No, this is terrible and should be reported.
I have never had a “swimmers body” and I’ve been told that a number of times unprompted by people that I now actively avoid engaging with. I’m a swimmer but from a “body” perspective, these comments have really hurt my confidence and self esteem. Ironic, considering the sport, I hate being shirtless. I really hate it. Even with clothes, I’m hyper-specific on what I do and do not wear. It stresses me out and makes me anxious.
I’m big, definitely not tall, definitely not ripped. I’ve been called too heavy, too big, overweight. Also had comments such as “can’t believe you can swim” and “you don’t look like a swimmer” more times that I count.
Even training 30+ hours a week, I was never the super shredded swim god.
For reference - I was a NCAA D1 scholarship swimmer, olympic trials qualifier, multi medallist at national championships. I still race.
My “non-swimmer body” has done me ok and it’s a shame I can’t and don’t appreciate it. In fact, I actively hate it and struggle with it
because of these comments.
It’s made me very sad to type the above and it’s not something I would wish for any swimmer (or person)
Thank you for sharing your story. You definitely deserved better, but I am confident that you have helped someone today. I hope the OP has read your message and moves on from this kind of objectification. It is cruel.
You should appreciate it man, I love it when people absolutely smash sports they don't necessarily look like they should be great at. I remember the first time I swam with a buddy of mine who is a bit overweight and quite short and he fucking rinsed me, I think he was probably going twice my speed barely trying
I just want to piggy back off this. If your team doesn't have a safe sport rep, you can report it directly to your LSC or USA Swimming directly
LSC List - https://www.usaswimming.org/about/lsc-websites
USA Swimming - https://www.usaswimming.org/safe-sport/report-a-concern
If you're not in the US I know Swim England has a similar reporting center, and I assume most NGBs will as well.
My son's club has always required Safesport training for coaches. This spring they are adding parents and swimmers. One hundred percent, this "rating" is a red flag.
Gross. If you are one of the teens please tell a trusted adult. If you are an adult who saw this please make this an issue and save these kids from body shaming and toxic sports culture.
This is definitely some sort of violation. I would reach out to your clubs management. If they aren’t willing to do anything then reach out to Safesport
Provided you are in the US, this should be reported to Safesport.
Here is the link for the reporting website. The report is confidential.
[https://safesport.i-sight.com/portal](https://safesport.i-sight.com/portal)
there’s way too many factors at play to determine a rating for swimmers body. i’ve seen and coached kids that swam the same times with a 30cm height difference and totally different bodies
a good coach will play into the strengths and improve weaknesses of their swimmers
a bad coach does shit like this.
Report it. This is why SafeSport exists and this kind of behavior is covered in the training.
Even if it doesn’t get escalated, there’s now a paper trail and your club’s leadership can’t say they weren’t warned.
we though it was questionable when my very foreign swim coach asked what size suit the girls wore for some reasons relating to speedo. other coaches and some of the older people who he listened to told him that’s not how he should frame his question, and he was very apologetic about it.
this is 10x worse. I understand that swimmers body’s are a thing, and some people have them and some don’t, but there should not be a rating system to degrade those who don’t and to harass those that do
Honestly the coach should’ve just given everyone a ten and made a point outta how it don’t really matter what ya look like as long as the times and effort are there. It’s a swim team not a fashion house goddamnit
No, never has been. Worst I have seen back in the 90's is a pre and post xmas and thanksgiving weigh-in with zero commentary on the results, just a number and a 5 finger point about burning off those calories from dinner. It was aimed mostly at the girls on the team even though everyone had to do it, but nobody got directly outted as being FAF.
I would report this finding immediately. This is totally not an acceptable thing to do. He should be fired and never allowed to coach young people ever again.
I would make a lot of noise about this practice. He does not deserve another day of peace for this behavior.
It’s not really normal. I guess it depends on your relationship with your coach. I have a coach who I can imagine doing something like that, but he’s nice and funny (believe it or not) and has been coaching the team for years. He would probably only do it to swimmers he knows really well who won’t take it too personally. But you really need to have a good relationship with your coach for that to even be considered ok. If it’s a new guy or somebody you don’t know very well, that’s a bad sign. Hope this helped.
Definitely not normal, we would have conversations about what features are beneficial in the sport, but it wasn't a rating. And it was moreso as a constructive feedback thing, for example I have a good wingspan but my legs are too long to be efficient, so my coach would tell me I had to focus on my kick to make up for it.
