small suits reason for males to quit swim teams
smac...@my-deja.com
>
> August 7, 1999
>
> Some say they're ill-suited for the challenge.
>
> For boys, swim meets are too racy
>
>
>Photo caption:
> At Barclay Farm Swim Club, John Greevy, 14 (left), Graham Parker,
13,
> Devin Canfield, 13, and Augie Conte, 14, take a break. (Gerald S.
> Williams/Inquirer Staff Photographer)
>
> By Michael Vitez
>
> INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
>
> Matt Bernetich won the Tri-County swim meet as an 8-year-old, the
> fastest freestyler in South Jersey.
>
> Now age 14, Matt won't be swimming in the Tri-County meet this
> weekend. For the first time since he was 6, he didn't swim
> competitively at all this summer.
>
> He played on an all-star baseball team. He went to soccer and
> basketball camp. And he gave one other important reason why he quit
> swimming.
>
> "It was probably the bathing suit," said the Haddonfield boy. "It's
> really tight and really small. If we didn't have to wear that little
> suit, I'd probably swim."
>
> This is a common sentiment around the region, and apparently around
> the country. An increasing number of middle-school-age boys,
typically
> around 13, stop swimming - in part because of the low-drag, faster
> Speedo-style suit.
>
> "In my opinion, the main reason the boys stop swimming is the
suits,"
> said John Tract, parent of two swimmers at Conestoga Swim Club in
> Radnor. The problem seems to be greater among the more casual summer
> swimmers. His pool's summer swim team has five boys ages 13 and 14 -
> an abundance compared to other pools they swim against in the
Delaware
> County B division.
>
> "I have often said that I would love to be able to design a boy's
suit
> that was both streamlined and less revealing," Tract said. "I'm sure
a
> fortune could be made and swim coaches all over America would jump
for
> joy."
>
> His son, Matt Tract, 10, has begun to see defections from the sport
by
> his peers.
>
> "Every year in my school I ask kids why they don't swim" on the
summer
> team, Matt said. "They all have the same answer: These little suits
> don't look good. I just say I know they don't look very good, but
> that's part of swimming."
>
> Swimmers are not required to wear the racing suits. But the
> alternative - being the only competitor not wearing the standard
gear
> - is an even less attractive prospect for many teenagers, who don't
> want to be conspicuous.
>
> And the bigger, less revealing suits that boys might prefer at the
> beach or even casually at poolside would put them at an enormous
> disadvantage during a swim meet, like wearing basketball high-tops
to
> run the 400 meters.
>
> As a result, many of them simply choose to quit swimming
> competitively.
>
> In the Cherry Bowl swim meet last weekend, only seven of 13 Cherry
> Hill pools were able to find four boys to swim in the 13-14 relays.
In
> the Tri-County meet this weekend, with 36 competing pools, only 22
> have enough boys to field a 13-14 relay team.
>
> "I have a lot of problems getting 14-and-unders because of the
Speedo,
> because it's [perceived as] not a manly sport," said Stu Kukla, who
> coaches at Maple Manor Swim Club in Upper Dublin and at Upper
Moreland
> High School.
>
> "Their friends, the nonswimmers, rag on them about this point."
>
> Many area swim-club and high-school coaches say the shortage of boys
-
> either on summer swim teams or in year-round programs - is not new.
> Some say it seems to be getting worse. They differ as to the degree.
>
> Most area high-school teams have far more girl swimmers than boys,
> area coaches say. For most girls, the suits are not an issue.
>
> "There's a national trend of boys getting out of swimming," said
Bill
> Trabosh, owner and coach of NRG swimming, a year-round aquatic club
in
> Bucks County with 250 swimmers - 70 percent of whom are girls.
>
> Besides the question of modesty, coaches, parents and swimmers give
> other reasons for the decline in boys' swimming:
>
> Boys generally are less willing than girls at that age to work hard
-
> and swimming is hard work.
>
> Boys don't believe swimming is a cool sport. They prefer sports
> considered more manly: soccer, baseball, basketball, hockey and
> football.
>
> Boys now have more sports choices in the summer, including camps for
> every sport and summer leagues.
>
> Nationally, swimming leaders are well aware of these trends.
>
> "The issue - boys leaving swimming because of racing suits - is not
> new," said Chuck Wielgus, executive director of USA-Swimming in
> Colorado Springs. "It is one of the primary reasons why boys quit."
>
> But like others, he believes the suit is only part of the problem.
On
> average, 30 percent of the group's 180,000 year-round swimmers quit
> annually, boys and girls, and the quitting age is often around 13.
