Swimmer's Daily

  • Jemma Lowe from Swimpath Olympic Training program, see swimpath.co.uk

    The new year of 2016 has arrived and the Olympic Games are coming fast. As soon as midnight arrived on New Years, the Olympics will have crossed swimmers minds all over the world.

    Leading up to the Olympic trials my training group are doing a 7week training camp in Australia. Whilst it’s Winter in the UK, it’s sunny, hot Summer in Australia. Training through Winter in the UK increases the risks of illness and Vitamin D deficiency; this year we especially want to avoid illness as much as we can and maximise our training gains. The sun also helps keep people happy and happy swimmers are fast swimmers!

    I’ve been in Australia at the Gold Coast for almost 2weeks now and waking up early in the morning for training is a lot easier when the sun is up.

    I’ve been in Australia at the Gold Coast for almost 2weeks now and waking up early in the morning for training is a lot easier when the sun is up.

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    The facilities out here in Australia are amazing. There are hundreds of Olympic sized swimming pools and the one we are training in has 12 lanes!

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    Swimming 10 sessions a week as well as 5 gym sessions takes up a lot of time and can be difficult to fit anything else in after quality rest time. However, it’s very important to keep training fun and we still manage to fit fun activities in.

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    On one afternoon off training we decided to play on this inflatable…..

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    ….. which turned out to be more of a work out than an afternoon of resting.

    When training abroad it can sometimes be difficult to get the same nutrition in as you are used to at home. Out here the food is very similar to the UK and some are even better, for example, fish ….

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    I experimented cooking Red Snapper, which is a great protein source for recovery after training. It turned out to be very tastey, but for fish lovers only.

    Images courtesy of Jemma Lowe

  • Former students of a Portland-area swimming instructor arrested on child porn charges say they are shocked by the allegations.

    “Complete shock,” Morgan Gilbert told KOIN 6 News. “He was so nice to me. I know that sounds kind of cliché, but he seemed really nice and he was a good swim coach.”

    James McGlothlin, 39, was arrested Friday evening on the 11800 block of SW Kerr Parkway in Lake Oswego. An affidavit shows the swim instructor had written out numerous graphic plans to abuse and take photos or videos of children. He reportedly planned to “babysit” 3 children, and had plans that included “drugging the 2 older children with Benadryl so he [could] sexually abuse one of the children.”

    See KOIN6

  • At just 16 years old, Michael Andrew has already learned to enjoy his career in swimming. Yes, his career. His latest sponsor is sports giant Adidas.

    “So when I first went pro at 14, I dealt with a lot of pressure,” said Michael. “I put a lot of pressure on myself.”

    See KSHB

  • Spring break is right around the corner, so it is a good time to think about water-safety classes for kids.

    The YMCA in Boulder is partnering with the Boulder Valley School District to offer free swim lessons for their kindergarteners.

    They started the program to reduce the drowning rate in the county.

    See 9News and find out more about the aquatics program here: http://bit.ly/1L5AnZl.

  • Record holder and swimming legend, Susie Maroney has confirmed she has been diagnosed with cancer following the discovery of a malignant melanoma on her back.

    The mother of three told spoke to New Idea about the diagnosis and how her previous career contributed to the illness, “[I] spent all those hours in the water all day, training and marathon swimming…but I didn’t put on any sunscreen.”

    Maroney is married to quadriplegic former rugby player Perry Cross and has three children, Paris, 7, Capri, 5, and River, 3, from previous relationships.

    “They’re so young and they need me,” Maroney told the publication of her children.

    Read Vogue

    https://youtu.be/CjG1jOOjZ-Q

  • “One size does not fit all. LEN is comprised of federations from over 50 countries representing our aquatic disciplines. And each of them are facing their own unique challenges. I believe that LEN must create a structure that empowers Member Federations. This means providing them the flexibility and support to make a real difference in the development and growth of Aquatics in their respective countries.”

    See erikvanheijningen.com

  • It was gray and cloudy today with wisps of rain that would likely ruin your typical wedding – except maybe this one.

    Deep inside a 6.3 million gallon tank at the Georgia Aquarium, two love birds took the plunge – quite literally.

    The special event happened on Sunday in the Ocean Voyager tank built by Home Depot at the local aquarium where these newlyweds made a commitment almost as large as the whale sharks that surrounded them. That last part wasn’t just a pun – the tank housed the largest species of shark currently in existence.

    https://youtu.be/i3wm5-8dA48

    See 11Alive and Fox5

    via GIPHY

  • It only takes a little more than a hundred bucks and some creativity to create The Next Big Thing in college hoops.

    Look no further than the front row of the student section at Arizona State basketball games for proof.

    That’s where you’ll find the Curtain of Distraction, a gallery of absurdity that’s taken distracting opposing free-throw shooters and turned it into a signature for the university and earned international renown.

    Tim Schodt, a senior political science major, boasts one of the signature distractions, routinely stripping down to his skivvies and dragging a giant, homemade wrecking ball and chain behind the curtain for a demented tribute to Miley Cyrus’ iconic “Wrecking Ball” music video from 2013. Two attendants on both sides of the goal man the black curtain, which is simply strung up on a frame of PVC pipe painted yellow. Once the free-throw shooter gets the ball, they slide the curtain back, dramatically revealing a customized distraction meant to draw the shooter’s eyes from the rim.

    There’s the Unicorn Love Story, where two students wearing unicorn masks wait behind the curtain. When they’re revealed, one jumps into the other’s arms and a vigorous makeout session begins. In another, two students hold a third in a kayak. He rows, while the rest of the student section simultaneously reflects his strokes.

    The Curtain of Distraction made its debut during the 2013-14 season, and over time the costumes and props have piled up in a small storage room inside the tunnel at Wells Fargo Arena. In total, the curtain boasts more than 100 possible distractions. It’s had an on-floor impact, too. A New York Times study last year found the curtain’s presence “appears to give Arizona State an additional one- to two-point advantage per home game.”

    No distraction gained the student section more attention than when future assistant swimming coach Michael Phelps, who also happens to be the most successful Olympian of all time, showed up behind the curtain last month.

    Read Sports on Earth

    https://youtu.be/WvHdwH1wHsM

  • Come down to the ocean depths with freediver Karsten Moeller as he takes one breath to explore the Chrisoula K shipwreck.