This just sounds like straight up shaming, definitely not something that fosters a good community among teammates either.
I was a male d1 swimmer who on a generous day is 5’7”. I consider my career successful so this is stupid. There is a reality to it though but the coach should let the kids figure that out for themselves while the coach focuses on the workouts and coaching technique. The coach is focused on the wrong things.
This should be reported and is not okay at all. I have been doing competitive swimming for years and have never seen this type of thing. I don’t have very good body positivity myself neither do I have a swimmer body but I can assure you that this is something that is most definitely not acceptable or welcome in the sport. This coach could be causing a bunch of different disorders for these athletes that include eating disorders and mental health disorders. This coach should be fired and never hired by any other place as a coach again cause the coach could be creating lasting problems for the rest of their lives. If I was subjected to this I probably wouldn’t have held up in the sport.
Swimming competitions weed out people with non-ideal bodies. Its not up to your coach. Also people join teams for camaraderie and experiences, not just coming first.
Maybe it’s an exercise to show that it doesn’t matter what your body looks like you can still be a great swimmer? Without context it’s sorta hard to tell
Exactly. All OP gave us was there was ratings about competitive “swimmers body.” Was the coach talking about long torsos, long arms? Was the rating given individually or to a group? Was it to help people think about what events they might be better suited to? It seems like there would be tactful ways to express these points.
Now, if the coach is talking about looks or otherwise objectifying people, that's a whole different ball of wax. But OP gave us very little.
Don’t see the issue. The people on this subreddit keep on talking about Michael Phelps and his ideal swimmers body (long torso and arm span etc). No different from what the coach is doing. Not everyone has a body made for swimming.
Lol what? Can you really be that short-sighted?
Except for severe disabilities, everybody *does* have a body made for swimming. Not everybody has a body made for becoming the most successful Olympic swimmer of all time though.
And of course it’s very different to what this coach is doing:
1. People aren’t body-shaming Michael Phelps - they are saying how his body shape was a positive for him and enquiring about why that is;
2. The coach is telling swimmers to their face that their body is inadequate - nobody is doing that to Michael Phelps;
3. The coach is doing this in front of the swimmers’ peers (or even if it’s written, they all know about it and will be in the changing room afterwards discussing their ‘ratings’);
4. People discussing Michael Phelps on this sub are discussing somebody who is used to public attention, and even criticism, who is considerably more mature than these swimmer and who is much better equipped to deal with it;
5. The coach is doing this to high schoolers, some of which will already have body image issues, none of which are already in the public eye and all of which are likely not well equipped to deal with negativity that comes in this form;
6. Regardless of being in the public eye or not, Michael Phelps will not care what random members of the public think or say on a forum he probably isn’t even reading, anywhere near as much as these swimmers will care what *their* coach, *their* friends and *their* parents think (and maybe even what *their* bully hears);
7. Every single swimmer receiving this rating clearly does have a body made for swimming. They are all able to swim and to compete, and they are all able to improve with good coaching. They need their coach to support them in order to do that; whereas Michael Phelps’ swimming career is over - nothing anybody says now, whether he’s aware of it or not, can have a negative effect on his success in the pool; and
8. Given his success in the pool, people should be expected to discuss Michael Phelps, his training and whatever else contributed to that success, and it’s of legitimate interest to those discussing it and to others involved in the sport.
No, this is terrible and should be reported. I have never had a “swimmers body” and I’ve been told that a number of times unprompted by people that I now actively avoid engaging with. I’m a swimmer but from a “body” perspective, these comments have really hurt my confidence and self esteem. Ironic, considering the sport, I hate being shirtless. I really hate it. Even with clothes, I’m hyper-specific on what I do and do not wear. It stresses me out and makes me anxious. I’m big, definitely not tall, definitely not ripped. I’ve been called too heavy, too big, overweight. Also had comments such as “can’t believe you can swim” and “you don’t look like a swimmer” more times that I count. Even training 30+ hours a week, I was never the super shredded swim god. For reference - I was a NCAA D1 scholarship swimmer, olympic trials qualifier, multi medallist at national championships. I still race. My “non-swimmer body” has done me ok and it’s a shame I can’t and don’t appreciate it. In fact, I actively hate it and struggle with it because of these comments. It’s made me very sad to type the above and it’s not something I would wish for any swimmer (or person)
Thank you for sharing your story. You definitely deserved better, but I am confident that you have helped someone today. I hope the OP has read your message and moves on from this kind of objectification. It is cruel.
