Author: rokur

Pál Joensen and coach Jón Bjarnason have arrived safely in Atlanta, and been training and talking to Chris DeSantis and stuff. The duel between Europe and USA will start this Friday Dec 16 at 7 PM ET (that’s at midnight GMT), see Mutual of Omaha and USA Swimming. Here is a picture of the competition pool that Jón took, looks quite ready!

Whale sharks, sweet ! – See Georgia Aquarium GA Aquarium from T.J. Hicks on Vimeo.

This video is good! – Courtesy of Fort Lauderdale Aquatics FLA Swim Team Promo Film from Seaglass Productions on Vimeo.

So what is this, 11.43 meters? A facility for ultra-sprint training at the University Michigan, where you just barely have room for your start, turn and finish. Courtesy of athletovation.

According to The Voice of Russia and Pravda, 45-year-old Andrei Sychev in Siberia has set a new long distance / long duration ice swimming record, completing 2.1 kilometers in 56 minutes and 7 seconds at the National Ice Swimming Championships in Tyomen, Sibiria this weekend. The water temperature was 0.5°C and the air temperature -13°C (that’s 32.9°F and 8.6°F, respectively). Here below is a slideshow from last year. I find the accompanying music very appropriate, “I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell!” :-D

So it turned out that Germany successfully defended their top position in the European Shorts Course Championships position from 2010, with now 7 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze medal in Szczecin 2011. Russia proved to be the best team by points, winning the Championships Trophy by a clear margin with 901 points ahead of Italy in 2nd with 768 and Germany in 3rd with 625. Here is Andrei Vorontsov, National Team Director / Head Coach of the Russian Swimming Federation, raising the trophy outside the Radisson Blu hotel together with Valentina Artemyeva, winner of the 2011 Szczecin 50 and…

The Speedo Ice Swim Africa is an event held annually in Nuwedam, Fraserburg, South Africa, where the swimmers complete a mile in 5°C warm water (that’s 41°F). This year is was held on 23 July, so yes, this teaser is a bit late. But there’s always next year! :-) Speedo Ice Swim 2011 Teaser from Shoestring Productions on Vimeo.

Jeez, those stats are scary: “Don’t we realize that this is a full-blown epidemic in our country. They say that 1 in 4 girls, 1 in 6 boys do not reach the birthday age of 18 in our country without being sexually molested by somebody they know”. Read also diananyad.com.

Shiver, “Looking for a quick fix for that New Year’s Eve hangover? In Ocean City, hundreds will ring in the new year with a plunge into the Atlantic Ocean for the 18th annual Atlantic General Hospital Penguin Swim. The event takes place at 1 p.m. on the beach in front of the Princess Royale. “It’s a great way to wash out the old year”. Read more here on delmarvanow.com (Image courtesy of Nikita Parusnik, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

This is the ‘Magic Carp-pet’ rug, winner of 2011 Red Dot Design Awards. The animation is achieved through an optical illusion effect induced by a so-called moiré pattern, read more on Daily Picks and Flicks.