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?
I think some of you are making this harder than it needs to be. It isn't a question of whether or not she has a "right" to be there; she does. She doesn't, however, have a right to make everyone swim her workout. It is a question of common courtesy and etiquette. Everyone of us has this problem on occasion. If it is a common occurrence, try speaking with her politely to explain the appropriate way to share a lane. If that does not work, talk to the life guards and ask them to speak with her. She has an obligation to not hold other swimmers up. The other swimmers in the lane have an obligation not to swim over her but to try to pass at appropriate times. It is best to work together rather than expect only one person to change. If she is constantly getting into a lane where she is mismatched, then the lifeguards need to encourage her to move to a more appropriate lane.
I can't tell whether the talk of "intimidation" tactics is misplaced aggression, excess testosterone, or just showing off but, in my opinion, are rarely the best way to deal with these problems.
I think some of you are making this harder than it needs to be. It isn't a question of whether or not she has a "right" to be there; she does. She doesn't, however, have a right to make everyone swim her workout. It is a question of common courtesy and etiquette. Everyone of us has this problem on occasion. If it is a common occurrence, try speaking with her politely to explain the appropriate way to share a lane. If that does not work, talk to the life guards and ask them to speak with her. She has an obligation to not hold other swimmers up. The other swimmers in the lane have an obligation not to swim over her but to try to pass at appropriate times. It is best to work together rather than expect only one person to change. If she is constantly getting into a lane where she is mismatched, then the lifeguards need to encourage her to move to a more appropriate lane.
I can't tell whether the talk of "intimidation" tactics is misplaced aggression, excess testosterone, or just showing off but, in my opinion, are rarely the best way to deal with these problems.
