Swimming hassles at the local gym - old topic - new experience

Triathlon Forum
1

So I try to get in a 3500 yard swim this morning - get to the pool - only 5 lanes - 3 for lap swimming only - the others…well let’s just say the swimming pool scene in Caddyshack - wierd mix of people reading, chatting, basically floating around BSing.

So there is this one guy in the lap lanes - churning em out - and I knew he was nearing the end of his workout so I waited at the end of the lane, ready to jump in. At one stage he even stopped and told me he’d only be a few more minutes - which I thought was cool (the lanes are a little too narrow for lane sharing.

In the next lane is this guy and girl - the guy with swim fins on and one of those aquarobic foam sticks under his belly - they are kicking along side by side (god knows how) having a great chat about work - they obviously worked together or if they were a couple - they were the most unusal couple you could imagine.

Final lap lane - this guy that takes 75 seconds to swim one lap (25 yards) doing freestyle - then every other lap - turns onto his back and arms out like a fairy - kicks along to the other end (90 seconds) - I know because I was timing him.

I politely asked him if he would be long - at this stage there were a few swimmers waiting for a lane to clear.

I should have gone home at this stage.

So the first lane opens up and I jump in - and start cleaning my goggles - only to look down to the other end of my lane and the 90 second guy and another guy who could have been his twin - albiet about 20 lbs heavier at 330lbs -are in my lane chatting.

One of the other swimmers asks if they are simply making their way out of the pool and they respond - that they want to get away from the large woman in the farthest lane because she lives in their community and they don;t like her.

I very politely swim up and ask them if they would mind going back to the lane they were in - as we want to do lap swimming and that this lane is specifically for lap swimming only - it is clearly marked.

Well - you’d think I’d given the both of them speedo wedgies and stolen their false teeth.

The abuse started - “Who are you to be telling us where we can and cannot swim - we are members of this club - you young folks should not even be here on a weekend etc etc etc.”

(I’m not that young at 35)

Meanwhile the people sitting around the pool all start laughing as the 90 second guy gets all red faced and looks like he is about to have a coronary in the pool.

I politely ask him how much longer did he think he would need the lane for so I could get in a workout and share the lane with someone who was lap swimming. (I had no aspirations of being a lane hog knowing people were still waiting)

He tells me about half an hour - and I very politely said,

“Fine, I’ll wait - and please let me know if you need a hand getting yourself out of the pool - perhaps I can lift you over to your chair.”

Not nice I know but it was all I could do to not abuse this guy.

Five minutes later - they decide they are done.

I get into the pool - a woman gets in the other end and we are sharing the lane just fine - at one point a few minutes later we share a laugh about the whole thing.

But here is the kicker…about five minutes after that - one of them gets back into the lane and starts walking the length of the pool - right down the middle of the lane.

I guess when you use the pool at the local gym (National Chain) on a Sunday - you get what you deserve but is there no longer any etiquette in life?

This goes back to a thread where age was the issue - this incident was a combination of age and lifestyle so I won;t single out age as the main factor here.

I stopped swimming and tried to reason with the guy that lap swimming is not what he was doing and that he was interfering with other people’s workouts and swimming contrary to the club rules.

SO he gets out dissappears and comes back with the “Manager” who being the jelly fish that he was (No backbone) supported his side of the situation and said if we (at this stage he was addressing four of us) wanted to do serious lap swimming - we should be swimming somewhere else.

I got out -didn;t say a word and left - I noticed the other lap swimmers also get out.

I know now I will be swimming somewhere else - my gym membership will also be somewhere else.

Oh well - it won’t be long before we are open water swimming again and this will be a distant memory - but fair’s fair…

2

Unreal. I will never complain (to myself) again when some child happens to float a kickboard into a lap lane.

I feel guilty and have cut workouts short when I saw that others were waiting, and these two tools hog up a lane because thay don’t have the balls to be near someone they don’t like?

Instead of getting both sides of the story, the club manager automatically assumes you’re the problem. Before you leave that place you should write them a letter, if you care. I’ve done that and my town YMCA did make some changes: no kids cannonballing on you anymore, ect, but the temp was still too high (87ish), so I found a new YMCA - best $35 a month anyone could spend.

