Taking care of swimmer skin can be challenging enough in the warmer months. Winter swimmer skin care is especially challenging. These are the basics. If you need additional tips or have questions, please send me an email @ [email protected]
#1) ALWAYS rinse off after getting out of the pool.
#2) Use soap designed for swimmers.
#3) Use a good moisturizing creme or body butter a few times a week.
If you are already doing those three things and still having problems, here are some additional items to look at.
#4) Vitamin C is known for its abilities to remove pool chemicals from your skin. You can make Vitamin C after swim spray or you can buy it. You can also drop a few dissolvable vitamin C tablets in bath water or look for bodywash that has citrus in it. Just google Vitamin C Swim Spray.
#5) Shower before getting in the pool. This helps your skin absorb fresh water and doesn’t allow as many pool chemicals to absorb while swimming.
#6) Take a bath in Epsom Salts. This stuff helps with so many things; sore muscles, skin issues, removing pool chemical buildup. It is also cheap! $3 for an 4lb bag at Walmart.
#7 Swap detergents. Switch your laundry detergent from something that is perfumed to a free and clear product. Examples are Tide Free or All Free & Clear.
#8 Take a multivitamin design for skin and hair. This tip is more for older swimmers or adults.
#2 Favorite Swim Soap - Neutrogena Body Clear Pink Grapefruit Acne Body Wash. This cuts through pool chemicals! It can be found almost anywhere. Walmart sells a generic version made by Equate. It can be a little drying and you definitely want to use lotion after.
Favorite Lotion for Swimmers
Miracle Hand Repair Cream $10. This stuff is thick, a little bit goes a long way, and you can use it everywhere.
Body Butter. All types of body butter especially the ones with shea. These are thick and extremely moisturizing,
I can’t see without my glasses! How am I going to see in the pool?
Optical goggles are easy to find on SwimOutlet.com and they are very affordable. You do not need to go to the eye doctor to get them. In Arkansas an eye doctor must give you a copy of your prescription, if you request it.
Several on our team wear optical goggles. It is much easier to find - goggles than it is to find + goggles. If your prescription, in each eye is different, you just order two pair. Then separate the goggles at the nose piece and put the proper scrip together. *Not all goggles can be separated at the nose piece.
TYR Big Swimple ($15-25) - These are a solid body goggle. You must have the same scrip in each eye. They are only available in -5 through -8 right now. These have a squishier eye gasket. I have not worn these particular goggles. But, Swimples are great for kids who are rough on their stuff. The strap can not be changed out easily on this style. https://www.swimoutlet.com/p/tyr-big-swimple-optical-active-goggle-8132089/?color=47676&sid=72399
Being mindful of my words, as a coach and as a parent, is hard. It is very easy to say that someone has done a great job when they come in first. It can be hard to say they did a great job when they are last, get dq’d, or don’t finish as expect. I have been working on choosing my words more carefully. Instead of saying, “You came in 1st, that is great!” I have been trying to say, “I am proud of the work that you have been doing at practice. I see you improving. You are listening at practice. I see you working hard and getting better.” Everyone wants to be seen or acknowledged. I have noticed kids smile even bigger when I acknowledge their hard work, effort, and improvement. Everyone wants to win. Very often winning is so much more than the place they receive at the end of the meet.
The work by Angela Lee Duckworth and Carol Dweck has been influential in how I think about effort. There is a popular Ted Talk, about Grit, by Angela Lee Duckworth. “Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. What I do know is that talent doesn't make you gritty.” It is about 6 minutes long. She quickly brings up having a “Growth Mindset” and Carol Dweck. The “Power of Yet” is about a 10-minute Ted Talk.
I know I ask much of our swim parents. These talks are helping me to be a better coach. We are all busy. If you could please watch these two videos, I would be appreciative.
I hope everyone is enjoying their day away from the pool and I look forward to seeing you at practice.
Sincerely, Coach Anna
The DQ… Unfortunately, it isn’t a trip to Dairy Queen.
Every single swimmer will get disqualified or receive a DQ. It is part of learning the sport of swimming. Our team follows the same rules as Olympic swimming athletes. It is a good thing. Officials hate having to “DQ” a swimmer, but they understand that their efforts not only insure a fair “playing field” for everyone, but it actually helps our young athletes learn the sport, too. Every swimmer involved in the sport for any length of time has been “DQed”, even at the national and international (Olympic) levels. As a coach I do my best to not talk about DQ’s at a meet with swimmers or parents unless it would be beneficial to cover due to an event later that day. I do not hand out the DQ slips and keep them as training tools. Most of the time, a swimmer knows exactly what they did wrong. Very often they don’t want to admit it because they think someone will be mad or disappointed. Making mistakes is part of life. It is one of the ways we learn. It will be ok. Everyone earns a few dq’s along the way.
THE MOST IMPORTANT thing to remember is what DQ really stands for….and that is DON’T QUIT.
The most common stoke infractions are list below. We work on proper stroke technique at every single practice. Breaststroke *Does not touch the wall with 2 hands *Adds flutter kick during/after the breaststroke kick *Pulls hands past elbows/waist *Arms do not move simultaneously Butterfly *Does not touch the wall with 2 hands *Adds flutter kick after/during the dolphin kick *Arms do not move simultaneously Backstroke *Does not stay on the back or roles to the tummy Freestyle *Pulls on lane line to gain forward momentum *Pushes off the bottom of the pool
A few swim parent articles from Elizabeth Wickham. She is a writer on Swim Swam.