By Olivier Poirier-Leroy on SwimSwam

Olivier Poirier-Leroy is a former national level swimmer based out of Victoria, BC. In feeding his passion for swimming, he has developed YourSwimBook, a powerful log book and goal setting guide made specifically for swimmers. Sign up for the YourSwimBook newsletter (free) and get weekly motivational tips by clicking here.

For each and every swimmer who has put in the work and done the yardage the local swim meet is the opportunity to show off their hard work and dedication. Competitions provide us the outlet to push our self-perceived limitations, and re-imagine what we think is possible.

The weekend ritual that is a swim meet also provides for social interaction with friends from other teams, lots of down time between events that sometimes end up in hi-jinx, and serves as the backdrop for a wide array of characters representing both your team and the competition.

Here are 12 of the swimmers we see on deck at our local swim meets:

C-3PO. He has a charger for every mobile device (today’s version of the kid that had a ziplock bag full of double AA batteries for Discmans and Walkmans), a spare pair of headphones for when yours craps out, and even some great suggestions on new tunes to download.

The Iverson. “We talkin’ about warm-up? Not the sport I love… but warm-up?” This swimmer mystifies and infuriates coaches by declining to warm-up and warm down, and then swims out of his mind anyway.

The Peacock. Pounding their chest into a deep, painful red, spitting water into nearby lanes, slapping the blocks, and that’s just before warm-up. This intense wrecking ball of a swimmer is always one dose of caffeine away from ripping a starting block out of the ground and throwing it into the pool.

The Camper. Over-packed, over-stocked and always has the best spread in the stands. Nearby is always a cooler full of delicious, cold beverages and snacks. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree — often their parents are asking you if you’re still hungry after you’ve already plowed through half a case of PowerBars.

The Future Crossfitter. This athlete’s Speedo backpack is bulging at the sides with extra equipment, bathing suits and foam rollers. The most expensive racing suit money can buy, a couple stretch cords, two foam rollers of varying firmness, a lacrosse ball to “get deep into those nasty scaps” and compression clothing of all sizes, lengths and colors.

The Anxious Kid. So nervous and wound up is this athlete that they are nearly trembling in the stands in anticipation of their race. This poor kid’s legs are pumping wildly, while they check the psych sheets 18 times per hour to make sure when their heat is up.

The Troublemaker. With hours between events, and far too much energy to deal with, and the social pressure of being surrounded by cute members of the opposite sex, sometimes I, err, swimmers, find less than productive ways to spend their time. Like throwing pine cones at roller bladers.

The Gorilla in the Mist. The shave-down is a sacred process. For the exceptionally hairy male, it’s a labor intensive process that leaves them feeling more like a hairless cat than a streamlined torpedo. These males leave the pool showers post-shave with the drains clogged with what appears to be Harry Potter-styled wigs.

The Warm-Up Analyst. With hundreds, sometimes thousands, of swimmers all trying to get their respective warm-up in, this swimmer spends half the warm-up behind the blocks trying to watch the lanes to judge which one will be quietest 5 minutes from now.

Tardy McTardyson. This swimmer is late on deck, late for warm-up, late finishing warm-up, late to team meetings, and is typically seen sprinting towards the blocks, wrapping a cap over her head while the heat before hers is getting out of the water. Some do it for the thrill, others simply get caught up in a killer game of Bump.

The Taper Burner. Swimmers will find always find ways to burn time in between sessions and events. For some, relaxing reading a book is their go-to move, while others indulge in extracurriculars that are not exactly productive (see: Pinecone Throwing). The Mel Zajac Jr. meet held at UBC in Vancouver was famous for in-between event Bump tourneys. The size of the game grew quickly each time, making for long, epic battles, with many swimmers hurrying back and forth from races to play. Unfortunately, the intensity and effort involved came at a price, leaving more than a few of us bagged and unfocused after burning off what was otherwise a fantastic taper.

(* My own claim to fame was as an age grouper when I absolutely crushed an Olympic sprint champion’s ball 100 feet into the warm-down pool to clinch a win. It’s on my resume to this day.)

The Cheerleader. You can always rely on this swimmer to remind you the words to the cheers. By the end of each session he or she is tomato-faced, voiceless, and covered in face paint. This team player also went to the trouble of getting temporary tattoos made of the club logo (“Fine, my Mom helped, but it was my idea!”) and only quietly resents you when you don’t cheer as loudly when they are on the blocks.

The Stat Guy/Gal. iPad nearby with their race footage, this swimmer needs to know all of their splits, SR, SC, turn time, breakout time, pre and post race heart rates, blood lactate levels, number of breaths taken, and anything else they can put into a spreadsheet. They’ll analyze their race to exhaustion, and then see how you performed for comparison. Nothing like finishing a race, and having their head spring up from behind the blocks – “How’d ya do?!”

Can you think of any other swimmers that you see at your local swim meet? Of course you can! List ’em in the comments below!

About YourSwimBook

YourSwimBook is a log book and goal setting guide designed specifically for competitive swimmers. It includes a ten month log book, comprehensive goal setting section, monthly evaluations to be filled out with your coach, and more. Learn 8 more reasons why this tool kicks butt.

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Read the full story on SwimSwam: The 12 Swimmers You See at Your Local Swim Meets

As a coach’s kid, West York’s Maddi Stoner is a tenacious competitor.

       

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

Last week, the All-Russian Swimming Federation held its annual awards ceremony after the conclusion of the Salnikov Cup. The ceremony, held in St. Petersburg at the Leningrad Center, also recognized the 25th anniversary of the federation after it emerged in post-Soviet 1991.

The Sportsman of the Year award was shared between the country’s two male Olympic medalists. 19-year old Anton Chupkov took a bronze in the 200 breaststroke and then-19-year-old Evgeny Rylov took the same medal in the 200 backstroke. Both swimmers set National Records in their respective finals, and Rylov’s emerged as the European Record as well.

Yulia Efimova was named the Sportswoman of the Year, in spite of a tumultuous season that included a positive test for a banned substance for the second time in her career. During a temporary suspension, while FINA, WADA, the IOC, and any number of other governing bodies, tried to unravel the year-long Russian doping scandal, she missed her country’s Olympic Trials. Efimova eventually was cleared to compete, and came away with silver medals in both the 100 and 200 meter breaststrokes.

