Swimmer's Daily

  • A group of kayakers paddling on the Hudson River spotted several dolphins jumping above the waves. The dolphins stayed with the group for about an hour before being scared away by passing motor boats.

  • WBZ TV’s Paula Ebben reports.

  • When it comes to swimming pools, you can expect a strain on your water supplies, especially if you are living in a drought-prone area. Even if you don’t have this problem, it is always a good idea to save pool water. 

    In this article, we will provide you with different ways to preserve water in your home swimming pool.

    1. Use a pool cover

    If you don’t use a cover for your swimming pool, in a year, over half of the water will evaporate from your pool. By using a cover every day, you can reduce the evaporation by almost 90 to 95%. Without a cover, your pool might lose an inch of water every week during the summer season. In a year, this can result in the loss of about 7,000 gallons of water. This is a lot of waste. Installing a pool cover can also reduce algae growth, the need to use chemicals, and conserve heat.

    2. Repair any leaks

    When it comes to persevering pool water, finding any leaks is important. An ongoing leak can result in the wastage of several hundreds of gallons of pool water. You have to look for areas where water is exiting from the equipment lines or the pool. You can check your water bills to find a clue about the leak. Review your statements carefully to see if there is an increase in your normal bill. 

    If you don’t get anything from your utility bill, you can still check if there is a leak in your pool. Use a tile along your pool’s interior perimeter to mark the water level. You can use a grease pen that is water-soluble or place some tape. Then, continue to monitor the water level. After a day, take a look at how much the normal water level has reduced. In case the water level has dropped over a quarter of an inch, it might mean that there are some leaks. Common places where a leak might occur are skimmers, main drains, lighting fixtures, return jets and pipe valves. 

    Leaks are not always easy to locate. If you can’t find one on your own, you should not take any chances and contact a professional who specializes in it. After they have pinpointed the source, they will make the repairs. This fix might be simple or complex. The simple ones might be replacing an O-ring or tightening a pump fitting. The complex ones might include dealing with underground plumbing lines. The most challenging ones are the ones within the pool walls, along the tile line, around the return lines, and inside lighting systems.

    3. Lower the level of your pool water

    In order to conserve pool water, you should lower the level of your pool water. It will prevent water loss from boisterous water play and extreme splashing. You should keep it one inch above the bottom of your pool time. Discourage splashing and explain to the swimmers why the water must stay in your swimming pool.

    4. Lower the pool’s temperature

    In case you use a pool heating system, reduce the temperature. By doing this, you can reduce the water loss caused by evaporation. If your pool isn’t being used, this becomes especially important. 

    5. Minimize the splashing

    Everyone loves splashing the water, cannonballs, jack-knife dives, and water fights. However, this also results in a lot of water loss caused by water leaving the pool. If you want to prevent or reduce this, you have to enforce pool rules. Adults can resist the temptation of using the diving board or enjoying water play. It’s not the same with the kids. They won’t be as open to adapting to these restrictions. 

    Depending on how old your kids are, you can help them understand why it is important to conserve water. Once they know why you have implemented these new guidelines, they will be more likely to cooperate. 

    Another thing you can do is provide additional ways for your kids to have fun in the pool. This includes encouraging pool games such as scavenger hunts or Marco Polo. You can also get inflatable pool toys. With these, your kids will be able to have fun and remain occupied while ensuring that the water doesn’t leave the pool.

    In case you have dogs who like to jump in the water, you should supervise them. 

    6. Add sanitiser and chlorine at night

    If you add chlorine and sanitiser during the day, these chemicals will rapidly evaporate. You should wait until it’s nighttime to add the chemicals. If you have an automatic system where the sanitiser is added when the pump runs, you should schedule it to run at night.

    7. Landscape strategically

    To ensure that you don’t lose your pool water because of wind evaporation, you should use privacy screenings or fences and plant shrubs near the pool area as barriers. This will reduce the amount and occurrence of the wind going across your swimming pool. It will reduce the evaporation rate.

