Synchronised swimming for boys

[JoanFit]

My son is 10 and a good swimmer. When were at the swimming pool we stayed after his lesson to watch the synchronised swimming club hold their practice.
He asked me he would like to learn synchronised swimming.

I'm not sure. Would you encourage a boy to take synchronised swimming classes?

I don't think any club would turn down a boy these days and, no, the girls won't tease him. Bill May saw to that.

I'm not totally sure I'd encourage any child into it as it's absolutely bloody brutal- but you're as well to be brutalised as a boy or a girl.

@NicholasTopliss it's not as expensive as many other kids activities (sailing, I'm looking at you).

How wonderful. My son's name is Alexander.
He loved the video and liked where the boy lifted the girl out of the water.
He said the swimmer was very pretty. And I reminded him that the was also very strong, athletic, fit and agile as well as skilled. He agreed. I said that is what we should expect of a girl. I just told him the girls in the swimming club would not mind though being told they were pretty too.

@reefedsail

I don't think any club would turn down a boy these days and, no, the girls won't tease him. Bill May saw to that.

I'm not totally sure I'd encourage any child into it as it's absolutely bloody brutal- but you're as well to be brutalised as a boy or a girl.

@NicholasTopliss it's not as expensive as many other kids activities (sailing, I'm looking at you).

I guess sailing would be very expensive. Synchro was expensive enough for me.

My son is taking swimmng lessons.
I would hope if he becomes more proficient and loves the water he consider this is an option.
It would be far better than more violent sport options where injury risk is greater.

I consider synchro to be in the same bracket as ballet, dance, ice skating, gymnastics and martial arts. Equally good for boys and girls, separately and together.

Can boys do synchronised swimming. Are the clubs for boys as well as girls?
Are boys bodies and swim skills suitable for this sport?

Fuck, I hate seeing prejudices like this from presumably quite young people with young kids.

Champion him to do whatever he wants to do. Don’t project your gender-stereotype hesitations into him. Don’t project a toxic masculinity where there is none. Let him have a crack at everything.

Cool!

If he is never going to be someone who can swim competitively or be an athlete, this is good exercise and surely also brings a routine and reason to go regularly. Post Covid seems a reasonable thing to do.

The only thing you might have to overcome is if he becomes self conscious at some point about male swimwear for synchro.

What does a boy wear in synchronised swimming?

Do you think that a boy should not do synchronised swimming?

My daughter was a member of a synchronised swimming club for 6 years, and only stopped recently, as it was getting a bit much with her GCSE's. Once you are competing in a team it can take over a bit

There are no boys in her club, BUT I did see a number of boys over the years, competing at the Figure and Team comps, and doing the Grades etc. To answer a PP, they just wear swimming trunks - black at Figures and Grading, and sometimes colours/patterns to match team costumes at formal competitions.

It's tough, even at the recreational levels - eg: training sessions started with multiple lengths of the pool, - 3 crawl, 3 backstroke, side crawl with arm out of the water, sculling with ballet leg etc. There was a very brief 10 sec pause every 10 lengths. It was not unknown for girls to get out and stop as they felt sick! However, they all really enjoyed it, and the competitive element is great for building confidence.

Find a club he can join, and give it a go.