ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Competitive swimwear

Okay kiddo, have you ever gone swimming? Well, when people swim really fast, they wear special clothes called swimwear. But not all swimwear is the same. There are two kinds of swimwear: regular swimwear and competitive swimwear.

Regular swimwear is what most people wear when they go swimming in the pool or at the beach. It can be any kind of bathing suit or swim trunks that you wear just for fun.

Now, let's talk about competitive swimwear. This is what swimmers wear when they want to swim really fast and beat their opponents in races. It looks a little different than regular swimwear.

Competitive swimwear is made of a special material that makes it really smooth and helps swimmers swim faster. The material is called Lycra or spandex. It's very stretchy and tight-fitting, so it feels like a second skin. The less drag the swimmer feels, the faster they can swim.

Swim caps are also part of the competitive swimwear. Do you know what a swim cap is? It's a hat that covers the swimmer's head and keeps their hair out of their face. It also helps reduce drag, so the swimmer can swim faster.

There are also different types of swimsuits for different types of swimming races. For example, swimmers who do short races wear really tight swimsuits that go down to their knees. These are called jammers. Swimmers who do longer races wear swimsuits that look like one-piece bathing suits, but with straps that connect behind their backs. These are called performance suits.

So, that's what competitive swimwear is all about, kiddo. It's made of special materials and designed to help swimmers swim faster in races.