3

Letter is going out tomorrow - and I will hand deliver it and copy it to their Corporate HQ.

I was thinking I may have been able to lure them out of the lane by floating a candy bar across the other lanes - but I think I may have started a feeding frenzy if I had done that!

The sad thing is - at 5.30am - I have all the lanes to myself - I will swim there only early on weekdays until I can find somewhere else - I can’t aford not to be getting pool time right now

4

Welcome to my world. In a community of over about 300,000, there are two pools. One is a park and rec. pool and one is at a country club. It’s a constant struggle.

A few of us were sharing a lane and this lady decides she’s going to jump in with her toddler and start floating around. I explained that the lane was set aside for lap swimming and she got all pissy and said she had a right to be there. I told her she was correct. She did have a right, but that this was not the best time to exercise it. I asked her if she wanted to use a treadmill in the gym but they were all being used, would she just crowd her way onto one of them or wait her turn? She stayed in long enough to feel she proved her point, then got out.

5

I might have stood on the edge, dropped speedo and pee’d into the pool and then walk off.

6

share lanes. there is no reason why u cannot or other people cannot share a lane. just do your thing. if they have any sense they’ll move when they realise they are in your way.

7

letter sounds good… but, you need to be specific (times, dates, names, etc.)

Joe Moya

8

Re: Slow bobbers who won’t leave the lane: Try this little trick.

Flag down the guy/gal who looks like they were about finished. Let them know that a child a few lanes over just experienced an “accident” and that the pool will most likely close. Comment that “it’s probably no big deal but that you noticed that the chlorine levels seems too low.”

This technique has worked 9 out of 10 times at the local club.

Enjoy.

9

it is increadible that this story is the common experience we have here at US pools. Unless you are swimming at a masters work out or a College/University pool you are more than likely going to be rudely interuppted by 1. old people, 2. kids being kids but NOT being supervised by their parents or 3. some obease fat-ass floatin around.

and teh manager NOT thinking siffing with the person doing the training but rather the floks goofin off - PRICELESS

11

I got one from this morning at the local club. I will give you some insite into this place only pool within 15 miles. Closed from 4-8:45 pm for swim team( one lane is open but the steps are in the lane and it is like 10 meters short)

Weekend- I get in at 7:15 when the place is opening I have to turn on the lights but I am alone. 1000 in and here come the corks. I kick turn look, and a gentle man doing the Tinker Bell stroke is in my lane. OK no big deal. I also notice a swimmer tri type in the short lane. I ask ol tinker bell if he would mind using the other lane because it just makes sense. He flattly ignores me and swims away. I look at the person next to me laugh and say I’ll try again. Now an additional tink has joined in the short lane and I see he is speaking with tink #1. So ask him if they can swim together he says yea and jumps into my lane. I was like whoa I am swimming laps he says me too and then says pointing at tink #1 he won’t move this is his lane. I just said perfect and appologized to the triathlete next to me and tried to sink the mighty tink everytime I went by which was 4x per his length. What is it with pools?

I belong to two for this reason.

K

12

Why is it always the fat people? Just remember, in the water the bigger person has the advantage. The few times I’ve played water polo have been a lesson in hydrophysics. The big overweight guys would push my skinny ass around the pool like a kickboard.

13

Where is StillRecord10Ti when you need him?

14

he’d only be of help if they were women or of some other ethnic origin
.

15

It seems to me (from a couple of posts over the last few days) that in the USA it is common practice to ask a fellow swimmer if you can share the lane. Why the hell is this so? Just jump in and start swimming! If they can’t handle it they will get out. I have never asked (nor been asked) to share a lane here in Australia. People just find a suitably paced lane and off they go. I haven’t seen any problems with this. When I was in Vancouver I just jumped into the lane and swam. No-one had any problems. Is this just an American thing (having to ask to share a lane)?

16

Sharing the lane is no problem for people with at least half a brain and an ounce of courtesy, but something about the smell of chlorine turns some people into inconsiderate morons.