Kliment Kolesnikov was named the Discovery of the Year after breaking a grand total of 4 Junior World Records on the year.

The male Open Water Athlete of the Year is Kirill Abrosimov, the European Champion in the 5km. The female winner of the same honor is Olga Kozydub, who took a silver in the 25k at the European Championships.

Daniel Orlow was named the Open Water Discovery of the Year for boys after winning the 5km race at the Junior World Championships. Valery Ermakov, who won medals at both the European and World Junior Open Water Championships in the 10k, was honored as the girls’ Open Water Discovery of the Year.

Other Honorees

• Coach of the Year – Andrey Efimova (pool), Lydia Vlasevskaya (open water)
• Partner of the Year – Russian Federation Ministry of Sport
• Region of the Year – Khanty-Manisyk swimming and water polo federation
• “Co-Authors of Success” (unsung heros) – Russian National Team head coach Sergi Kolmogorov, Olympic head coach Sergei Zhilkin, masseus Alexey Shakirov, Boris Dubinin, Olympic team captain Anastasia Fesikova, and the editor of the Russian “Swimming” magazine Margarita Balakirev
• Journalist of the Year – Veronica Gibadievoy of “F-Sport”

Read the full list of honorees here.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Russian Federation Names 2016 Swimmers of the Year

By Lauren Neidigh on SwimSwam

Kim Holmes O’Shea has been selected by Southern California Swimming’s Executive Committee to serve as their next Executive Director. O’Shea’s appointment has been confirmed on SCS’s website via a post on Friday afternoon. She’ll be officially starting on January 1st, 2017.

Holmes O’Shea has been involved with the swimming community through her time as a swimmer and coach. Additionally, she spent some time working for USA Swimming. As a swimmer, she was a captain of Indiana University. As a coach, she worked at Bloomington Swim Club, Carmel Swim Club, and the University of Tennessee. In her work with USA Swimming, O’Shea served as a Western Zone Sport Development Consultant for 7 years, and was also a Make A Splash Program Manager for 4 years. Her additional experience includes 2 and a half years as the Executive Secretary of Colorado Swimming.

When she begins her tenure as Executive Director, O’Shea will be replacing Mary Jo Swalley, who is retiring after serving as SCS Executive Direcotr for 32 years. Swalley has been involved in the swimming community for decades, and was once a candidate for President of USA Swimming.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: O’Shea Selected as Southern California Swimming Executive Director

By Anne Lepesant on SwimSwam

To see all of our 2016 Swammy Awards presented by TYR, click here

2016 Honorees: Eva Merrell and Drew Kibler

15-16 Girls

Eva Merrell – Aquazot Swim Club, Irvine, California

Merrell has been a quiet force in Southern California swimming for many years, but she had a remarkable year on the national scene in 2016. As a freshman in May of 2015, Merrell had the runner-up to Katie McLaughlin when the latter broke the national high school record in the 100 fly at CIF Division I Championships. Merrell broke 52 seconds for the first time at that meet. She then won the 100 back by nearly a second with a personal-best 53.0. Merrell skipped high school season in 2016 and spent the spring competing in long course meters. She competed in the 50/100m free, 100/200m back, and 100m fly at 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, making the semi-finals of both the 200m back and 100m fly. Merrell represented Team USA at the 2016 Pan Pacific Championships, where she won the 100m fly and was on the winning 4x100m free and 4x100m medley relays.

This fall she again represented the U.S., this time as a member of the National Junior Team at the FINA/airweave Swimming World Cup 2016 in Tokyo and Hong Kong. Merrell was a finalist in the 100m fly in Tokyo, and in all four of her events (100m free, 200m back, and 50/100m fly) in Hong Kong, where she finished 5th, 4th, 8th, and 7th, respectively.

Merrell closed out 2016 with some big performances in the 200 back and 200 fly, neither of which she has swum much in past seasons. At the 2016 USA College Challenge she dropped 5.2 seconds to win the 200 back for Team USA by 3/10, and in a pair of age-group meets in October and November, she took 5, then 4, seconds off her previous best in the 200 fly to settle at 1:56.96. Merrell has 7 SCY and 5 LCM swims that figure on the all-time top-100 lists for 15-16 girls, including top-15 performances in the 50y free, 100y/100m free, 100y/100m back, 200y/200m back, and 100y/100m fly.

Runners-Up

In no particular order:

Alex Walsh – Nashville Aquatic Club, Nashville, Tennessee

Walsh spent the first seven months of the year swimming as a 14-year-old, but no sooner did she age into the 15-16 category than she made her presence known as a force to be reckoned with. Swimming for Team USA at Pan Pacs, she scored a silver medal in the 200m IM, a mere 9/100 ahead of teammate Maggie Aroesty, whose national age group record in the 100y breast Walsh would break four months later. She also placed fourth in the 100m back and won the consolation finals in the 100m breast and 200m back.

Walsh had a spectacular Winter Junior Championships, winning the 100y back, 200y back, 100y breast, and 200y IM. She broke meet records in both the breast and IM, erasing the respective marks of Lilly King and Ella Eastin. Walsh became only the second 15-16 girl in history to break the 59-second barrier in the 100y breast. Aroesty did it in March when she took down the NAG with 58.98; Walsh bettered that by .18 with her winning 58.80. With a year and a half left to continue to better her records and take down more NAGs, Walsh ends 2016 with the #1 times among 15-16 girls in the 100y breast, 200y IM, and 200m IM; #2 in the 100/200y back; #3 in the 100m back; #5 in the 100m breast; and top-10 in the 50/100y free and 200m back.

Short Course NAG:
100y breast – 58.80 – 12/9/16

Isabel Ivey – Gator Swim Club, Gainesville, Florida

Only 15 for most of the year, Ivey held her own with some big names on the national stage. She competed at U.S. Olympic Trials in the 50/100/200m free and 100m fly, then went on to earn a silver medal in the 100m free at 2016 U.S. Open. She won the same event at Pan Pacs, and scored a bronze medal in the 200m free; she also anchored Team USA’s 4x100m free, 4x100m medley, and 4x200m free relays.

