Swimmer's Daily | Fast Fix Blog About Swimming

Behold, a hamster-driven soda bottle submarine

Jan 3, 2012

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by

rokur

in Fun, Technology

Another technological feat of mankind, this functional hamster wheel powered “HPS Hamstar” submarine made out of a 3-liter soda bottle. Project page is here, with photos and stuff so that you can construct one yourself, and a materials list disclosing that the biggest cost was the $12 hamster Houdina, now retired after one voyage. Via geekologie

“The major difference between steam power and hamster power is that you don’t have to shovel hamsters into a furnace. Another key difference is the smaller carbon footprint made by hamster energy than that of coal and other fossil fuels.”
~creators of HPS Hamstar
CC photo #4: A focused Sun Yang before the 2011 Shanghai 800 freestyle

Jan 3, 2012

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by

rokur

in CC BY-NC-ND 2.0, Competition

China’s Sun Yang and Faroe Islands’ PÃ¡l Joensen ready for the Shanghai 2011 men’s 800 freestyle final. Too bad they had those chairs reserved for teams right behind the entrance – made it look like the stadium was half-empty, which it certainly was not.
Dara Torres was bulimic ?

Jan 3, 2012

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by

rokur

in Gossip, Health

Not that I’m totally shocked – swimming has all kinds of problems, including that it really helps to be as light as possible. Read dagblog.com

Days ago I finished Age Is Just A Number, perennial Olympic swimmer Dara Torres’ ghost written autobiography. Lithe and streamlined as juniors, women swimmers often struggle with weight as their hips and breasts blossom. Nearly six feet tall, Torres was coached to make weight. She either weighed-in under 152 or swam extra workouts – perversely dubbed the Breakfast Club. Liking food, but not wanting to ever feel part of what she saw as “the fat group,” Torres learned to vomit after meals, and struggled with bulimia in her early years. Having a professional model for a mother probably didn’t help.

Torres after winning silver in the Beijing Olympics 2008

Picture courtesy of bryangeek, cc by-sa
Marieke Guehrer breaks tooth in rogue snorkel accident

Jan 3, 2012

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by

rokur

in Gossip

Sigh, no fun breaking a front tooth.
http://twitter.com/#!/mariekeguehrer/status/153960244521877504
World swim cap wearing record set at the 2012 Tybee Island Polar Plunge

Jan 3, 2012

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by

rokur

in Fun, Open Water

You might not have know about it, but the Guinness world record for the largest gathering of people wearing swim caps was 546 people, set in Japan in July 2011. Now it is American, with 2045 people absolutely demolishing the record at the 2012 Tybee Island Polar Plunge in Georgia, USA. Via The Graveyard shift
Video: High altitude training with James Goddard

Jan 2, 2012

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by

rokur

in Competition, Training

BBC’s Nick Hope feeling on his own body what high altitude training feels like. Three-times Commonwealth Games swimming champion James Goddard also comments on his chances against Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps – ‘the two greatest swimmers of all time in my event’ – come London 2012. See BBC
Swimming With Manatees

Jan 2, 2012

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by

rokur

in Fun, Nature

Finally someone going for a warm dip in wetsuits with aquatic wildlife on New Year’s Eve, rather than an icy dip with wild people the day after ! :-)

Swimming with Manatees from Jess Wang on Vimeo.
Vancouver Polar Bear Swim 2012

Jan 2, 2012

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by

rokur

in Fun, Open Water

People going crazy on Polar Bear Swim 2012 at English Bay, Vancouver, British Colombia, Canada. Air temperature: 5ÂºC / 41ÂºF. Water temperature: 7.7ÂºC / 46ÂºF.

Polar Bear Swim 2012 from Beto Galetto on Vimeo.
The Race Club interviewing Ryan Cochrane and Randy Bennett

Jan 2, 2012

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by

rokur

in Competition, Technique

“Randy Bennett is the Canadian Head Coach for the 2012 Olympics. Ryan Cochrane looks to be the only challenger to current world record holder in the 1500 meter freestyle Sun Yang of China heading into the London Olympics.”

Let’s (hopefully) see about that last statement! :-P

Video courtesy of Gary Hall Sr. / The Race Club, including “footage of Ryanâ€™s amazing technique”.