Why do people expect swimmers to be 6'2 and thin?

Question

I've been swimming for over 10 years. I've been on a swim team ever since highschool. It sucks to be a swimmer and to be 5'6. It sucks because height does help you get good times. I remember in highschool I used to swim 12 km daily 2 weeks before a meet, and still not be able to swim faster than some tall guy who barely trained at all.

Swimmers usually get slim, but I don't, the more I swim the bulkier I get. When I stop swmming for a few months, I actually lose inches off my arms, and thighs. People always assume I'm a bodybuilder when they meet me. But when I tell them I'm a swimmer, they think I'm joking.

I hate people not believing I swim because I'm short, and because I don't have a "swimmers build". I sometimes get comments such as "I can't picture you swimming, you just don't look like a swimmer"

Why do people in general think swimmers HAVE to be tall and slim?

Answer 1

It's because they are not good swimmers themselves and have not seen the shapes, sizes of many world-class swimmers. Disregard any negative comments, and i m sure there will be many non-swimming friends who may discourage you. But as long as you are passionate, fit to excel in swimming, dont despair. Seek out your best events and specialize in them. If you have the power, go for sprints even the butterfly events; and if you have stamina go for distance events. Very often in the sporting world you will find guys .who are shorter and smaller in size than others, but emerge as eventual champions.It's very often their speed, skill and fighting spirit that give them victory.

Answer 2

to have stamina

Answer 3

The people who you tell you are a swimmer are probably not swimmers, huh? So how would they even know what a "swimmer" would look like. You can be fast and be overweight, or short. You are right however that taller people get better times. But, you can still be fast/good even though you're short. Gereally people get an image in their mind like the stereotypical swimmer which is a tall muscular guy with huge shoulders and a six pack, but thats not what every swimmer looks like as you know. Just like everyone has a stereotypical person for certain sports, there's one for swimming too.

Answer 4

I honestly can't really completely answer this question for you.  I think it really varies from person to person and depends, especially, on their body type.  A good family friend (and swimming coach) of mine swam all the way to the collegiate level and you NEVER would have thought she was a swimmer.  For lack of a better description, she is a large girl and actually looks like she's not in shape at all.  The interesting thing is, she's an amazing swimmer and it actually doesn't matter.  I also knew girls who played water polo who were super skinny and then others who were sort of chunky (although in water polo that's actually beneficial sometimes).  I just think that you're encountering people who don't know alot about swimming - which is most people! At least at the level you are talking about....

I don't get why people think that though.  My only guess would be that swimmers have alot of endurance and are great athletes.  It takes alot of work,practice, and dedication.  People equate the combination of slender/tall with being in great shape when that's not necessarily true.  Sorry :)

Answer 5

Dont worry about it and let your swimming do the talking!!  I got 2 national level when i was younger, and even at the peak of fitness i was never slim it depends on your body tipe

Answer 6

Most people's exposure to swimming is watching the Olympics on TV once every four years.Which swimmers do they typically highlight during the Olympics? The sprinters. What's the body type of Olympic-caliber sprinters? Tall and thin.

Tall/slim for swimming is just another sports stereotype. Not all basketball players are very tall. Not all (American) football players are bulky. I'm shaped like a tree trunk and swam D1 in college.  Don't let being "against type" get you down.

Answer 7

I swim, im about 5"7 But im quite tall for my age "/

Ive got big shoulders too "(

But A girl who swims with me is 16 and about 5"2.

It dosent matter about your height its probably your build and stamina that matters the most.

Good Luckk In Your Swimmingg :D