Ivey had a breakout meet at Winter Nationals, where she celebrated her first meet as a 16-year-old with her first national title. Ivey won the 100y free, came in second the 200y free, and won the C final of the 200y breast. A week later she won the 100y free and 200y free, the latter with a meet record (1:43.64), and 100y fly at Winter Juniors East. She was runner-up in the 50y free and third in the 200y IM.

Ivey has the 3rd-fastest 100y free time in history for 15-16 girls, and the 4th-fastest 200y free; she is also #4 in the 50m free, #5 in the 100m free, and #9 in the 200m free, with a year left to improve her standings.

Honorable Mention

Zoe Bartel– Fort Collins Area Swim Team (CO): Another swimmer who was 15 for most of the year, Bartel broke the national age group record in the 200y breast, shattering the meet record, while swimming at Winter Juniors West. Bartel became the first 15-16 girl in history to break the 2:07 barrier in the event, eclipsing Caitlin Leverenz’ 2:08.11 by 4/10 with her 2:07.73. Bartel wrapped up 2016 with the #1 times for 15-16 girls in the 100/200m breast and 200y breast, after winning the 100m and 200m breaststrokes at Pan Pacs and setting meet records with both swims.

Short Course NAG:
200y breast – 2:07.73 – 12/10/16

15-16 Boys

Drew Kibler – Carmel Swim Club, Carmel, Indiana

Kibler had an outstanding year tearing it up in the range of freestyle events from the 50 to the 500/400, but where he really made his mark was in the mid-distance slots where he scored two national age group records in the SCY 200 free and 500 free.

Kibler swam at U.S. Olympic Trials in the 50m free, 200m free, and 100m back. In August he added the 100m and 400m to his freestyle repertoire at Junior Nationals and came home with a gold medal in the 200, silvers in the 100 and 400, and a bronze in the 50. He represented Team USA at Pan Pacs, earning new personal bests in the 50m free, 100m free, and 200m free. He finished long course season with the #5 time in history for 15-16 boys in the 50m free, #3 in the 100m free, #2 in the 200m free, #24 in the 400m free, and #28 in the 100m back.

The youngest member on Team USA’s men’s squad at the USA College Challenge in November, 16-year-old Kibler nonetheless scored against college and pro swimmers in each of his four individual events. He placed fourth in the 50 free and the 100 free, third in the 200, and fifth in the 500. Three weeks later he went best times in all four of those events, as well as the 100 back, at Winter Juniors East. There he had an outstanding run, winning the 50y free, 100y free, 200y free with a meet record and national age group record of 1:33.40, and the 500y free with a meet record and NAG record of 4:15.36. He also placed sixth in the 100 back. Kibler came out of 2016 with the #3 swim of all-time for 15-16 boys in the 50y free, #2 in the 100y free (he and Ryan Hoffer are the only two 15-16s to have broken 43 seconds), #1 in the 200/500y free, and #40 in the 100y back.

Short Course NAGs:
200y free – 1:33.36 – 12/7/16
500y free – 4:15.36 – 12/8/16

Runner-Up

Reece Whitley – Penn Charter Aquatic Club, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Whitley has been etching his name in the record books for years now, but in 2016 he proved himself to be light years ahead of the competition in his signature event, the 200 breast. He owns the national age group records for both SCY and LCM, by 2.5 seconds in the former and .87 in the latter. He lowered his own mark in the 200y breast at Winter Juniors East by 1.29 seconds in December, breaking the meet record by 3.5 seconds with 1:52.37. He also took down the meet record in the 100y breast, which he won with 52.95.

Whitley’s most impressive events, however, may have been his IMs. At Winter Juniors he won both the 200y IM and 400y IM, the former with a meet record. He improved his personal best by 3.6 in the 200 IM, and was 7.9 seconds faster than he’d been in December 2015. Similarly, he took 7.4 second off his seed time in the 400 IM, and was 9.2 seconds faster than his last-year self. In addition to owning the top 200y breast time in history, Whitley now ranks #2 on the all-time list behind Michael Andrew in the 100y breast and 200y IM, and has moved to #7 in the 400y IM. In LCM he is #1 in the 200m breast, #2 in the 100m breast, and #27 in the 200m IM.

Short Course NAG:
200y breast – 1:52.37 – 12/10/16

Honorable Mention

Jack Dolan– Rockwood Swim Club (MO): Although still 15 years old, Dolan emerged as one of the big names in the 15-16 age group during 2016. He was the only swimmer under 18 years old in the A finals of the men’s 50y free, 100y free, and 200y free at 2016 Winter Nationals, where he placed 5th, 7th, and 7th, respectively. He also finished 10th in the 100y back and 19th in the 200y back.

Dolan’s championship meet in long course season was Austin Futures, where he won the men’s 50/200m free and was runner-up in the 200m back and third in the 100m fly. With another year left to swim in the age group, Dolan already owns the #6 times in history in the 50y free and 100y free, #20 in the 200y free, and #11 in the 100y back. In LCM he is #32 in the 50m free, #39 in the 100m free, #28 in the 200m free, #30 in the 100m back, and #85 in the 400m IM.

Michael Andrew– Race Pace Club (KS): Andrew aged out of the 15-16s in April, so most of what he accomplished during 2016 falls into the 17-18 age group (stay tuned). However, he did break the national age group record in the 50m free in January, going 22.33 to place fourth in the event at the 2016 Arena Pro Swim Series in Austin. Andrew left the 15-16s with the #1 times in history in the 50y/50m free, 100y/100m breast, 100y/100m fly, and 200y IM.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: 2016 Swammy Awards: Age Group Swimmer of the Year – 15-16

By Sanuj Srivastava on SwimSwam

ब्रेस्टस्ट्रोक शायद 4 प्रतिस्पर्धी स्ट्रोको में सबसे कठिन स्ट्रोक है। कई लोगों का का मानना होता है कि बटरफ्लाई स्विमिंग अधिक कठिन है, किसी भी स्ट्रोक को कठिन या आशान हम अपने अनुभवों से बताते है| क्युकी ब्रेस्टस्ट्रोक स्विमिंग इतनी लोकप्रिय हैकी  हम इसे बेसिक स्विमिंग स्ट्रोक्स में से एक के रूप में मानते हैं।ब्रेस्टस्ट्रोक एक सफल आईएम रेस की कुंजी है। इसमें मास्टर होना एक चुनौतीपूर्ण है।