    8. Change the pool filter

    Sand and DE filters can squander water. What you need is a cartridge model for the filter. With this move, you will be able to save a lot of water. The reason for this is that cartridge filters don’t have to be cleaned using a water-hogging backwash. For clearing the dirt and debris out of the cartridge filter, you have to simply open the tank and remove the cartridge. Use a garden hose to wash it quickly. This process might take up some water, but this is nothing in comparison to the amount of water you waste by backwashing.

    For the best results, you should use an oversized cartridge filter. Since it has the maximum dirt-holding capacity, you won’t have to clean it frequently. So, there is a lesser need to hose it down. In fact, there are some filters that can store a lot of debris and require cleaning only once or twice every year. To find out more contact your local Fibreglass Pools New Zealand installer and they’ll be able to answer all the questions you have!

    Wrapping up

    Even though you can do most of these by yourself, if you think that your water wastage has increased to a level that you can’t handle, you should contact professionals. They will be able to find any leaks and repair them as soon as possible.

    Sponsored post by Barrier Reef Pools

  • Medal feast for the hosts, Steenbergen with 7, Popovici and Meilutyte are the best 

    Host Italy bettered all historical records by finishing the swimming meet with 13 titles and 35  medals in total – both the highest numbers ever at the Europeans and consequently, they also claimed the Team Trophy. Netherlands’ Marrit Steenbergen stood on the podium once more to have 7 medals, the most by an individual here – among the men Italy’s Thomas Ceccon became the most successful with six. The Swimmer of the Meet awards went to Romania’s David Popovici and Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte. In the diving pool, Great Britain and Germany enjoyed a fine and sunny afternoon with some golden shining – both events were decided by a tiny margin of 3  points. 

    LEN-Roma 2022
    LEN-Roma 2022
    LEN-Roma 2022

    The final evening of the swimming competitions was kicked off by two thrilling dash events, where both Italian favorites were out-touched at the wall. Ben Proud retook the crown he had earned in 2018  (but relinquished in 2021 when he finished runner-up) by a 0.02sec margin ahead of Leonardo Deplano,  so the Brit entered the club of the summer kings who had won the same event both at the World  Champs in June and here.  

    Minutes later Ruta Meilutyte joined him as she beat world-record holder Benedetta Pilato once again after Budapest – there the difference was 0.10sec, here 0.12, and the Lithuanian was faster (29.59 – though not as fast in the semis, 29.44, which ultimately earned her the individual award). 

    The fans got a bit silent on both touches – then applauded the champions and the Italian runners-up –,  but soon came Thomas Ceccon and gave the capacity crowd they wanted to see. It was a bit more exciting perhaps than one might have expected after Ceccon had set a stunning new world record in  June in Budapest, but he still pipped Greece’s dash-winner Apostolos Christou for the title by 0.03sec  (this was Greece’s second medal in ten minutes after Kristian Gkolomeev came third in the 50m free).  Champion of the 200m, Yohann Ndoye Brouard of France landed the bronze. 

    A hero from last year’s junior Europeans here in Rome, Lana Pudar wrote history in the women’s 200m fly by taking Bosnia Hercegovina’s first ever European gold. She had got his nation’s first medal in the  100m, a bronze after she had collected medals in all three fly events a year ago among the juniors (and  

    also this July in Otopeni). She chose to rush ahead early on, and she could keep 0.49sec from her lead by the end, Denmark’s Helena Bach and Italy’s Ilaria Cusinato got the minor spoils. The emperor stroke back on Alberto Razzetti who had beaten Hungary’s 4-time champion David  Verraszto on the opening day in the 400m IM. Over the last two days two Magyars took revenge, first  Richard Marton passed him in the finish in the 200m fly to take the second place and now Hubert Kos denied him for the IM double by 0.10sec. Besides getting consoled for two 4th place finishes earlier  (400m IM, 100m fly), Kos brought back the 200m IM crown to Hungary after 2014 when Laszlo Cseh had claimed his fifth straight title in this event.

