Swimming

The Manager

Thornton Heath Leisure centre

Dear Sir/Madam,

Yesterday 9/10/17 at about 8.40 a.m. I was finishing my swim. As you can see from the enclosed diagram I was swimming on my back next to the edge in the lane nearest to the attendant. I noticed an elderly woman who comes regularly to the pool. She wears a black cap, black costume and black “flippers”. She swam down the pool in the same lane as me and did exercises in the corner. When I started my length, she was still doing the exercises. She swam into me on her front and said “That was a bit of a surprise wasn’t it?” I replied that it certainly was and what was she doing? She refused to listen to me and spoke to the attendant who was right next to both of us. (I had not seen him before although I come on most days – a bearded young man). She apparently asked him to move the sign to swim in a circle from the second lane to the lane where we were swimming. To my surprise he went and moved the sign.
I waited to speak to the lady but she ignored me and swam off. I was annoyed with her for not apologising and with the attendant for listening to her. For as long as I can remember the lanes have been free, slow circle, fast circle. Why should she have it changed?

My conclusion is that she deliberately swam into me perhaps hoping to encourage me to go in a circle. This is not the first time she has behaved like this. She knocked into me in the slow circle lane on 2 previous occasions and told my wife to swim in a circle in the free swim lane. She also on one occasion removed my swimming bag from the disabled toilet/changing room and locked the door.

She may well have mental health issues but I think that she is a menace and should be banned from the use of the pool. At the very least she should be warned that this type of behaviour is unacceptable and dangerous to other swimmers. The attendants should be told not to change the arrangements at the whim of one person! It might appear an easy solution to a problem but it actually encourages bad behaviour.

The manager found me in the pool and said she would speak to the lady and the attendant. They could reinstate slow, medium, fast lanes but I think it should stay free, slow, fast.

To Mass and coffee afterwards and met Maureen and David who remembered Vincent Cullen who died tragically in 2000. Laurence Jones obit for provincial newsletter. To St Michael's recital by Stephen Davies. Took Brahms and Mendelssohn scores. Unimpressed by piece by Tuur and Hakim. Picked up boys form school and asked to help with reading by Kathy. Lz went to meeting. To Dulwich meeting and enjoyed it. Long chat to Barry about priest at Meopham. I was missed at Norwood. Peter Stephens said he had been called a troublemaker.