इसमें दोने हाथ से एकसाथ लम्बा पुल और एक छोटा रीलोड होता है, आमतौर पर एक आधा सर्किल(गोला) बनने तक पानी के नीचे पुल होता है और फिर एक छोटा रीलोड होता है वापस से पुल करने के लिए| ब्रेस्टस्ट्रोक में पैरो के मूवमेंट पर काफी चर्चा होती है की छोटी किक अच्छी होती है या लम्बी, मेरे तजुर्बे से दोनों ही किक का अगर सही तरह इस्तेमाल किया जाये तो दोनों ही किक आपको अच्छा परिणाम दे सकती है क्युकी अभी हर RIO ओलंपिक्स में जर्मनी के तैराक adam peaty की बात करे तो उसकी किक छोटी किक थी बल्कि कुछ का कहना था की वो छोटी किक भी पूरी तरीके से नहीं चला रहा था| ऐसा इसलिए क्युकी जब हम स्प्रिंट रेसो की बात करते है तो उसमे आमतौर पर बोहोत फ़ास्ट मूवमेंट होता है जबकि लम्बी रेसो में ग्लाइडिंग की मदद से स्पीड बनायीं जाती है|  

Rebecca Soni के स्ट्रोक पर एक अध्ययन करने के बाद यह पाया गया था कि उसकी किक से पैदा हुआ बल 100 पौंड के पास था  जबकि उसके पुल करने पर 20 पाउंड का बल उत्पन्न होता है। इससे यही पता चलता है की पुल से ज्यादा एक अच्छी किक आपको एक बेहतर ब्रेस्टस्ट्रोक तैराक बना सकती है और इसके साथ एक ताकतवर किक पानी में ड्रैग को भी कम करती है, इसके लिए काफी सरे वर्कआउट है जो की मै आने वाले अगले कुछ पोस्ट में शेयर करूंगा|

पुल्लिंग के लिए सिर्फ दो ही तकनीक है :-

1. फ़ास्ट आर्म रिकवरी
2. स्लो आर्म रिकवरी

फ़ास्ट आर्म रिकवरी

फ़ास्ट आर्म रिकवरी का इस्तेमाल करने वाले तैराक अपने हाथ को जितनी जल्दी हो सके उतनी जल्दी पुल करने के बाद वापस पुल की स्तिथि में लाते है|

स्लो आर्म रिकवरी

स्लो आर्म रिकवरी में आमतौर पर बॉडी को रिलैक्स करने का थोडा समय मिल जाता है और स्लो आर्म रिकवरी में किक पर ज्यादा ध्यान दिया जाता है|

मैंने स्विमिंग से होने वाले शरीरिक के लाभों के बारे में लिखा था। नियमित स्विमिंग शरीर को लगने चोट को कम करने में मदद करता है। बैकस्ट्रोक सबसे पहला स्विमिंग स्ट्रोक है, क्युकी सिखने के नजरिये से ब्रेस्टस्ट्रोक स्विमिंग ही सबसे इजी स्ट्रोक है|

आज, हम “ब्रेस्टस्ट्रोक स्विमिंग” में गोता लगाने जा रहे है और ये जानेगे की कैसेकोई सामान्य तैराक इस स्ट्रोक में मास्टर तैराक बन सकता है| एक अच्छे स्विमिंग स्ट्रोक के कई पहलु होते है, लेकिन हमेशा की तरह, सही स्ट्रोक तकनीक ही सफलता के लिए सर्वोपरि है।

ब्रेस्टस्ट्रोक फ्रीस्टाइल और बैकस्ट्रोक से अलग है। ब्रेस्टस्ट्रोक करते वक्त शरीर एक फ्लैट पोजीशन की स्थिति में रहता है। जबकि फ्रीस्टाइल और बैकस्ट्रोक स्विमिंग करते वक्त शरीर लगभग आधा रोटेट(घूम) हो जाता है|

ब्रेस्टस्ट्रोक में प्राथमिक स्थिति स्ट्रीमलाइन बनाने की स्थिति के साथ शुरू होती है: फेस निचे, हाथ सिर के ऊपर बढ़ाया, और पैरों के पीछे एक सीधी रेखा में बढ़ाया, ये तीन पॉइंट्स होते है ब्रेस्टस्ट्रोक स्विमिंग के पहले स्ट्रोक को करने के ठीक पहले।

पैर की उंगलियों को पीछे की दीवार पर जितना संभव हो उतना पॉइंट करे, और उंगलियों को आगे की दीवार को ओर पॉइंट करे। शरीर की लंबाई को जितना हो सके उतना तान ले क्युकी तना हुआ शरीर पानी के ड्रैग को कम करने में मदद करता है। आप लगातार इन शुरुवाती स्थितियो को बार बार दोहराए, यह स्ट्रोक का आधार है।

पानी में पकड़ और पुल

ब्रेअत्स्त्रोके स्विमिंग में स्ट्रीमलाइन पोजीशन में शरीर को लाने के लिए के हाथ भी एक अहम हिस्से को निभाते है। हाथ पानी की सतह के साथ समान्तर रहते हुए बढ़ते है, इसके साथ ही साथ ये ध्यान में रखना चाहिए की आपके हाथ 45अंस के साथ झुके हुए हो क्युकी इससे पानी में एक अच्छी पकड़ बनती है और पुल अच्छी तरीके से होता है, आपके हाथ पुल करते वक्त एक “V” शेप बनाते है अगर ऐसा नहीं है तो आपको अपने पुल की तकनीक पर ध्यान देना चाहिए| यहाँ से, कोहनी को बिना झुकते हुए बहार की ओर पुल किया जाता है। बहार की ओर करने से एक ताकतवर पकड़ और अच्छा पुल होता है।

किक

ये थोड़ा मजाकिया भी हो सकता है की जिसने ब्रेस्टस्ट्रोक स्विमिंग की किक का आविष्कार किया है दरासल उसको इसकी प्रेरणा पानी में कुछ मेंढ़कों के निकट खेलते वक्त मिली| ब्रेस्टस्ट्रोक को सीधे सीधे मेढक के तैरकी(फ्रॉग स्विमिंग) कह सकते है| ब्रेस्टस्ट्रोक में, किकएक बड़ी भूमिका निभाता है, ब्रेस्टस्ट्रोक कीअनूठी तकनीक के लिए और अधिक ध्यान देने की आवश्यकता होती है।

Read the full story on SwimSwam: ब्रैस्टस्ट्रोक के लिए एक जरूरी गाइड – Swimming Tips in Hindi

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

The CBDA (Brazilian swimming federation) has announced a 12-member Youth Paralympic Team, who will be a part of a special program in mid-January.

