So I am trying to make a plan for swimming a few meets this year, and I have come to the point to figure out how to deal with the fact that I am really really hairy.
Do most masters swimmers shave for most meets? It would be a major deal for me to shave, and it stubbles really fast. I am not worried a lot about cosmetics. I don't mind being the hairy guy. But I do mind that I will not swim nearly as fast, and if everyone else my age is shaved down, I might feel out of place.
So how hairy are the masters swimmers?
Former Member
I guess I have to fess up. I am 57, very hairy and I shave my body every summer. OK so there, I said it.
Actually I only have been doing it the last 2 years. I did it for an important OW race and found that it felt great. I also compete in triathlons and I found that during training and racing I felt like I had taken off a blanket - which is how I now refer to my annual transformation. Just to put it in perspective, at a recent underwater video clinic I was the only one that looked like they had any body hair. In fact everyone was surprised that a grizzly bear could swim so well.
I shaved my arm pits once in college and hated the feeling as the hair grew out.Inspite of going to Masters Nats many times I never shaved them again until Worlds in Palo Alto when I thought"what the heck,every .01 sec counts."It wasn't as bad as I remembered and I have at all taper meets since.
Maybe I'm alone in this, but... I really appreciate it when men shave, regardless of whether or not it's for competition. Hairy backs and chests are a challenge for me; I don't really care about pits, legs, or other areas that I don't have to see.
As far as the women shaving... Since ankle-length tech suits emerged on the scene, I haven't worried about growing out hair before big meets. I don't know if I can go back to the growing the hair out bit after June 1. I might try it in the winter, but an old lady like me with hairy legs in the winter just isn't going to work out. As an age group and college swimmer, I didn't mind so much.
I shaved my arm pits once in college and hated the feeling as the hair grew out.Inspite of going to Masters Nats many times I never shaved them again until Worlds in Palo Alto when I thought"what the heck,every .01 sec counts."It wasn't as bad as I remembered and I have at all taper meets since.
I've heard of some swimmers having agonizing experiences after shaving armpits. I haven't had that happen to me but I do shave them very gently and I don't worry if there's some stubble left after I'm done. One of my teammates in college shaved his eyebrows for a conference meet... unfortunately they grew back, denying us a lifetime of eyebrow jokes at his expense...
