Goodbye Briefs, Hello Jammers

For high school boy on the swim team, their swimwear can be more controversial than modesty or immodesty. This subject touches on several other points. One being, the comfort and insecurity factors. Boy's in high school are going through many bodily changes and are easily insecure. The famous piece of swimwear, a Speedo, can be a scary thought to many high school boys. They don't want to be embarrassed or made fun of, therefore, this can stop many boys from trying out for the swim team. To help solve this problem, some high schools have switched to having their swimmers wear "jammers" which are swim suits with more coverage. My thought on this is, why hadn't they thought of this earlier? This seemed to have been a continual problem since the beginning of the sport of swimming. Many guys shyed away from the sport due to the attire, if they had changed this earlier, they would have had a greater participation within the sport. -Amanda

High school sports teams are just one more part of growing up that we all hate. Whether it's the swim team or dance team, teenagers are being forced to wear uniforms that they may not be comfortable in. A high school in Iowa is finding this extremely apparent through the large decrease in try-outs. I think it is important to always allow the person wearing the uniform to feel confident and comfortable. It's a proven fact that when one is comfortable with what they are wearing, they are much more likely to perform better. Although, Speedo would argue that their expense swim merchandise is what does the job and creates the success. It's about the "swimmer making the race," not the swimsuit making the race. These sort of uncomfortable situations happen all the time right before our eyes in things like dance teams, cheerleaders, models and more. We should be letting the wearer pick the outfit not the coaches, because we all have different tastes. -Kaitlin

The debate between swimming briefs and "jammers"--swim suits that are just above knee-length--has risen among high school swim teams (p 204). Supposedly, the longer suits reduce race times and help the swimmer to be faster (p 204). Most coaches believe that it is not the suit that makes a difference, but the swimmer, himself. Many boys on high school swim teams have anxiety about wearing skimpy swim suits, like Speedos, because they, too have body insecurities. It seems likely that the boys who want to wear these jammers are the ones who would rather cover up their body. The issue does not lie with faster race times, it lies with the concern of modesty. Teenage boys aren't always humble with everything else they do, but this is something that boys this age are not eager to do. If they are comfortable in these longer suits, then I say, by all means wear them! -Mallory 

In the article Goodbye Briefs, Hello Jammers, the author Rob Gray discusses the change in male swimming attire. There has been a transition from briefs to jammers, which are trunk like swimsuits that fit tight on the swimmers body. These jammers are said to increase performance, however it is interesting to note that a main reason in the rise of their popularity has to deal with body issues. Male swimmers, especially in the high-school swim bracket, are finding a sense of comfort by having jammers as an option. The article discusses how male high-school students, who would usually not try out for swimming or other aquatic sports due to the revealing nature of the typical swimming brief, are now more inclined to do so with the option of jammers. The picture above shows how swimsuits, for men and women, have evolved over the years -Rachael

xoxo, mark.it team