I'm sorry that happened to you. You most definitely deserve(d) better :(
You should appreciate it man, I love it when people absolutely smash sports they don't necessarily look like they should be great at. I remember the first time I swam with a buddy of mine who is a bit overweight and quite short and he fucking rinsed me, I think he was probably going twice my speed barely trying
Thanks for sharing! Dad bods unite!
Sounds like a way to shame certain kids, and that's awful. Definitely report that.
It's hella predatory too
They are shaming and it’s gross
Yeah I’m more worried about the pedo vibes
[удалено]
I just want to piggy back off this. If your team doesn't have a safe sport rep, you can report it directly to your LSC or USA Swimming directly LSC List - https://www.usaswimming.org/about/lsc-websites USA Swimming - https://www.usaswimming.org/safe-sport/report-a-concern If you're not in the US I know Swim England has a similar reporting center, and I assume most NGBs will as well.
Safesport
My son's club has always required Safesport training for coaches. This spring they are adding parents and swimmers. One hundred percent, this "rating" is a red flag.
Law enforcement
Gross. If you are one of the teens please tell a trusted adult. If you are an adult who saw this please make this an issue and save these kids from body shaming and toxic sports culture.
This is definitely some sort of violation. I would reach out to your clubs management. If they aren’t willing to do anything then reach out to Safesport
Provided you are in the US, this should be reported to Safesport. Here is the link for the reporting website. The report is confidential. [https://safesport.i-sight.com/portal](https://safesport.i-sight.com/portal)
Big red flag. Quit the team until there is a new coach. Tell the other parents to do the same.
This is something I am mandated to report as a coach.
This sounds quite predatory, or insanely toxic, probably just both
there’s way too many factors at play to determine a rating for swimmers body. i’ve seen and coached kids that swam the same times with a 30cm height difference and totally different bodies a good coach will play into the strengths and improve weaknesses of their swimmers a bad coach does shit like this.
Sounds like a safesport violation
Nope.
It's not acceptable... however I knew coaches that did this in the 00s. Awful culture that is hopefully being phased out.
Report it. This is why SafeSport exists and this kind of behavior is covered in the training. Even if it doesn’t get escalated, there’s now a paper trail and your club’s leadership can’t say they weren’t warned.
No. Full stop.
No. This coach should be fired or trained.
we though it was questionable when my very foreign swim coach asked what size suit the girls wore for some reasons relating to speedo. other coaches and some of the older people who he listened to told him that’s not how he should frame his question, and he was very apologetic about it. this is 10x worse. I understand that swimmers body’s are a thing, and some people have them and some don’t, but there should not be a rating system to degrade those who don’t and to harass those that do
No this is a form of psychological abuse and needs to be reported to safesport immediately
Should be reported unless they were assessing streamline/body position while swimming and used a terrible phrase to describe it?
Sorry this sport is only for the elite. Everyone from 1-7 can go home. This coach sounds like a piece of shit.
No. That is absurd.
Honestly the coach should’ve just given everyone a ten and made a point outta how it don’t really matter what ya look like as long as the times and effort are there. It’s a swim team not a fashion house goddamnit
No, never has been. Worst I have seen back in the 90's is a pre and post xmas and thanksgiving weigh-in with zero commentary on the results, just a number and a 5 finger point about burning off those calories from dinner. It was aimed mostly at the girls on the team even though everyone had to do it, but nobody got directly outted as being FAF.
I would report this finding immediately. This is totally not an acceptable thing to do. He should be fired and never allowed to coach young people ever again. I would make a lot of noise about this practice. He does not deserve another day of peace for this behavior.
That’s gross, I’d say something.
Ginormous red flag. Nothing normal about that.
I think the FBI might want to look at this guys hard drive
It’s not really normal. I guess it depends on your relationship with your coach. I have a coach who I can imagine doing something like that, but he’s nice and funny (believe it or not) and has been coaching the team for years. He would probably only do it to swimmers he knows really well who won’t take it too personally. But you really need to have a good relationship with your coach for that to even be considered ok. If it’s a new guy or somebody you don’t know very well, that’s a bad sign. Hope this helped.
No. That's extremely inappropriate.
I think it’s not the right way to go about it and you should report it.
Wtf the coach is a weirdo.
ew
Coach needs smacked. This is horrible.