> Many no longer find swimming fun or no longer feel successful.
>
> John DeYoung, 14, swam every summer for Downs Farm Swim Club in
Cherry
> Hill but quit this year. He planned to play basketball all summer,
> hang out with his friends, hit the Shore.
>
> Downs Farm had no 13-14 boys for its first two meets. Desperate, the
> team lured John back.
>
> "He thought he was a basketball player - he still does," joked his
> brother, Chris, 17, who also swims for the team. "We convinced him
to
> come out for the team because we needed him desperately."
>
> John will swim in the Tri-County meet this weekend, in a racing
suit.
> At practice Wednesday, he wore long shorts.
>
> When asked why he was not wearing a tank suit, he shrugged. "I don't
> know," he said.
>
> Many teenage boys practice in two or three racing suits at a time,
or
> mesh suits that are longer, known as drag suits, or boxers, or even
> baggy beach suits.
>
> Some do it for modesty. Some do it to increase drag during practice,
> making them faster in meets.
>
> John Greeby, 14, is one of five 13-14 boys on the Barclay Farm swim
> team in Cherry Hill. He has no problem with his racing suit, which
he
> wore to practice.
>
> "Some kids even make fun of me at school, but I don't care," he
said.
> "It's part of the sport."
> __________________________________________________________________
>
>
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Share what you know. Learn what you don't.
Derek McEachern
I find this really hard to believe. I would venture to say that boys
who quit swimming becuase of the the suit are covering up some other
aspect they don't like about swimming. At age 13 is when many
coaches expect a greater comitment from their swimmers. This usually
means nine plus practices a week with early mornings. Compare that
to the other sports the aritcle talks about. How many basket
ball/soccer teams practice that often?
Derek
derekm at airmial dot net
jiminie
because they don't want to wear the brief suits. It's a very sensitive time
of their lives as they enter puberty.
The real problem is how we address our sexuality in the US. We bombard our
children with all kinds of sex in the movies, TV, magazines, etc. but still
teach them to be ashamed of their developing sex organs.
Comparing girls suits to boys is ridiculous. Girls sex organs don't show
through their suits. Yes, you can see their breasts but they can never
really hide that portion of their anatomy.
Richard Osness
subtile way to strut my stuff for the girls I swam with. Most of the
guys on my team felt the same way. The speedo excuse was just a way to
quit the team without getting the coach or the parents too upset.
Parents like to see their kids being modest. Besides who wants to swim
when you can play video games and surf the net.
rick
Gleshna99
>> the country. An increasing number of middle-school-age boys,
>typically
>> around 13, stop swimming - in part because of the low-drag, faster
>> Speedo-style suit.
1. I find nothing surprising in giving the suit size as the reason for
quitting. However, is it the real reason or just a convenient excuse. It
would be most interesting to compare competition success with quitting.
2. As a kid during hot Dallas summers I was given the choice of swimming or
playing baseball. To me it was a no brainer, cool pool. I don't get baseball
over swimming but that is just me. By the way I stink at the baseball, but the
real reason is that I didn't like the uniforms.
Bob
Alex Mericas
age group that swim. One was thinking about quitting to play basketball.
My reaction was "you would pass up an opportunity to be around all those
girls in swimsuits?". I doubt that made the difference, but he is still
swimming! From a social aspect, swimming is the best sport for teenage
boys!
James G. Acker
: It's a sad commentary on our times but I don't doubt that many boys do quit
I'm going to make a rather bold statement. I don't think
it's the exposure issue. I think if there is a social problem, it's
that the competitive swimsuit (generically called a "Speedo") has
become associated with male homosexuals. Thus, mean little 13-year
old boys (and this is where pressure to conform to the "group" is at
its highest, as is uncertainty about sexuality and concerns about
body image) can attack anyone in a well-known taunting style that
is part of adolescence. Many years back when I was a 13-year old
swimmer, this wasn't a common association, but it is now. I think it
would be really tough for a 13-year old to handle. All those
references in these other articles about the fact that sports like
soccer, basketball, baseball, etc. are "manly" underscore the likelihood
of this association in the minds of young teenagers.
I want to state clearly that the above is not really an issue
of sexuality, homo- or hetero-. It's about 13-year old boys that make
fun of each other in any way that they can.
===============================================
| James G. Acker |
| REPLY TO: jga...@neptune.gsfc.nasa.gov |
===============================================
All comments are the personal opinion of the writer
and do not constitute policy and/or opinion of government
or corporate entities.
Gleshna99
>girls in swimsuits?".
