Nike–it seems like they make everything.
I have never been a competitive swimmer but it seems like everyone in my family has. My uncle coached at the national team level. On the other side of the family, my cousins all broke pool records at their respective colleges. They raced at junior Nationals and the junior Olympics. I was never exposed to the sport the same way they were.
Perhaps I was preoccupied with the fact that my little girl cousins whom I’m nearly a foot taller than and am older than as well could beat me by miles in any race. Maybe it was because pinching my nose shut when I jumped into the water always sounded like a really good idea to me. Or perhaps I realized that I often sink like a rock. Regardless, I never really gave swimming a shot until recently.
A couple summers ago, I decided lifeguarding would be a great way to spend a summer. When I actually started swimming, I started to really enjoy it. It was exhausting but I found it very satisfying. I loved how I could tell that I was moving through the water a little faster almost every time I went swimming. I started thinking about entering a triathalon or at least making swimming a regular part of my training. Because I had always used Nike equipment for other sports, Nike swim wear sounded like a good place to start looking for equipment. I found a couple of things out very quickly. A pair of goggles that fit is priceless, and swimming in surfing shorts is a drag.
I went out and got myself an inexpensive set of goggles that looked pretty comfortable, some ear plugs (getting water in my ears was driving me crazy and I’d had swimmers’ ear more than enough), and a new bathing suit. There wasn’t anyone to ask for advice but I didn’t think twice about it. I think that I had assumed any form of Nike swim wear would do the trick. It didn’t. I went to the pool to do some swimming with a friend. I wetted my goggles and face for a good seal, adjusted them and strapped them on snugly. Putting a set of bright orange generic earplugs in did not do anything for my masculinity, but it was something I was willing to try. I was excited; I was going to be able to see well and I would not get water in my ears.
This swimming experience was going to be great and it was going to be the beginnings of a routine. But as I swam my first lap, my illusions were crushed. I could watch my Nike swim wear goggles slowly fill with water and my ears were already getting uncomfortable from the earplugs. It was not a good start. I tried to adjust everything I could every way that I could and I still failed miserably at getting my goggles to work or convincing my earplugs to be comfortable–I guess I do not have a normal head. I ended up taking the earplugs out and swam in spite of my ineffective goggles. I sampled more pairs of goggles and earplugs with no luck. A couple of weeks later, I started talking to one of my friends who was still on a swim team. They leant me a set of cheap plastic Swedish goggles tied together with a little piece of string. They were not any more comfortable than my last pair, but they worked like a charm.
This is the part where I dispense my advice: before you go out and end up trying half a dozen different pairs of goggles and cramming really uncomfortable things in your ears, talk to someone. Although the Nike swim wear products that I tried did not do the trick for me, they might work for you. Talk to someone who has done some swimming. If you are just getting started, their help will be indispensable and could save you a couple of dollars in the process.
By David Wade