Shaving was more of an issue in high school, but we did it for state competition. It was also kinda funny watching some of the girls legs get harrier and harrier as the season went on, then they'd shave for state.
Many years and a number of bodybuilding competitions later, shaving's no big deal. I'll shave for 2 or 3 meets during the year, but next year will probably save some money for nationals, and just shave for that. It's still an amazing feeling swimming while shaved. But when the stubble grows back, not so amazing. :cry:
:wave::cheerleader::thhbbb::banana::laugh2::banana::):thhbbb::banana::party2:
Actually first started shaving chest to get a bench shirt on for powerlifting. Then I start with the legs for track because it made less mess when using mineral ice. When I started swimming, the shaving thing was no big deal.
Just a side note, but I read an article recently in USMS Swimmer, talking about some research that indicated less H+ buildup (hence, less lactate buildup) in swimmers who shaved. I am just enough of a geek that I would be interested in reading the quoted research article to see what sample size the researchers had to determine the uncertainty involved in their results. Anyway, now that I've shown my true colors, on to the question.
My questions go something like this...
I will swim my first Zone meet at the ripe young age of 38 this spring. I plan on shaving down to swim the 500 and 50 free and the 200 ***. When should I shave? The night before? The morning of? The weekend before? Advice will be greatly appreciated, so thank you in advance.
T.J.
I confess I'm one of them :) I just never liked wearing a cap. Now I've tried it a couple times and have a hard time keeping my goggles on during the dive. I guess I'd rather be a tad slower and keep my goggles on.
As for pits, I think just clipping is sufficient.
I'm kinda like Kirk on this one. The only diff is that I'll wear a cap for any 500y or shorter event. I tend to overheat in 800m or longer events. I'll shave most parts that aren't covered by the suit, clip pit hairs and trim the moustache/eyebrows. I read someplace that you leave the hairs under the suit to keep space between the suit and skin (and hopefully retain air in the space) in order to add buoyancy. I don't know - it seems to compress fairly tightly.
Why I have hair growing out of ears now :confused: is the only answer that I'm looking for. Gotta pluck those dudes.
I shave the night before unless my first event is going to be late enough in the day to shave in the morning or afternoon of the event.
Our coach also coaches age-group swimmers. He told me that USA Swimming no longer allows athletes to shave at meets (in the locker rooms or showers).
The age-group team no longer allows it when they travel - not even in the hotel bathrooms. So the kids have to shave down before they leave home.
Anna Lea
Our coach also coaches age-group swimmers. He told me that USA Swimming no longer allows athletes to shave at meets (in the locker rooms or showers).
The age-group team no longer allows it when they travel - not even in the hotel bathrooms. So the kids have to shave down before they leave home.
Anna Lea
It's forbidden on-site in high school too. Do it, get caught, and you just earned your great shave and taper a DQ from further competition. My guess is that they didn't like the kids who screwed up bleeding on deck, or the mess at the facility.
When I was 13 or 14 about ten years back, I remember my coach had a group meeting about planning to shave for the senior (or 14&U AG) champ meet, and all it entailed, and that if we didn't want to do so (or sit through the talk), we should change to get ready on practice for deck. I was the only person to forego the meeting--granted, having a realistic idea that when I typically finished 42 out of 42 in your events, I didn't have many taper/shave meets to go to.
Never having shaved in my shorter career (I'm sure some of you all been doing shave & tapers for more years than I've been around!), I can't come up with more than one or maybe two situations where I'd do so, and it's tough to say if I'll ever satisfy the one that would definitely require the shave. The closest I come is putting on a cap for meets, which I don't do for practice, and didn't do in the earliest years of my swimming years. It certainly feels faster, but my data points are too few to say for certain (most of my meets over my years show time drops because I'd go to so few, and so the incremental improvement had to show up some time).
Patrick King
