It’s Maumelle Marlins night at Splashwear Aquatics! What fun!!! We’re staying open late for the summer league swim team that is just a mile down the road. It’s always so much fun to see all the cute little ones getting outfitted for their summer sport! Some of them I see every year but many of the kids are first time swimmers who don’t understand about suit fitting, but somehow we manage to outfit them all perfectly and they leave with brand new suits, goggles and whatever else they can talk their parents into!! We’re giving away prizes and hopefully everyone is having a great time.

 Speaking of fitting…..I think I must say this at least 20 times a day, but……Competitive swimsuits sizing is different from any other style of clothing!  Parents always want me to tell them over the phone what size their child wears, without me looking at them, or by just telling me how old they are.  I do my best, but fitting a swimmer is completely personal.  What one child says fits perfectly, another will say is too small.  It really depends on how tight you are willing to wear your suit!  How fast do you want to go?  A competitive swim suit is not a piece of clothing….it is a piece of sports equipment.  It’s not supposed to be comfortable.  It’s supposed to make you go fast!!    The fit of your suit is very important….we may not be talking about taking 30 seconds off your swim, but you will see a definite improvement in your time when you wear a tight suit!  Speedo and other suit manufacturers have spent millions to test and come up with the perfect material and fit to allow swimmers to perform at their best.

   As a general rule, you shouldn’t be able to just pull your suit up quickly.  You should have to work to get it on your body.  It should fit tighter than your skin.  You should feel compression.  For girls, the straps will dig into your shoulders and sometimes they even leave marks.  We call them swimsuit hickies.  Just put petroleum jelly on them and that will help.  My daughter and her friends considered them a badge of honor!  Just like getting bruises when you’re a gymnast.  It’s just part of the sport.  When you hang around the pool during a swim meet, you will see many girls with the straps off of their shoulders between their races. 

   Of course, summer swimmers aren’t always are serious about swimming and don’t want to be uncomfortable…they just want to swim and have fun with their friends, and I think that’s great too!  What a great way to spend the summer….staying fit, making new friends and learning about a great sport!  What could be better??   I love them all and welcome them all tonight.  Go Marlins!  Swim FAST!!

Happy Swimming,

Jeannie