    Germany had to wait till this last day to finally snatch gold – and they bagged two in a span of ten minutes by winning both 400m free events. Isabel Gose caused one of the biggest upsets of the championships by halting Simone Quadarella’s triumphant march after eight straight wins since 2018.  The Italian was set to complete the triple-triple – winning the 400-800-1500m free in the third straight edition –, but couldn’t match Gose’s speed. Hungary’s Ajna Kesely, who had lost by 0.22sec in  Glasgow 2018 to Quadarella, took the bronze from lane 1. Being such a superpower as the Germans, it sounds a bit unbelievable that after ruling the 90s, they had to wait 25 years to see one of their female swimmers on the podium again in this event. 

    The men’s race turned into a feast for them – Lukas Maertens, runner-up in the 800m, set a new  Championship Record while outpacing Switzerland Antonio Djakovic, Henning Muehlleitner secured a  1-3 finish for the Germans. 

    The usual meet-ending medley relays saw Sarah Sjostrom expanding her medal count to 28 – it was her fifth here and fittingly it was gold again. At the halfway mark, Italy was way ahead thanks to Pilato’s brilliant breaststroke leg – but the rivals gained 2sec on the hosts over the fly, so it was all even before the freestyle where Sjostrom blew the field away. Even the Dutch managed to pass the Italians, indeed  Marrit Steenbergen anchored them to get the bronze, the 7th medal for her in Rome. 

    Then the stands were rocking again as the men’s relay was the exclusive playing field of the hosts.  Their magnificent four had staged arguably the biggest upset at the Worlds in June by winning this event – and the perfect storm had its impact again. Having the two individual 100m champions of the respective strokes over the first legs, Ceccon and Martinenghi, gave them a substantial lead. And even though they had the 31-year-old Matteo Rivolta for the fly, the veteran flew with the youngsters and clocked the best split too before the 100m free bronze medallist Alessandro Miressi had a 47.17 blast.  Italy won by 4.04sec, the largest margin since ages, set a new CR, and halted the Brits’ run of four consecutive victories. 

    This win crowned the home team’s outstanding performance. It was title No. 13 – two more than the  Brits’ record from Budapest 2021 and Italy also bettered their own record set last year for a total of 27  medals, to land 35 (13-13-9). Their overwhelming dominance is mirrored by the fact that they got more medals than the next two ranked countries combined. Hungary (5-7-3) and Great Britain (4-5-6)  claimed 15 apiece – so it was also inevitable that Italy won the Team Trophy again, ahead of France,  GB, and Hungary. 

    The individual awards went to David Popovici – the Romanian had a promising heat in the 400m but later withdrew due to fatigue and the junior Worlds are also coming soon – and Lithuania’s Ruta  Meilutyte; based on FINA points, the top performances were rewarded. Popovici got more, though: the two golds earned him €5.000, while his record bonuses amount to €15.000 (five for the 100m ER in the semis and ten for the WR in the final), so he leaves Rome with €20,000.

    Diving 

    Ukraine’s Sofia Lyskun went through the same pains as a day earlier in the mixed 10m – with Oleksii  Sereda, they had led till the last round only to see the Brits overtake them with their final dive. And it happened again in the individual event. Lyskun did well, and even though her penultimate attempt wasn’t brilliant, still kept the lead as Andrea Spendolini Sirieix’s jump was way better but with a much lower DD. However, this gave the Brit the necessary confidence for the last round where her DD was higher and even though Lyskun performed a fine one, Spendolini Sirieix came up with another fantastic attempt and got a couple of more 8.0s to have the highest scoring jump of the afternoon (76.80).  Ultimately her 3.2DD – vs Lyskun’s 3.0 – earned her the winning margin of 3.80 points. Germany’s  Christina Wassen got the bronze. 

    By then, the Germans already bagged their first title here, proving that there is still life after the retirement of their most trusted delivery man, 17-time European champion Patrick Hausding. Lou  Massenberg and Tina Punzel took the lead in the third round and never give it away till the end despite the battle being quite tight. The gap was 3-4 points after each round, but the Germans kept their nerves and their British chasers behind – in the end, they won with 3.93 points, and here the Italians took the bronze medal.

