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Parents
Why Should My Child Be a
Swimmer?
1.
Swimming is an
outstanding activity for young people.
2.
Swimming promotes
fitness and teaches a child to strive for physical achievement.
Many super-stars in other sports started out as swimmers and gained
strength and coordination that helped them to excel.
3.
Swimming is an
exciting individual and team sport.
4.
Swimming is a
technical and specialized activity involving extensive skill
development.
5.
Swimming is a healthy
"lifetime" activity. Participants may be 1 or 101 years old.
6.
Swimming is relatively
injury free in comparison to other youth sports.
7.
Swimming teaches the
life lessons of sport and sportsmanship which include learning to
deal with winning and losing, as well as working with officials,
teammates and coaches.
8.
Swimming motivates
participants to strive for self improvement and teaches goal
orientation.
9.
Swimming cultivates a
positive mental attitude and high self-esteem.
10.
Swimming can prevent
drowning.
Proper Suit
Fit
Speedo Tip of
the Week comes from Lindsay Goodson, the corporate marketing
manager at USA Swimming. Goodson, who recently traveled the country
fitting swimmers in Speedo suits, offers swimmers some advice on
the proper fit of a competitive suit.
·
The process of finding
a proper fit of a suit takes time and patience. Competitive suits,
whether it is a full-body suit or record breaker, are meant to
compress the body but not constrict it. A suit can take as long as
20 minutes to get on, but this does not necessarily mean the suit
is too small. It is important to remember not to sacrifice size for
mobility.
·
Ask your
local dealer to try multiple sizes before purchasing the suit.
While the suit may not be tested in the water prior to buying it,
keep in mind that it will loosen and mold to your body once in the
pool.
·
When putting on a
full-body suit, continually pull it from the knees – not the
straps or torso region – similar to putting on women’s
nylons. If you are struggling to pull the suit up, try getting your
finger tips wet to work the suit over your hips. If the suit does
not go over your hips, this is your first sign it is too small. But
once it is on your hips, make sure the seams are not twisted. Align
the seams with your hips and torso.
·
Once the suit is on,
it should be tight across the chest and core. It if is loose, then
try a size smaller. A good rule of thumb is the straps
should only be pulled one to two inches away from the
shoulders.
·
Don’t be afraid
to try different suits for different races. While many
breaststrokes prefer a jammer-style suit, this may not be what
works best for you. Try a variety of suits and pick the one that
gives you the most comfort.
Most
importantly, remember that while the suit can help propel you to
faster times, it is the work you do in the pool that determines the
end result.
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