Author: rokur

Michigan’s own Allison Schmitt is known as the swimmer with a smile, the happy one by the pool. The Olympic freestyler will tell you now that the smile was real, but she was also secretly struggling. Schmitt won five Olympic medals during the 2012 summer games in London. Three were gold medals in the 200-meter freestyle race, the 4×200-meter medley relay and the 4×100-medley medley relay. She won a silver in the 400-meter freestyle and a bronze in the 4×100 meter freestyle relay. She returned to her hometown of Canton Township on a high, greeted by family, friends and fans. But then, the…

A Triangle company that guards against drownings is making a big splash as the summer comes to an end. SEAL Innovation, Inc., a company we previewed in a “What’s Next” segment two years ago, just received word the YMCA in Raleigh will be using their SwimSafe technology. “The problem is people don’t know their child is drowning,” said Dr. Graham Snyder. WNCN first spoke with Snyder in late 2013 as he was developing the swimming technology designed to stop drownings. His SEAL SwimSafe system was born out of first-hand experience trying to save drowning victims brought to WakeMed. “I wanted…

After the OpenROV team had been designing their own drones for almost half a decade, they decided to create an open source solution for consumers to enjoy. The Trident underwater drone comes ready to operate out of the box and is aimed at being easy to use for those new with the hobby. Best of all, everything is packed into a sleek, yet powerful, form factor. OpenROV says that they “painstakingly throughout” the Trident’s design to optimize its performance and usability. They claim that the unit’s specially hydrodynamically offset thruster design allows the Trident to move quickly when needed or…

A Colorado man garnered top overall honors Saturday at an open water swim in the Florida Keys designed to raise awareness of the need to preserve six aging lighthouses off the subtropical island chain. Boulder’s Yoelvis Pedraza completed the 9-mile Swim for Alligator Lighthouse Saturday in 3 hours, 18 minutes and 3 seconds, besting his 2014 victory time by almost 17 minutes. “I like to come to this swim, it’s such a long swim and it’s only once a year,” said Pedraza, who recently moved to Boulder from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. ” What ‘makes’ the swim is to get to…

You’ve heard of cycling tours, where vacationers ride bikes from destination to destination. You can also take running trips, touring the rugged countryside or city landscapes by foot. Now, add swim travel to that list. It’s not as crazy as it sounds, with a growing number of swim tour operators. Vacationers can take a dip in the Gulf of Kotor, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Montenegro. Or swim their way across the British Virgin Islands. The companies take care of all the logistics, including boat lodgings. “It’s becoming really popular because people are tired of going to the beach…

In this #swimisodes, Coach Gary Hall challenges Olympic champ Rebecca Soni do our favorite breaststroke speed swim drill, a 45 second Breaststroke Wall Kick. https://youtu.be/d8Y7j4YmotE

In this week’s Sports Jam Spotlight Jason Melillo profiles Wayzata High School swimmer Madison Preiss. The senior is perhaps the Trojans’ best swimmer on a team full of talent. The Trojans are the two-time defending state Class AA champions. Airing on the September 21, 2015 edition of Channel 12’s Sports Jam. https://youtu.be/OQKBpOgdJVw

12 News Christina Palladino reports. https://youtu.be/b1ZkKjJO1pI

The mum of a teenager who died from sepsis while on her period is begging people to learn the danger signs of Toxic Shock Syndrome. Jemma-Louise Roberts, 13, began feeling unwell with sickness and diarrhoea while on a family holiday – and was wrongly diagnosed with winter vomiting bug Norovirus. Her family were told to keep her away from hospitals – but she was rushed to Wigan Infirmary after suddenly deteriorating. Doctors at the hospital told her family they believed she had Toxic Shock Syndrome, or TSS, caused by a bacteria linked to using tampons. Jemma-Louise, a member of Hindley…

Former Olympic swimming champion Park Tae-hwan, currently serving a doping suspension, has relocated to Japan to continue training, his management company said Tuesday. Team GMP said Park left for Tokyo with his manager and physical trainer on Monday, and will begin training at Hosei University on Thursday. Park will stay in the Japanese capital until December, Team GMP added. In March, Park, the 2008 Olympic gold medalist in the men’s 400-meter freestyle, received an 18-month ban from FINA, the international swimming governing body, after testing positive for testosterone the previous fall. Under FINA’s anti-doping policy, Park isn’t permitted to train…