Can you wear a t-shirt (obviously a clean one) when swimming in the pool? I'm a tad bit self conscience... =P Don't like people seeing me in my current state... especially in a tight one piece.

i think that'd be okay
i know i used to do it when iw as younger because i had low self-esteem
im taking an adult's beginners swimming class this semester and im freakishly scared of the water .. more so the deepend
ANYWAYs back on topic .. my bathing suit is a one piece but it like is longer has a skirt kinda thing
i dunno .. like its weird to describe
but u can always find uniquely designed/patterned swim suits that kind of work to not accentuate your state
i know how you feel though, trust

happy swimming! im jealous you can.

Originally Posted by macbaby07

i think that'd be okay
i know i used to do it when iw as younger because i had low self-esteem
im taking an adult's beginners swimming class this semester and im freakishly scared of the water .. more so the deepend
ANYWAYs back on topic .. my bathing suit is a one piece but it like is longer has a skirt kinda thing
i dunno .. like its weird to describe
but u can always find uniquely designed/patterned swim suits that kind of work to not accentuate your state
i know how you feel though, trust

happy swimming! im jealous you can.

I'm in the same situation. I have no idea why it's taking me so long to actually learn to swim:(. Where are you taking the classes, if I may ask ?

@OP- I think it also depends on the rules of the pool where you're planning to swim. To be honest though, most places I've heard of ask for water-proof shorts for men and a one-piece for women.

Originally Posted by ~*Sara*~

I'm in the same situation. I have no idea why it's taking me so long to actually learn to swim:(. Where are you taking the classes, if I may ask ?

@OP- I think it also depends on the rules of the pool where you're planning to swim. To be honest though, most places I've heard of ask for water-proof shorts for men and a one-piece for women.

im doing it at mac!!
its the red cross beginners class for adults who have swimming fears.. and it teaches u to get over it and do the basics
its only 54 which isnt bad
u shud do it !
its one sunday a week
starting mid jan
and 45 min starting from 7pm so ucan still go home on the weekend

I spent 3 years as a swim teacher and lifeguard, and it was never considered a problem if someone wished to wear a t-shirt into the pool, given that they take a shower in the shirt before entering the pool, but that was required even without the t-shirt. The only problem I see is a t-shirt will slow you down A LOT. A t-shirt is like swimming with a parachute. one lifeguarding exercise is to swim 2 lengths of the pool in a t-shirt and jeans, and It's generally considered more tiring then swimming 8 lengths in just a swimsuit.

Originally Posted by REPLEKIA/.

I spent 3 years as a swim teacher and lifeguard, and it was never considered a problem if someone wished to wear a t-shirt into the pool, given that they take a shower in the shirt before entering the pool, but that was required even without the t-shirt. The only problem I see is a t-shirt will slow you down A LOT, but seeing as you are just learning to swim, this won't concern you much.

arghh im jealous
i cant wait to learn how to swimm
i want to swim nowwwww

If you are swimming in the City of Hamilton rec Center pools, I believe the policy is that no street clothes are allowed in the pool. that being said, you can bring a shirt and as long as you dont wear it to the pool, you should be fine.

p.s. if you have a hassle, tell them that a clothes swim is in the current swimmer program (swimmer 7 i believe) so you should also be allowed to wear clothes into the pool.

p.p.s. if this is for the mac pool, i have nooo idea

-Current City of Hamilton Lifeguard

Originally Posted by macbaby07

arghh im jealous
i cant wait to learn how to swimm
i want to swim nowwwww

It's good to see your enthusiasm. I'll be entirely honest with you, learning to swim is really easy given you are able to overcome the basic fears associated with water. I taught the teen and adult lessons at my local YMCA. The ones who quickly got over the fear of getting their faces wet were generally able to swim a sizable 100m without stopping within 10 half hour weekly classes when they had never swam before in their life. however the ones who failed to conquer the fear never really got past 15m without me holding onto a flutter board and dragging them along while they kick.

If you aren't comfortable with getting your face wet, it'll be a challenging, yet worth-while experience. I suggest starting washing your face daily for the first week at home, the second week try dumping a cup of water over your head when you bathe, the 3rd week try putting your whole face in the water, the 4th week on try submerging your face and try to see how long you can hold your breath! It's an easy thing to do, but having daily tasks to help you work on a skill really helps you overcome the fear of getting your face wet.

I still dont know how to swim lol

Originally Posted by Rakim

I still dont know how to swim lol

You'd be amazed how many people don't. I suggest learning though, so why not sign up for the course macbaby07 described?

Upon seeing this thread, I think I'm going to sign up for swimming lessons.

Originally Posted by REPLEKIA/.

It's good to see your enthusiasm. I'll be entirely honest with you, learning to swim is really easy given you are able to overcome the basic fears associated with water. I taught the teen and adult lessons at my local YMCA. The ones who quickly got over the fear of getting their faces wet were generally able to swim a sizable 100m without stopping within 10 half hour weekly classes when they had never swam before in their life. however the ones who failed to conquer the fear never really got past 15m without me holding onto a flutter board and dragging them along while they kick.

If you aren't comfortable with getting your face wet, it'll be a challenging, yet worth-while experience. I suggest starting washing your face daily for the first week at home, the second week try dumping a cup of water over your head when you bathe, the 3rd week try putting your whole face in the water, the 4th week on try submerging your face and try to see how long you can hold your breath! It's an easy thing to do, but having daily tasks to help you work on a skill really helps you overcome the fear of getting your face wet.

its not that i'm scared of being wet .. its not that at all
it's actually a stupid story
but ..

when i was about 4-5 in england .. my cousin got married and we were at their house and he had an indoor pool
i was too little to go into the deepend so my dad said i could sit on the ledge
and i saw a flash of lightening .. got scared and fell in
low and behold my dad comes to the rescue
and ends up fishing me out with a bug net

since then .. my fear stems from being in the deepend and not being able to feel whats beneath me
my parents made me do lessons when i was younger at the Y to get over it .. but as soon as we started doing deepend stuff i couldn't continue
but yea
my name is dory
and here is my story?

and i wouldnt mind having moral support at the lessons
im pretty sure everyone's gnna be older and ill be the lame girl who's chicken of the deepend

Originally Posted by macbaby07

and i wouldnt mind having moral support at the lessons
im pretty sure everyone's gnna be older and ill be the lame girl who's chicken of the deepend

Your fear of deep water is perfectly normal, and exceedingly common. I've dealt with toddlers, grown men (one of whom broke into tears the first class), and even seniors who were terrified of the deep end, so I doubt you'll be the only one there who is afraid of the deep water. Don't feel bad about it at all. I would have posted about that too, but my bit on getting your face wet was already pretty long and noone reads my posts when they hit 'wall-of-text' status.

After conquering the fear of getting wet, swimmers of all ages have to deal with the fear of swimming where they cannot touch. People I have dealt with generally overcome this fear after they are comfortable with the fact that it doesn't matter how much water is beneath you as long as you can float. I.E. they could float well and were okay swimmers.

Now I'll explain why it's important to be comfortable with getting your face wet before learning to float and swim. Since you walk in a forward direction, and like to see where you are going, most people find swimming on your front more comfortable (and it is more efficient). however if you try to swim with your head out of the water looking forward while on your front it bends your spine causes your lower body to sink (you an try this laying down on your stomach on your bed if you like, you can really feel the difference it makes). Because of this you will either get tired very rapidly or end up vertical (which will just be standing in the shallow at your lessons) Putting your face in the water keeps your spine straight and you float.

pool's closed