Hoai-My (18) in an interview with The Female Company about the topic of competitive sports and periods. In her 10 years as a swimmer, Hoi May has had one or two periods during training or competitions. Now she shares how she feels empowered and what she would like to achieve in the future.
Since when have you been swimming?
Hoai-My : I have been swimming for over 10 years. I started swimming when I was 6 or 7 and have been competitive since I was 10. In Hamburg there is a procedure where you are compared with all the other federal states. If you pass here, you are put into the competitive class for a test for six months and then it is decided whether you have made it. Most people start in the 5th grade. That was the case for me too. Of course there are exceptions and people who are put into the squad earlier, but that is the norm, I would say.
Do you swim in mixed groups or are you separated according to biological gender?
Hoai-My : No, we swim in mixed groups at first. Then we are gradually divided up according to physical strengths and weaknesses. The boys eventually swim faster because they have more strength. That's because of their body mass and muscle mass.
When did you get your first period?
Hoai-My : I got my first period when I was 11 years old.
Did you feel like you could talk openly about your period? Or did you have someone you could trust?
Hoai-My : The older swimmers were actually always there for the younger ones. It was clear from the start that I would swim with tampons ; I had seen the older ones do it and it was logical for me that I would do it that way too. My periods aren't that heavy, so it's not that bad for me. But we did n't have any seminars or dedicated information about periods or hormonal changes. If you wanted to know something, you had to research it yourself. My friend had very heavy bleeding and cramps that didn't go away with exercise. She didn't know how to tell the trainer. I was very sorry, of course. Luckily, my cramps go away more easily with exercise. That's an advantage for me. Lots of people have the problem that blood drips onto the floor when they get out of the water because the tampon no longer holds and the pressure drop after the water causes the blood to start flowing again. The sight is difficult for the boys, and many of them don't really know anything about it. In my opinion, the boys should also be informed, since we swim in mixed classes at the beginning.
"For example, I've always had male trainers - period talks are more difficult."
And what about the competition?
Hoai-My : In competitions, you have a special schedule with the respective start times. You have to time it well when you can go to the toilet, especially if you have several starts in a day. Maybe there will soon be a new innovation to conventional tampons! Of course, it is sometimes difficult to talk to the coaches about it. I have always had male coaches - conversations about periods are more difficult . They can't understand it either. So you discuss it with the older ones in the swimming class and get advice from experienced female swimmers.
Have you ever heard of cycle-based training?
Hoai-My : Of course, period-adapted training reduces the risk of injury , which is higher during menstruation. The body is simply busy with other things and performing at peak performance during this time is sometimes a challenge. There are more and more clubs that train like this and actively incorporate the female cycle into training. The general problem is that very little research is put into this topic. We simply don't know much about the positive and negative effects of menstruation and the general cycle on performance.
The Berlin base practices cycle-based training, but overall little research is done .
In which moments do you feel empowered?
Hoai-My: Overall, I would say that I feel empowered by the community . When I stand in the changing room and say that I have my period and then three girls shout back loudly "Oh my God, me too!" But I also feel empowered when I involve the boys and can educate them about period issues. In my opinion, that is not given enough attention. Even at school, it is only brought up with embarrassment, even though it is something completely natural and normal. I think it is extremely important to educate other people, which is why I think it is so great that I can use my voice here and that The Female Company has made it its mission to break taboos.
Have you ever heard of the term amenorrhea?
Hoai-My: No, actually not yet!
What are your wishes for competitive sports?
Hoai-My : I feel like I'm only at the beginning. I wouldn't know how I would cope if I couldn't use a tampon . The swimsuits are obviously pretty tight, I saw the new Olympic tracksuits from Nike the other day... OMG they're tight! It's not always easy, but we do the sport out of passion and give a lot, if not everything, to it! It's a shame that women's sport is still extremely underrepresented in the media. So we swim, even when we have our period, and ask our teammates if they can see the blue ribbon, as long as there is no other option.
Do you have any advice for younger swimmers?
Hoai-My: Never stop dreaming!
