Swimming Caps

[Helen]

I used to swim competitively until about six or seven years ago, and have recently started swimming frequently again, just to keep fit. I’ve always worn a cap when swimming – I’ve never had any reason not to – but over the past few weeks I’ve noticed I seem to be in a minority by doing this!

I use a public lane swimming pool, but have noticed that the vast majority of women with long hair seem to swim without caps. I went swimming yesterday with a friend who has competed at ASA Nationals level and she now swims ‘capless’. Do swimmers really dislike caps this much? I’d like to know what people’s views are on caps – I’ve always liked wearing them.

A sign of not liking swimming caps is to remove them immediately – while still in the pool – after swimming. This would be something I would NEVER do, I’m not bothered about the chlorine or getting my hair wet (that happens anyway!) it is just that removing my cap in the water seems pretty pointless. At the British Champs the other week Heidi Earp had barely touched the wall before she let her hair come tumbling down and into the water!!

One more thing – my hair is much longer now than when I used to swim – what ‘techniques’ do people use in general for tucking long hair into a cap? Please help!!!

I’m off for another swim now, and I’ll be wearing my swimming cap with pride!!!

[GBMbreastroker]

there is nothing wrong with caps, but the water that gets between the cap and your head remains there and it heats up to body temperature and is very uncomfortable if your not used to it, and this is also a reason why people take off there hats at the end as well, it's just like taking off your googles when you get out! But when i put on my cap in gala's it feels sooo fast, i always wear one even when my head has been more or less shaved, also i wear my googles underneath it and it gives extra reliability of my googles not falling off, and also all the girls at my club wear caps, as well as quite a few boys, long live the cap!!!

[H2o]

Hi Helen, and welcome to the forums


My daughter has very long hair and she puts it into a pony tail just up from the nape of the neck but definitely below the crown, then she winds it round into a bun and secures it with a couple of scrunchies. She (and many other girls) then has a large lump over which she puts her goggles.

We had one girl who has long hair, who didn't put it up, when she did a 1500 her timing for every 100 was excellent on a 1.21 every time (she winds up like a clock- wind her up put her in and watch her swim!) until she lost her hat (amazingly her goggles stayed in place) but her times for the last 2x 100 were 8-10seconds slower. She still did a fantastic time but was upset knowing she could have gone some 18 seconds faster!

[joelle]

I think it's just habit to take off your hat after a race or training session whilst in the water because there isn't much point in keeping it on when your hairs wet anyway, and also its refreshing and cooling for your head when you take it off and duck underwater! As GBMbreastroker said, the water in your hat heats up to body temperature, so a rinse of cold(ish) poolwater is a nice way of finishing off the session!

I prefer to put my hair up a different way to prevent it forming a huge bump at the back/top of the head (because this tends to look like a shark's fin coming out of the water when swimming!). I put my hair into a normal ponytail, then drape the ponytail over the top of my head so the tip of the ponytail is at my forehead. Then I put the cap on, from the back to the front, and tuck in excess hair that sticks out beyond the front of the cap.

Just curious about something...of those of you who wear caps, who pulls it down right over their ears and who has it half way over their ears, so their earlobes are sticking out? Out of the 4 of my relay teamates at Amersham, 2 of us wear it half over our ears and the other 2 wear it completely covering their ears...personally, I can't understand how you can hear with the cap over your ears, and I subconciously like the constant sound of water swilling in my ears because it gives me something to sing along to! Strange, I know...

[ktcute]

I hate swimming caps... I always have.

It largely stems from when I was little and my mum used to put mine on by holding it open and dragging down over my head. It's about the only way I can think of pulling all the hairs on your head at once. It hurts.

I have my hair short for that reason, and have absolutely no time for clubs who think girls should automatically wear caps. It's blatant sex discrimination, and its against the law. Not that anyone is going to do anything about it I suppose! Bit off topic but never mind.

When I had longer hair I found a solution to my hair problem. I got it cut. Seriously, I gave up on caps, even with short hair they come off my head, and form a beautiful pimple. I just used to tie mine back, and tuck it under my goggles.

[Chris]

Hi Helen, and welcome to the forums

Have you noticed when that message was posted?

28 January 2001 ...... doubt that Helen still stops by ;)

[londoner62]

Hat pulled over goggles and ears.

[Kaci]

I can't swim without a cap (lane swimming) my hair is different layers so it just gets in the way

[Steve]

I have my hair short for that reason, and have absolutely no time for clubs who think girls should automatically wear caps. It's blatant sex discrimination, and its against the law. Not that anyone is going to do anything about it I suppose! Bit off topic but never mind.

Do any clubs actually do this? I know of pools that make everybody wear a cap, but never a club that has such a policy. Even if it did I would suggest it would be hair length rather than sex that would determine such an approach, so maybe hairist, rather than sexist, discrimination? ;)

[No Fear!!]

I always have it all the way over my ears cos i'm prone to ear infections and it keeps the water out. i haven't ever lost my hat in competion(yet!!) but i'm always losing it at training

[GettingFaster]

Ours "strongly encourages" everyone, male or female, to wear a cap because it it part of the team spirit thing as much as anything.

From an announcer's point of view I much prefer the boys to wear caps too, because if I lose my place and can't figure out which heat I should be announcing I can work it out in girls' races because of the team names on their heads. Much more difficult with boys.

And I like to hear what's going on so leave my earlobes sticking out.

Even funnier are the kids that get their whole ears sticking out, usually when the coach is talking to them during training, so the top of their ears stick out as well and they end up looking like Dumbo. (Would that be classed as being 'earist'?)

[Katie]

I used to have really, really short hair and I didn't have to wear a hat if I didn't want to. I found my head got a bit cold though, so I usually did, unless I had a headache or something. Most of the guys at my club don't wear a hat in training, but they do for competition. :)

[swimmer]

hehe upto the age of about 11 i used to have my ears completly sticking out!

[Nicholas]

I used to never bother with caps as I always swum breast-stroke and felt the way it affected my position in the water uncomfortable.

However, when I started swimming long-distance, that meant I had to do freestyle and the cap helped a lot. Apart from having fairly long hair, it adds buoyancy when you hardly have the strength to lift your head out of the water.

In the last two weeks I've finally accepted that my breast-stroke style needed changing desperately and one of the things I changed was to always wear a cap. Having trained with one I'm now fully accustomed to wearing it and I think it's contributed to letting my times fall by nearly 5 seconds. Without it my stroke doesn't feel so fast now.

I haven't tried wearing goggles under the cap, I've always put them over the cap. Maybe I should try it, it might stop the straps from resonating occasionally.

[ktcute]

but never a club that has such a policy

Oh dear, Steve. Didn't you read COCSC handbook?

I'll have to scan it in for you :D

[Steve]

Oh dear, Steve. Didn't you read COCSC handbook?

I'll have to scan it in for you :D

No need I have it here; It's a fair cop guv'nor :) However, as you well know it was hardly enforced rigorously now was it? (and I still think the underlying reasoning is hairist ;))