• Read and watch TVNZ

    A Hamilton public swimming pool is considering “women only” sessions to try to encourage more into the water.

    The controversial move by Hamilton’s Gallagher Aquatic Centre is seen as “separatist” by some, but women’s groups say it’s a great idea.

    The aquatic centre is planning to shut its door to men to give women a few hours a week on their own.

    “I think it’s great because after I’ve had so many kids I’m a bit body-conscious. Actually having a women’s-only session would be really good,” ONE woman swimmer in the pool told ONE News.

    Hamilton City Council say the move is all about water safety and encouraging more women to swim.

  • Read News4Jax

    Several groups in Jacksonville teamed up Saturday to promote water safety and prevent accidental drowning by kicking off the “Waterproof Jacksonville” campaign.

    The countywide campaign offers free swimming lessons to kids whose families are facing financial difficulty.

    Mayor Alvin Brown announced his plans to expand the in-demand program.

    “Today we’ve launched the expansion of Waterproof JAX, making sure that we have an opportunity to teach young people how to swim, to make sure that they don’t drown,” said Brown. “Florida is the No. 1 state for accidental drowning and my goal as mayor of Jacksonville is that we ‘waterproof’ Jacksonville.”

  • Read Courier Mail

    Huegill’s achievement and the healthy lifestyle message that he marketed set him up for life. Then came the news this week that he and his wife Sara had been charged with possession of cocaine following a day at Randwick races.

    While the charges have yet to be heard by a court, as Huegill’s former business partner Keith Saggers so rightly said, the question remains how forgiving the Australian public will be over the allegations. Much of Huegill’s income came from motivational speaking; basically recounting his gut to gold life story for $10,000 a pop. But who will pay to hear a fairytale if it doesn’t have a happy ending?

    The other problem for Huegill is that he is a swimmer, not a footballer, tennis player or cricketer.

  • Read The Sydney Morning Herald

    Two-time Olympic Games medallist Brenton Rickard has implored officials to build a post-career support network for Australia’s swimmers to help them transition to life out of the pool.

    Rickard is helping Swimming Australia create a new program to prepare athletes for retirement as three of the sport’s golden boys – Ian Thorpe, Grant Hackett and Geoff Huegill – struggle with falls from grace.

    Thorpe has battled depression, Hackett went to rehabilitation in the US for an addiction to sleeping pills and Huegill was arrested last week for alleged cocaine possession.

    brenton rickard photoPhoto by The Wolf

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  • Amazing, just amazing. Driver is Norway’s long distance prodigy Henrik Christiansen.

    Post by LRK.
  • Yesterday evening the sad news were received that Paulus Wildeboer has died from prostate cancer. Paulus was father of Olaf and Aschwin Wildeboer, coaching in Spain for more than 25 years before becoming national head coach of Denmark, and then after London 2012 mentor coach of Swimming Queensland.

    A tough but excellent coach, he as Danish national coach had a tremendous impact in securing 10 medals at the World Championships, elevating swimmers like Lotte Friis, Rikke Møller Pedersen and Jeanette Ottesen to the absolute world elite.

    Rest in peace, Paulus.

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  • Update – The deceased has now been named as Margareth Stolvik from Melbu. People in the know say it had nothing to do with the Facebook trend – Stolvik was an active winter swimmer

    Read for instance Vesterålen Online (in Norwegian)

    Friday evening May 2, a local woman in her 50ies was found dead in the sea near a floating dock in Melbu, Norway. She was wearing a bathing suit, and a towel was found nearby.

     

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  • See WSVN

    A South Florida non-profit organization is pushing for water safety a day after a little boy lost his life in a swimming pool.

    Kindergartners are learning swimming skills that can help save their lives at SWIM Central, a non-profit organization that focuses on water safety to prevent any more tragedies. “Should they find themselves in a situation, they’re in the water, they will self rescue,” said SWIM Central manager Jay Sanford. “If they fall in the water, they know to roll over on their back. They know to yell for help, know how to get back to the wall.”

    WSVN-TV – 7NEWS Miami Ft. Lauderdale News, Weather, Deco

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  • Listen to Books Live on Penguin SA

    Chad le Clos talks about his role model, Michael Phelps, in an interview with Talk Radio 702‘s Jenny Crwys-Williams.

    Le Clos recalls the first time he saw Phelps swim, at the Atlanta Olympic Games in 2004. Eight years later, at the 2012 Olympics in London, Le Clos beat his childhood hero – who was the world number one at the time – in the 200 metres butterfly final, which is documented in his memoir, Unbelievable!

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