I just became the coach of my first swim team, and I, being a male, am having a hard time with the whole period thing. My girls are middle school level, and a little shy about the subject, as am I. Now, I know that you can swim on your period by using a tampon, but they cringed at the idea. However, on a 20 girl team, I've got as many as 6-7 girls sitting out daily because of it. I know that's far FAR too high. I'm about this close to going out and buying a box of tampons to shove in their face if they don't dress.
So my questions are:
How necessary is it that you wear a tampon? Is it an every day thing? are there times when it's worse than others?
And, how can I easily make the lives of the swimmers who don't swim (and keep in mind it has to be for a group of 6-7 people) a living hell. I need a dry land work out that can be done on the pool deck that takes little effort to watch (so I can coach the other girls) and something they can't really slack off - I keep giving them push ups and they barely go down.
I really can't think of anything outside of making the actual swim session fun, so if you guys have ideas on how to do that too it might work, too. It need to work on something important though.
gobears - I'm going to have to take issue with you here. You seem to have in your mind that I think girls are delicate little flowers. It appears that you did not read my posts on my suggestion towards those that chose to sit out. Why in the world would you think a former female triathlete would view girls as being delicate flowers? My view is no different than what dorothy expressed.
I've coached a female to go on and swim 4 years for a Division I school in the SEC. She will tell you that I certainly do not allow for petty excuses and probably was one of the hardest coaches she ever had.
I, however, have watched a young lady close to my family with an eating disorder sitting on death's doorstep several times. I have had a sister of a close friend die at 16 from complications connected to anorexia. I take very seriously girls being overly pushed and controlled.
Again, I think dorothy's response is right on the point here.
I think we're saying mostly the same thing. It's just that you and George seem to think ML should not require anything of these girls to weed out the ones with true problems from the ones that are using this as an excuse. I never accused you of thinking women were delicate flowers (though I do wonder about George, given his comments). What I did say was:
"I don't think George or Elise are allowing for the idea that some of your girls are just being lazy." And that's what I meant. I do think, given ML's representation of the numbers, that some of the girls are being manipulative. You and George seem to be saying (and correct me if I'm wrong) that a note from Mom and some accountability is extreme. I don't happen to think so.
I agree that Dorothy's post was right on. I said so. All that said, I think you are mixing up topics here to some extent. What does the prevalence of eating disorders have to do with any of this? Of course a coach shouldn't be making comments about weight (ML--take note) but that's not the issue here. No one is saying these girls have to swim because they are fat pigs if they don't! They should swim because they signed up to swim! I don't think you are really advocating that the coach should let the girls run the show and do whatever the heck they feel like doing just so they don't feel at all "controlled." Life is full of rules and standards. Girls have to get used to that just like anyone else.
gobears - I'm going to have to take issue with you here. You seem to have in your mind that I think girls are delicate little flowers. It appears that you did not read my posts on my suggestion towards those that chose to sit out. Why in the world would you think a former female triathlete would view girls as being delicate flowers? My view is no different than what dorothy expressed.
I've coached a female to go on and swim 4 years for a Division I school in the SEC. She will tell you that I certainly do not allow for petty excuses and probably was one of the hardest coaches she ever had.
I, however, have watched a young lady close to my family with an eating disorder sitting on death's doorstep several times. I have had a sister of a close friend die at 16 from complications connected to anorexia. I take very seriously girls being overly pushed and controlled.
Again, I think dorothy's response is right on the point here.
I think we're saying mostly the same thing. It's just that you and George seem to think ML should not require anything of these girls to weed out the ones with true problems from the ones that are using this as an excuse. I never accused you of thinking women were delicate flowers (though I do wonder about George, given his comments). What I did say was:
"I don't think George or Elise are allowing for the idea that some of your girls are just being lazy." And that's what I meant. I do think, given ML's representation of the numbers, that some of the girls are being manipulative. You and George seem to be saying (and correct me if I'm wrong) that a note from Mom and some accountability is extreme. I don't happen to think so.
I agree that Dorothy's post was right on. I said so. All that said, I think you are mixing up topics here to some extent. What does the prevalence of eating disorders have to do with any of this? Of course a coach shouldn't be making comments about weight (ML--take note) but that's not the issue here. No one is saying these girls have to swim because they are fat pigs if they don't! They should swim because they signed up to swim! I don't think you are really advocating that the coach should let the girls run the show and do whatever the heck they feel like doing just so they don't feel at all "controlled." Life is full of rules and standards. Girls have to get used to that just like anyone else.
