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My swim was frustrating today because...

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  • fishgutzy
    fishgutzy Posts: 2,807 Member
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    @juliet3455. No ropes. This is communist china. They don't take kindly to an American trying to change things :)
  • aledba
    aledba Posts: 564 Member
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    fishgutzy wrote: »
    @juliet3455. No ropes. This is communist china. They don't take kindly to an American trying to change things :)

    I was going to ask where you were that this happens. You have explained everything in full detail with just this post. I am so very, very sorry. That experience sounds gross.

  • aledba
    aledba Posts: 564 Member
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    juliet3455 wrote: »
    @aledba Understand the frustration as I have experienced the same thing. I actually swam right overtop of an individual of questionable intelligence who entered the lane from the side in the middle of the pool. Didn't see her as I was doing all my breathing on my weakside as an exercise/drill. Strange how people will look before crossing/entering streets but not think about it in pools or walking trails.
    Still we have nothing to complain about when you read about what @fishgutzy has to put up with.

    Wow! And it's true, we (most people, on average) don't look. I tend to just look ahead only when I am starting from a standing position or about to dive in the deep end.

  • AquaticQuests
    AquaticQuests Posts: 945 Member
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    blackcoffeeandcherrypie wrote: »
    Lol, I got a few laughs reading this today. Sorry guys! I sympathise muchly but at the moment I am having the best time swimming in South Africa - the whole pool is divided into lanes for individual use, it is half empty or completely empty all the time. My only issue is that it's HOT! Feels like a warm bath, and it's very salty. But I'll take a hot salty swim over a crowded, annoying swim any day. I am not looking forward to going back to my usual irritating swim in the UK :-(

    I swim in a pretty much empty pool too! Whichever one I choose, if there's 8 people in the pool at any one time, it's very busy! Usually 4 or so, and many times I'm solo for parts of my swim!
    I don't envy the rest of you.
    Then again, when it's the cold season here, I guess not many want to swim in a cold open air pool, early in the morning or late in the evening!
  • fishgutzy
    fishgutzy Posts: 2,807 Member
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    aledba wrote: »
    fishgutzy wrote: »
    @juliet3455. No ropes. This is communist china. They don't take kindly to an American trying to change things :)

    I was going to ask where you were that this happens. You have explained everything in full detail with just this post. I am so very, very sorry. That experience sounds gross.

    Add to this a jerk.
    Doing laps yesterday in the proper line. Said jerk was swimming across the lanes. Rather than slow as I cross his path, he closes his fist and lunges trying to hit me in the nuggets. Lucky for me he only hit the pubic bone. My ankle caught him someplace. I kept going. I was not about to make a scene in a foreign country.
    On the plus side, I did notice several life guards watching as I passed. At some point they seemed to realize I had been swimming for a while :)
    5km took me about 1:45ish.
    Friday swim should be better because a lot of people go home for the weekend. (Many live in company/guv dorms during the week.)
  • juliet3455
    juliet3455 Posts: 3,015 Member
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    Is there a translator available at your work location?
    Would he/she go to the pool with you so you could ask/negotiate for a lane rope to be put in on one outside lane?
    Especially if you can do it through one of the Lifeguards who realized that you are putting in some serious lengths/time.
  • fishgutzy
    fishgutzy Posts: 2,807 Member
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    juliet3455 wrote: »
    Is there a translator available at your work location?
    Would he/she go to the pool with you so you could ask/negotiate for a lane rope to be put in on one outside lane?
    Especially if you can do it through one of the Lifeguards who realized that you are putting in some serious lengths/time.
    Nope. That would fall on deaf ears I'm sure. This is China. Misery misery must be equally shared :)
    Putting up lane ropes would deprive those who want to swim across the pool of their preferred use.
    I'm probably safer just not swimming at all while I'm here. Or trying to find a place myself and using the money they give me for food and expenses to pay for it. After all, I cook my own dinner rather than going out and that saves a lot.
    But then I could also begin looking for a job that doesn't require travel to hell. :D
  • LauraRae2
    LauraRae2 Posts: 107 Member
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    My swim today was frustrating because...

    Someone pooped in the pool.

    I'm pretty sure I win, or lose, depending on how you want to look at it.
  • blackcoffeeandcherrypie
    blackcoffeeandcherrypie Posts: 486 Member
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    Oh my god lol. Yep, you win... lose... thing!
  • SoCalSwimmerDude
    SoCalSwimmerDude Posts: 480 Member
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    I think I was the source to someone's frustrations yesterday. My whole life the etiquette to pass was to gently brush someone's feet and theyd either move to the side (so I could pass in the middle) or stop at the wall to let you pass.

    I'm guessing that note was never passed to swimmers who haven't been on a club team. Or maybe the man didn't like me gently caressing his feet. :wink:
  • mpeters1965
    mpeters1965 Posts: 370 Member
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    TheFranLover wrote: »
    I think I was the source to someone's frustrations yesterday. My whole life the etiquette to pass was to gently brush someone's feet and theyd either move to the side (so I could pass in the middle) or stop at the wall to let you pass.

