Swimmer's Daily

  • Jeanette Ottesen, the Danish world swimming champion, and her boyfriend Marco Loughran, an English backstroke specialist who competed in the 2012 Olympics, were both injured after being assaulted during a road rage attack on Østerbrogade in Copenhagen on Sunday.

    Ottesen, whose injuries might jeopardise her chances of competing in the next major championship, told TV2 Sport the alleged attacker was angered because he thought she was driving too slowly and was not quick enough pulling away when a red light turned green.

    Of foreign appearance
    Ottesen said the man, who she described as being of “foreign appearance”, nearly “drove into them” and then pulled in front of their car and cut them off. He then pulled Loughran out of the car and attacked him.

    “A lot of people with foreign backgrounds pulled Marco away from the man and told him to get lost,” Ottesen said. “They were quite intimidating.”

    Cheap shots
    But as they tried to leave, the man returned to the car and continued to punch Loughran, this time pummelling him repeatedly where he sat, through the car’s open window.

    Loughran was severely injured, suffering a split eyebrow, several broken teeth, an injured shoulder and a scalp injury.

    “We had safety belts on, so we couldn’t do anything,” Ottesen said. “Marco was trying to take off his seatbelt and I was trying to protect his face. That is when my fingers were injured.”

    When Ottesen tried to defend Loughran, one of her fingers was broken and another one sprained.

    Bad timing
    The timing of the injuries could be critical for Ottesen. She has been told she cannot swim for the next three weeks, putting her chances of competing in the FINA World Aquatics Championships, which start on July 24, in serious jeopardy.

    She is taking some time off to recover from the injury and said that she has experienced pain when she has tried to swim since the incident.

    Read more here on Copenhagen Post

  • See statement on FINA.org

    On 31 July 2013, FINA has conducted an in-competition doping control test on Ms Kylie Palmer, member of the Australian National Team with the occasion of the FINA World Championships held in Barcelona (ESP). The sample provided by the athlete showed low levels of a prohibited substance.

    As per the FINA DC Rule 7.1.2, this matter was forwarded to the FINA DCRB for their review and recommendations on 3 August 2013.

    During its review, the FINA DCRB noted that on 1 August 2013 a random sample was obtained from the same competitor within 24 hours of the index test (31 July 2013). The competitor had earlier undergone blood testing on 25 July 2013, a further blood test was performed on 1 August 2013.  All those tests proved negative.

    Consequently, the FINA DCRB sought additional information from the laboratory on the index test. The FINA DCRB also recommended FINA to conduct two further target testing on the swimmer. All those additional tests proved negative.

    In January 2014, the FINA DCRB recommended to FINA that no further action is needed to be taken in the matter of Ms Kylie Palmer as the details of this case were carefully considered by the members of the FINA DCRB who expressed concerns about proceeding with the case given the low levels of the prohibited substance detected, the absence of this substance in a subsequent test, the absence of any other prohibited substance in the samples.

    In February 2015, WADA requested FINA for some information on the matter of Ms Kylie Palmer. FINA provided to WADA all the requested documents in this case.

    Following review of those documents, WADA decided to file an appeal with the Court of Arbitration of Sport in Lausanne (SUI) and requested CAS to order FINA to bring forward the 31 July 2013 findings as an anti-doping rule violation in accordance with DC 7.1.3 et seq.

    Following WADA’s confirmation, on 13 April 2015 FINA sent correspondence to Ms Kylie Palmer and to Swimming Australia notifying about the positive test from Barcelona. The athlete requested the B sample analysis which also showed low levels of the prohibited substance. In accordance with the FINA DC Rules the matter of Ms Kylie Palmer has been forwarded to the FINA Doping Panel for further considerations and final decision.

    On 16 June 2015, Ms Palmer informed FINA that she accepted voluntary Provisional Suspension and that she will refrain from competing pending the final resolution of this matter.

  • By Jena Birch

    Back in 2012 at the London Olympics, The Independent reported that mobile devices will be banned at the Arena since it causes disturbance to the players. Apart from smartphones and tablets, the coordinators of the event also banned any distracting items such as horn, whistles, banners, and musical instruments. But, unknown to many, swimmers in particular need smartphones, especially in measuring their health and fitness in real-time. In this post, we want to provide you ways on how you can maximize your smartphone as a swimmer.

    Choose water-proof devices
    Since you are a swimmer, you must first opt to choose devices that are able to take water or any form of liquid (also known as water-proof). This will ensure that you have a sturdy device that still performs even when you use it at a certain depth of water. Here are the top water-proof handsets today:

    • Sony Xperia Z
    • Samsung Galaxy S5 Active and Sport
    • HTC Desire Eye
    • Kyocera Hydro Life
    • Cat S50

    A swimmer’s guide to mobile technology

    Back in 2012 at the London Olympics, The Independent reported that mobile devices were to be banned in the Arena because they thought it could potentially distract the athletes during competition. Apart from smartphones and tablets, the coordinators of the event also banned any distracting items such as horns, whistles, banners, and musical instruments. But, unbeknown to many, swimmers are now known to utilize smartphones, especially in measuring their health and fitness in real-time. Although this wasn’t a major issue at the Games, in this post, we want to provide you ways on how you can maximize your smartphone if you are a keen swimmer.