12 swimmers, born between 1997 – 2003, will head to a Thiago Pereira Swim Camp from January 15th-21st. During that week, they will participate in all activities with one of Brazil’s best swimmers of his generation in a week that culminates with the Thiago Pereira Trophy meet on January 21st. Pereira is the 2012 Olympic silver medalist in the 400 IM, in addition to 7 career World Championship medals and 23 career Pan Am Games medals.

The athletes were selected based on meeting the Brazilian Paralympic Committee’s criteria of being closest to 6th in the world rankings in 2016.

See the full list of selected athletes below:

• Andrey Pereira Garbe S9 class and athlete who was in Rio 2016.
  Arthur Santos Pereira class S10, Paraíba athlete.
• Beatriz Borges Carneiro class S14 and one of the revelations of the country in Rio 2016, Paralympic finalist.
• Debora Borges Carneiro class S14, twin sister of Beatriz and athlete of Apan de Maringá.
• Emyly Santos Silva class S9, athlete of the Beach Club of Uberlândia.
• Esthefany de Oliveira Rodrigues, class S5, athlete with international experience of several selections.
• Felipe Caltran Vila Real S14 class athlete Paralympic finalist in Rio 2016.
• José Luiz Maia Perdigão S11 class, Institute Bejamin Constant of Rio de Janeiro.
• Laila Suzigan Garcia class S6, athlete of the Beach Club of Uberlândia.
• Lucas Mourn Mozela S9 class paralympic athlete in Rio 2016.
• Matheus Menezes Ribeiro class S10, athlete ABDA Bauru.
• Wendell Belarmino Pereira class S12, athlete from Minas Brasilia of the Federal District.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Brazil Announces Youth Paralympic Team, With Special Invite

By Karl Ortegon on SwimSwam

Just like our high school class of 2016 #1 recruit Maxime Rooney did in early 2015, Trey Freeman has committed to swim at the University of Florida as a high school junior. Rooney committed before our 2016 recruiting rankings came out, but he went on to earn our #1 ranking a good five months after he verballed to Gregg Troy’s squad. Freeman, like Rooney was, looks to be the first commit to the class of 2022 for any school.

Also like Rooney, Freeman is months ahead of schedule– Rooney committed in February of his junior year, and that was considered early last year. Freeman, along with Drew Kibler and Reece Whitley, is one of the few blue chip recruits of the HS class of 2018. He led off USA’s 2nd place 800 free relay and finished 2nd in the 400 free at the Jr Pan Pacific Champs this summer, and his strong summer has snowballed into an even more impressive fall/winter season thus far in 2016.

An incredibly rangy freestyler, Freeman’s sweet spot is at the 500 free, though his 200 and 1650 are excellent as well. He’s also a very strong 400 IM’er– all events that Florida traditionally excels at under Troy’s tutelage. He broke the 200 free national HS record in SCM last month, and then had a very impressive showing at Winter Juniors – East (though he was a bit outshadowed by Kibler and Jack Walker at the meet). At the meet, Freeman won the mile, touched 2nd in the 500 free, and won the 200 free B final, among other strong swims.

Top Times (SCY/LCM)

• 50 free – 20.56/24.24
• 100 free – 44.60/51.59
• 200 free – 1:35.53/1:50.36
• 500/400 free – 4:16.99/3:54.12
• 1650/1500 free – 14:59.33/15:41.32
• 400 IM – 3:53.12/4:34.11

Freeman’s name is all over the age group top 100 rankings, as he’s made the top 100 in at least one event in the 11-12, 13-14, and 15-16 age groups for both SCY and LCM. His crowning achievement in age group ranks is the 13-14 NAG record of 1:53.31 in the 200 LCM free from 2015, while his outstanding meet at Winter Jrs this month left him ranked #4 in the 500, #7 in the 1650, and #9 in the 200 free in the 15-16 age group in SCY.

Florida just graduated a host of distance freestylers, and they’ll say goodbye to Italian freestyle stud Mitch D’Arrigo after this season. D’Arrigo is a three-time SEC Champion (1x 500 free, 2x 800 relay) and was the 500 free NCAA runner-up last year. As 16-year-old Freeman is just a junior (he still has at least a few months before he turns 17), he’ll also miss training with Olympic gold medalist Caeleb Dressel, who is a current college junior himself.

Nonetheless, Freeman will train with mid-distance free ace Rooney, which should make for a dynamic environment in practice. Looking forward, Freeman is already ready to score at SECs. At last year’s meet, he would’ve finished in the 500 free A final, 200 free B final, and would’ve been 6th in the 1650. He’s not too far off of scoring in the mile or the 500 at NCAA’s, either, though he’s very close to scoring level in the 500 in particular (he’s just tenths off of what it took to score in the 500 last year).

Freeman announced his commitment via Twitter:

Proud to announce my commitment to swim and study at the University of Florida. Can't thank my family and friends enough for guiding me. ???? pic.twitter.com/bXnAxybrrq

— Trey Freeman (@tfreeman_3) December 20, 2016

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Merry Xmas, Gators: HS Junior Trey Freeman Sends Early Verbal to UF

By Olivier Poirier-Leroy on SwimSwam

This was originally published at YourSwimBook.com. Join Olivier’s weekly motivational newsletter for competitive swimmers by clicking here.

Sean Baker, head coach of the Oakville Aquatics (OAK) club in Oakville, Ontario, shared these sets with me recently that are designed specifically to improve your kick.

Coach Baker has been coaching at a high level since the 1990’s, and has placed numerous athletes on international teams of all stripes, including the Olympics and World Championships (where one of his charges won an individual bronze medal in the women’s 200m breaststroke in 1997).

At the most recent Canadian Olympic Trials OAK sent nearly 30 athletes to the meet, while also capturing a Canadian Age Group Championship title that summer, while also placing second amongst clubs at Canadian Summer Nationals.

On the back of these achievements Baker was awarded national club coach of the year honors for 2012.

