to use or not to use swimcaps

MexNet Raider said:

Hi, I was wondering if somebody has any comments about using versus not using swimcaps.

I feel that there mught not be much difference, but I could be very wrong any comments?

Do you mean difference in friction? Probably not much difference, but at the elite level, every
hundreth helps. You need at least one swim cap when you swim in cold water. I'm talking about open
water, where the temp is below, say 20C. And it also depends on length of time in the water. Even if
the temp is above 20C, if you will be in for a long time, you need a cap. You lose a lot of body
heart through your head.

martin

--
Martin Smith email: [email hidden] Vollsveien 9 tel. : +47 6783 1188
P.O. Box 482 mob. : +47 932 48 303 1327 Lysaker, Norway

"MexNet Raider" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Hi, I was wondering if somebody has any comments about using versus not using swimcaps.

I feel that there mught not be much difference, but I could be very wrong any comments?

-wjg

Well, the easy answer is.... it depends.

If you're cold, wear a cap. If you want to swim faster in a meet, it may help. If you're a distance
swimmer, however, you may want to do without it, as it does get quite warm at distances over 200m.

Why use a cap when you can shave your head!

"MexNet Raider" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Hi, I was wondering if somebody has any comments about using versus not using swimcaps.

I feel that there mught not be much difference, but I could be very wrong any comments?

I just wear a cap to keep that synthetic "barbie doll hair" feeling out of my hair. Much cheaper
than using special shampoo.

MexNet Raider said:

Hi, I was wondering if somebody has any comments about using versus not using swimcaps.

I feel that there mught not be much difference, but I could be very wrong any comments?

Most of the pools I use here in Japan require caps to prevent hair from clogging up the filter
or whatever. Many people wear fabric or mesh caps rather than silicon/latex caps. But we have
no choice.

I noticed at the Pan Pacifics and the Asian Games last year there was a swimmer from Hong Kong (who
had a Chinese name but appeared to be caucasian) who didn't wear a cap. He really stood out--he
wasn't necessarily fast, but I remembered him. Maybe not wearing a cap is a good way to "brand"
yourself as a swimmer.

Agree with the cold-water comments, but if you train in a pool that's also used for "social
swimming" - you know, the ladies with perfect hair-do and make-up, head above water at all times -
then the water will be quite warm for training. In this case, a cap make keep you too warm.....make
sure you drink plenty!

Personally I use a swim cap even in the warm pool....but that's 'cos it keeps my hair out the way.
When I had short hair I didn't bother unless I was doing a timed swim and wanted NO distractions.

"Martin W. Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

MexNet Raider said:

Hi, I was wondering if somebody has any comments about using versus not using swimcaps.

I feel that there mught not be much difference, but I could be very

wrong

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

any comments?

Do you mean difference in friction? Probably not much difference, but at the elite level, every
hundreth helps. You need at least one swim cap when you swim in cold water. I'm talking about open
water, where the temp is below, say 20C. And it also depends on length of time in the water. Even
if the temp is above 20C, if you will be in for a long time, you need a cap. You lose a lot of
body heart through your head.

martin

--
Martin Smith email: [email hidden] Vollsveien 9 tel. : +47 6783 1188
P.O. Box 482 mob. : +47 932 48 303 1327 Lysaker, Norway

Ghost Rider said:

Why use a cap when you can shave your head!

Then you would have to wear a hat to avoid getting skin cancer.

--
Martin Smith email: [email hidden] Vollsveien 9 tel. : +47 6783 1188
P.O. Box 482 mob. : +47 932 48 303 1327 Lysaker, Norway

"Martin W. Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Ghost Rider said:

Why use a cap when you can shave your head!

Then you would have to wear a hat to avoid getting skin cancer.

Wouldn't the hat slow you down with the increased drag? ;-)

In article <[email hidden]>, "Hedgehog & Markarina" <[email hidden]>
wrote: [...]

Quoted message said:

Personally I use a swim cap even in the warm pool....but that's 'cos it keeps my hair out the way.
When I had short hair I didn't bother unless I was doing a timed swim and wanted NO distractions.

[...]

