Every day this week my son and his friends have been swimming at our local leisure centre - I don't go in with them, Myself and the other mums alternate dropping them off there and collecting them. Jordan was getting ready to go swimming again earlier and told me that he was stopped by a pool attendant yesterday and told to wear shorter swimming shorts. The pair that he was wearing end just below his knee cap - they are the type that are most popular at the moment and are in all the shops. I called into the leisure centre to ask what the problem was and the lady on reception seemed equally baffled - there are no rules in place regarding the length of shorts but she did mention that for swimming lessons they ask for shorts to be worn above the knee. I explained that Jordan was not there for swimming lessons and that he is a very competent swimmer - I have watched him swim in the said shorts and they do not impair his ability in any way. The lady apologized and said that she will try to find out which attendant stopped Jordan and have a word with him. This has really annoyed me in fact, its made me feel a bit uneasy and I wondered what other people think about it?

Dont know why,but it is simply not allowed on the continent to wear anything but 'speedo type' .
It must be for some reason ??  But it is poor if they can't explain when you ring to ask.....

Karen :(

This infuriates me too. My son doesnt have swimming lessons at school but once, another year that does have swimming lessons went on a trip so my sons year got to instead and we got a letter from school saying that they had to wear trunks and not shorts, so basically if i didnt fork out for some trunks for this one day then he couldnt go swimming, i was so mad!!! I mean why??!!

I think its just daft, especially if they can swim its not like shorts are gonna restrict their movement. Hope they find out who said it xx

I hope so too Michelle. Trunks  :o  bet your son loved those.....if he's anything like Jordan he won't be seen dead in what he calls ball stranglers.

I was once told that you had to have long hair either in a bun or tucked up in one of those caps - no ponytail etc incase you were under the water and it got sucked into those grill things they have at the bottom of the pool (not even sure what they are - anyone else?). Wonder if it's the same thing re. long shorts.

Hmmm could be, I never thought of that but the shorts aren't really loose - no more so than a pair a couple of inches shorter which could just as easily get caught.

i will not have boys with long short pass the knee in my lesson.
it a big problem when you doing b/s leg the knees cannot bend and  do the leg action right due to the way the material wrap it self around the leg due the current under the water due to the leg action,
safetly wise can get caught a long the lane rope if it the one with big round discs.

but it dose restrict their movement

like if you got long hair waving in to water turn to take a breath you stuck in lots of hair or you just cannot see.

Thank you for the explanation Briedog. The pool doesn't have the lane ropes during normal swimming sessions. Its annoyed me because we use this pool on a regular basis and Jordan, along with the majority of children nowadays all tend to wear this style of shorts. If the local authority see wearing these longer shorts as a health and safety risk then they should make it clear that they are not permitted giving a proper explanation as to why. I wouldn't dream of questioning 'proper' rules but to have some stroppy attendant tell my son not to wear them again at the pool side when no such rule is in place has really bugged me - Jordan's a sensitive boy and was rooting through his swimming shorts measuring the leg lengths for the shortest pair bless him.

This was a rule at our previous local swimming pool too.  When the kids visited there with the school the letter of explanation gave two reasons, one was regarding efficient leg movement in a learning situation as, I think it was briedog, explained.  The other is that they hold excessive amounts of water and that from a safety perspective this can make an already hazardous situation worse both in and out of the pool. 

Most pools have this rule but you do wish the management would give their staff some training regarding WHY.  I've got the feeling a few times that the staff do not really understand the rule so are unable to explain it.  I think that's why they get a bit cross - a bit like a parent that finally snaps 'It's a rule because I say so'!!!

one other hate with these short when the boys are on pool side with their hand in the pocket selection,they quick take their hands out and at the same time the lining of the pocket comes out side as they enter the water you got to great big float hanging at the side of the short where the pockets are filled with air.so they are swimmming long trying to squash the air out.

please to not get me wrong my two boy had this shorts at well while fun swim.it is a fashion clothing not a practical one

also if they are "shorts".....then short of checking each individual pair to see if they are suited for swimming, then the dyes may run in the pool unlike proper swimming trunks which are designed for the purpose.

No Sam, they are proper light weight, easy dry swim shorts with the netted underwear inside.

i have  never in 33 year of teaching and longer year in comp in swimming have i ever seen dyes run in the pool from swim wear

i have!!! :)

i was asked to leave a swimming pool once, not because of my swim wear but because i have psoriais, they asked me to leave in front of everyone
incase i was contagious, it took me another 10 years to pluck up the courage to go swimming again,
and i see lots of children with those shorts on swimming, having great fun and the colours and patterns they come in are fantastic.
carolann