Whats up with kids these days? While I was trying to do my swim workout today there was this obnoxious teenage boy who kept cutting accross the lap swimming lanes. He was at least 100 lbs overweight and had trouble getting out of the diving area with the normal ladders and had to use the special stairwell type thing for the water aerobics classes in the shallow area of the pool. I was the only person doing lap swimming so I do not understand why this kid would cut accross right in front of me where I had to stop mid lap, couldn’t he have waited a few seconds and cross after I passed? Very annoyning!
So when I am done with the swim I do not see where I usually hang my towell. I wondered if I had forgotten it in my locker so I went into the Locker room to check my locker. When I get in there I see the obnoxious teen ager using my towell!!! WTF I know that he could not have grabbed it by accident because I brought a distinctive looking towell so that people would not grab mine by accident. I yelled at him “WHAT ARE YOU DOING THAT IS MY TOWELL???” He said “Sorry I did not bring one, I’m done with it, you can have it back.” I told him just to keep it and I had to use the paper towells after I took my shower. Unbelieivable!
Yeah WTF is wrong with people at the pool. Just the other day I was doing a hard workout when three moms and a couple of kids just jumped in the end of my lane and sat there chatting and playing around! I couldn’t f*#&ing believe it!
If someone cuts my lane once, I’ll let it go. If they do it repeatedly, I’ll switch to “fist drills” and really work on my catch.
As for the towel, I’m with you - I’d have had some words for the punk, but probably wouldn’t want it back. Then again, I don’t leave anything on deck but my slippers, workout & water bottle. If some punk jacked my slippers, I’d be inclined to beat him with them.
Yesterday I’m in 3000 yards to my swim, so I’m locked into my groove and some kids get into my lane for swim lessons (4 other open lanes) and jumps onto my lane rope as I swim by. His feet are hanging in my lane and they’re splashing and screwing around. I give the ‘look’ to them and of course, they’re kids, and don’t get it and neither did the swim coach (teenager). Next time around, Shamu would have been proud of the tsunami my flip turn I generated. They kindly moved down two lanes. Problem solved.
The week before another kid swims across my lane and nails me in the head. I was the only f*n person in the pool and ‘they didn’t see me.’ I was tempted to whip out a can of whoop ass and take her to down town but she was only about 10 so I would probably be in jail now instead of typing this, so I didn’t.
To me, there is a bigger picture here. It’s not just completely oblivious people at the pool, it’s people who speak loudly at the library, what is supposed to be a quiet environment, and the SLOW left lane drivers so no one can pass, and the idiot who doesn’t say “on your left” on the bike, and the person who hasn’t flown since 9/11 so apparently they aren’t aware that EVERYONE (yes, even THEM!) has to show ID AND have their shoes x-rayed, so they hold up the line for everyone arguing about it.
The good side of me wants to believe they aren’t trying to be rude and ignorant, but are just OBLIVIOUS. Regardless, it just annoying. Be present. Pay attention to others. Think outside of yourself.
This is a different story about a rude kid at the pool, but I'm so proud of myself I have to tell it. I used to swim at the Princeton YMCA. One night, when I came back to locker room, some kid had thrown his clothes all around, all over the bench. I thought, well this can't continue. Two days later I'm back and so is the mess. After my shower, I packed up and took his pants downstairs and threw them in the dumpster. It never happened again.
The lifeguards tried to get me to empathize that he could not pull himself out of the pool with the standard ladders in the deep end. They also tried to explain to him not to cross in front of me. But I guess that he was not too smart or did not care or more than likely both.
