World 100m freestyle champion Cate Campbell has been named Australia’s Swimmer of the Year after winning four golds at the Pan Pacific Championships and three at the Commonwealth Games in 2014.
The 22-year-old, who also won the award last year, holds the fastest time in the world this year for the 100m freestyle (52.62 seconds) and joint fastest time for the 50m freestyle (23.96).
See ABC News (with video)
Amy Van Dyken, the six-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer who became paralyzed when she severed her spinal cord in an ATV crash this summer, says she is determined to walk again.
“There is a possibility that that milestone of me walking again may happen,†Van Dyken told ABC’s Robin Roberts in an interview for the ABC News special, “The Year: 2014,†which airs on Dec. 23 at 9 p.m. ET. Van Dyken will be featured in a segment about heroes and people who inspire and help others.
“Will I do it under my own power? Probably, because I’m hoping it’s going to be with braces, but will I do it without braces? I don’t know, but just that will be a milestone in and of itself, so let’s do it,†she added.
See ABC News
Olympic gold medallist Michael Klim has renewed calls for the introduction of mandatory swimming lessons in all Victorian schools.
“A lot of schools in the state are on the front foot with water safety and are proactive. I think (mandatory lessons) are something we should definitely consider,†Mr Klim said.
“I don’t think you can put a cost on a child’s life. Most parents are happy to pay for that swimming lesson,†he said.
A Life Saving Victoria report revealed more than 39,000 year six students were unable to swim 50m in 2012.
And the organisation’s drowning report for the 2013-14 financial year found there were 47 drowning deaths in the state.
Read Herald Sun
http://youtu.be/U61CxwnURmI
“Powerless” is the last word expected to be used in connection with 18-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer Michael Phelps.
A Baltimore judge accused Phelps of being “powerless over alcohol,” even while ordering Phelps to 18 months supervised probation for committing a driving under the influence offense on Sept. 30, USA TODAY Sports reported.
Phelps was ordered to stay away from alcohol during his probation.
Santa took the plunge in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in the US to deliver presents to all the good mermaids and mermen on Saturday.
Santa made rounds about five miles off Islamorada to some very fortunate underwater critters on the Davis Reef. Dive shop operator Spencer Slate filled St. Nick’s shoes this year, who brought some holiday cheer to the schools of fish that were graced by his red suit and flowing white beard. He even brought a Christmas tree with him!
See CCTV
Three out of five children are leaving primary school without the ability to swim to basic standards, which Lifesaving Victoria fears could lead to higher drowning rates in the future.
Research reveals that 60 per cent of children aged under 12 cannot swim 50 metres without assistance or stay afloat for two minutes, the yardstick used to determined standards.
High costs, transport issues and cultural barriers are the most common reasons for children failing to learn to swim properly.
Read The Age
As swimming club coaches we have to correct basic errors in a vast majority of the swimmers we get from swim schools. Here’s one major problem we often see…
Hmmm, or maybe re-invents ?
A woman from southwest China has invented a new swimming aid that allows children to learn how to swim on their own.
Former Huntley boys swimming and diving coach George Keenan and assistant coach Michelle Bradford resigned on Dec. 9 due to a disagreement with athletic director Chris Rozanski in which Keenan said Rozanski “accused us of trying to leave a kid at a swim meet.â€
Neither of the coaches nor Rozanski were initially willing to disclose the nature of the argument that prompted the coaches to abruptly resign. The team was then forced to withdraw from competitions on Dec. 10 and Dec. 11.
But in the coaches’ letters of resignation received Thursday through the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, Keenan and Bradford indicated that the disagreement hinged upon events following the swim meet on Dec. 5 at the Illinois Math and Science Academy in Aurora. Keenan initially provided his letter of resignation to the Northwest Herald on Dec. 13.
The bus planned to leave Huntley High School at 3 p.m., but, according to Keenan, two freshmen took the 2:30 p.m. bus the team normally rides to practices at Centegra Health System. When the freshmen realized they took the wrong bus, a parent of one of the boys drove them from Centegra to the meet in Aurora. Keenan said he planned to let the boys swim, but they took too long in the locker room, so he held them out of the meet.
After the meet, Keenan decided that, since a parent drove the two freshmen to the meet, the parent should drive them home. He said the parent who drove the boys to the meet did not have room in the parent’s car, so another parent took the second boy home.
Keenan insists, though, that he secured rides for both boys, a point that is at the crux of the disagreement.
Read Northwest Herald
Photo by dhendrix73 