An extremely important point that plays into the psychology somehow.
A guy not wanting to be around almost naked chicks? Doesn't figure.
Bob
John Thompson
the time and effort to be a competitive swimmer. I think this is especially
true of those boys that had success at a young age without a lot of work.
As for suit size, my son age 12 doesn't mind the small size, but wears an
Aquablade Jammer for competition. He wears it because it's different and he
like to stand out in a crowd. But the new longer suits do offer an option
for the shy.
John
Alex Mericas <alex_m...@ibm.net> wrote in message
news:37B41548...@ibm.net...
> I agree that the swimsuit is just an excuse. I have two nephews in that
> age group that swim. One was thinking about quitting to play basketball.
> My reaction was "you would pass up an opportunity to be around all those
> girls in swimsuits?". I doubt that made the difference, but he is still
> swimming! From a social aspect, swimming is the best sport for teenage
> boys!
>
> Richard Osness wrote:
> >
Peter Lee
by kids. They say that all the time about why they don't wear them on the
beach: "that is so gay!" And I don't dismiss it as a real factor in why
boys quit, though I think what's behind the gay-speedo connection is an
awkwardness about their bodies. Most people are sensitive about how they
look, puberty is especially tough and swimming requires you to compete
nearly naked in front of a crowd. I have sympathy for the boys who feel
uncomfortable with that, even if it is silly to feel embarrassed.
However, I think other reasons are more important in why boys quit.
Swimming isn't casual; if you want to swim, you do it in an organized
structure or league. Basketball, you pick up a ball, get together with some
friends and shoots some hoops. Football, you find a field and throw the
ball around. Other sports are more accessible for casual play, not just the
serious athlete. Plus, I think kids look for sports that are more
team-based and social. Swimming is social too but I mean social in the
sense that you can't play football by yourself while you can swim alone.
Peter
James G. Acker <jga...@news.gsfc.nasa.gov> wrote in message
news:7p1alq$i...@post.gsfc.nasa.gov...
David Spera
didn't think twice about the size of the suit. Now kids don't even have to
shower after gym class because of modesty concerns (and none for hygiene I
guess).
Don
than the skimpy speedos. Why don't savvy coaches set a new fashion for
these fuller suits? After all, these days the full body suit is coming into
prominence.
Don
David Spera wrote in message <37B56016...@sgi.net>...
Ken Chertoff
>important in why boys quit. Swimming isn't
>casual; if you want to swim, you do it in an
>organized structure or league. Basketball, you
>pick up a ball, get together with some friends
>and shoots some hoops. Football, you find a
>field and throw the ball around. Other sports are
>more accessible for casual play, not just the
>serious athlete. Plus, I think kids look for sports
>that are more team-based and social.
>Swimming is social too but I mean social in the
>sense that you can't play football by yourself
>while you can swim alone.
Well maybe, but the same kid who thinks swimming is too organized, would
give anything to be on a football, baseball or soccer team -- all highly
organized, even regimented sports -- even if it means sitting on the
bench or being a walking tackling dummy.
I don't think the speedo is "just" an excuse, but I do think there's
more to it than just the size of the suit. Even if all the teams were
to adopt "aquablade jammers" or even full body suits, swimming would
have an image problem with some thirteen year olds.
Kids that age are very self-conscious about their bodies. But they're
also about afraid of being seen as uncool. The problem, which I think
the speedo only symbolizes, is that swimming has not in recent years
been publicized as a male sport. The only male swimmer that registers
in many people's minds is still Mark Spitz, after more than a
quarter-century.
USAS has done a good job of publicizing stars like Janet Evans, Summer
Sanders and Amy Van Dyken, but they seem content to have the male
swimmers treated in the media, if at all, only as afterthoughts or as
soap opera characters. Just look at the last Olympics -- the coverage
of American male swimmers focused on Tom Dolan's asthma and Gary Hall's
grandfather, rather on Dolan or Hall as athletes. Very little was heard
about athletes like Jeff Rouse, who had no "story." These were good
stories for NBC, but they're not what appeals to thirteen year old boys.
What this tells them is that swimming is a sport for girls or for boys
with problems -- exactly what they most fear. Small swimsuits would be
much less of an issue, if the sport did a better job of promoting itself
as a male sport.
Ken
http://community.webtv.net/kenchert/KensPlace
Robert W. McAdams
> I don't think anyone would disagree about speedos being seen as a gay thing
> by kids. They say that all the time about why they don't wear them on the
> beach: "that is so gay!"
