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.
Spoken like a true menstuation-phobic male. You might like to fantasize otherwise, but if women didn't have periods you wouldn't exist:rolleyes:!
Yes but at least we'd not be getting blamed for everything!
If guys had the curse, there'd be a lot more sitting out and whining. You have no idea ...
If guys had the curse we'd have a cure for it by now!
I think girls secretly enjoy this "special time" as a neo-sociological-psuedo-sanctioned excuse to let their inner beauty shine through for the men in their lives!
:D
See you all at zones on Saturday!
Almost sounds like you have a group of girls who just want an excuse to sit out. How perfect that they can use the period excuse so you can't argue!
I agree. They've found a good excuse and they're milking it for all it's worth. Wookiee thinks the OP should "lighten up." My feeling is that he's probably not being tough enough. It seems to me the girls have found a convenient excuse to walk all over him.
This is not East Germany of the past.
They must have a note from their parents??? I think not.
I believe most are carrying this thing a little too far.
Leave the little girls alone and let them decide what they should do...
There are only two things that men try to avoid discussing more than this topic - a vasectomy or colonoscopy.
My coach discussed colonscopy this morning with me...it's a medical procedure; discussion is not an invitation to attend the ceremony!
I don't know a thing about periods but I know a thing or two about teens. They are crafty little people and will fabricate any excuse to get out of a swim practice, especially in the winter.
woah, in middle school, i did everything in my power to never bring that topic up given the embarrasment factor! i would never have told a coach, especially a male one, that it was 'that time'.
for most girls, tampons and periods are no big deal. either their moms' are giving them the message that they are, or they are using it as an excuse to stay out of the water.
I am amazed, and frankly skeptical, that these girls would tell you that they are sitting out because of their periods. Adult women don't seem to be so embarrassed to mention their periods but I cannot imagine a 13-year-old girl telling her male coach anything about it. When I was a 13-year-old swimmer my teammates and I never even talked about our periods (or lack thereof) among ourselves, much less with our male coach.
Also, the conventional wisdom about a "period" lasting a week is bunk. Most teens bleed significantly for a day or two or maybe three, and then the flow tapers off quite substantially. Even if I could believe a kid needed to skip practice one or two days because of heavy menstrual flow, or cramps, a week is ridiculous. If the kid is really bleeding significantly for a week she needs to see a doctor.
I am with those who can imagine no reason these girls need to skip practice because of menstruation. I concur with Fort's recommendation to make sure their parents know they are skipping, and know the stated reason. Then make your own attendance policy clear, and the same for boys and girls, and enforce it. These girls are going to be menstruating ten to thirteen times a year for the next 40 years, excluding pregnancies; might as well figure out now how to keep it from interfering with the rest of their lives.
I think girls secretly enjoy this "special time" as a neo-sociological-psuedo-sanctioned excuse to let their inner beauty shine through for the men in their lives!
Actually I would like it more if we still had the Red Tent to go live in for a week or two. A monthly vacation, even if it includes cramps.
