How common is it for people to shave down for Master's meets? When I competed in college (a looong time ago), everyone shaved down. I was one of those people for which shaving always made a big difference.
So, do people do it for USMS ? I just started master's swimming, and have a meet coming up. I don't want to be the only shaved swimmer at the meet, and have folks thinking that I'm taking this too seriously..
Thanks for any info.
Parents
Former Member
In college we used to shave once in December (right before the holiday break) and once in the Spring at our conference championships.....The only 2 meets I've actually competed in as a USMS swimmer were about 6-8 weeks apart (one was in March and the other was SCYNAts in 2005 in May) and I actually shaved and tapered for both. I shaved for the first meet because I wanted to make the national cuts...and then I shaved for the other because it was nationals. In high school some of us had to shave and taper for regionals to make it to the state championships (you had to place either first or second in your event at regionals to make state)...then about 4 weeks later we had our state championships and would have to shave again....Our coach would make us wear panty hose in between so that we would lose the shaved sensation at practice between regionals and state.
Newmastersswimmer
In college we used to shave once in December (right before the holiday break) and once in the Spring at our conference championships.....The only 2 meets I've actually competed in as a USMS swimmer were about 6-8 weeks apart (one was in March and the other was SCYNAts in 2005 in May) and I actually shaved and tapered for both. I shaved for the first meet because I wanted to make the national cuts...and then I shaved for the other because it was nationals. In high school some of us had to shave and taper for regionals to make it to the state championships (you had to place either first or second in your event at regionals to make state)...then about 4 weeks later we had our state championships and would have to shave again....Our coach would make us wear panty hose in between so that we would lose the shaved sensation at practice between regionals and state.
Newmastersswimmer
