Swimmer's Daily

  • Last year, a group of YMCA volunteers raised funds to travel to a coastal town in Nicaragua to teach swim lessons and to empower a community in critical need of water safety resources.

  • The World Para Swimming World Series event in Lignano, Italy, which was scheduled to take place this week (27 February-1 March), has been cancelled.

    The decision by the Local Organising Committee (LOC) and Italian Para Swimming Federation (FINP) to cancel the event follows guidance by the President of Friuli Venezia Giulia Region following 76 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Italy and a further 64 cases under investigation.

    Christian Holtz, Managing Director of World Para Sports, said: “We regret that this key event in the build-up to Tokyo 2020 has been cancelled but the health and well-being of our athletes is our top priority at all times.

    “Northern Italy has seen an increase in coronavirus cases in recent days and, in an effort to stop this number rising further, several sport events, including Serie A football fixtures, have been cancelled or postponed.  Upon guidance from the local region, both the LOC and Italian Para Swimming Federation have decided to cancel the event.

    “As this event was also going to provide athlete classification opportunities World Para Swimming will look into what solution can be provided in the long-term by athletes impacted by this cancellation.”

    Around 900 athletes, coaches and officials from 42 countries were set to be involved in the event.

    Read World Para Swimming

    lignano photo
    Photo by Giuseppe Milo (www.pixael.com)

  • Here we sweat, I mean sit, for several more hours just to glimpse our children compete for 20.02 seconds … and hopefully even briefer.

    Yet, we are an evolved group of homo sapiens. We cheer for any swimmer or diver performing well (though we prefer them to be on OUR team, thanks) and encourage our offspring to graciously wish well toward, then congratulate, their lane mates on a race well swum. Every. Single. Time.

    And they do.

    Why? In my experience, swimmers/divers are an exceptional group of athletes … and persons. They just are.

    They work as hard in the classroom as in the faux lagoon. Probably because they are forced to practice good time management skills.

    Moreover, these humans are humane. Meaning, I am hard-pressed to think of many who do not offer respect to elders (yes sirs, thank you ma’ams, Mr. and Mrs. salutations), common courtesy to strangers (holding open doors) and a loyalty to one another that I’ve not always encountered on other fields of play, literal or metaphorical.

    These are the sort of people who, although their hearts are broken at being robbed of a school-record due to a dubious DQ in the championship’s last event, will rally around each other in a show of unending loyalty that is nothing short of familial.

    And that warms a swim mom’s heart on the ride home through a blustery blizzard — as she smiles proudly for eight solid hours, capisce?

    Read Tribune Chronicle

    swim meet photo
    Photo by Omar de Armas

  • “They say underwater is the last quiet place on earth… but quiet places speak loudly when you slowdown enough to listen…”

    About a year ago, Chelsea took me free diving for the first time. I became hooked. Since then, it’s become a bigger part of my life than I had ever imagined.

    Here’s a little taste of what goes on below the surface. We each experience a sense of joy, fear, relaxation and discovery as we sink beneath the surface with a single breath. Deeper and deeper each time. The underwater world is so incredibly precious and it’s hard to see what’s happening unless you’re immersed in it.

    Huge thanks to Corona for listening to our story and making it possible for us to tell it. And to the incredible team: Chelsea Yamase, Josiah Gordon, and Lexie Alford for making it look too easy.

  • Hosted at Brockhole on Windermere, it’s a fantastic weekend of open water swimming in the stunning Lake District.

    With distances to suit all levels and abilities you can enjoy a weekend in the great outdoors with friends and family. Take your pick from 250 metres, 1/2 a mile, 1 mile, 2 miles, 5k or a 10k.

    Entries for the 2020 event are now open: https://fal.cn/2020JWGNS

  • Pee faces and pool entrance etiquette, here are the very best swimming-related jokes from Michael!

  • The Sterling boys team took home the IHSA swimming and diving sectional title at Byron High School Saturday. They advance to the state finals with a score of 286. In the 200 medley relay, Sterling took first with a time of 1:35.34. It wasn’t just a new school record, but a new sectional record too.

    In the 200 yard freestyle, Byron’s Carson Faley took first with a time of 1:44.42. In the 50-yard freestyle, Sterling’s Calvin Sandefer came in first with a time of 20.81. Guilford’s Jacob Stroup was right behind him, also qualifying for state with a time of 21.62.

    For a full list of the results from Saturday’s events, head over to MyStateline.com.

  • “I swim regularly, but I’m not getting faster.” Sound familiar?! Quite often our own swimming technique or style of training is the culprit that is slowing us down. So let’s go through a few common mistakes that could, in fact, be slowing you down!