Great video here about YMCA Detroit’s Urban Swim Initiative, where YMCA offers swimming lessons for free, for those who care to show up. Brilliant.
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Former Olympic swimmer questions use of funds in FINA
When Nikki Dryden was a successful swimmer for Canada, she had little time to focus on the financial affairs of FINA. However, now as a New York-based humans right attorney, she feels our sport’s governing body is only becoming richer, more secretive and less accountable. And yes, the numbers are quite worrying – with 22 full time staff, an administrative budget for 2008 of $3.3 million, FINA ended the year of 2005 with excess fund USD 9 million, but spent just USD 300,000 on development programmes. Basic safeguards as equipping lifeguards with binoculars are being compromised, while at the same time, athletes are increasingly being forced to wear the logos of FINA and its sponsors. Read playthegame.org.
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Yes, FINA preparing live streams from all World Cup legs
See live streaming schedule here on fina.org and go here to see the actual FINA TV player. Looks like they are going to broadcast all World Cup events, starting with the World Cup leg in Dubai this weekend “in all countries except: Mexico, Italy, Brazil, Russia, Hungary, Sweden, France, Romania, Croatia, Georgia, Sweden, Middle East, USA, China, Poland Singapore and South Africa.”
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Alternate way to put on a swim cap
Actually quite impressive when they get around to it.
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The Water Buggy looks perfect for open water races
OK, maximum speed is only 8 to 10 kph, but then again, who can swim faster than that ? Joystick steering for those of us who grew up with the Commodore 64. Designed to accommodate three people, able to float on shallow waters of 1 meter depth or more, outboard engine concealed within its body, with a 360 degrees turbine that allows it to spin in place. Not particularly seaworthy though. See www.waterbuggystore.com, via gizmag
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Another good day in Faroese swimming
Today it is confirmed that a Danish TV crew will join us at the World Cup leg in Stockholm, follow Pál there and then come back with us to the Faroe Islands, to film how he lives and trains in his hometown Vágur. He’s had the competing channel TV2 visit him in Vágur before, but now it is the national broadcasting company DR preparing a series of London 2012 Olympic profiles.
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Garmin Forerunner 910XT tracks your run and details your swim
Wow, the newest Garmin Forerunner 910XT is not only a runner’s GPS watch like my old, trusty Forerunner 305, but now also offers swim metrics like distance, stroke identification, stroke count and your ‘SWOLF’ score (swim-golf, an estimation of your swimming efficiency by adding your time with your strokes, see for instance this video). Water resistant of course, and with a battery that is good for 20 hours of use. A bike mount can be purchased for, and it also includes ANT+ support for connecting to wireless sensors like a heart rate monitor. Via slashgear -
Moving into the upper echelon
These past few weeks have been quite humbling for us in Faroese swimming, with people acknowledging the little or lot we have managed to do with miniscule resources. Pál was invited to join the Europe team in the “Duel in the Pool” against USA in December, we had 4 young swimmers (and a coach) doing well at a LEN open water training camp in Spain, and I got to be in the “World/Regional Swimmers of the Year” panel of SwimmingWorld Magazine. Sweet.
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Face Your Fears – Water
Someone has peed too much in that pool
Face Your Fears – Water from Changing Faces on Vimeo.