Here are the four kick-centric sets, including some of the times posted by one of his current swimmers, Evan White (who swam a 1:59 200IM LCM last summer at the Canadian Swimming Trials to win his first senior national championship).

As you can see from the results that White throws down on the final set, in order to swim fast you must have a fast kick.

SEE ALSO: How to Improve Your Underwater Dolphin Kick

Alex Popov had a lightning fast kick (:27 seconds for a 50 long course), and other sprinters from Nathan Adrian, Cesar Cielo and more have all extolled the necessity of having a thunderous kick powering your swimming.

Here are the sets:

SET #1

2-3 rounds of–

• 300 shoe kick [25m using only weak leg, 75m both legs focusing on distance per kick] + [Using weight belt (10% of swimmer’s body weight)]
• 100 kick w. fins distance per kick
• 1×50 kick for time

SET #2

2 rounds of–

• 5min wall kick with shoes
• 8×50 @1:30 best average kick
• 8×25 @:40 with fins alternating– Odds reps: underwater FAST, Even reps: kick blast!
• 10-20 streamlined wall jumps high fast after every round

SET #3

2 rounds of–

• 300 quiet kick (No bubbles, no splash)
• 8×25 @:45 Beaver kick fast (no board, streamline with head up) Add weight belt when good enough.
• 1×50 as– 25m swim fast, 25 underwater fast

SET #4

24×100 @1:40 (this interval was used for SCM)

• 100’s broken down as: 50 swim at specified pace, 50 kick within +10/+8/+6
• Evan White did this set backstroke and worked his way down to a :28 for the first 50m swim, and then :30 for the 50m kick during his prep for the 1:59 200IM last year.

Ready to Dominate the Competition?

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Read the full story on SwimSwam: 4 Sets to Develop a More Powerful Kick

By Lauren Neidigh on SwimSwam

To see all of our 2016 Swammy Awards presented by TYR, click here

2016 NCAA FEMALE SWIMMER OF THE YEAR: LILLY KING

Lilly King (photo: Mike Lewis)

Lilly King was just a freshman for Indiana University when she stormed onto the scene at the 2016 NCAA Championships. King, who landed on the USA swimming radar when she broke the 1:00 barrier in the 100 breast at 16 years old, was a 2-time champion in her first collegiate season.

With her performance in the NCAA final of the 100 breast, King became the first woman to ever clear the 57 second barrier. King broke the NCAA and American Records in both prelims and finals, but her 56.85 in the final smashed the previous record of 57.23 done by Breeja Larson in 2014. She downed the NCAA and American Records in the 200 breast as well, giving her a sweep of the breaststroke races as a freshman. Her 2:03.85 in that race was the first sub-2:04 ever, breaking the former record of 2:04.06 done by Emma Reaney in 2014.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

In no particular order

Kelsi Worrell (Photo: Tim Binning)

• Kelsi Worrell, Louisville- Worrell, who became the first woman to ever swim sub-50 seconds in the 100 yard fly in 2015, lowered her own NCAA and American Records at the 2016 NCAA Championships, repeating as NCAA Champion with a 49.43 victory. Her relay splits at the meet were also historic, as she swam a 20.84 for the fastest 50 free split ever done by an American and a 49.25 for the fastest 100 fly split in history. In addition to her 100 fly victory, Worrell took 1st in the 200 fly. She set a Championship Record with a 1:50.61 in prelims of that event.
• Olivia Smoliga, Georgia- Smoliga, a UGA junior, played a huge role in helping the Bulldogs reclaim their status as NCAA Champions, winning 2 individual events. In the 50 free, she rocketed to the top of the podium, turning in a new NCAA Record time of 21.21. Smoliga then completed her sweep of the sprint races, touching in a blazing 46.70 to win the 100 free. In her 3rd individual event, the 100 back, she took 9th after qualifying for the B-final, but her medley relay backstroke leadoff split of 50.58 would’ve been fast enough for 2nd in the championship final.
• Leah Smith, Virginia- Smith was dominant in the distance freestyles during her junior season with Virginia. At the 2016 ACC Championships, she won the 1650 with a speedy 15:25.30, which stood as an NCAA Record until it was broken by Katie Ledecky last month. Weeks later at the 2016 NCAA Championships, Smith went on to claim back-to-back NCAA titles in the 500 free and 1650 free.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: 2016 Swammy Awards: NCAA Female Swimmer of the Year

By SwimSwam on SwimSwam

Courtesy of Elizabeth Wickham

ONE

My kids have always been good sleepers. I never had an issue with bedtime.

TWO

Homework. Swimmers don’t have time to procrastinate. They often work ahead.

THREE

Hard Work. They value working hard. Success came to them, not through raw talent, but through their work ethic.

FOUR

Accountability. Swimming taught my kids accountability for their actions. Our coach illustrated how attendance affected his senior group in terms of percentages of best times. The numbers did not lie.

FIVE

Goal Setting. Swimmers learn this skill early on trying for a red or blue time or a JO cut and beyond.

SIX

Toughness. Swimming gives kids self-confidence. Swimmers are tough physically and mentally.

SEVEN

Stress. Meets teach swimmers how to handle stress. A former swimmer said her coworkers marvel at how calm she stays while they freak out over deadlines. “Deadlines are nothing compared to being the anchor on a relay at Nationals or standing on the blocks at Trials,” she said.

EIGHT

Friendships. Not only with teammates, but throughout our LSC, and college team. I’m talking about my kids’ friendships, and mine, too! Swimming is a family.

NINE

Rewards. My daughter told me that she’s not into “instant gratification.” The whole concept is foreign to her.

TEN

Persistence. My kids never give up. On anything. Whether it’s getting into a class that’s full, or landing a show at the college radio station, they will not take no for an answer. Persistence comes after countless hours in the pool, eventually achieving goals.

What are you thankful for as a swim parent?