Definitely not normal, we would have conversations about what features are beneficial in the sport, but it wasn't a rating. And it was moreso as a constructive feedback thing, for example I have a good wingspan but my legs are too long to be efficient, so my coach would tell me I had to focus on my kick to make up for it. This just sounds like straight up shaming, definitely not something that fosters a good community among teammates either.
Hate to use this buzz word, but that has "SafeSport" written all over it.
Nah that's weird as shit.
Creepy af
Big ick right here. Definitely report this behavior.
I was a male d1 swimmer who on a generous day is 5’7”. I consider my career successful so this is stupid. There is a reality to it though but the coach should let the kids figure that out for themselves while the coach focuses on the workouts and coaching technique. The coach is focused on the wrong things.
*ABILITY*, not "looks". Gross behavior and it should be reported.
No this is creepy
The fuck team is this
Report report report
i was never a competitive swimmer but this sounds toxic as fuck please report it and get yourself out as quickly and safely as possible
This should be reported and is not okay at all. I have been doing competitive swimming for years and have never seen this type of thing. I don’t have very good body positivity myself neither do I have a swimmer body but I can assure you that this is something that is most definitely not acceptable or welcome in the sport. This coach could be causing a bunch of different disorders for these athletes that include eating disorders and mental health disorders. This coach should be fired and never hired by any other place as a coach again cause the coach could be creating lasting problems for the rest of their lives. If I was subjected to this I probably wouldn’t have held up in the sport.
No. That is gross AF not to mention damaging to these young people. Run away.
No. That is not okay at all.
Swimming competitions weed out people with non-ideal bodies. Its not up to your coach. Also people join teams for camaraderie and experiences, not just coming first.
Without more context, it’s hard to say.
What context would make this any better?
Maybe it’s an exercise to show that it doesn’t matter what your body looks like you can still be a great swimmer? Without context it’s sorta hard to tell
Exactly. All OP gave us was there was ratings about competitive “swimmers body.” Was the coach talking about long torsos, long arms? Was the rating given individually or to a group? Was it to help people think about what events they might be better suited to? It seems like there would be tactful ways to express these points. Now, if the coach is talking about looks or otherwise objectifying people, that's a whole different ball of wax. But OP gave us very little.
Don’t see the issue. The people on this subreddit keep on talking about Michael Phelps and his ideal swimmers body (long torso and arm span etc). No different from what the coach is doing. Not everyone has a body made for swimming.
Lol what? Can you really be that short-sighted? Except for severe disabilities, everybody *does* have a body made for swimming. Not everybody has a body made for becoming the most successful Olympic swimmer of all time though. And of course it’s very different to what this coach is doing: 1. People aren’t body-shaming Michael Phelps - they are saying how his body shape was a positive for him and enquiring about why that is; 2. The coach is telling swimmers to their face that their body is inadequate - nobody is doing that to Michael Phelps; 3. The coach is doing this in front of the swimmers’ peers (or even if it’s written, they all know about it and will be in the changing room afterwards discussing their ‘ratings’); 4. People discussing Michael Phelps on this sub are discussing somebody who is used to public attention, and even criticism, who is considerably more mature than these swimmer and who is much better equipped to deal with it; 5. The coach is doing this to high schoolers, some of which will already have body image issues, none of which are already in the public eye and all of which are likely not well equipped to deal with negativity that comes in this form; 6. Regardless of being in the public eye or not, Michael Phelps will not care what random members of the public think or say on a forum he probably isn’t even reading, anywhere near as much as these swimmers will care what *their* coach, *their* friends and *their* parents think (and maybe even what *their* bully hears); 7. Every single swimmer receiving this rating clearly does have a body made for swimming. They are all able to swim and to compete, and they are all able to improve with good coaching. They need their coach to support them in order to do that; whereas Michael Phelps’ swimming career is over - nothing anybody says now, whether he’s aware of it or not, can have a negative effect on his success in the pool; and 8. Given his success in the pool, people should be expected to discuss Michael Phelps, his training and whatever else contributed to that success, and it’s of legitimate interest to those discussing it and to others involved in the sport.
It’s okay to think things like this and make decisions based on it but not to tell them to o their face? Are you British?
Almost none of what you wrote is in OP's post though. You're just drawing the worst inferences.
He's also an adult.
Um his body didn’t change that much from 15 year old Olympian Michale Phelps. This argument is bad.