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Why do the Olympic swimmers...
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 2004-08-19 10:15 PM |
Master  1494    Kingston Ontario |  Subject: Why do the Olympic swimmers......bend down and splash water on their face etc. before the race? Some look like they are drinking it, some practically bathe in it - what are they doing??? Keeping their goggles from fogging? Checking the water temperature? Praying to the pool gods? I am dying of curiosity! Jen |
| 2004-08-19 10:36 PM in reply to: #50659 |
Master 1927 Chicago | Subject: RE: Why do the Olympic swimmers... I don't know this for sure but I do the same thing when I swim in a pool. No matter what lane I'm in I always start at the stairs and swim to the lane. Just to get used to the water. In open water swims I splash water on my face and dunk my head before swimming. I just want to get wet, without submerging. It's a ritual it's like kissing the water. Saying, hello, nice to see you old friend, ready for a little lovemaking. Did I say that out loud???) |
| 2004-08-19 10:49 PM in reply to: #50659 |
molto veloce mama 9311  | Subject: RE: Why do the Olympic swimmers... before my first tri, while everyone was standing around in the water, some splashing themselves, some standing there shivering...i did a summersault. i love the water. doing laps i usually hop in at my lane, practice my balance in the water, do a summersault or two, stretch, then go. back to the question though - maybe it has something to do with their skin and being more slippery in the water? i know if you wet your hair and skin in the shower before getting in the pool, it absorbs less chlorine. same could be said for water in general. maybe getting the skin damp before the swim helps make the skin more slick somehow. just a crazy guess. |
| 2004-08-19 11:35 PM in reply to: #50659 |
Elite Veteran 748 northern Illinois | Subject: RE: Why do the Olympic swimmers... The weird thing to me is that they have warm-up pools for the athletes. They're kept at the same temperature as the competition pool, the same everything.... except sometimes they're a bit shorter. So, the athletes are already wet, assuming that they want to be, by the time we see them. So, in short, I've wondered about the splashing thing myself. Maybe they really are just saying hello to this particular water. Who knows? Andrea |
| 2004-08-20 12:28 AM in reply to: #50719 |
Veteran 152 Owen | Subject: RE: Why do the Olympic swimmers... The splashing thing is a habit formed by years of doing it. Also seeing others do it. If you watch the same swimmer swim in different races you will notice they do the exact same thing before each race. Swing thier arms, or what ever weird little thing it is. The warm up and down pool is used to warm up the muscles. Runners do jogging before and after their races to get thier muscles ready and to rid thier bodies of latic acid. I personally readjusted my goggles many times before I got up onto the blocks, just making sure they wouldn't fall off. mindy |
| 2004-08-20 8:06 AM in reply to: #50659 |
| Member 18 New Orleans, Louisiana | Subject: RE: Why do the Olympic swimmers... It was good to see one of the europeans use good ole spit on his goggles. Just like the regular guys (and guyettes !) |
| 2004-08-20 8:46 AM in reply to: #50674 |
Champion 11641 Fairport, NY | Subject: RE: Why do the Olympic swimmers... infosteward - 2004-08-19 10:36 PM  You are never borrowing my bike.  |
| 2004-08-20 10:54 AM in reply to: #50659 |
Expert 649 Palm Coast, FL | Subject: RE: Why do the Olympic swimmers... What I dont get is the American athletes all seem so damned self centered. Im watching the gymnastics the other night and other teams are all very close and happy for each other etc the american girls all give the fake smile and the, i guess if i have to, with the dont mess up my makeup and outfit fake pat on the back hug. to their own teammates! the swimmers arent that much different where other athletes seem to make it a point to congratulate their competitors when doing well even if they have to cross 4 lanes to get there the americans cant get out of the pool fast enough if they havent won gold. where they excel in competition they seriosuly lack in sportsmanship and its sucks. its embarrasing that this is our representation. |
| 2004-08-20 11:18 AM in reply to: #50798 |
Master 1927 Chicago | Subject: RE: Why do the Olympic swimmers... |
| 2004-08-20 11:25 AM in reply to: #50869 |
Master 1927 Chicago | Subject: RE: Why do the Olympic swimmers... Soupman, I don't know what Olympics you're watching but I totally disagree. Witness the explosion of happiness expressed by the South Africans when they won the relay. They didn't swim over to congratulate anyone they just screamed. Oh, and what about Japan's famous breaststroker? He didn't swim to congratulate Brendan Hansen, he was too busy letting out warrior screams. And what about the russian diva, last night. You would have thought she won the gold the way she was waving her flag, prancing around the stadium and caressing the parallel bars with her nation's flag. It was total disrespect to Carly who had really won the gold. I know that it's kosher these days to blame America, hate America, etc., but c'mon, Michael Phelps has been incredibly gracious. If there's anyone who could be king of the hill with a swagger its the one man who has hauld more medals than any athlete at this Olympics. But does he? No. He's gracious in everything. Which shows an incredible amount of maturity for a 19 year-old. Everytime he's taken the podium, he embraces his other competitors for a photo op and then runs off to his next race. Even when he was beat by Ian Thorpe and Peter Van doo hickie, he congratulated them and felt that he hadn't lost because he went toe to toe with the best swimmers in the world. Need any more examples of America's graciousness? I've got plenty. On the contrary, I'm not embarrassed. I'm extremely proud. Edited by infosteward 2004-08-20 11:27 AM |
| 2004-08-20 11:35 AM in reply to: #50659 |
Expert 649 Palm Coast, FL | Subject: RE: Why do the Olympic swimmers... Im the last person on earth to blame america for anything. Im conservative! I say blame France! Phelps is an exception to the rule if you watch the interactions between the american gymnists there is nothing to be proud of and I didnt see the Russian diva doing any prancing as this crap doesnt end until midnight and Im in bed at 10 so sorry I missed it. You're right about Kito Whatever and his little scream but that doesnt make it right and I think now that I've brought it up you may notice it more. Im not talking about gracious winning im talking about gracious losing. If/when they lose although we're now second in the medal count so that sucks but the track is coming. |
| 2004-08-20 11:37 AM in reply to: #50659 |
Expert 1279 Northern VA | Subject: RE: Why do the Olympic swimmers... As usual, Jen, people are kinda getting off topic, away from your original question. So to get back to the point, when I swam in the 91 Olympics in Antartica we would splash water on our face in order to get a closer shave. |
| 2004-08-21 3:16 PM in reply to: #50659 |
Master 2233 Mechanicsburg, PA | Subject: RE: Why do the Olympic swimmers... Not sure if this is the reason that swimmers do it, but it works for me. Facial immersion helps the mammalian dive reflex kick in. Shortly after the heart rate spike and you get that out of breath feeling, your heart rate slows, your body starts to shunt blood, etc, blah, blah, blah. Well, the blood shunting doesn't happen THAT quickly, but it does help to relax you. When you watch 'no limits' freedivers prepping for a 175m dive, they put their face in the water without a mask and breath through a snorkel for what seems like 15 - 20 minutes  One other side benefit to cooling off your face if you are hot, is that it helps to keep your goggles (or mask as the case may be) from fogging up. Just my 2psi... -Frank |
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