Had a weird thing happen at practice today. I was finishing my swim with a set of 25yd butterfly to work on my stroke. I had the lane to myself, and for a time, both lanes to either side were empty. About midway through my set, an older woman got into the lane next to me and started swimming. Ordinarily I'd pay it no mind, but at one point when I was resting she turned to me and said "you know, it's really hard for me to swim backstroke when you're swimming like that, you're a real jerk!"
When she began her statement, I thought she was going to make some kind of joking comment. But as she finished it, I realized she was serious, and it kinda caught me off guard. Since the lane on the other side was open, I moved over a lane so as not to disturb her, and tried to apologize when she was at the end of the lane, but she just curtly replied "fine" and went on about her swim.
So my question is this, does swimming butterfly make me a jerk? I'm not going to stop swimming fly, but I'm just curious if anyone else has run afoul of other swimmers getting bent out of shape in this manner. To summarize, we both were in separate lanes (6ft wide), and she was swimming, not water walking. I wonder if Phelps runs into these problems :D
"you know, it's really hard for me to swim backstroke when you're swimming like that, you're a real jerk!"
Next time throw the horns and say #$%@ YEAH!!!!
Seriously, if that situation arose, assuming I wasn't laughing too hard to speak, I would probably do something very much like that. And no way would I move over a lane.
I actually like when people swim fly, makes me kinda jealous. Most of the time I swim free or *** so if I'm in a lane with a person doing fly sets I usually just wait to breathe until they pass or glide longer if I'm doing ***.
Not that big of a deal. But yes, I've heard people complain about other swimmers doing fly.
Don't worry about her. I have one of these woman who has decided that my swimming is a nuisance to her even if I am 3 lanes away, and I do not make much of a wake. But since I am friends with the former Olympian 6-7 guy who swims at the same time, who does make a wake, not because he swims bad(actually I love to watch him swim), but because he is big, she has decided I am scum of the pool. Even in the locker room she glares at me. She glares at my teenage daughter who comes to swim in the morning with me to train for HS season.
I figure it is her problem not mine. As long as I am following the pool rules I will swim how I like, and associate with who I want...
BTW, a few years back there was another woman like this in the evening. Turns out she WAS having a real tough time in life, and slowly, over time, I got to know her, and now she gets in a lane next to me. She knows I will watch out for her, and she loves to see my daughter and I come in together, and she is quite friendly now.
I'm full of admiration for how you handled the situation FF, you are a better person than me!
Given your conciliatory nature and ability to compromise, maybe you could help in the great suit rule debate??
I'm not surprised. Some people also get offended when they feel you are swimming too fast. Apparently you need to slow down to their speed to be polite.
FunkyFish -- You were 100% in the right and she was 100% in the wrong. Like others have said, if you're swimming fly in her lane and hogging the lane and (certainly) whacking her with your arms, then she might have a case. But, the next lane over? No. You're right. She's wrong. Case closed.
I definitely think that you handled this the right way. She's probably just jealous that she can't even swim butterfly.
We used to have this older lady at the neighborhood pool where I grew up complain if anyone else dared to enter the pool during the lap swim time. Some people just don't get it.
