Swimmer's Daily

  • Guest post by Mark Tomich

    Pools are a fantastic asset to any home – who doesn’t dream of taking a cool dip in the middle of a hot summer day, or enjoying a refreshing workout first thing in the morning? Despite the advantages, owning a pool also comes with responsibility.

    Image courtesy of Sharon Loxton, CC BY-SA 2.0
    Image courtesy of Sharon Loxton, CC BY-SA 2.0

    Anyone who owns a swimming pool should ensure they take the necessary precautions to make it a safe environment for everyone to enjoy. Preventing injury should be your top priority, as pools are a potential hazard. Luckily, most dangers can easily be avoided as long as you follow the following guidelines.

    (more…)

  • Via Laughing Squid

    Holland-based Snurk (“Snore”) Bedding has designed a surprisingly realistic swimming pool themed line of bedclothes simply named “Pool“.

    For this pool you don’t have to be able to swim. That’s because it’s impossible to drown in. Chances are though that you will be sinking into a deep, revitalising sleep. So what are you waiting for? Dive right in.

    Now you can follow that black line into your dreams too !

    pool-bedclothes-2

  • Read SuperSport

    South African open-water swimming sensation Chad Ho once again rewrote the aQuellé Midmar Mile record books after he swam to his fifth successive victory in the event in KwaZulu-Natal on Sunday.

    It was the closest finish ever in the race, as Ho just pipped regular rival Troyden Prinsloo at the line.[…]

    Post by 41st aQuelle Midmar Mile 2014 8/9 February 2014.
     
    The women’s race also saw a tight finish, with American Ashley Twichell narrowly edging out Brit Keri-anne Payne by just two seconds. Shortly after watching Payne make a brisk start and claim the race’s first hotspot at the 400-metre mark, defending champion Twichell went to the front and refused to relinquish that position for the remainder of the race, despite Payne’s constant presence.

  • See for instance MTV and Sport Relief

    Davina McCall is shown in distress and unable to move following an open-water swim in Lake Windermere as part of her epic Sport Relief challenge.

    The former Big Brother presenter had to be lifted from the chilly waters of the Cumbrian lake and was carried away to a nearby hotel by members of the crew.

    http://youtu.be/AtGtgg1_Lj0

    According to Cumbria Live, she feared the swim

    Today her trainer said the Windermere swim was terrifying Davina.

    “It is the one thing that she is really, really scared about – 10 weeks ago she could only swim about one length of a swimming pool, but has a good team around her.”

  • Read for instance sport24

    Tragedy has marred the Midmar Mile swimming event for the second time in four years, with a Johannesburg businessman still missing on Sunday after taking part in Race 3 on Saturday, The Witness reports.

    Thabo van Straten, 43, is presumed to have drowned. Searches on Saturday and Sunday failed to locate his body, and the search is expected to resume on Monday, weather permitting.

    According to iol, Midmar Mile organisers released a statement afterwards, saying Saturday’s conditions were “far from ideal”, with “exceptional” swells running freely across the surface of the dam.

     

     

  • Read Gizmag and see goCstudio

    Architecture firm goCstudio is planning to launch a floating sauna on Lake Washington, Seattle, later this year. According to goCstudio, the sauna will be accessed by kayak and will provide, “an enticing refuge from the city, a moment to escape, relax and reinvigorate.”[…]

    20140210-190418.jpg

    According to O’Carroll, the sauna will most likely be classified as a boat by the US Coast guard and will be able to “drop anchor” for periods of time. When anchored, the plan is to orientate it to the south so as to catch the sun. Slot windows, meanwhile, will provide views of the city and the surrounding mountains.

    In order to undertake the project, goCstudio needs to raise US$15,000 via a Kickstarter campaign, which is due to launch within a few weeks. If successful, the campaign will fund the materials for the sauna, stove and the prefab dock kit. O’Carroll and Gentry will carry out the construction themselves with the help of friends and contributors. They hope to partner with a business to run and maintain the sauna while it remains open.

  • “Ryan Lochte jumping into Barcelona’s Olympic Montjuïc pool from the top diving board. Keep watching to see what happens after he hits the water….”

    http://youtu.be/EhvfRBJ4rao

  • Read the press release on fina.org

    A total 25 swimmers from 11 countries took the plunge in the second and longest leg of the FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix 2014, organised in Hernandarias-Parana (ARG) on February 9.

    Home favourite Pilar Geijo turned the 88km demanding effort in a class of her own, winning the women’s event with a comfortable margin in 9h27m28s. The standout swimmer remains unbeaten in this race since 2010. Silvie Rybarova (CZE), who finished first in Race 1 a week earlier, picked up silver in 9h48m07s while Vicenia Navarro from Venezuela made her Grand Prix podium debut with the bronze, clocking 9h51m48s.

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  • Read for instance Business Standard andcyril-baldock his fundraiser here

    Cyril Baldock, 70, who swam the English Channel in 1985, has taken the challenge up again.

    At that time, Baldock swam the English Channel from France to England in just 10 hours and 44 minutes under the guidance of the legendary long-distance swimmer Des Renford, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

    In August, when the conditions are going to be appropriate, Baldock is going to take a plunge again into the frigid Channel waters – this time trying to swim from Shakespeare Beach, near Dover, to Cap Gris Nez.

    Baldock is aiming to be the oldest person to swim the Channel, and wants to beat the record set in 2011 by Englishman Roger Allsopp when he was 70 years and four months.

    However, apart from the swim marathon; finding a sponsor for his swim, who will raise money for the Melanoma Institute of Australia, is also in his mind

    Baldock is hoping to swim the Channel in about 11 hours.