If Only I Were A Swimmer...
Hey Girls,
With the Olympics beginning tomorrow, I found this article rather interesting (especially considering my current domestic "issues"). Unfortunately, I can't suddenly claim to be a competing swimmer to mask my shaving.
Considering I barely passed the swimming requirement for the military and I seem to swim farther and faster dog-paddling than breast stroking (although I have been known to stroke a mean breast in other arenas), I doubt I'll adopt the swimming excuse. I think I'd have better luck using the clean-shaven body-builder excuse...but then I'd have to work out like a fiend
So, for those of you who are just beginning to enter our world, you can always purchase some speedos and hit the pool...you'll fit right in...
Here's the article:
Shaving down: Swimming’s painful ritual: Minuscule effect on aerodynamics offset by mental edge provided
The Associated Press
Updated: 5:14 p.m. ET Aug. 12, 2004 ATHENS, Greece
Erik Vendt holds up his left leg, pointing to a dime-sized scar on the shin.
“I did that when I was 11 years old,” he said, sounding like someone proudly showing off an old war wound. “That was the first summer I shaved. I bled for a half hour. The bathroom floor was covered in blood. I could hardly swim that night.”
He’s 23 now, preparing to compete in his second Olympics and still participating in a ritual that’s unique to swimming. While Vendt has been growing a scraggly beard for the past month, he’ll break out a razor Friday night and shave himself from head to toe — all in an effort to go a little faster once he dives into the water.
It’s called “shaving down.” Rest assured, all those hairy faces and shaggy legs that were seen around the pool in the days leading up the Athens Games will be as smooth as Grecian marble once the eight-day swimming competition begins Saturday.
Everyone seems to acknowledge that shaving doesn’t improve performance all that much, certainly no more than a fraction of a second. But the minuscule effect on aerodynamics is more than offset by the mental edge it provides.
“I like the feeling of the water hitting my face,” said Vendt, rubbing the beard that soon will be coming off. “At most, the difference is probably a tenth of a second. But if you feel like you’re going fast, you’ll go fast.”
Not that it’s a pleasant ordeal. The night before a race, swimmers gather in their bathrooms, lather up and put blade to skin on every part of their body that won’t be covered by the swimsuit or cap. It takes at least an hour and requires help to shave those hard-to-reach areas on the back.
The result: plenty of tiny nicks — or worse.
“I’ve done it enough times that I can minimize the pain,” said Bryce Hunt, another U.S. Olympian. “I usually manage to avoid some of the huge gashes that you see on some people. It’s not so much at the big meets. These people know what they’re doing. But when you go to state meets, things like that, you’ll see a person who’s really cut up his leg.”
To shave down, you must have something to shave off. Many male swimmers opt for beards during their training periods between meets; on the women’s side, they’ll let underarm and leg hair grow out.
It’s mind over matter. A swimmer who trains with a bushy body will feel downright sleek — and probably faster — after the hair washes down the drain. Of course, the training sessions before a meet resemble a Grateful Dead concert, with all sorts of unkempt people jostling for space.
“It’s part of the job description — hairy legs,” U.S. women’s co-captain Lindsay Benko said.
Shaving down has taken on a little less significance with the advent of cutting-edge bodysuits, which cover more skin than previous attire and provide even less resistance to water than skin. Most men now compete in suits that cover at least the upper legs, while Australian star Ian Thorpe wears a full suit, leaving only his face, arms and huge feet exposed to the water.
Still, as Benko put it, bodysuits don’t eliminate the need for shaving.
“If you’re hair grows long enough, it will stick through the suit,” she said. “It’s still a big deal, though I’m sure it’s more mental than anything else.”
Shaving down can be a major drawback to youngsters in those formative years when they’re just getting serious about the sport — especially boys. Vendt remembers being the butt of many jokes when he was growing up, sometimes escalating to the point of blows being exchanged.
“Everyone makes fun of you,” he recalled. “They’ll say, ’Oh, you shave your legs. What a girl.’ Sometimes, I’d get in a fight about it. I had to defend my honor.”
While the new suits have lessened the importance of shaving, coaches such as Jon Urbanchek, an assistant on the U.S. team, are reluctant to jump off the razor bandwagon. They’re convinced that it still has an affect on their swimmers, giving them a better feel in the water and a definite boost in confidence.
“I’m not about to tell my kids that they don’t need to shave down,” he said.
Lenny Krayzelburg strolled off the deck of the Olympic pool Thursday evening, having just completed a workout with a week-old beard beginning to fill in around the cheeks and chin. He’s a firm believer that shaving makes him go faster.
Take the U.S. Olympic trials. Krayzelburg was coming back from two shoulder surgeries and felt the need for a little something extra in the 100-meter backstroke. So, he shaved down before the preliminaries and semifinals — then did it again before the next night’s final. He managed to finish second, earning a spot on the American team.
“Some people who don’t have hair still shave,” said Krayzelburg, winner of three gold medals in Sydney. “It’s not so much the hair, it’s what it does to the surface of the skin. It’s hard to explain. Before you shave, you have that everyday feel in the water. You’re looking for a new feel.”
Well, the Olympics are almost here. Let the shaving begin.
If they only knew...
Kisses,
Maddy
Originally Posted by Bernadina
