Swimmer's Daily

  • Two years ago, a central California teen began what NPR calls a “Sisyphean task”—hauling hundreds of pounds of golf balls off the ocean floor, only to have them reenter the sea as golfers from five nearby golf courses (including Pebble Beach) hit them right back in.

    Alex Weber was just 16 when she first discovered the shocking sight while free diving. “You couldn’t see the sand,” she says, noting the seafloor was “completely white” from the sheer number of balls.

    And thus began Weber’s self-appointed chore of removing the balls from the water—what Golf.com calls akin to an “Easter egg hunt”—with the help of her dad, a friend, and even a scientist that got wind of her efforts. Their total haul hit the 50,000-ball mark in September, gathered in grueling, cold conditions with sharks nearby and an “aerial barrage” of new balls flying their way during the collection process.

    See WTVR

  • “It’s going to make you feel so good!”

    Katja Pantzar hears her friend call out encouragingly as she stands on a wooden dock in central Helsinki on a cold, dark and snowy winter evening. It’s 14 F (-10 C), but all Pantzar is wearing is a swimsuit, a wool hat and borrowed neoprene gloves and booties. She’s been told she’s about to take a step toward curing all her problems, from aches and pains to feeling down.

    Pantzar is about to take the plunge — a dip into water that is warmer than the air but still just 38 F (about 3 C) and ice-covered. While this might seem like a daredevil stunt or a crazy bet to North Americans and many others around the world, ice swimming, or winter swimming, is not an out-of-the-ordinary sight even here in the capital city’s center.

    Instead, jumping into a hole cut in the ice of the sea or a lake during winter is an everyday activity in Finland — one that’s performed with gusto.

    A Helsinki-based author and journalist, Pantzer believes this unlikely national pastime is one of the reasons why Finland ranks as the happiest country in the world.

    In her book “The Finnish Way: Finding Courage, Wellness, and Happiness through the Power of Sisu,” Pantzar credits swimming in the sea almost every day in Finland, all year round, to her overall happiness and well-being.

    Read CNN Travel

    finland ice swimming photo
    Photo by VisitLakeland

    Featured photo by VisitLakeland

  • Cincinnati senior Enna Selmanovic, an accomplished swimmer, injured her back during a workout in 2016 and was medically disqualified several months later. The emotional toll of losing her sport and her identity eclipsed even the severe physical pain of a spine injury. In the ensuing years, Selmanovic has devoted herself to helping other student-athletes address mental health issues and plans to build a career around that endeavor.

  • Before Caroline County opened their very own YMCA about three years ago, swimming was a recreation reserved for neighborhood and backyard pools in the summer.

    Now, with an indoor facility, it’s become a year-round sport for a growing number of Caroline High School teens who have formed the school’s first-ever swim team.

    “I think swimming is really more about self-esteem than it is about athletic ability or anything else like that,” explained Christy Guise-Wright.

    See WTVR

  • Watch marine biologist Ocean Ramsey (yes, Ocean is her first name!) swim with a 20-foot great white shark off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii. First spotted off Guadalupe in 2014, this animal, nicknamed “Deep Blue,” is thought to be the largest great white in the world. They’re definitely going to need a bigger boat.

    See BoingBoing

    https://youtu.be/_KtfYQS217c

    https://youtu.be/wJKP8dYAfV4

  • FINA is pleased to announce that invitations were sent to National Federations with athletes selected for the first edition of the new FINA event, the “Champions Swim Series”.

    45 male swimmers from 15 nations and 37 female competitors from 17 countries were formally invited to take part in the three-leg circuit.

    The first event will take place in Guangzhou, China, on April 27-28; Budapest, the Hungarian capital, will follow on May 11-12; and Indianapolis, in the USA, will close this inaugural edition on May 31-June 1. All three meets will be swum in 50m-pool.

    The list of selected athletes includes Rio 2016 Olympic medallists, Budapest 2017 World Championships’ medallists, World Record holders, and leaders of the 2018 FINA World Swimming Ranking.

    The competition format of the “Champions Swim Series” includes only direct finals, with four athletes per final.

    Individual races include 50m, 100m and 200m in freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly, plus the 400m free and 200m IM, for both men and women.

    Travel and accommodation expenses, as well as an appearance fee will be paid for the participanting athletes.

    Moreover, attractive prize money will be paid in each individual race (1st place – US$ 10’000; 2nd place – US$ 8’000; 3rd place – US$ 6’000; 4th place – US$ 5’000) and in relay competition (1st – US$ 16’000; 2nd – US$ 12’000; 3rd – US$ 8’000; 4th and following – US$ 2’000). A US$ 20’000 bonus will be provided for each new World Record established during the competition.

    “FINA is confident about the interest this competition will generate among the world’s best swimmers”, considered FINA President Julio C. Maglione.

    Read FINA press release

     

  • The first Obstacle Swim! • 15 inflatable obstacles • 1k swimming • Race or fun

    https://youtu.be/zO0a1KEFTHg

  • SwimAmerica is a learn to swim program for all ages.
    We are based in Edmonton, and are looking to expand.

  • Freshman swimmer Audrey Lambert is already setting records during her high school career.