Bearing in mind, of course, that caps have the potential to be the mother of all distractions.
What comes to mind in my case is when I was swimming the 100 yard fly of my life (tapered, shaved,
yada, yada...)
- then at the 75 yard turn, on the push-off, my cap slid down over my face - securely anchoring
itself to the bottom of my chin and the top of my forehead. Suffice it to say that I came in last
in the heat (after leading by 1.5 bodylengths at the 75) and I did the last length with pretty
much no air. To add insult to injury, I concluded the race by slamming my head into the wall.

Having said that, I think caps are great if your concern is hair control, as mine was then (that's
no longer a problem now :-) My experience was extremely unusual, and I doubt that I could recreate
it even if I tried - I never have figured out why the cap just didn't come off...

- Al

"Martin W. Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Ghost Rider said:

Why use a cap when you can shave your head!

I did this in my glory days about 25 years ago!

Quoted message said:

Then you would have to wear a hat to avoid getting skin cancer.

That is a good point that shouldn't be dismissed. Now that I'm middle aged a whole bunch smarter, I
wear a hat and sunscreen here in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. to keep my blond skin from burning. The
smart way to go out in the sun!

My son and his team just did their grande shave down and now they have to wear hats outside because
it is so cold here. Ahhh, I much preferred the old days when we used to have our pre meet mock
"giraffe fur skinning" pretending to shave him down (for those of you who are not old timers to this
group, we have always called our son a Giraffe), only to have him swim faster just thinking we
actually did something! Quite frankly, I think he misses that tradition too because he likes his
hair but he is too big to play along now.

Marianne

"Ghost Rider" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

"Martin W. Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Ghost Rider said:

Why use a cap when you can shave your head!

Then you would have to wear a hat to avoid getting skin cancer.

Wouldn't the hat slow you down with the increased drag? ;-)

Quoted message said:

Bearing in mind, of course, that caps have the potential to be the mother of all distractions.
What comes to mind in my case is when I was swimming the 100 yard fly of my life (tapered, shaved,
yada, yada...)
- then at the 75 yard turn, on the push-off, my cap slid down over my face - securely anchoring
itself to the bottom of my chin and the top of

my

Quoted message said:

forehead. Suffice it to say that I came in last in the heat (after leading by 1.5 bodylengths at
the 75) and I did the last length with pretty much no air. To add insult to injury, I concluded
the race by slamming my head into the wall.

Having said that, I think caps are great if your concern is hair control, as mine was then (that's
no longer a problem now :-) My experience was extremely unusual, and I doubt that I could recreate
it even if I tried - I never have figured out why the cap just didn't come off...

- Al

Thanks for posting that.....the giggling has taken my mind off the grumpiness I had (have a cold,
too exhausted to do anything - tried an gentle swim with bad results).

I'll take care with my swim hat.....don't suppose anyone got a photo of you in that race ???

Cheers, Hedgehog

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Bearing in mind, of course, that caps have the potential to be the mother of all distractions.
What comes to mind in my case is when I was swimming the 100 yard fly of my life (tapered,
shaved, yada, yada...)
- then at the 75 yard turn, on the push-off, my cap slid down over my face - securely anchoring
itself to the bottom of my chin and the top of

my

Quoted message said:

forehead. Suffice it to say that I came in last in the heat (after leading by 1.5 bodylengths at
the 75) and I did the last length with pretty much no air. To add insult to injury, I concluded
the race by slamming my head into the wall.

Having said that, I think caps are great if your concern is hair control, as mine was then
(that's no longer a problem now :-) My experience was extremely unusual, and I doubt that I
could recreate it even if I tried - I never have figured out why the cap just didn't come off...

- Al

Thanks for posting that.....the giggling has taken my mind off the grumpiness I had (have a cold,
too exhausted to do anything - tried an gentle swim with bad results).

I'll take care with my swim hat.....don't suppose anyone got a photo of you in that race ???

No, no photos, but I would give almost anything to see one. Nobody really noticed since I never took
a breath - although they did wonder why I was zig-zagging across the lane line and elected to touch
with my forehead instead of my hands :-) I guess my "touch" was actually sickeningly audible,
although I was way too angry to notice. It cost me a trip to the Florida state high school meet,
although I did make it the following year after getting a hair cut.

Hope you feel better!

Regards,
- Al