WAG Is this true??

[Ponyshine]

After swimming I often have the feeling of being on a boat when I go to bed that night and this isn't the most helpful for staying on a beam... but I think the affects are normally gone by the morning. I still think the main issue could be tiring the gymnast out right before a competition. But I don't know for certain - Maybe there is no problem with it. I never swim right before my competitions anyway, so I've not tried it.

 

[pt coach]

We have the no swim rule at the gym where I am a coach and DD is a gymnast. The rule is not really enforced...and I always let my daughter swim if she is interested the night before a meet...okay and also the day of the meet when we were in the Bahamas a couple of years ago. (because it was the Bahamas!!) I haven't noticed any difference in her performance. She isn't ever going to be the kid who wins everything...she is happy with one medal and not really upset with zero. For her it is about the fun of the meet which includes the travel, the hotel, watching as many other sessions as she can and being with her friends.

 

[2G1B]

FWIW, when my ds first started team gymnastics he was already on a year round swim team. He was 7 and had(has) add. His gym coach said his best practices were the ones where he had swim practice first, that he focused better. His twin sister's dance teacher said the same thing about her.

 

[MaryA]

DD's gym has the "no swim" rule. I've read enough of these threads on CB to be convinced that it's not true, but I am afraid it would be a self-fulfilling prophesy. HC says you won't do as well if you swim the day before a meet. DD treats the word of her HC as LAW. Therefore, if she swam, she'd go into the meet believing she wouldn't do as well.

 

[munchkin3]

for those of us who live in the sunnier, warmer parts of the world, this is total *S

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

What is the deal with those? Neither of dds have ever used them; but I have seen them in YouTube videos. Someone said they are to remind the kid to pull their belly in?

That's the idea behind it, but anybody who's taken high school psychology can tell you they won't have any effect past the first few minutes of practice.

 

[DND]

The real fear is going against the coaches belief. Living through that is the worst side effect!!

 

[raenndrops]

I don't want my kids out in the sun or swimming the day of a meet because I do t want them tired. But that's it. If they want to soak the night prior then go for it.

Last year at Y-Nationals, OG competed, then we had a nice break before YG competed... They had been PROMISED a swim in the gulf but getting lost and a storm the day before had prevented it SO... in between sessions, we went to the gulf for about 45 minutes of swimming. I, personally did not swim because there was a wooden bridge to cross and i don't like bridges or old weathered wooden structures that see thousands of feet a day. YG (the one who still needed to compete) got slammed up against one of the jetties and sliced her knee open. They got her out and back to the vehicle. We went to the drug store and got several different things. I used 7 butterfly closures, then 4 stretchy bandaids over them, then a really big padded waterproof bandaid over that so it would all stay put while she competed.
No more beaches before meets for us... but indoor pools are acceptable.

 

[CoachMeg]

We are very strict about this. In fact, if any of our gymnasts swim within a month of a meet they are scratched from the entire season. This includes swimming in pools, oceans, lakes, showering, bathing, and even washing their hands (we can't have those finger muscles getting loose!!!).

Only kidding. I've actually NEVER heard of this nonsense. Actually, two meets ago we found out that 95% of our team was staying in the same hotel so we had a "swim party" and ordered pizza and had a get-together in the lobby. The other teams probably told horror stories about us the next day at the meet. "Their gymnasts were....swimming....in water......WATER!!" The horror.

 

[gothgymmom]

We are very strict about this. In fact, if any of our gymnasts swim within a month of a meet they are scratched from the entire season. This includes swimming in pools, oceans, lakes, showering, bathing, and even washing their hands (we can't have those finger muscles getting loose!!!).

Only kidding. I've actually NEVER heard of this nonsense. Actually, two meets ago we found out that 95% of our team was staying in the same hotel so we had a "swim party" and ordered pizza and had a get-together in the lobby. The other teams probably told horror stories about us the next day at the meet. "Their gymnasts were....swimming....in water......WATER!!" The horror.

you actually had me going there for a minute when i was reading the first paragraph. well played.

