Olympics

[jippison]

after watching all the swimming events. I was just wondering if all the swimmers shave. I know that no one knows that answer. Anyone out there been a swimmer? Do most swimmers shave it all off?

[Christian]

Some of the pictures I've seen of the swimmers show them with their suits very, very low to the point where there normally would be hair but there is none. They must shave everything off except their heads.

[Croydon]

after watching all the swimming events. I was just wondering if all the swimmers shave. I know that no one knows that answer. Anyone out there been a swimmer? Do most swimmers shave it all off?

Swimmers do in fact shave. The belief is that shaving the body hair will make you a faster swimmer. Shaving body hair does not make you swim A LOT faster but when you are an olympic swimmer a .01 seconds lead can make all the difference in the world.

In addition to swimmers: cyclists are known to shave along with football players (their legs).

[narod]

As a road cyclist, Yes, pro racers, and most other serious cyclists do shave their bodies. Especially their legs. We do that, so, that in the event of a tumble from the bike, when your will probably get gravel, and road rash from the pavement, you don't have to deal with the body hair getting ground into your skin. Cyclists, also, have to deal with ingrown hair from their bike clothes rubbing , and turning the hairs under. My dermatologist has told me to shave to prevent that from happening. .Also, swimmers shave (as I have learned from a coach, and my college room mate) because when your skin is freshly shaven, you get a more sensitive feel for you body moving though the water. Those new Speedo suits, that are so expensive, are supposed to give a better feel in the water, and I understand that it's like swimming naked. They, also, are now making bike shorts out of a fabric that they say gives you a "next to naked" feel when riding. Those shorts are, also, very expensive. My college room mate got me started shaving when we were in college. To this day I shave or clipper trim my body twice a week. My wife does my back for me.

[wantago9]

Yes, they do shave. I was in the state swimming championship four times and also world games for the deaf (deaflympics). We do shave full body and spray slick factor on our body proir to race. Only once a year is ideal thing to do.

[Navigator]

As Phelps approached and then broke the number of gold medals that Spitz won 30 years ago, they showed a lot of clips of Mark Spitz.

It was interesting to remember that, not only did Mark Spitz set his records wearing just a bikini instead of the super-fast high-tech full-length racing suits of today...Spitz also had a large mustache.

[Naturist Mark]

Interestingly, the 'obvious' conclusion that a swimmer would be faster in the water shaved clean may not be true.

The thinking is that body hair causes a very small amount of added resistance that could cost a win in a sport where the winner is often determined by hundredths of a second.

But the technology of the new body suits for swimmers suggests otherwise. The secret of these suits is not that they smooth out the surface of the swimmer, rather they have a subtle dimpled surface that creates a small layer of surface turbulence between the body and the water that reduces overall resistance (Speedo claims its bodysuits have a surface texture based on sharkskin). US submarines now have dimpled surfaces to exploit this same phenomenon. What else could cause this turbulent surface layer? How about a light layer of body hair?

That's the theory, but testing suggests that what is most important is what the swimmer believes. It is well established that a smooth shaven swimmer has an advantage over a hairy one, which is what every swimmer believes, and careful measurements show that the advantage of shaving over unshaven is much greater than any claimed advantage the body suit provides over the un-body suited.

This hairy beast was the world's greatest swimmer for 36 years (until last saturday):

http://img.stern.de/_content/52/76/527620/Mark-Spitz-500_500.jpg

to be sure, he did shave most of his body, but notably not under his arms, his belly, or his mustache - which it turns out was a psychological weapon (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93211290) of sorts against his adversaries;At the Olympics, Spitz had been planning to shave his mustache before his first race.

But just before that was to happen, he shared a pool with the Russian team.

One of the coaches, Spitz recalled, wanted to know about the mustache — and why Spitz hadn't shaved it.

"No, it doesn't slow me down," Spitz answered. "As a matter of fact, it deflects the water away from my mouth. It allows me to get a lot more streamlined in the water. And that's why I broke three world records three weeks ago at the Olympic trials," he told the Russian coach.

"The next year, all of the Russian swimmers — the men, that is — had mustaches. And that's a true story," Spitz said.

I think shaving is mainly a mind trick swimmers play on themselves, and so are body suits. I'd love to see a dominant competitor like Phelps thoroughly demoralize the pack by showing up in a Mark Spitz speedo and an Austin Powers chest pelt.

-Mark

[nuovonudo]

I was just wondering if all the swimmers shave. I know that no one knows that answer. Anyone out there been a swimmer? Do most swimmers shave it all off?

when you say "shave it all off," are you asking whether they shave even their pubic areas?

just trying to clarify.

[NudePete]

The new swim wear costs about $700 each, takes ~1/2 hours to put on, and can only be used ~10 times before the swimmer needs a new one. They use them because it can reduce drag by up to 10%.

Shaving is a far less expensive way of reducing a bit more drag - head and body hair - for the elite athlete every percentage point helps. It also helps to put the swimmer's mind in a state of complete commitment. What other reason would a red-blooded jock shave his body like that for, if not for an important competition like the Olympics? I suppose in the shower it might be difficult to decide exactly where to quit shaving and its just easier to remove it all.

[nudenwv]

i have noticed the hairless look on the swimmers too. i have heard they do a complete body shave. seems to make them swim easier through the water. on the other hand they could just lack hair as i do. that's why it's easy for me to maintain the smooth look.

[Sampson01]

In comparison to Mark Spitz , Micheal Phelps has broken 6 world records. Phelps is swimming quite a bit faster than Spitz.

[ColinNYC]

It is awkward to compare athletes from different eras. Spitz swam over 30 yrs ago. Both supreme athletes in their own right.

[Centauri4]

I thought I heard something about little bubbles that can form one body hair of the swimmers.

Also, please consider the time factors we are talking about in these races. I know it is difficult to conceive of, except for you former swimmers and speed racers in the audience, but a hundredth or thousandth of a second is much less than a heartbeat! It seems to me that something as seemingly insignificant as a random thought could cause a slight quarter beat (of the heart) lag that loses the race!

Now that's freaking tough!

~

[LamontCranston]

It is awkward to compare athletes from different eras. Spitz swam over 30 yrs ago. Both supreme athletes in their own right. This is why I love sports... enduring memory against advances in training and technology.

Babe Ruth would kick Barry Bonds' behind, Lou Gehrig would find Ripken Jr. instantly likeable, Abdul-Jabar would sky-hook over the top of Kobe Bryant all night, and Walter Payton would still make it down the field whether or not his coach was filming signals.

.. and head-to-head Spitz would beat the kid even with his mustache. :D

Brewers crafted ale just to quench the thirst while old-timers and new-timers debate these matters.

[nudepaulc]

when you say "shave it all off," are you asking whether they shave even their pubic areas?

just trying to clarify.

As a swimmer (no longer competing), the answer is yes. Our team always had a mass shave down the night before big meets. Not only did it give us a physical advantage but it was a sort of bonding pet rally kind of thing for the team.

[matthew_starsberg]

the night before our last big meet in high school, we too would have a party where the guys would...be shaved by the girls...obviously this applied to legs (and sometimes heads only)...but i went home and shaved my pubes--and 13 seconds off my best time in the 500 yard freestyle