17

Our experience at the pool yesterday was actually kind of funny. My fiance and I were standing at the end of a lane waiting for the old guy, the noodle floater or the kids doing cannonballs to get out. The old guy gets very intimated by our speedy presence, shoots us the evil eye and gets out. He proceeds to get the pool manger and complains that the kids (swim team) are taking up an extra lane. We are about two times older than the kids and a few feet taller. Latter in the locker room my fiance is asked by another senior in his 70’s if he was in the military. The guy was making a point that all young men today are out of control and the military is the only place they can learn good values. My fiance just said, No sir I was rejected from JAG multiple times sir. (He really was because of flat feet and taking stomach medicine before 22 mile runs, I guess he was too much of a liability. Note: He has a 2:42 marathon pr) The old guy was not expecting that answer and left him alone. What do these old guys have aginst us tri-geeks??!!

18

Mouldy

(Being an Aussie I feel I can say this openly and without any fellow Aussies taking offense.)

Back home we have it pretty darn good. I know that where I lived - Northern Beaches of Sydney - I was within a 25 minute drive of two 50 m pools -one indoors and one outdoors - plus over 15 x 25 metre outdoor pools - not to mention the surf which is where I did most of my swimming anyway. Regardless of the weather - it is year round swimming - in my opinion anyway. We are spoiled.

Here in the US - where there are almost 300 million people and in most parts where it is impossible to swim outdoors for half the year due to weather (think swimming at the top of Thredbo and then rip another 20 degrees out of the temp), pool time here is sacred.

Many of the pools are only 25 metres and attached to a gym or YMCA type club.

The Olympic size pools (50M pools) ar enormally part of a university or college and the use of these is restricted to members.

So crowding is a real problem and I have learned in my short time here - that in most cases - being polite and respectful goes so much further - I did say MOST cases. Chances are - if you ask - there is no issue - if you don’t and you end up swimming in a lane with a jerk - you’re in for a rough time.

I long for the day when I return home!!!

19

I feel you. My one YMCA (I belong to two, just so I have flexibility on pools) that actually has lap swim during after work hours has gone to a single lane. From 5 -7 pm, the swim team gets four lanes (The other two are for “caddyshack swimming” what a great term). Hey swim team is cool, but why not have practice after school, while us adults are working, rather than effectively closing the pool when we get off work.

Having been an age group swimmer in my youth and then coaching a club team for a bit, I’ve found two main reasons why youth swimming is at night:

  1. The kids have to get to the pool somehow. That means mom and dad need to drive them after work hours.
  2. Most coaches have other 9-5(ish) jobs. Even those that are full time coaches usually coach the local HS or college team in the afternoon. USA age group swimming has traditionally filled the evening time slot across the country.

Also, seeing as how most of those kids are faster than most of us adults, by the “speed” logic for lane usage, they should get those four lanes no matter what.

20

I have quite the opposite experience at my gym which has 4 lanes, none of which are designated as lap lanes.

I get along very well with the older crowd and most of the time they will move over or finish their workout early so I can swim. The lanes are pretty narrow to be sharing lanes but they do from time to time. Normally I don’t have to wait more than 10 minutes for a lane.

I hope I didn’t jinx myself.

jaretj

21

I’m with mouldy on this. Why does sharing seem to be the issue. Come to good ol’ Blighty and you’ll find overcrowded pools amost everywhere. Good facilities are hard to come by in the UK - its a fact.

I swim x3 per week at one of my local pools (50 yards) and people just get on with it - no ‘floaters’ in the fast lane, no kiddies bombing you, just people swimming up and down at their own pace. If people seed themselves sensibly into one of 3 categories (slow/med/fast lanes) that seems to work for most. Maybe its because we all know that sharing a lane is inevitable du to the lack of available pools?

The best system was the one I encountered in Sydney. Those guys have really got it sorted. Salt water 50m pool w/in a kilometer of the Opera House/Bridge, sunbeds for those not swimming and lanes graded on 1500m times. Simple but effective. Swam up and down for ages with many others in the lane w/out a hint of a problem. Wonderful experience, but the venue helped…