I'd disagree! Kids say "that is so gay!" about a lot of things. But they
usually don't mean it literally, and very few of their peers think they do.
I WOULD agree, though, that boys who have never worn competitive swim suits
frequently imagine that wearing one would be a lot more embarrassing than it
really is. But that is more a reason why boys never join swim teams to begin
with - not a reason why they quit.
> However, I think other reasons are more important in why boys quit.
> Swimming isn't casual; if you want to swim, you do it in an organized
> structure or league. Basketball, you pick up a ball, get together with some
> friends and shoots some hoops. Football, you find a field and throw the
> ball around. Other sports are more accessible for casual play, not just the
> serious athlete. Plus, I think kids look for sports that are more
> team-based and social. Swimming is social too but I mean social in the
> sense that you can't play football by yourself while you can swim alone.
Actually, swimming for fun is about as casual as doing any other sport for fun.
Of course, you do have to have a pool available. But I've seen neighborhoods
where back yard swimming pools were more common than basketball hoops.
Now, it could be argued that most kids who swim casually don't race. But it
could also be argued that most kids who shoot hoops or throw a football around
aren't really doing anything that very closely resembles organized basketball or
football. And it certainly isn't uncommon for kids who are splashing around in
a swimming pool to take some time out and have a race.
Bob
Robert W. McAdams
> Well maybe, but the same kid who thinks swimming is too organized, would
> give anything to be on a football, baseball or soccer team -- all highly
> organized, even regimented sports -- even if it means sitting on the
> bench or being a walking tackling dummy.
I agree. And I think a lot of it has to do with the amount of attention
that is given to these sports on TV and in schools. Boys' football and
basketball games at most high schools are made into major school events,
complete with refreshment stands, cheerleaders, the band playing at
half-time, etc. It's easy to see why a boy might prefer that to a sport
that takes a lot of work, but that isn't attended by anyone except parents
and other team members. All of this is less important for girls, because
women's sports usually don't attract much attention regardless of what they
are (except, maybe, for women's tennis, which seems to get as many
spectators as men's tennis).
What's particularly sad about this is that swimming is one of the best forms
of exercise around, and it's one that can be done for your entire life.
But, once you get out of college, it's well-nigh impossible to find a
football team to play on unless you're good enough to turn pro.
> USAS has done a good job of publicizing stars like Janet Evans, Summer
> Sanders and Amy Van Dyken, but they seem content to have the male
> swimmers treated in the media, if at all, only as afterthoughts or as
> soap opera characters. Just look at the last Olympics -- the coverage
> of American male swimmers focused on Tom Dolan's asthma and Gary Hall's
> grandfather, rather on Dolan or Hall as athletes. Very little was heard
> about athletes like Jeff Rouse, who had no "story." These were good
> stories for NBC, but they're not what appeals to thirteen year old boys.
> What this tells them is that swimming is a sport for girls or for boys
> with problems -- exactly what they most fear. Small swimsuits would be
> much less of an issue, if the sport did a better job of promoting itself
> as a male sport.
Actually, I doubt that the average kid who isn't on a swim team has ever
heard of any contemporary swimming star - male or female.
Bob
Ken Chertoff
>on a swim team has ever heard of any
>contemporary swimming star - male or female.
I agree, but I think the reason for that is the way the sport is
publicized. Kids would be more aware of the swimmers if the sport were
more aggressively promoted, with emphasis on the athletic competition.
Ken
http://community.webtv.net/kenchert/KensPlace
Mick Peak
is into swimming (even casually) wears what is being referred to as
'speedos'. If you're wearing anything else, you're a 'fun pool' person,
there for playing with the slides and water-chutes.
And us Brits get told we've got hang-ups...
Seriously, if swimming is taught properly, talent is nurtured (*not*
forced), swimming will continue to thrive. Anybody who starts coming up with
lame-brain excuses (water too cold, suit too tight etc) really is saying
they don't want to do it.
Mick
(PS- if you're an endomorph, speedos are just the ticket for wearing whilst
chatting to your female team-mates... )
Alex Mericas
> USAS has done a good job of publicizing stars like Janet Evans, Summer
> Sanders and Amy Van Dyken, but they seem content to have the male
> swimmers treated in the media, if at all, only as afterthoughts or as
> soap opera characters. Just look at the last Olympics -- the coverage
Here in Austin, Josh Davis gets lots of good press. And he deserves it.
He came to my kid's swim team awards night last year and passed around
his gold medals! Now my kids know who he is and whenever we see an article
about him, we all read it.
fastlane
http://www.insidetheweb.com/messageboard/mbs.cgi/mb40881