Swimmer's Daily

  • And you thought it couldn’t get any better

    The Shia LaBeouf motivational speech is a very popular meme, these days, from a video where he performs in front of a green screen.

    https://youtu.be/nuHfVn_cfHU

  • During the meet Age Group Internationals, Toronto Swim Club shows how to shake off their races.

  • Four-time Olympic champion swimmer Missy Franklin is already soaring to new heights on her return to Colorado.

    Franklin, a 20-year-old nicknamed the “Missile,” flew in an F-16 with the Air Force Thunderbirds last week.

    “I’ve been excited for like five days,” Franklin told Denver’s NBC affiliate 9News before her flight from Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora. “Ever since I found out I was going to be able to do this.”

    See NBC OlympicTalk and 7NEWS on YouTube

  • UPDATE. Phew, relax … it was a hoax !

    If you had to make a list of the things you’d LEAST like to have in your ear, this is probably number one.

    Yup, that looks like a spider peeking out of a man’s ear canal.

    The gruesome clip was posted to YouTube by Bruce Branit, who wrote: “Swam at Lake of the Ozarks last weekend and got a super painful ear infection.

    “Totally blocked ear canal. Tried to use my phone’s camera to see if I could see anything. Found this!”

    See The Huffington Post

    https://youtu.be/CMLG3I7tPx8

    It’s not the first time an arachnid has been found nesting in a nice cosy ear.

    Last year singer Katie Melua posted video of her own eight-legged guest after noticing a “rustling” sound in her ear.

  • Guest post by The Swimming Pool Store

    According to The Royal Life Saving Society UK around 400 people needlessly drown in the UK every year and thousands more suffer injury, some life changing, through near-drowning experiences. Putting this into context, one person dies every 20 hours in the UK, and drowning is the third highest cause of accidental death of children in the UK.

    This is why ensuring your child is safe when swimming is essential.

    But don’t let these statistics put you off, as swimming is a great form of all-round exercise. Getting involved regularly can reduce the risk of chronic illnesses, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and stroke according to the NHS.

    The reason for a lot of drowning cases is because people don’t know how to swim and don’t stay safe when in the water, and therefore starting children off from an early age is highly beneficial.

    Teach Your Children How To Swim From An Early Age

    Some parents feel their baby isn’t safe in water, however this isn’t the case. You can take your baby for a swim at any age. Doing so allows your baby to get used to the water as he/she gets older, and swimming becomes second nature to them.

    Never Leave Your Child Unattended In A Pool

    It’s vital that you do not leave your child unattended in a pool. If you keep an eye on them, then there confidence will remain high knowing they can see you, and lifeguards can’t always watch everyone. Drowning can happen in water as little as 2 inches, so ensure nothing distracts you.

    Learn CPR

    Learn CPR- a first aid technique that can save a person’s life. About 92% of sudden cardiac arrest victims die before reaching the hospital according to the American Heart Association.

    Make Sure Your Child Uses Appropriate Flotation Devices

    Do not solely rely on inflatable toys, water wings or air mattresses when your kids are in the water. Utilise appropriate and correct flotation devices such as life jackets (look for those which are coast guard approved), arm bands (water wings) or life belts – but remember that you’re one of the best swimming aids for a child, too!

    Ensure Your Child Asks Your Permission Before Entering The Pool

    Make sure that your child knows that they can’t just run and jump in the water as they please, they need your permission to do so! Not only will you know where they are, but they’ll know you’re close by keeping a watchful eye.

    Follow these safety tips and your child will remain far safer when out in the water, letting them have fun while you’re confident they’re getting a good level of exercise.

  • This morning during the Bergen Swim Festival prelims, Pál Joensen set a new Faroe Islands national record in the 200 meter breaststroke, qualifying for the final in 2:21.71. But that is not all – en route to that he broke the Faroese records also in the 50 and 100 meter breaststroke.

    A consequence of being a world class swimmer from a tiny country that is still waiting for its first long course pool, the records might not be that hard to break. The 50 record was 31.39 from 2010, while the records in the 100 and 200 were 1:08.84 and 2:24.46 respectively.

    Still, breaking all national records in the long course breaststroke is quite impressive, when it was done in only one race. Especially if you are not a breaststroker per se, but a long course freestyler.

    The Faroese records are now 30.65 in the 50 breaststroke, 1:06.40 in the 100 and 2:21.71 in the 200.

    Pál was 7th in the final, but we were happy with his prelim swim :-)

  • Cathy Bennett vividly recalls a wild, 7-year-old boy whom she had to give swimming lessons.

    “He would run around and would use every excuse he had not to get in the water,” said Bennett, an instructor at the Meadowbrook Aquatic & Fitness Center in Baltimore. “He would have to go to the bathroom. He would have to get something to eat. Whatever. Finally, I told him that he was getting in the water, and I realized he wasn’t comfortable putting his face in the water. So I got him relaxed and had him swim on his back.”

    The instruction worked. Actually, it worked exceptionally well.

    The boy was Michael Phelps.

    Read ESPN

  • On Tuesday, a bomb threat led to the evacuation of West Hills High in Santee, and although no explosives were found, the story took a rather amusing turn thanks to a bomb sniffing dog.

    CBS News 8’s Jeff Zevely tracked down the bomb sniffing dog from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms who could not help himself from jumping into the school’s pool which made a big splash with viewers.

    See CBS8

    CBS News 8 – San Diego, CA News Station – KFMB Channel 8

  • Chlorine is commonly assumed to be the culprit behind Kermit-colored hair. But the truth is, another compound designed to keep the pool clean may actually be what’s turning your hair green.

    Copper sulfate is often added to swimming pools to combat algae, according to the authors of a 2014 case study about a 15-year-old girl whose blonde hair was turning progressively green. “Copper compounds in the water bind to the protein on the surface of the hair shaft and deposit their color,” the researchers explain. (This can also occur if your home has new copper piping.)

    Although blonde hair is the most likely shade to go green, “it happens to other colors also,” says Steve Pullan, a trichologist at the Philip Kingsley hair clinic in New York City. “You just don’t notice it as much.” As a hair scientist, he sees green-haired goddesses all summer long — and has noticed a trend among these clients: They’ve often bleached their tresses.

    “Even natural hair can become green,” Pullan tells Yahoo Health. But coloring your hair — especially when bleach is involved — makes the shaft of each strand more porous, allowing your locks to absorb the pool chemicals more easily. In fact, in a study called “The Green Hair Problem,” conducted way back in 1979, researchers found that hair treated with peroxide or damaged by the sun was more likely to suck up copper.

    Read Yahoo! Health

    Photo by jinxmcc