An Inside Look into Swimming Outside

University of Michigan women swimmers compete in 200-meter individual medley Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015, at the Orange Bowl Swimming Classic in Key Largo, Fla. Michigan placed first int he women's division while West Virginia University won the men's division. The event, staged at the Jacobs Aquatic Center, was the highlight of the winter collegiate swimming training season in the Florida Keys. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Stephen Frink/Florida Keys News Bureau/HO)

Photo Courtesy: Stephen Frink

By Isabella Fratesi, Swimming World Guest Contributor.

The privilege that is outdoor swimming is not possessed by much of the swimming community. Many swimmers train trapped in the confines of a windowless, four-walled, temperature-controlled complex, complete with muggy air that reeks of chlorine and claustrophobia.

Outdoor pools, on the other hand, offer sunshine, fresh air, and a view of the backstroke flags that is complemented by the blue sky above. Those who are fortunate enough to train outside can hardly deny that the advantages of outdoor pools greatly outweigh many of the disadvantages. Except one.

Tan lines.

Photo Courtesy: Jen Svoboda Twitter

As an athlete who has trained outdoors in the Arizona sun for her entire decade-long swimming career, I have developed tan lines that make the contrast of an Oreo cookie look tame. My arms, legs, and much of my back have a golden tan, courtesy of the countless training hours that my teammates and I have spent baking in the desert sun…yet my stomach is whiter than the whites of my non-swimming friends’ crinkling eyes as they laugh at the blinding sight that is my untanned skin. Sharp lines create the precise outline of a swimsuit on my figure, permanently branding me as an outdoor swimmer.

Yet for those of us who swim outdoors, these strange tattoos are not limited to our torsos. No, our faces also give way to prominent tan lines that showcase the exact placements of our goggles and caps. Our eyes are ringed with pasty skin, and our foreheads are home to stark, white lines from our hairlines to an inch above our eyebrows. We are reverse raccoons, the bizarre markings on our faces challenging anyone to say that we are not dedicated to our sport.

And although we spend most of our days in a pool, it is the dreaded pool party that strikes fear deep into the hearts of any outdoor swimmer. These events often leave female athletes with a troubling dilemma… to wear a two-piece suit and face incredible harassment from our non-swimming friends, or to simply wear a practice suit that covers our tan lines and risk being considered boring?

Photo Courtesy: Brooke Wright

I was faced with this very issue last week, and I (regrettably) chose the former option. Those who intended to tan at the party could have simply turned to the blinding white of my stomach rather than the light of the sun in order to achieve their ideal bronze glows. As I enjoyed time with friends, conversations invariably moved to the topic of my ridiculously contrasting skin, making me more than a little self-conscious. My self-confidence also failed to skyrocket after I was compared to a chicken nugget (twice!) because of my golden “exterior” and white “interior”. And to all of my “helpful” friends, no, sunscreen does not even make a dent in these tan lines that have been more than a decade in the making.

Despite the horrors that sometimes come with having obviously two-toned skin, many of my friends and I find it to be a mild source of pride. We stand in front of the locker room mirror comparing our contrasting skin tones, arguing about who has the best (really meaning the worst) tan lines. We are proud of our dedication to our beloved sport, proud to be the only tan athletes in an indoor pool setting, proud to display our hard work on our bodies, and proud to be the rare breed of human that is the outdoor swimmer.

All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.

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Ben

6 years ago

Bombass article

Mike Higgins

6 years ago

Great article Isabella! Congrats on that. We love you tan lines and all but if all else fails those Jolyn two pieces will help the situation!