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.
Oh my, little kids are not allowed during our lap swim. My DD has been swimming with me for a number of years, but she is on swim team and knows how to circle. Dad had poor judgement there. He probably learned his lesson.
I have almost nailed kids at the public pools in the summer. They are not suppose to cross into the lap lanes, but they do, and it always scares me to go into a turn and realize I almost kick a kid in the face. I talk to them, and tell them about the rules, but without the guards help, I am afraid nothing comes of it. The guards have their hands full with everything else going on, so I cannot blame them.
I continue to hold out hope that noodles will eventually be banned for either health or environmental reasons. I can't image those things are capable of biodegrading.
I remember the pre-noodle era when you actually had to both get wet and actually move when in the water.
We are fortunate that our pool has a hot pool and a cool pool. The noodleites stay in the hot pool where they can wallow without fear of getting cold.
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.
In this case, it was one of four lanes, and marked medium speed (we're forced to choose between slow, medium, medium and medium)
You're lucky. Where I swim most often (Adults ONLY, lane swims) it's a 25m 6 (normal) lanes width pool. They subdivide it into 4 (1.5 lanes-wide) lanes, marked,
Leisure (anything goes)
and three circle lanes
medium
medium fast
fast
I guess they used these mis-nomers to flatter (huge) egos.
(On the fast lane poolside marker they have a little sticker that says, "100m in 1:30". I guess that 99% of the "swimmers" who use the fast lane are illiterate -----they can't read a four-letter word that starts with "f" followed by one vowel and ends in two consonants----- or they think they are Olympic material. Most of them couldn't do a 50m in 1:30. The lifeguards are too young and shy to confront these
EGOs and make them move.
What I usually do is one of two things:
1-
I'll swim in the much less crowded "slower" lanes and overtake them on the side they breathe on so they can't miss the fact, or
2-
swim in the fast lane and overtake them, cut sharply in front of them and almost kick them in the face (I overdo my flutter kick and really churn the water up). In almost six years, only once did a swimmer confront me at one end, telling me that I almost kicked her in the face. I replied, "This is the fast lane and you are amongst the slowest in the pool. You were too slow for me to have even possibly come near to having kicked you because you were almost at a standstill." She had the good manners not to say anything and move over.
So, it's not only noodlers who can be rude or inconsiderate, but ................
Originally Posted by Blackbeard's Peg
...350lb angry water buffalo...
:lmao:That gave me such a good laugh!!!
One of my friends would refer to the water buffalo as an "Aquapotamus"
Poor etiquette is the main reason I avoid lap swims unless absolutely necessary. Luckily, even the city pools here have dedicated masters workout times a few hours per week.
I think I've mentioned this before, but I actually prefer to share a lane with someone much slower than someone only a little slower than I am. If they are considerably slower than you they tend to be very easy to pass. It's the people who are just a little slower that present a problem. The bottom line, though, is two people of any speed should be able to share a lane if they both follow proper lap swimming etiquette.
Our team practices at 6 am. There is this one dude who swims in one of our designated lanes. If he sees us get there early, he will stop swimming on a single side of a lane and switch to a reverse circle swim to prevent any of us from getting in early.
If someone swims reasonably consistently, I don't care how slow (or fast) they swim. I'm experienced enough to adjust my sets on the fly and still get the benefit. It is the guy who dives in and does 25 all out (going reasonably fast) and hangs onto the wall for a couple of minutes and repeats the same thing ad infinitum, usually going off right behind me or the really slow swimmer who seems to rest at erratic intervals but invariably sets off just before my turn that drives me. The key is ignorance of lane etiquette and lack of consideration for others. Hey, sounds just like driving...
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.
At one of the Public City pools where I swim, the lifeguards (staff) pasted a notice on the fins/boards/buoys/etc..... cabinet, saying
"I am not your mother. Put things back where you took them from."
