If you don't allow co-ed swimming...

[Alice]

Do you allow swim team?

 

I'm honestly just curious and not trying to open a can of worms, although I know these modesty and swim threads tend to head downhill fast.

 

I was just struck by reading the thread on youth groups and swimming and modesty by how we would be unable to do swim and dive team if we abided by those same values/rules. The girls do all wear one-pieces for swim and dive but the boys wear the very tight jammer shorts and for dive our coach requires speedos for the A meet swimmers. And both teams are obviously co-ed.

 

So I was just wondering if those who don't believe in co-ed swimming extend this to teams/athletics or only to fun swimming. And then if you would also avoid other co-ed sport activities (we were in a soccer league that was co-ed at all ages, etc).

[mommaduck]

Back when we didn't allow it, swim team was never really an issue, so I don't know what I would have done (?)

[momofkhm]

I'm not as up in arms as some about swim modesty. For me, it's about cleavage and proper coverage (top and bottom). So the team suit would be fine for those and so yes, we'd allow it.

 

But for co-ed sports in general at my daughters' ages, no. Swimming and diving would be ok. Otherwise individual sports that have a team to work out with would be ok as well - running and tennis come to mind. I'm talking about things like soccer and basketball. They are very physical. I'm surprised how much pushing and shoving goes on with an all girls' team. I can't imagine my girls on a co-ed team.

 

ETA: Ok, this is what happens when I think I know what I'm doing and really don't know the question being asked! We do allow co-ed swimming. ACK. I don't know where my head was. But for allowing co-ed swimming, the answers are still the same, obviously since I missed that part of the question.

 

If I didn't allow co-ed swimming, then why would I allow a co-ed swim team?

Edited July 26, 2011 by momofkhm

[Shifra]

I am an Orthodox Jew and not a Christian, so I cannot speak for the majority on this forum who don't allow coed swimming, but as a young preteen, when I started being strict about not participating in coed swimming, the Jewish Community Center in my hometown had separate sex swimming and instruction, so I every week I went to swimming lessons and recreational swimming until I graduated high school. I even became a lifeguard! In addition, my school had an outdoor pool that had separate swimming hours in the summer. So you can get to very high levels of swimming ability, even if you restrict to separate sex swimming, if you have a place that offers separate sex swimming in your community. Alas, there was no competitive swimming for women only, but either way, I probably would not have done it, as I am not the fastest swimmer; I just have a long endurance.

 

Where I live right now, the Jewish Community Center does not have separate swimming hours nor we do have a private pool (or have friends who invite us to theirs :lol:). So I bought for myself and my daughters all-over coverup swim suits; however, only my 10 year old daughter uses her consistantly (we recently moved to an apartment complex with a pool so she goes to the pool with her modest swim suit). With that swim suit, she also took swimming lessons at the public pool this summer, and again, has reached a high level of swimming ability, but I think that with a cover-up could not quite swim competitively.

[alpidarkomama]

Ditto to what Shifra said. :) Fortunately, we live in a neighborhood with LOTS of backyard pools. A few people are happy to have you call and sign up for a private swim time, for your family or for a group of girls or boys. We also have our own 12-foot circle above-ground pool. My kids pretty much swim every day in the summer. Swim teams, etc. wouldn't really fit into our lifestyle with the time commitments required, but we're very glad all of our children have the opportunity to become competent swimmers.

[LidiyaDawn]

I'm curious…for those who don't allow "mixed swimming" - does this start at a specific age? [at puberty? 12/13?] …Does it apply to immediate family? Could a 4 year old girl and her 6 year old brother play in the pool together? Could two 5 year olds (unrelated boy and girl - friends) swim together? Is a backyard "kiddie pool" (the little things) count as "swimming"?

 

(no judgement here - I'm just nosy :p )

[alpidarkomama]

We personally start swimming separately at around age 9, with some preference for separate swimming before that.

[Shifra]

I'm curious…for those who don't allow "mixed swimming" - does this start at a specific age? [at puberty? 12/13?] …Does it apply to immediate family? Could a 4 year old girl and her 6 year old brother play in the pool together? Could two 5 year olds (unrelated boy and girl - friends) swim together? Is a backyard "kiddie pool" (the little things) count as "swimming"?

 

(no judgement here - I'm just nosy :p )

 

Among the extremely ultra-Orthodox Jews, they will not allow mixed sex swimming after the age of 3 for the girls and 6 (or younger) for the boys. Some allow mixed swimming until later. I did not grow up that religious and only decided on my own at the age of 11 to stop swimming in a coed environment (I was influenced by the book, newly published at the time, All for the Boss, about a woman who grew up ultra-Orthodox at the turn of the twentienth century; in it, she describes how her parents bought her an old-fashioned bathing suit that completely covered her up when, at the age of 12, she wanted to go swimming with her friends at Coney Island beach. Her parents insisted on complete modesty, including stockings all the time, only at the age of 12).