Crowded Pools and Gyms - 2012 (Page 3)

Had a new one today...

Me and a friend were sharing a lane (one of the few lanes being shared) and both at the wall preparing to begin our main set.  Dad and his 8 yr old come out, and dad tells his kid to jump in and swim so he can watch (we are the end lane by the wall).  Right in our lane.  Kid flops around and stops at the other end, so we start our set (thinking he would just get out).  No such luck, kid starts swimming BREAST STROKE down the MIDDLE of the lane.  I tell my buddy, let's just circle swim, since he's not getting out, we'll just let him get run over by us until he gets the hint.  No change in kids behavior, and had to very abruptly let the father know that this isn't going to work, he needs to circle swim with us, or get out.

Never mind that the lap pool is reserved for 12 and up.  I would have no problem sharing with a younger kid, if he/she knew how to follow the rules and swim properly.

Meh. I'm ok with clueless kids - they're incovenient, but excusable.

I've been swimming at lunch lately in a pool busy enough for all lane circle siwms, and I'm usually circling with 1-2 others in the fast lane at 1:45-1:55 pace, which is great.

Unfortunately, we've had slow older lady show up now, insistent on joining us in circle swim. Then she breaststrokes at 2:45-3:00/100. Even slower than the people in the SLOW lane (not even the medium lane!) are going. When one of the guys in our lane suggested nicely that she try a different lane, she angrily replied "What you talking about - I swim here!" It's almost surely partly a cultural thing, as she's asian and I actually think my parents would behave similarly given the free-for-all behavior I've participated in first hand in China having visited myself, but it really inconveniences everyone, eveen when we're blasting past her repeatedly.

Best part - after tolerating this for 2 weeks, I went up to the (young) lifeguard after my swim and said, "you think we can do anything about moving the slower lady out of the fast lane? She holding everyone up."

The response from him: "Yea, totally sucks, doesn't it!" No action taken.  

Oh well. Fortunately, I'm patient. 

I always say that 80% are gone by Jan. 21st.  Of the remaining 20%, half are gone by Feb. 15 and the last 10% stick with it, until Summer.

I haven't added much to this thread because my pool is pretty dull and under utilized for the most part. But I did have an odd experience last night which I cross posted on my mentor group:

Am I intimidating?

Interesting experience at the pool last night. To set the stage this is a small lap pool. part of a fitness center. Not many actually use it for swimming laps, mostly water aerobics and whatever it is the weight lifters do when going from sauna to pool and back again. Recently I have made it a point of really being focused and consistent when I swim, sticking firmly to the rest intervals instead of letting the seconds slip by, stuff like that. Last week I spotted a guy in his 30's swimming some laps, he looked new to swimming but was serious, we exchanged head nods as is the custom between barely dressed adult men, and within minutes he left. Now this pool has 3 lanes, the middle one has steps leading down to the bottom which effectively eliminates the wall, hard to lap swim but doable. Last night that guy was in the lane I normally use, no biggie and some water aerobic types were wiggling or whatever they do in the other. So I head for the center lane thinking I'll start there and just move over when one opens. My new friend asks if I am more comfortable in the near one and offers to get out of the pool, Im telling him its ok I don't mind, he insist I take the other lane and I offer to share the lane, he gets kind of excited and says "no I will stop now, you can have whatever you want, I just want you to be happy" and off he scurries to the locker room! WTH? This was followed by odd looks from the hot tub denizens and water-robics ladies as if I might have bullied him out of the pool

DanielG - 2012-01-03 11:46 AM

marmadaddy - 2012-01-03 9:55 AM

DanielG - 2012-01-03 8:10 AM

marmadaddy - 2012-01-02 9:08 AM

 

... The bubbler is blocked by someone who is trying hard not to look totally out of their element.

Someone did their school years near Milwaukee Yeah, pool was overly crowded today.

Nope. From Boston.

Wow. Never heard it from anyone raised away from Milwaukee. Interesting

x2 from Boston.  I'm still trying to get my son to say bubbler.  For some silly reason they call it a water fountain at school