  • A family friend helped pull a child out of an Abington, Massachusetts backyard swimming pool and immediately started CPR on the victim.

  • A child is facing charges after an incident Monday night at a teen swim event in Bel Air. Harford County sheriff’s deputies were called around 9:15 p.m. to Fountain Green Swim Club for a possible shooting. Deputies determined a shooting did not take place and no weapon was used or displayed during the incident.

    https://youtu.be/9zouIw74G7Y

  • Sjostrom ties Popov’s all-time medal tally, Popovici cracks another junior WR 

    A bronze for Sarah Sjostrom in the mixed medley relay became a milestone in the European  Championships’ history as the Swede tied the legendary Alexander Popov’s tally of 26 medals, an all-time best. David Popovici went on bettering records, this time setting a new junior global mark while winning the 200m free, and the Romanian now is the third man ever to get inside 1:43min.  Simona Quadarella got one step closer to completing the unprecedented triple-triple: she cruised to another fine win in the 1500m, and since she had won the 800m, now she needs to add the 400m to win all three distances at the third straight edition. Golds for Switzerland and Greece added a special flavor to the fifth day of the championships, which also saw the start of the diving meet where Italy got the first gold and the conclusion of the artistic swimming competition where three  Ukrainians, Marta Fiedina and the Aleksiiva twins finished with six golds apiece. 

    LEN-Roma 2022
    LEN-Roma 2022
    LEN-Roma 2022
    LEN-Roma 2022
    LEN-Roma 2022
    LEN-Roma 2022
    LEN-Roma 2022
    LEN-Roma 2022
    LEN-Roma 2022

    Swimming 

    David Popovici didn’t lay back and slow down at all after making the headlines with his magical 100m  free world record. His other, if not preferred event, the 200m free came next where another towering global mark awaits him. Set in 2009, by the magnificent German Paul Biedermann on the top of his career, wearing a shiny suit – the 1:42.00 perhaps poses a lot bigger challenge than Cielo’s 46.91 did in the 100m. 

    Popovici likes to underline that he prefers the step-by-step approach – and he is not just talking about that but put it in practice once more. After clocking 1:43.21 at the Worlds to improve his junior WR,  now he had another blast by entering waters unchartered since 2009. He touched the wall inside  1:43min, indeed, the first man ever in textile. Only two greats achieved that in the past, both in shiny suits: Biedermann, and before him the one and only Michael Phelps, at the Beijing Olympics, when he won with 1:42.96. No one ever since. Now Popovici is 0.01sec away from Phelps’ effort – the next steps are to follow in due time. 

    Simona Quadarella dipped inside 16min while winning the 1500m free – she did it with ease, ahead of  400m IM champion Viktoria Mihalyvari Farkas of Hungary and compatriot Rita Caramignioli.  Quadarella’s golden count now stands at 8 European titles, and she needs to add the 400m crown on the last day to achieve the triple-triple: to win the 400-800-1500m at three consecutive editions. 

    While the outcome of these finals was pretty much in the cards, there were a couple of stunning wins in other events. Lisa Mamie’s victory in the women’s 200m breast came as a surprise, ahead of Italy’s top qualifier Martina Carraro. Mamie was runner-up a year ago, still, this was something special, Swiss gold in women breaststroke – never happened before.

    Apostolos Christou of Greece medalled in the 100m back in 2021 but never won a major event – up until now when he out-touched Italy’s poster boy Thomas Ceccon by 0.04sec in the 50m  back. He is now in the footsteps of Aristidis Grigoriadis who won the dash back in 2008. 

    Sweden also enjoyed a fine day – Louise Hansson claimed a couple of 4th and 5th places in the 100m fly earlier but never got to the podium. Then this evening she stormed to a brilliant win, staging a fiery finish to pass title-holder Marie Wattel practically over the last two meters to win it by 0.14sec;  Bosnia’s hero from the 2021 Rome juniors Lana Pudar came third.  

    Then, at the end of the session, Hansson was back together with team-mates to finish third in the mixed free relay – France won it with a balanced performance, including a consoling anchor leg for Wattel who was upset a bit after finishing runner-up in the fly event; the Brits took the silver. 

