Swimmer's Daily

  • See West Seattle Blog

    You’ve seen the work of West Seattle’s award-winning “Diver Laura” James – a filmmaker, photographer, writer, environmental activist – here and elsewhere over the past few years. Now, we get a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to get those views; much more complicated than simply jumping into the water with a camera. The video above tells that story as part of a profile of Laura’s work, made for the Puget Sound Starts Here campaign by another local filmmaker, Matthew J. Clark.

    See also diverlaura.com

  • Former six times world champion swimmer Mark Foster has told Daybreak he learnt to swim because his father was “petrified of water”.

  • “In our exclusive new series ‘Medal Memories’ we explore some of the Commonwealth Games greatest moments, hearing from the Athletes themselves and their personal stories behind the the iconic moments.

    In our first film ex-swimmer David Carry looks back at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games where he picked up and amazing double-gold, helping Scotland to their greatest ever Commonwealth Games.”

    In related news, ForArgyll recognizes Carry’s partly Faroese roots. Yay!

    “David, who is part Scot, part Faroese, has recently been added to Scottish Swimming’s Board of Directors.”

  • Swimming Australia boss Barclay Nettlefold has resigned from his post over inappropriate comments to a staffer. Olympian Geoff Huegill discusses.

  • See for instance Shropshire Star

    The Duke of Cambridge has recorded a video message in support of the Amateur Swimming Association’s (ASA) vision that every child has the right to learn to swim.

    William outlines the importance of children being confident in water in his message which follows an ASA report that claims more than half of youngsters aged seven to 11 years cannot swim 25 metres unaided.

    The Association has said this equates to just over a million children who are potentially not safe in and around water.

    The Duke, who is patron of the English Schools Swimming Association, says in the video: “Swimming has always been important to me – I was very proud to represent Scottish Universities at water polo and both Catherine and I will never forget the excitement and pride we felt cheering on Team GB in the Aquatics Centre last summer at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

    “Swimming is unique – it is the only sport that can save lives – which is why I’m so keen for school swimming to be accessible for all children at all primary schools.

    “The ASA has a belief – a vision, which I share – that every child has the right to learn to swim.

  • Our youngest and a girl wading out to fetch buckbeans in our local lake. I had just returned from taking a photo of a bird’s nest that his big brother and a friend had found (yes, it was that idyllic), when my wife said that Bjarki had gone wading in the lake. So up it went again, found him and zoom and snap, a lucky shot. He got two of those buckbeans, and wet pants.

    A lucky shot

  • barclay-nettlefoldSwimming Australia has sunk to a new low, with its president today resigning in disgrace after lewd comments he made to colleagues surfaced. There is obviously bad blood between the parties involved as Nettlefold describes the matter as ‘a personality attack on me […] that needs to be dealt with too’, while Swimming Australia CEO Mark Anderson reserves their right to investigate further.

    “Someone is after me. This is clearly a vendetta.”

    According to this statement from Swimming Australia CEO, Mark Anderson, the Board will now conseder the appointment of an Acting President at a Board meeting to be convened later this week.

    Read also for instance Herald Sun, Courier Mail, The Guardian, SwimVortex

  • Read The New Indian Express

    The heavily polluted Karamana river, which has literally turned into drainage canal, can, ironically, boast of moulding swimming champions who even took part in international events. However, the advantage is now lost as the river, having turned a dump yard, is no longer fit for swimming, leaving the swimmers in the lurch.

    Creating a pool of trained swimmers is what the YMA Swimming Club at Thiruvallom has taken up for the past 50 years as a challenge. The club had embarked on the initiative to train children at a young age to mould them into champions. But now, the youngsters have no place to swim and the polluted river has reduced the number of club members to less than 100.

    Karmana-River

    Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

  • Duncan GoodhewRead Sunderland Echo

    Former Olympic swimmer Duncan Goodhew gave youngsters a coaching session to mark the refurbishment of their pool.

    The pool, at Chester-le-Street Leisure Centre, is now more energy efficient after British Gas upgraded the building’s heating and lighting.

    Duncan, 56, whose son is studying at Northumbria University, said: “Modernised heating and ventilation means the pool here in Chester-le-Street is a nicer place for users and the council has a smaller energy bill, so everyone’s a winner.

    “I hope people in the area 
will take advantage of what’s 
been done by making use of the pool.”

    Duncan, who won Olympic gold in 1980, added: “I run a number of coaching projects aimed at 
getting youngsters into swimming.

    “There are also a number of companies, such as British Gas, who ask me to help with their swimming-related projects.

    “In some ways I’m more involved in swimming now than when I won the gold medal.

    Image courtesy of Steve Bowbrick, CC BY 2.0