thing is that there are so many varieties of doing something that collisions (verbal and otherwise) are inevitable.

RE: Rude Noodlers!

The Fortress — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 09:39:45 GMT

To answer your "what did I do question?" -- Tone of Voice. I am willing to bet he took your tone the wrong way. Happens all the time. I've tried to approach other wanna-join-me swimmers with a super-overly-friendly welcoming tone. Haven't had any problems from the folks who joined in or the folks who decided to go to a different lane (except for what i mentioned earlier) Oh FlyQueen, you are so abrasive. I doubt it was tone of voice, although FlyQueen is loud and bossy. It was probably just the mere mention of the word fly. Many lap swimmers are very gracious and actually enjoy watching fly. Others just look irritated like you have no right to be swimming during designated lap swim -- an odd position since you've paid for admission too. If you want a lane to yourself, just bring a monofin. Most people take one look at that device, and look for another lane. :bouncing:

RE: Rude Noodlers!

some_girl — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 01:40:47 GMT

Maybe FlyQueen was racing the Queen of Fly (aka some_girl). We don't need to race anymore. We already know who is fastest at a 50. (The girl whose lane I was in of course!)

RE: Rude Noodlers!

Former Member — Thu, 31 May 2007 14:46:05 GMT

Saturday morning I was swimming on my own. Three of the five lanes were being used for a noodler class (and yes they seem to love when I swim fly past them). I was in the non-wall lane and another "baggy shorts, I only swim a 25 at a time" swimmer was in the wall lane. I just finished a long free set and was getting ready for some fly when another baggy shorted guy came up to me and asked if I wanted to split or circle. I said, it's up to you, can I just do a quick 50 fly first? He glared and me and said something rude and stormed off. I still don't know what I did. At least I had the lane to myself for the rest of practice. Obiwan, you've taught me well: I've had so many grateful looks from swimmers I split a lane with when I tell them if they want to swim some fly to let me know and I'll take a breather. It's more self-preservation than graciousness!

RE: Rude Noodlers!

Muppet — Thu, 31 May 2007 12:37:31 GMT

RE: Rude Noodlers!

FlyQueen — Thu, 31 May 2007 12:18:00 GMT

I just wanted to a do ONE 50! Crikey! The guy swimming next to me even said to me, well he could have shared my lane. Oh well ...

RE: Rude Noodlers!

FlyQueen — Thu, 31 May 2007 09:56:39 GMT

RE: Rude Noodlers!

dorothyrde — Thu, 31 May 2007 05:31:40 GMT

Saturday morning I was swimming on my own. Three of the five lanes were being used for a noodler class (and yes they seem to love when I swim fly past them). I was in the non-wall lane and another "baggy shorts, I only swim a 25 at a time" swimmer was in the wall lane. I just finished a long free set and was getting ready for some fly when another baggy shorted guy came up to me and asked if I wanted to split or circle. I said, it's up to you, can I just do a quick 50 fly first? He glared and me and said something rude and stormed off. I still don't know what I did. At least I had the lane to myself for the rest of practice. Maybe he had no clue what a "50 fly" was or how quick it would be :laugh2:

RE: Rude Noodlers!

Former Member — Wed, 30 May 2007 16:10:20 GMT

its called a SWIMMING pool for a reason, so people can swim in it. If people want to bathe, they should get in a tub. If I have to share the lane with more than one swimmer, I get out. It is not worth the frustration of trying to circle swim with 3 people, where 2 of them take 2 minutes do a 50, and one of them takes 35 seconds. Taking 2 minutes to do a 50 is still SWIMMING. Granted, it's excruciatingly slow swimming, but it's still swimming. No one would expect you to share a lane with 2 slow swimmers, but that doesn't mean that you have more of a right to be there than they do. Have a heart - not everyone starts out fast.

RE: Rude Noodlers!

Former Member — Wed, 30 May 2007 15:47:26 GMT

So far, no one's taken kickboards or pull buoys that I use in the pool. Sometimes if I'm done using them, and another swimmer nearby is doing a workout, I'll tell them I'm done and they can go ahead and use the equipment. But that aside, with all the violations of pool etiquette that I've witnessed, that's not been one of them. Probably laughing was just the way to go... got the guy weirded out enough to make him think (maybe?) about what he was saying/doing. I do remember an incident at a pool quite a few years back--two women just standing in the middle of the lap lane chitchatting (only two lap lanes and the rest of the pool for lounging/open swimming). Pointedly swimming between them didn't seem to get the message across. But at that same pool more recently, the lifeguards have been better about enforcing the rules. As a slower swimmer (maybe not 2 mins. to do 25 but usually not under 30 seconds unless pushing myself), I respect all speeds. Only ask that people put themselves in the appropriate lanes. If the pool is crowded, I check the lanes to see whose swimming style is most compatible w/ mine, and wait until the swimmer knows I'm interested in sharing the lane. Interesting and encouraging experience: I was swimming at a comfortable pace one day when a man in the next lane appeared to be trying to "race" me. As I mentioned, I'm not fast, and I wasn't pushing to the max, just trying to remember some advice my masters coach gave about my stroke. The man in the next lane passed me near the end, but he was breathing VERY, VERY hard, seeming to sprint for all he was worth, and when I turned, he hung on the wall for a couple minutes. He tried again to "race" me and the same thing happened. Of course, measured against my much faster masters team-mates, I'm probably to them what that man was to me... But still, kind of refreshing to have the tables turned for a change. Hahaha I don' tmind if someone paces with me it pushes me to swim hard and such. I just don't mind when they get to the wall and look round to see if they "beat" me...it's tough not to try to keep up when you go to meets and race, it's an instictive thing...I sometimes have to force myself to not play that game so I can get my workout done how I want.

RE: Rude Noodlers!

art_z — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:16:30 GMT

Taking 2 minutes to do a 50 is still SWIMMING. Granted, it's excruciatingly slow swimming, but it's still swimming. No one would expect you to share a lane with 2 slow swimmers, but that doesn't mean that you have more of a right to be there than they do. Have a heart - not everyone starts out fast. I never said I had more of a right to be there or not. my point is simply most people don't have a clue about swimming etiquette or that their skills matter as to which lane they pick. If you are going to jump in and share a lane with someone, THINK before you do, communicate with the other swimmer(s) about your intentions. Don't hop in, float down the middle, and then complain when you get run into. Then again, people think the left lane on the highway is meant for driving at or below the speed limit.

RE: Rude Noodlers!

Former Member — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:10:45 GMT

While we're all talking about pool manners I hope everyone here makes the effort to return the board and buoy to the storage area after the swim rather than leave it lying around for the guard to pick up.