    I'm guessing that note was never passed to swimmers who haven't been on a club team. Or maybe the man didn't like me gently caressing his feet. :wink:

    This one kills me! I'm usually the slow swimmer and would much rather know that somebody is behind me so a tap on the foot, or a gentle caress if you're cute enough, is what I need to make sure I don't have somebody passing me at the wall and run into them. My previous masters coach (I swear the more I look back the more lose respect for that woman) didn't teach this to everybody so if I was bumped up to a faster lane, I ended up with a bunch of hyper-polite other swimmers apologizing if they tapped my foot by accident or not tapping it and scaring the crap out of me when I hit the wall and there they were next to me.

    This of course only matters if you are swimming circles and not splitting the lane though. You're right, too, that if you have never swam in a group/team setting, you are unlikely to know it.
  • stephenrhinton
    stephenrhinton Posts: 522 Member
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    TheFranLover wrote: »
    I think I was the source to someone's frustrations yesterday. My whole life the etiquette to pass was to gently brush someone's feet and theyd either move to the side (so I could pass in the middle) or stop at the wall to let you pass.

    I'm guessing that note was never passed to swimmers who haven't been on a club team. Or maybe the man didn't like me gently caressing his feet. :wink:

    LOL ...i totally wouldn't known that bit of swim etiquette and would have been a tad freaked ...
  • juliet3455
    juliet3455 Posts: 3,015 Member
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    I call it the 60/40. It's the responsibility of the person passing to ensure that the other person is aware of there presence. But its the responsibility of every swimmer to be aware of where the other swimmers are and their speed versus yours and the tricky part - what type of pattern they are swimming- turn then crossover lane to other direction- crossover and then turn, etc.
    If I am doing flip turns and you give me the Tap 1 stroke from the wall its not going to happen as I will already be committed to the flip and push off. At the same time when I do make the turn I Sneak a Peak at the other lane to get an idea of where the other swimmers are, so when I get to the next turn I know if I will be getting passed.
    Of course if you have twin sisters with the same suits it gets very confusing as to who's who in the water zoo.
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
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    Biggest frustration today was six of us lap.swimmers crammed into tow lanes while the women's volleyball team did drills in the rest of the pool.
  • Can_Do_Gal
    Can_Do_Gal Posts: 1,142 Member
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    Argh! I got turned away by the lifeguard. My lake got closed by the state for a few days due to an overgrowth of blue green algae. (I did wonder yesterday. And yes, chlorine would come in handy here.) Maybe it's time to join the gym a couple weeks early. It's going to be too cold to swim outside soon here in Northern New England, anyway.
  • NoelFigart1
    NoelFigart1 Posts: 1,276 Member
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    I live in Northern New England, too @Can_Do_Gal

    If you're keen on open water swimming, have you ever considered the Kingdom Swims at Lake Memphremagog in Newport, VT? Training for one this summer kept me going all last winter!
  • Can_Do_Gal
    Can_Do_Gal Posts: 1,142 Member
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    I'd love to do an open water swim someday. I'm just getting back to swimming, though - doubt I'll be ready next year. (How do you know if you're ready?) I read one article about what it's like to do an open water swim, but it would be good to hear from a real person. What's it like? Is it hard to stay "on course?" My lake has a lap area, but the lines are down now, so I'm getting some practice sighting & swimming straight. (Or I was, my lake is still closed. I went to a pool yesterday.)

    I'll look into the one you mentioned, Noel.
  • gentlygently
    gentlygently Posts: 752 Member
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    Oh I love these last few posts. I"ll admit I read this thread less regularly as I don't always like the content / tone. But even this thread is turning positive! Yay...

    (I made the mistake of dipping back into the main MFP forums the other day. Jeepers - all that rude and pointless arguing. I am so glad I found this Group!)

    Go Swimmers!
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
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    My swim was frustrating today because carpenters and electricians have been working on half of the dressing room, and even though there's this flimsy little blue tarp blocking off the work site, it's a bit freaky to be buck nekkid in the shower and going through my after-swim dressing routine with the sounds of men's voices on the other side of that flimsy little tarp billowing in the breeze.
  • mpeters1965
    mpeters1965 Posts: 370 Member
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    rosebarnalice wrote: »
    My swim was frustrating today because carpenters and electricians have been working on half of the dressing room, and even though there's this flimsy little blue tarp blocking off the work site, it's a bit freaky to be buck nekkid in the shower and going through my after-swim dressing routine with the sounds of men's voices on the other side of that flimsy little tarp billowing in the breeze.

    Ha! That would be weird. I've had a few episodes of men walking into the women's dressing room at our YMCA over the last 17 years. One time, this guy and girl were in an intense conversation and he just followed her in as they were talking and didn't even realize it at first. Seriously red faced when he figured it out. Two other times, somebody just got confused and came in the wrong door. They are right next to each other after all.

    The wall that separates the men & women's showers is pretty thin and for a long time there was this guy who would sing in the shower in a beautiful baritone. I really looked forward to it. Sadly, I don't hear him any more but you can definitely hear conversations going on even if you can't quite understand them.

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