Swimmer's Daily

  • “A day at Duke. Do what you love”

    Duke University Senior Weekend. Exploring Duke with the Fam. Checking out the Pool.

  • According to doctors from the United Kingdom, a 28-year-old man who had been complaining of persistent, post-operative pain was cured after jumping into incredibly cold water for a vigorous 60-second, intense swim. Roughly two months prior to his swim, the man had undergone an endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy procedure to treat his severe facial blushing. In this procedure, a portion of the sympathetic nerve trunk is destroyed to treat excessive sweating, blushing and Raynaud’s disease.

    The operation went smoothly, but nagging, sharp pain in his chest continued for 10 weeks after the operation. Exercise and movement tended to make things worse, which was bad news for the patient, who has a devoted triathlete. Doctors tried analgesics and other means to control pain with limited success, and when things didn’t work, the patient took a leap of faith.

    In a bold attempt to take his mind of pain, the patient decided to go for a swim in the coastal waters of a past triathlon competition. His route was along a rocky, jagged coastline; therefore, there was no dipping his toes in to acclimate to the water. The man had to jump from a rocky outcrop.

    “I wasn’t sure if it would help the pain—I just wanted to do it—I thought at best it was a long-shot, but I was desperate to get some relief,” the man told doctors.

    When his body slapped into seawater that was 52 degrees Fahrenheit, he had no choice but to swim for safety, or risk hypothermia. He told doctors:

    “I initially thought, ‘Damn this is so cold I’m going to die!’ I just swam for my life. Once I was in the water, I had tunnel vision. For the first time in months, I completely forgot about the pain or the fear of shooting pains in my chest if I moved. My entire body tingled with the cold. I just knew if I didn’t keep swimming, I’d soon freeze. After a few moments I actually enjoyed it – it was just an immersive rush of adrenaline. I bet I couldn’t have felt my pain, even if I tried.”

    The funny thing is, his pain never returned.

    Read Discover and Time

    Photo by electrees

  • “There is an infatuation with the body, and, of course, the sexual aspects of the body as well. Some sports encourage immodesty, revealing large portions of the body and this happens in some sports. These are the risky sports. Here they are, what are the risky sports? Gymnastics. Gymnastics and swimming. These are the sports in which there is an added risk.”

    Read The Maven

    Photo courtesy of Agência Brasil Fotografias, CC BY 2.0

  • Mother nature was not on model Kate Upton’s side during the photo shoot for the 2018 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition. In a clip shared by the organization, the star can be seen taking a nasty tumble off a rock after a wave hits her.

    Read Fox News

    http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2018/02/13/kate-upton-nearly-dies-in-topless-shoot-for-sports-illustrated-swimsuit-issue.html

    https://youtu.be/raiRBnYymzU

  • Including 4 swimming rivalries

    • Shirley Babashoff vs. the 1976 East German swimming team (Montreal 1976)
    • Michael Phelps vs. Milorad Cavic (Beijing 2008)
    • Lilly King vs Yulia Efimova (Rio 2016)
    • Gary Hall Jr. vs. Alexander Popov and the 2000 Australian 4×100 relay team (Sydney 2000)

    Read Business Insider

  • Chad Le Clos is “pretty upset” that South Africa’s selection criteria could rob him of the chance to become the most decorated medalist in Commonwealth Games history.

    Le Clos‚ already SA’s most decorated Olympian with four gongs‚ was hoping to join the all-time Commonwealth record of 18 medals‚ shared by England’s Mick Gault and Australian Phillip Adams‚ both shooters.

    Le Clos has 12 medals from Delhi 2010 and Glasgow 2014‚ with half of them coming from relays.

    He is planning on competing in four individual races at the 2018 edition in Gold Coast‚ Australia‚ from April 4-15 — and was counting on podium finishes in two relays‚ the 4x100m freestyle and medley‚ to lift him to 18 medals.

    But three key teammates he needs to power SA to silverware in those relays were not included in the SA Games swimming team of 23.

    “There were guys who weren’t selected for the team which I’m pretty upset about‚” Le Clos said in Cape Town before heading to training base in Turkey on Monday.

    “I don’t want to mention any names … there were some guys I asked to go on the team. Some of the guys couldn’t make trials because they were studying overseas.”

    Read Times Live

  • Michael Phelps and wife Nicole announced the birth of their second child, son Beckett Richard, on Instagram Tuesday. The couple’s baby boy was born on Monday, Feb. 12.

    The new addition joins 21-month-old big brother Boomer Robert.

    Read People

    https://youtu.be/O1l5aRLqL0g

  • Water's Not Wet | Songify THIS!

  • Twenty-one-year-old South African swimmer, Brent Szurdoki, is set to compete at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on Australia’s Gold Coast in April. Despite suffering torn ligaments in his ankle while wakeboarding just three months ahead of his trials, Szurdoki says he wants to beat the odds.