    Choose water-proof devices
    Many swimmers now opt to choose devices that are deemed waterproof because of the surroundings they find themselves in daily. Here are the top waterproof handsets today:

    • Sony Xperia Z
    • Samsung Galaxy S5 Active and Sport
    • HTC Desire Eye
    • Kyocera Hydro Life
    • Cat S50

    It’s worth nothing that there are only a few smartphones that are capable of feats such as this. Some are water-resistant with the ability to withstand a splash test or are able to be submerged under water for periods before the water enters the hardware. An example of this is the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge that SamMobile put through a series of tests. The experts at SamMobile found that the handset is water-resistant, and is impervious to being soaked under water for more than half an hour. According to O2’s handset information page, the Galaxy S6 Edge is made from premium metal and sturdy glass which covers and seals the handset, making it robust and water-resistant. The majority of Android mobile devices currently on the market aren’t even water-resistant like the Galaxy S6 Edge – thus, many consumers have chosen to purchase the smartphone due to robust features like the aforementioned water-resistant qualities.

    Track your health
    Although wearables offer quick access to user’s health informations, some smartphones also come with their own health tracking sensors. In fact, the top premium smartphones including the iPhone 6 come pre-built with a Health app, which features all the information a user needs on a single dashboard. Interesting details such as calorie intake, speed meter, stress level, and calorie burned are all featured heavily. The built-in app also creates a shortcut to people the user needs to contact in case of an emergency. Some even have built-in heart rate sensors such as the Galaxy S5. The heart rate sensor is able to monitor the person’s heart rate in real-time, when the user presses their finger against the back panel of the handset.

    But, for more advance tracking of stress levels and health indicators, you may want to consider getting a robust fitness band that you can wear even when swimming. There are various fitness bands that you can pair with your iOS or Android devices, such as Fitbit, Garmin Vivosmart, Microsoft Band, and Misfit Flash. Tom’s Guide listed the top fitness bands and compared them side by side with the other devices on the market (click here).

    Applications you must have
    Apart from the built-in apps that many devices operate, there are apps that you can install to make the most out of your smartphone. Here are our suggested apps:

    1. Speedo Fit – Swim Fitness
    2. Meet Mobile: Swim – View Event Information, Results and Times
    3. Swim Coach Plus
    4. Swim.com
    5. USA Swimming Deck Pass

    Overall, mobile technology is an important tool for swimmers, especially when you consider the new forms of devices that can track your health in real-time. How do you maximize your smartphone as a novice or professional swimmer? Stay updated with all the news regarding swimming on our page: https://www.swimmersdaily.com/.

    The Author:
    Jena is a trusted blogger covering the latest about technology, sports, fashion, lifestyle, and travel. She has started signing up for a swimming class last month, learning the basics of various strokes. She wants to start her own swimming class soon, teaching younger students about the ethics of the sport.

    Featured photo by HebiPics (pixabay)

  • Following on from our previous Great North Swim Video with Cassie Patten where we covered Sighting and Confidence Kate, Anna and Rachel ask for some tips on what they should eat before a Great Swim or an Open Water Swimming event.

    https://youtu.be/JGmYRbmwTs8

  • Filmed and edited by AJ Aguirre and Ben Hamner

  • Follow Olympians in this 20 minute vinyasa yoga for swimmers focusing on core exercise. At the Race Club we find the benefits of yoga to strengthen and lengthen muscles, help improve recovery and nutrition giving an Athlete and advantage in competing at a top level and prevent injury from occurring. In this core exercise video we have incorporated traditional Vinyasa Yoga with some of our favorite core exercises that seamlessly blend into this intense and rewarding Yoga for Swimmers sequence.

    Courtesy of The Race Club

  • Watch as a 3-D chalk drawing comes to life in Chicago’s Pioneer Court to mark the USA Swimming Foundation’s Make A Splash Tour Presented by Phillips 66. For more information on the importance of swimming lessons, visit http://www.makeasplash.org.

  • By Susan Woessner

    The formality of communications with today’s youth has all but disappeared with texting and pervasive social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram. Even email is becoming outdated with young people.

    But when it comes to interactions between adults and children, etiquette, boundaries and safe behaviors are still important. At USA Swimming, through our Safe Sport program, we require all of our swim clubs to adopt an electronic communications policy.

    USAS_CoachAthleteComm_VF

    The goal of the policy and Safe Sport, established in 2010 under the direction of USA Swimming Executive Director Chuck Wielgus, is to reduce the risk of abuse and create a safe environment for our 400,000 athletes. While USA Swimming acknowledges the value of communicating through these methods, we also realize that there may be associated risks that must be considered and monitored.

    As a rule of thumb, all communications between a coach or other adult and an athlete must be strictly professional in nature and only for the purpose of sharing information about team activities.

    A determining factor for the individual initiating the communication should be that that person would be comfortable saying the same message out loud to the athlete in front of the athlete’s parents, the coaching staff, the board or other athletes. If not, then the communication is not appropriate.

    Here are some tips to use to make sure electronic communication with athletes is appropriate:

    Transparent: All electronic communication between coaches and athletes should be transparent. Messages should be clear and direct, and also free of hidden meanings, innuendo, flirtation and expectations.

    Accessible: Make all electronic communication between coaches and athletes a matter of record. These communications should include another coach or parent so that there are no questions about appropriateness.

    Professional: Make sure that all interactions between a coach and an athlete are conducted professionally as a representative of the club. This includes word choices, tone, grammar, use of images and subject matter.

    Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: Coaches should set their social media accounts to private and should not “friend” athletes. If an athlete requests to “friend” a coach, the coach may take the opportunity to educate the athlete on appropriate boundaries.

    No Private Messages: Coaches and athletes are not allowed to “private” or “direct message” each other through any communication, including social media, platforms.

    Susan Woessner has worked with USA Swimming since 2004 and became Director of Safe Sport in 2010. She earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of Texas and swam competitively as an undergraduate at Indiana University.

     

    Featured photo by Simon (Pixabay)

  • Tom Foreman looks at the response to a pair of shark attacks that left two teens fighting for their lives on a North Carolina beach.