Swim cliques--rant, and advice sought
What is it with people?
Our 50m outdoor pool labels some lanes during lap swim for group workouts. Every year I've confirmed that this is meant only to steer groups there, not to reserve lanes for them. There's a group of aggressive (and famously cliquish) swimmers that uses two or sometimes three lanes pretty much every day.
Today I started my swim ten or fifteen minutes _before_ a bunch of them jumped in where I was already swimming. I keep to strict etiquette: circle swim, allow passes, don't push off in front of faster swimmers, let the group go off, don't block the cross for turns, etc. I was swimming 500s today so there wasn't really much opportunity to adjust to them. They did not all seem to be doing exactly the same workout anyway.
About 15 minutes later one of them literally stopped me in the middle of a flip turn and told me to swim somewhere else. As it happens, at that moment all three lanes of middle-aged SpeedoJocks were standing at the wall (where they seem to spend most of their time ) and chimed in, telling me to go elsewhere. I told them I wasn't going to be pushed out and that they were misinformed about the rules--they don't have priority and can't kick out well-behaved swimmers for their convenience. (I should add that all the other lanes were taken up with heads-up breaststrokers and the like, making swimming at pace almost impossible anywhere else.) In annoyance I went to the pool manager who came out and confirmed that no, they may not kick people out of the lane and should live with it.
The men in "my" (!) lane were OK after that, but wow, were the women ever passive-aggressive. Two of them pointedly did their cool-down kick sets two across, blocking the entire lane. I was sufficiently ticked off that I went full cruise speed right between them.
I guess there was one benefit: When I resumed my 500s after the encounter, I dropped _40 seconds_ off my pace for the interval, and held almost that for the rest of the workout.
In the future I'm going to get to the pool when it opens and start my own (non-group) lane before they are all taken over by the floaters (against whom I have nothing--it's just when there are only two in each 50m lane, spread across the whole pool, it seems like a waste . . .).
I was in the right; didn't let myself get intimidated; didn't escalate the confrontation; and continued to share the lane responsibly. So why do I feel like the idiot here?
Any reassurance would be welcome, but I'm prepared to hear if you think I handled this wrong or am taking away the wrong lesson. --Dan M
/rant
Comments
Dan, these guys are assholes...and weak! If you are swimming circles and staying on the right side of the lane (sounds like you're doing everything right) I take it as a point of pride as a former competitive swimmer that I can pass you without you needing to do anything. In fact, I prefer that you NOT try to get out of my way, cuz real swimmers don't get out of your way when you are trying to pass them. That's how I'm used to swimming. Pass or go home
.
Seriously, if these cats are former competitive swimmers, and it sounds like they are, they should have ZERO problems passing you at speed, especially in a friggin' 50m pool...that's what kills me. Grow up swimming 6-8 to a lane in a 25yd pool, pushing off 5secs apart. 50m is paradise.
And chicks kicking side by side...next time, look up and start swimming butterfly right at them. I luuuvvss playing chicken in the pool with grown adults. I grew up smashing heads and locking forearms with oncoming traffic. Bring it.
What Rich Says!
I have experienced a lot of people in fancier health clubs that expect it to be just 2/lane & people wait. Had asked managers to put up fast, medium and slow lanes & keep them up at all times so when it gets crowded, people can circle swm easily- it was never done
Do they have designated fast/med/slow/leisure lanes to accommodate the wide breast strokers?
Good for you for standing your ground, following swim etiquette. Sorry to hear the women were the worst offenders
- that really pisses me off
Hope it gets better
What a bunch of dumb asses. I swear, some people just never grow up.
It's tough not being part of the tribe. Kind of like being a bicyclist out among all the car drivers. Same rules apply, stay polite and safe, and help others watch out for their own safety. Also like a clique of surfers. Show up often enough, be consistent in your behavior, and eventually you'll get accepted. Gotta go thru initiation and testing first, though.
Like the others have said, good for you for standing up for your rights.
Reading all of your comments, I'm really glad to discover I am not the only one who has trouble 'fitting-in' at the local pool. Dan, I totally feel like the idiot after confrontations like these. Sounds like you were in the right, just some people are jerks! No complaints about the 40 sec increase in speed, right!
Even though some of my best friendships began as strangers in the same pool lane, I agree that swimmers are notoriously unfriendly. Fast(er) swimmers, myself included, are generally afraid of Sally Slowpoke or Kevin Kicker popping into the "fast" lane and cluelessly floating along, and that's where a lot of the standoffishness originates (IMO). When you've been raised to share a lane via a set of strict rules it's frustrating to find yourself in a situation where the rules are often reversed (for example, since when is it rude to tap feet if you want to pass?).
How do I deal? If I know there's going to be some negotiating of space, I try not to stand silently at the end of the lane. "Hey, I'm about to start a set of easy 800s so if you need to pass me close to the wall, just tap my toes and I'll pull over for you." "I'm sprinting now - what are you doing, do you want to go first or should I?" Breaking the wall of silence is strangely disarming with swimmers - now you and the other guy have formed an alliance of sorts and start to work together to share the lane.
Dan, I was a competitive swimmer for many years including 4 years at a D1 college and never experience something like this. They were totally wrong and should have accommodated you since you were there first. Kudos to you for holding your own, especially with such a polite demeanor. Many of the others who replied already said it best......people can be amazing sometimes and I don't mean it in a positive manner. What complete jerks! If I go to a pool I also work around the people who were there first doing their workout. Keep up the great work and when you are feeling down and not really motivated, just remember the feeling you had that day and use it to crank out another great workout. Carry on!
Regards,
Greg