Rude people at public pool

This morning I went for a swim at the local pool to mix up my exercise routine to sadly find out that a morning swim is not what it used to be. Seven years ago I was in one of the provinces best swim teams and I was performing in the top 50 for junior backstroke, so I know my stuff. While swimming, the man in the lane beside me continuously kicked me. Every time I passed him he would flail, splash and kick towards my head. Since there were only two small lanes and the rest of the pool was being used for aquasize I was forced to remain where I was for the remainder of my workout. After 45 minutes of avioding his "swimming" I jumped out and quickly showered in the womens change room where three older women were complaning about the two lanes that were reserved for swimmers. They said things like "young people should be outdside exercising, not wasting pool space" or "that isn't exercise". I couldn't believe it. They were so rude!
(I have also had problems lately with people on the bike paths not rining their bell when they go wizzing by me!)
Anyone else experiencing overly rude people at the gym, pool or wherever?

Tue. Jun 26, 11:49am

agh! they're everywhere! they're everywhere! just take a look at some of the threads on this support site to get an eyeful!

Tuesday, June 26, 2007, 11:53 AM

a bicycle bell? really??? i don't want to sound ignorant, but i haven't ever heard a bicycle bell on the paths, ever. people just shout- on your left as they go by on your left side. but i agree it's rude when they don't tell you there coming up next to you.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007, 12:19 PM

OP here

I have had a bell on my bike since I was a kid. Its just used so you dont have to yell. A little "ding" and the walker/jogger knows to expect someone coming. I find it better than yelling because sometimes I cant hear people who are too quiet especially when I'm listening to music (I don't listen to it too loud either).

Tuesday, June 26, 2007, 12:29 PM

say hello!

maybe a little OT... i can't believe the number of people who ignore me when i smile and say "good morning" on my walks. they look right at me, they hear me, they don't even do the little head chuck acknowledgement!
so didja say anything to the pool locker room people?

Tuesday, June 26, 2007, 1:12 PM

Funny- I've got the opposite problem with my bike bell- I ring it and walkers just ignore it- half the time they're wearing headphones, the other half, they just ignore it. It's even worse if you say "on yer left" half the time, if there's two people, one goes left and the other goes right, the rest of the time they look back at you with that deer in headlights look and freeze...

Tuesday, June 26, 2007, 3:20 PM

OP

When I'm walking and I hear a bell from a bike I just stay where I am. There is usually plenty of space to pass me and I am that odd person who moves to the left when a biker calls "to your left" its not that I find it funny or anything I just find that my body automaticly goes left when I hear it (like someone has just yelled directions at me).
As to the pool ladies I didn't say anything, just grabbed my stuff and went home for a decent shower.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007, 7:29 PM

Your bike complaint is pretty funny. I ride a bike exclusively as my only form of transportation and I threw my bell away about seven years ago. Most people just ignore it, like you OP, they don't move. As a cyclist, I perceive that as being rude. I will say, it doesn't matter where you are, which town you live in, what pool you are swimming in--everyone has different levels of what they consider to be "rude behavior". I have learned to just laugh at it all--I mean, I have absolutely no choice than to laugh it all off. I'd go NUTS if I didn't chuckle everytime someone tries to run me off the road or slow me down. To me, it's a joke. Check to see if the pool has a "competitive swim" scheduled, if not ask if they can revise the schedule. I HATE swimming with a bunch of people who don't know what they are doing. As a former swimmer you must know that there are different levels of ability and a "free swim" usually means a whole slew of different ability levels and ages. It can be a form of torture rather than a fun workout if your not careful. Lay off the old folks, they're trying to get theirs too.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007, 7:53 PM

I have to say that bicyclists are usually the rudest. We have a mixed-use paved path which is heavily trafficked by pedestrians & runners, slow bicyclists, fast bicyclists in tight pants, and rollerbladers. The fast bicyclists in tight pants, usually doing time trials at 30 mph, need to get off the trail on onto the road.

But here is what irks me: when I am rollerblading, I _cannot_ step off the path the way a runner or pedestrian can. I'm moving at 8-12 mph, on wheels that are 72 mm and 80 mm in diameter; stepping off the path means an immediate drop in foot momentum to zero, followed by a faceplant. Also, the paved path is not always clean, and I cannot skate over gravel. Yet for some reason, every bicyclist -- including those on mountain bikes, for which there is absolutely no risk on going onto the grass for a moment -- expects that I will move off the path for them like a pedestrian. Unless I am already standing still, I can't do that! And yes, you can go through the fine gravel we have, even on a road bike (hey, the wheel diameter is >2 feet, not 72 mm!) -- I cannot.

I should add that there is no formal rule about bicyclists having priority on the trail, yet they pretty regularly cuss out anyone who doesn't get out of their way, and I've even had one reach out to hit me on his way by.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007, 11:46 PM

Several years ago I swam every morning in a sparsely populated pool, with 1-2 people per lane. One lady came along who decided she wanted to swim in the lane I was swimming in alone -- by herself! She waited until I was at her end turning, and then jumped in on top of me!! The first day I thought it might have been an accident. The second consecutive day she did the same thing I grabbed her ankle, pulled her underwater, and held her there for a few seconds, until she began to reconsider the wisdom of aggression towards perfect strangers. Needless to say she never came anywhere near me again.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007, 11:54 PM

I suggest peeing in the pool and never going back.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007, 12:26 AM

It's funny- the common thread through all this is that everyone thinks everyone else is rude- Aquasizers think swimmers are rude, Swimmers think aquasizers are rude, runners, cyclists, walkers and rollerbladers all think the others are rude for esentially the same reasons... It's kind of like we all have a sense of entitlement- "this is MY path/pool/road and how dare anyone else slow me down even a little!"

Maybe we all need to just slow down a little bit and remind ourselves that our time is no more important than all the other folks out trying to get a little exercise.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007, 10:51 AM

The path that I run on has a designated side that is designated for runners (a smaller "lane") and the majority of the path iis clearly marked for bikers. It's marked every couple hundred yards and there are signs at every trail entrance. When I run, I always stay in the running lane, right at the far edge of the path. When I rollerblade I stay in the bikers side, but close to the running side of the lane, so there's still plentyof room for both bikers and runners around me. I think it's usually followed pretty well by most people, and in all the years I've used that trail I can't think of one time that I've had an unfavorable experience like others have described. Maybe some of you should suggest marking the trail like I described to your local city councils.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007, 11:08 AM

I agree with 10:51-since when did we all become so entitled? I had no idea such thoughts even existed, do you really care that much about it? Aren't we all just out having fun and getting some exercise? I can't imagine these complaints are whole-hearted if they are sincere, we have become a society of anti-social tight-wads and need to de-stress before we go out to exercise. Yikes.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007, 12:30 PM

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Tuesday, October 20, 2020, 5:11 PM

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