Swimmer's Daily

  • Middlebury College has suspended for the rest of the season all of its female swimming and dive team members except for the freshmen in a tough response to the latest report of hazing on the Vermont college’s campus. Little is known about what happened in early February at a swim team party, but the school newspaper the Middlebury Campus reported that the party “crossed the line from innocent initiation to hazing.” (more…)

  • British Swimming today announced a four year rights deal with the BBC to broadcast swimming and other aquatic sports in the run up to the 2012 Olympics, the Commonwealth Games 2014 and beyond. Also, they partner to launch the Big Splash, a UK-wide mass-participation campaign, to get people in the pool.

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  • The Danish world champion Lotte Friis tells sporten.dk, that she fears the possibility of a positive doping test, because she cannot control 100% what she eats. She is backed up by Jens Evald chairman of the Danish Anti Doping Association, who says that there is a hole in the current WADA regulation, making innocent athletes nervous while allowing offenders to get away with a ‘beef excuse’.

    Wildeboer and Friis at the World Cup in Stockholm 2010

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  • A new study by Spanish researchers has warned that swimming for long hours in chlorinated water could increase the risk of developing bladder cancer. According to the study, regular swimmers are at increase risk of absorbing cancer-causing chemicals called trihalomethanes (THMs) through the skin. The risk is small, but significant enough for the researchers to conclude that regular swimming and baths in chlorinated water eliminated the benefits of drinking bottled water rather than (I guess chlorinated) tap water. Read themedguru.com and indianexpress.com.

  • If you are contemplating on going to the Olympics in London 2012 as a spectator, it is now between 15th March and 26th April that you have to apply for a ticket. They are quite expensive, from £20 to £450 to see the swimming, depending on where you sit and if it is prelims or finals. Kids under 16 get away with paying their age in pound sterling, and seniors above 60 with paying £16. Here is a video promoting the greatest show on Earth, where swimming gets its fair share.

  • The Natwest Island Games are sort of the Olympic Games of small island countries, including islands like Ã…land, Bermuda, Falkland Islands, Frøya, Gibraltar, Greenland, Jersey, Menorca, Prince Edward Island, Rhodes, Saaremaa and St Helena. Faroe Islands won the last games in Ã…land in 2009, primarily because of Faroese swimmers winning 21 of the total 34 gold medals, that the Faroese won in all sports disciplines all together. This year the 14th games will be on the Isle of Wight, from 25th June to 1st July. See www.natwestislandgames2011.co.uk.

  • Ian Thorpe wishes he would have made his mind up sooner, saying there is no time now to the in shape for his signature 400m freestyle before London 2012. Also, he has to work harder one the underwater part, stating “I have to get used to the idea that swimmers today are staying under the water longer and travelling further and faster off the walls than they did.” Read SwimNews.com.

  • The H20 Power Radio screws into place between the taps and the hose, and then runs on power generated from water running through a micro turbine inside of it. It’s not clear whether or not it can be installed if your shower is the type where the taps and the head just stick out of the wall. But if it can, it can run even for a while when the shower is turned off, using integrated Ni-Mh rechargeable battery stores. Via gizmag.com.

  • ‘The Subterranean Mansion in Bowdon, Cheshire near Manchester in England is for sale. Mostly underground, with a beautiful garden above. Entrance hall, cloakroom/WC, lounge, dining room, breakfast kitchen, utility room, laundry room, master bedroom with en suite bathroom, dressing room & shute to pool, 2 further bedroom suites, swimming pool, central Jacuzzi with atrium above, gym, bar area, changing room with shower & WC, plant room, garage, in all approximately 4,300 sq ft. Gardens, approximately 0.3 of an acre. Only £2,000,000. I repeat, master bedroom with en suite bathroom, dressing room & shute to pool. Source: neatorama.com.