    The bronze for Sweden meant that Sarah Sjostrom got even with Alexander Popov on the all-time individual medal ranks. The legendary Russian sprinter amassed 26 medals during his amazing career,  between 1991 and 2004, took 21 golds, 3 silvers, and 2 bronzes (13 of those came in relays, had 10  individual golds). Though Sjostrom has less gold – so far –, 15 (with 7 silvers and 4 bronzes), however,  all but one of her wins came in individual races. And one can bet that soon she becomes the sole leader of the historical chart as she qualified for the 50m free in the first place and is very much set to win the event on Tuesday, just like she did at the Worlds back in June. 

    Diving 

    The diving competition kicked off with the usual team event early afternoon and Italy bagged the first gold right away, bettering Ukraine with a tiny margin of 3.50 points. The marks were almost identical across all six rounds, the Ukrainians even collected more 8.0s for a couple of attempts, still, the higher  DDs saved the day for the home team. Great Britain finished third. 

    Artistic Swimming 

    After bagging eight medals last year in Budapest, four golds, and four silvers, Ukraine’s Marta Fiedina finished her campaign with two fewer medals but now all six of them are gold (this time she did not compete in the duet). On the closing day of the artistic swimming competition, she was part of  Ukraine’s winning team in the free final (despite a rare point penalty, for a time violation during the initial pool-deck movement), to crown her quest here in Rome – Italy, and France got the minor spoils. 

    The duets, both the women and the mixed pairs, competed in the technical finals and the ranks didn’t change on the top. The twins ruled the women’s show, Ukraine’s Aleksiivas won convincingly, earning a couple of 9.6s for artistic impression. They also bring home six gold medals apiece. The Alexandris from Austria finished second, ahead of Linda Cerruti and Constanza Ferro of Italy. 

    Giorgio Minisini, with Lucrezia Ruggeiro, completed his mission of clinching four gold medals at home  – their winning margin was huge once again, more than five points, ahead of Spain’s Pau Ribes and  Emma Garcia. And the Solymosy siblings from Slovakia will bring another bronze to the family home – though Jozef, aged 17, added that his happiness will end soon as he needs to return to school.

    Ukraine topped the medal chart with 8 gold medals (out of 8 events), while Italy grabbed 12 (4-6-2) as the hosts also had a strong presence in the male and mixed events and that also landed them the Team  Trophy. In terms of individual totals, Linda Cerruti amassed the largest tally with 8 medals, six silvers, and two bronzes.

    Press release courtesy of LEN, photos courtesy of LEN/S. Castrovillari

  • Swimming is an excellent exercise to get the body moving and increase your heart rate. It exercises your entire body, is low-impact, and is a lot more soothing than working out for over an hour in a spin class. This makes swimming one of the best exercises that promote mental and physical well-being. 

    Swimming is one of the safest exercises that women can do throughout their pregnancy. Swimming when pregnant is extremely good for the leg and arm muscles. It can also aid in reducing back strain and ligament aches. 

    Pregnancy is a time when women may not feel like exercising regularly, especially when their bump starts growing and they feel the extra weight. But in the swimming pool, they can feel weightless, helping them to relax and refresh even during the later stages of pregnancy. Swimming for about 20 to 30 minutes per day is the best exercise regime for expectant mothers. Pregnant ladies can make their exercise schedule after a discussion with their obstetrician.

    Advantages of antenatal swimming

    Swimming during pregnancy has numerous advantages, both for the baby and the mother. Some of them include:

    Maintain weight

    It is very easy to gain weight during pregnancy. If not properly monitored, sometimes people may gain an unhealthy amount of weight, especially if they have cravings for sugary foods. It is crucial to maintain a healthy weight during pregnancy for the health of the baby and the mother and to have an uncomplicated birth. Swimming is an excellent exercise for pregnant women who are trying to maintain their weight at a healthy level.

    Improves delivery experience

    Swimming is a great exercise to maintain muscle tone in pregnant women and increase their endurance and stamina. This will be extremely useful during labour and delivery as it will help the mother push out the baby with little effort compared to those having less endurance.