 

[gothgymmom]

wow. Thanks everyone for the variety of responses. Im actually very glad that Im not the only one that has heard this rule, and im glad so many coaches responded. It baffles me that some of the coaches have never even heard of this rule. So i wonder where this "old wives tale" came from?!

Our gym also utilizes those waist bands, and I have always wondered what they were for. Just dont make sense to me, but as Im just a lowly parent, asking one of the coaches at the gym would be taboo. So glad someone on here brought that up.

as it were, DD does swim the day before a meet, specially if at a hotel. Then comes dinner and then bath (to wash chlorine off if pool) and bed. Sleeps very well. Has really had no problems at meet that arent there usually lol.

I dont think I would ever let her swim an hour before meet or so. as for after meet, i would wait about 2-3 hours before letting her swim so she would not get any cramps or anything.

 

[Turk]

I remember someone posting links on a dance forum I was on, in the teachers' section, that were to do with the science behind heat from water - I think it was a study that had been done, among other things. Basically, it was to prove to someone that "a hot bath before stretching" wasn't even all that effective because of the heat in water not penetrating all that deep and that the students should do a normal warmup instead.

In short, swimming in warm water the day before, even if it *did* have a huge effect on muscles, wouldn't be an issue the next day. And if it did have that effect? Like others have said, surely you want to be as warmed up as possible?

 

[shelovestoflip]

Absolutely forbidden to swim before meets. Period, end of story. Have never been at a gym that didn't abide by this rule. No one ever told us why, we just live in fear of the pool.

live in fear of the pool. that just made me laugh!!

 

[shelovestoflip]

I actually thought it was because their hands would get all shriveled up and be more prone to rips??

 

[ladybird]

We were told no swimming because chlorine is dehydrating. Now that I read this thread as a whole, all these reasons for forbidding swimming seem quite ridiculous.

 

[BachFlyer]

DD's gym has the "no swim" rule. I've read enough of these threads on CB to be convinced that it's not true, but I am afraid it would be a self-fulfilling prophesy. HC says you won't do as well if you swim the day before a meet. DD treats the word of her HC as LAW. Therefore, if she swam, she'd go into the meet believing she wouldn't do as well.

Pretty sure that MaryA nailed it here.

 

[OzZee]

Well the thought of getting swimming tangles out and competition hair ready would mean no swimming within a couple of hours before. But otherwise no problem but as we are in a swimming country it seems an odd rule to me.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

wow. Thanks everyone for the variety of responses. Im actually very glad that Im not the only one that has heard this rule, and im glad so many coaches responded. It baffles me that some of the coaches have never even heard of this rule. So i wonder where this "old wives tale" came from?!

Our gym also utilizes those waist bands, and I have always wondered what they were for. Just dont make sense to me, but as Im just a lowly parent, asking one of the coaches at the gym would be taboo. So glad someone on here brought that up.

as it were, DD does swim the day before a meet, specially if at a hotel. Then comes dinner and then bath (to wash chlorine off if pool) and bed. Sleeps very well. Has really had no problems at meet that arent there usually lol.

I dont think I would ever let her swim an hour before meet or so. as for after meet, i would wait about 2-3 hours before letting her swim so she would not get any cramps or anything.

probably from boxing. you know...where you shouldn't have ***before a fight cause it makes your legs weak.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

We were told no swimming because chlorine is dehydrating. Now that I read this thread as a whole, all these reasons for forbidding swimming seem quite ridiculous.

the sun can be dehydrating. so, you probably shouldn't lay out all day tanning before a meet. and of course the sunburn. i've seen that enough times at big meets that it's not a good idea. some kids were not able to put their leos on.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

for those of us who live in the sunnier, warmer parts of the world, this is total *S

sssssssppppppiiiiiiiiiiiittttttttttttttt bwhahahahahahahahahahaha