Elizabeth Wickham volunteered for 14 years on her kids’ club team as board member, fundraiser, newsletter editor and “Mrs. meet manager.” She’s a writer with a bachelor of arts degree in editorial journalism from the University of Washington with a long career in public relations, marketing and advertising. Her stories have appeared in newspapers and magazines including the Los Angeles Times, Orange County Parenting and Ladybug. You can read more parenting tips on her blog: http://bleuwater.me/.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: 10 Reasons Why I’m Thankful to be a Swim Parent

By Lauren Neidigh on SwimSwam

To see all of our 2016 Swammy Awards presented by TYR, click here

2016 NCAA MALE SWIMMER OF THE YEAR: RYAN MURPHY

Ryan Murphy (Photo: Tim Binning)

Backstroke stud Ryan Murphy had some jaw dropping performances as a Cal junior in 2016. At the NCAA Championships, he swam to his 3rd-straight sweep of the backstroke events to help the Bears to their 2nd place team finish. Murphy broke his first NCAA and American Records of the meet with a 43.51 backstroke split on the 400 medley relay, making him the first man to ever clear the 44-second mark. He then went on to lower those marks even further with a 43.49 to win the individual 100 back. In the 200 back, Murphy dominated the race, swimming to new NCAA and American Records of 1:35.73 to win by almost 3 seconds.

The Swammy Award for NCAA Male Swimmer of the Year was hard to call. At NCAAs, Murphy was named co-swimmer of the meet with former Bolles teammates Joseph Schooling, and Caeleb Dressel, as they each won 2 individual NCAA titles and set NCAA Records in both. Since all 3 swimmers were 2016 Olympians, we looked at their Rio performances to break the tie. Of the 3 swimmers, Murphy was the only one to set a World Record and win multiple individual golds in Rio.

In Rio, the Americans looked to Murphy and his USA teammates David Plummer and Jacob Pebley to defend Team USA’s Olympic backstroke streak. Murphy came home with Olympic gold medals from both individual backstrokes, as well as a gold from the 400 medley relay. With his 400 medley relay leadoff, Murphy broke backstroke legend Aaron Piersol’s former World Record, giving Team USA the early lead with his 51.85 split.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

In no particular order

Caeleb Dressel (Photo: Tim Binning)

• Caeleb Dressel, Florida- Dressel, a sophomore for the 3rd place Florida Gators, threw down insane times in the sprint freestyles in 2016. He first dropped a sizzling 18.39 to break the NCAA and American Records in the 50 free at the SEC Championships, but quickly raised the bar again to win the event with an 18.20 at NCAAs. He also set the American Record in the 100 free at SECs, rocking a 41.07 to take down Nathan Adrian‘s former record. Once again, he smashed the record at NCAAs, this time surpassing Vlad Morozov‘s former NCAA Record with a 40.46. In addition to his victories, he also took 2nd in the 100 fly behind only Schooling. In Rio, Dressel was an individual finalist in the 100 free and a gold medalist as a part of Team USA’s 400 free relay.
• Joseph Schooling, Texas- At the 2016 NCAA Championships, Schooling, a sophomore for the NCAA champion Texas Longhorns, repeated as champion in the 100 fly and 200 fly. In the 100 fly, he nearly cleared the 44-second barrier, setting a new NCAA Record with his 44.01 for gold. He battled with teammate Jack Conger in the 200 fly, touching just ahead with a blazing 1:37.97 to pick up another individual title in NCAA Record time. In Rio, 21-year-old Schooling became the first Singaporean athlete to ever win an Olympic gold in any sport. He did so by crushing a 100 fly field that included butterfly stars Michael Phelps, Chad Le Clos, and Laszlo Cseh. Schooling’s winning time of 50.39 is the fastest swim ever done in textile.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: 2016 Swammy Awards: NCAA Male Swimmer of the Year

By Anne Lepesant on SwimSwam

To see all of our 2016 Swammy Awards presented by TYR, click here

2016 Honorees: Katie Drabot and Michael Andrew

17-18 Girls

Katie Drabot– Ozaukee Aquatics, Ozaukee, Wisconsin

Drabot entered 2016 having just put on a dominating performance at 2015 Winter Juniors West. She won the 50/100/500y free, 100y fly, and 200/400y IM, and was runner-up (by 7/100) in the 200y free. She was the composite national champion in the 50/100 free, 100 fly, and 200 IM, and won the high point award at the West meet.

Drabot then tore through the 2016 NCSA Spring Championships, winning the 100/200m free, 50m fly, coming in second in the 200m IM, and placing third in the 400m IM and fourth in the 400m free. At 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials she was a semi-finalist in the 200m free and also competed in the 100m free and 100m fly (although she also qualified in the 50/400m free and 200/400m IM). She wrapped up her 18-and-under career with a 7-for-7 performance at 2016 NCSA Summer Championships, where she prevailed in the 50/100/200m free, 50/100m fly, and 200/400m IM, setting meet records in the 200m free, 50m fly, 200m IM, and 400m IM.

This fall as a 19-year-old freshman at Stanford and a member of arguably the best gathering of 200 freestylers in history (we’ll see at 2017 NCAAs, though, won’t we?) Drabot represented Team USA at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) 2016 in Windsor, Canada. There she won a silver medal as part of the USA’s 4x200m free relay (she swam in prelims).

Drabot left the 17-18s with 14 swims (50y/50m free, 100y/100m free, 200y/m200 free, 500y/400m free, 100y/100m fly, 200y/200m IM, and 400y/400m IM) on the all-time top 100 lists for 17-18 girls.

Runner-Up

Amy Bilquist– California Aquatics, Berkeley, California

Bilquist, who before heading off to college represented Carmel Swim Club, was a freshman at Cal throughout the first half of 2016 where, still 18, she set a national age group record (50.50) in the 100y back in prelims at 2016 Pac-12 Women’s Championships. She eclipsed fellow Golden Bear Rachel Bootsma’s 2012 mark by 4/100.

Bilquist continued her impressive freshman season with a fourth-place finish in the 100y back and a fifth in the 200y back at 2016 NCAA Division I Championships. She also contributed several outstanding splits to Cal’s relays, including a 1:42.89 anchor on the 4×200 free relay and a 21.64 anchor on the national-champion 4×50 free relay.

Bilquist posted the #1 times in the country for 17-18 girls during the 2016 calendar year in the 100 back and 200 back, both in SCY and LCM. She aged out of the 17-18s with top-100 rankings all-time in the 50y free (#13), 100y free (#8), 200y free (#41), 100y back (#1), and 200y back (#4), as well as the 50m free (#4), 100m free (#25), 100m back (#3), and 200m back (#4).

