There is a swimmer in our pool whose appearance is "dreaded" by many of us. As soon as she enters your lane and starts her laps, the whole lane gets slowed down for a at least an hour, because, #1, she never stops and never give a chance to others when she's at the end of the pool and is going for another lap while another swimmer had been waiting to start; #2, whenever she encounters someone during the laps (whether in the same or opposite direction), she would continue as if others don't exist, as if it's her own lane and as if she's thinking "get out of my way please"; #3, and that's the most important point: she's slower than all the others in the lane. So everyone else has to slow down because the lane is not so wide, and from time to time you see people try everything they could to get around her, or backstrokers hitting her from behind (and she would still go on like you were just a fly).
She usually continues like this for at least one hour, could be 90 minutes. She probably has her rule in mind, to never stop during the lap. That's fine as many of people here do that, but that works only if your speed is comparable to the others sharing the lane.
What's the best way to deal with such a fellow swimmer?
My take is that if this isn't an organized swim workout, you really can't say anything, she has just as much right to be there as you. If, however, it is a formal workout and/or you and your training parters are already in the lane then you have every right to tell her what you will be doing and then hope she moves on. But, still, absent a formal sponsored workout by the facility, she has just as much right to be in that lane as you. It would also make me crazy.
But, they can talk to her about when people want to pass her, how she should let the faster one's go around her at the wall. Plus, if there are other lanes open, ask her to find one with similar speed.
This lady has to know that she is lower than the other people in the lane. Yea, she has the right but it doesn't mean she should.
If common sense approach doesn't work...go with Lump's idea.
My take is that if this isn't an organized swim workout, you really can't say anything, she has just as much right to be there as you. If, however, it is a formal workout and/or you and your training parters are already in the lane then you have every right to tell her what you will be doing and then hope she moves on. But, still, absent a formal sponsored workout by the facility, she has just as much right to be in that lane as you. It would also make me crazy.
But, they can talk to her about when people want to pass her, how she should let the faster one's go around her at the wall. Plus, if there are other lanes open, ask her to find one with similar speed.
This lady has to know that she is lower than the other people in the lane. Yea, she has the right but it doesn't mean she should.
If common sense approach doesn't work...go with Lump's idea.