    Minimises morning sickness

    A lot of women complain about nausea and vomiting in the morning during pregnancy. Swimming is a great way to alleviate this morning sickness. The cool water in the swimming pool is a great relief for many pregnant women.

    Reduces sciatic pain

    Pregnant women often complain of sciatic pain. This is the discomfort that radiates along the sciatic nerve, which runs down one or both legs from the lower back. It happens in pregnant women when the baby presses down on the sciatic nerve. But while swimming, the baby floats along with the mother, relieving the pressure from the sciatic nerve, thereby reducing the pain.

    Relieves foot and ankle swelling

    Swimming helps in boosting blood circulation throughout the body. This will prevent fluids from collecting in the foot and ankle and help to reduce oedema, which is very common during pregnancy. Submersing the limbs in the pool water will help to push the fluids from the tissues back into the veins. From there, it travels to the kidneys and then goes out of the body through urine.

    Eases back strain

    Swimming reduces the added tension on the back caused by the growing tummy during pregnancy. Pregnancy can cause the shoulders and spine to round forward. It can also tilt the alignment of the pelvis. All this can be avoided by swimming, as it helps to offset these tendencies by strengthening the muscles.

    Averts diastasis recti

    DRA is a condition that affects a lot of pregnant women. This condition is characterised by an abnormal space between the two rectus muscles of the muscular abdominal wall. It can upset the daily routine of people, causing great inconvenience. Swimming is a great way to avert DRA as it can help in strengthening the abdominal muscles.

    Helps to keep cool

    During pregnancy, the sweat glands in women work on overdrive. This becomes an even more difficult problem when the outside weather is hot. Pregnant women can get a little relief from the heat and sweat by having a swim in the cool waters of your fibreglass swimming pool.

    Good for mental health

    Pregnancy is a stressful time, with worry for the baby and haywire hormones causing women to go through an emotional roller coaster a lot of times. Swimming is an exercise known for its mental health benefits, like reducing anxiety and stress. Pregnant women can swim daily to alleviate stress and have a relaxing time. This is also beneficial for the baby.

    Improves sleep

    Proper and restful sleep is important during pregnancy. Swimming, like all other aerobic exercises, helps people to have a restful sleep.

    Good for the unborn baby

    Numerous studies conducted by scientists have indicated that swimming while pregnant can protect unborn babies from hypoxia-ischemia. It is a neurological condition that occurs when the brain does not receive enough blood flow or oxygen for a period of time.

    Low-impact exercise

    Swimming is an exercise that can be done throughout pregnancy. It is a low-impact exercise that can be done with little effort.

    Tips to swim safely during pregnancy

    Pregnancy is a time when people are careful about everything, and rightly so. Swimming is a great exercise to indulge in during pregnancy, but it is important to follow some safety tips to avoid unnecessary issues. These tips include:

    • Be very careful while stepping into the pool. Be extra mindful of slippery surfaces since baby bellies can slightly tilt your centre of gravity.
    • Diving is not advisable during pregnancy as it can be harmful to the baby. Instead, it is better to either step or slide into the swimming pool.
    • Wear a swimsuit that does not cause unnecessary tightness around the belly.
    • It is better to avoid hot tubs during pregnancy. They can increase body temperature, which increases the risk of miscarriages and spinal cord and brain abnormalities.
    • Remember to swim in pools that are safe and do not have harsh chemicals. It is also good to check the chlorine and pH level of the swimming pool before going into it.
    • Keep drinking plenty of water and have occasional healthy snacks like fruits while swimming.

    In Conclusion

    Swimming is a great exercise for pregnant women. It helps to maintain a healthy weight, relieves aches, and reduces stress. Pregnant women can swim throughout the pregnancy after consulting with their obstetrician and asking their expert advice.

    Sponsored post by Barrier Reef Pools

  • Australia is experiencing one of the coldest starts to winter in 70 years. So why would anyone begin their day by plunging into icy water? Steve went looking for the answer.