Honorable Mention

Beata Nelson: Madison Aquatic Club (WI) – Only 17 for most of the year, Nelson was nevertheless one of the bright stars in the age category. She had an outstanding short course season, beginning with her final high school season in the fall of 2015, and culminating in successive meets in March, 2016: Wisconsin 13&Over Short Course State Championships and Dolfin Junior National Cup. At the 2015 WIAA Girls Division 1 State Meet she won the 100 fly (51.62) and 100 back (52.13) with new state record. Between the two March meets she logged PBs in the 50/100/200y free, 200y back, 200y IM, 200m free, and 100/200m back.

Nelson had a disappointing long course season, but has bounced back this fall. In her first year at University of Wisconsin, the now 19-year-old Nelson had a strong first half of the season, twice earning B1G Freshman of the Week honors.

Nelson is currently on the top-100 list for 17-18 girls in 8 events, with another 3/4 of a year left to improve her positions. At the moment she ranks #11 in the 50y free, #45 in the 100y free, #17 in the 100y back, #19 in the 200y back, #10 in the 100y fly, and #42 in the 200y IM in SCY; she is also #30 in the 100m back and #28 in the 100m fly.

Brooke Forde: Lakeside Swim Team (KY) – Forde had a breakout year in 2016, emerging as one of the best IMers of all time. She rewrote her personal bests in every event possible, and represented Team USA at both 2016 Junior Pan Pacific Championships and FINA/airweave Swimming World Cup 2016 in Tokyo and Hong Kong. Forde took home a silver medal in the 400m IM at Junior Pan Pacs, and she won the B final of the 200m breast. Forde wrapped up 2016 with an outstanding meet at Winter Junior Championships East, where she won the 200 breast (2:09.12) and 400 IM (4:02.51) with new meet records, was runner-up in the 200 fly and 200 IM, and placed third in the 200 free.

Forde has 5 SCY and 4 LCM swims on the all-time top-100 list for 17-18 girls so far, including a #14 in the 200y breast, #12 in the 200y IM, #6 in the 400y IM, #43 in the 200m breast, #27 in the 200m IM, and #18 in the 400m IM.

NAG Notes: There were, in fact, quite a few new national age group records in the women’s 17-18 age category in 2016. In addition to those mentioned above, Katie Ledecky (Nation’s Capital Swim Club) broke two LCM marks at the beginning of the year, while Miranda Tucker (Indiana), Annie Ochitwa (Arizona), and Ella Eastin (Stanford) took down four SCY NAGs at NCAAs:

• Katie Ledecky: 200m free – 1:54.43 – 1/16/16
• Katie Ledecky: 800m free – 8:06.68 – 1/17/16
• Miranda Tucker: 100y breast – 58.10 – 3/18/16
• Annie Ochitwa: 100y fly – 51.02 – 3/18/16
• Ella Eastin: 200y fly – 1:51.04 – 3/19/16
• Ella Eastin: 200y IM – 1:51.65 – 3/17/16
• Ella Eastin: 400y IM – 3:58.40 – 3/18/16

17-18 Boys

Michael Andrew– Race Pace Club, Lawrence, Kansas

Andrew was only a member of the 17-18 club for 2/3 of the year, and yet he was the only national age group record-breaker in the age group. Andrew broke the 100m breast mark not once, but five times in a row, in the span of a month, going from 1:00.46 to 1:00.37 to 59.96 to 59.85, to 59.82.

Swimming at U.S. Olympic Trials, Andrew achieved PBs in three events: 50m free, 100m breast (the 59.82 NAG referred to above) and 200m IM. He made semi-finals in those three events, plus the 100m fly, and was a finalist in the 100 breast (4th). At the end of the summer he competed at both the U.S. Open and Summer Junior Nationals, and won the high point award at both meets.

Andrew spent the fall competing at nearly every stage of the FINA/airweave Swimming World Cup 2016 before representing Team USA at the 2016 USA College Challenge and 13th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) in Windsor, Canada. Swimming against college students and professional swimmers alike, the 17-year-old won the 200y IM at the College Challenge, and the SCM 100 IM at World Championships; he set a World Junior Record in the 100m IM.

Andrew is already ranked in the top 100 of 17-18 boys in a number of events: 50y free (6th), 100y back (95th), 100y breast (3rd), 100y fly (25th), 200y IM (13th), 50m free (4th), 100m free (26th), 100m back (14th), 100m breast (1st), 200m breast (14th), 100m fly (22nd), and 200m IM (3rd).

Runners-Up

Ryan Hoffer– Scottsdale Aquatic Club, Scottsdale, Arizona

Hoffer continued his impressive run as one of the top sprinters in the country during 2016. He began the swim year last December by breaking the NAG for 17-18 boys in the 100y free, as a 17-year-old, at 2015 Winter Juniors West (with 41.23). He also put up very impressive 100y back and 100y fly times at that meet.

Hoffer swam the 50/100m free, 100m back, and 100m fly at Trials but didn’t achieve any LCM best times until Junior Pan Pacs, where he gave Team USA a bronze medal in the 50m free, won the B final of the 100m free, and contributed the lead-off split to the USA’s gold-medal winning 400 free relay.

Hoffer closed out the year with a stellar performance at Winter Juniors West. He won the 50 free with a new meet record (18.71). He won the 100 free and the 100 back. He came within 1/100 of his own meet record while winning the 100 fly. And he was a major factor in all five of Scottsdale’s national title-winning relays.

With another half-year to improve his standings, Hoffer owns the following all-time performances for 17-18 boys: 50y free (#2), 100y free (#1), 200y free (#35), 100y back (#4), 100y fly (#4), 50m free (#12), 100m free (#13), 100m back (#90), and 100m fly (#11).

Sean Grieshop– Nitro Swimming, Austin, Texas

Grieshop cranked out a slew of best times during 2016, including in the 200y fly, 100/200/1500m free, 100m back, 200m fly, and 400m IM. His 400m IM, a 4:14.00 that earned him fifth place at 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, broke the Junior World Record and ranks him fourth on the all-time list for 17-18 boys. Two months later he won the event while representing Team USA at Junior Pan Pacs. Grieshop also wore the Red, White, and Blue with the National Junior Team at FINA/airweave Swimming World Cup 2016 in October, before winding up the year with a national title in the 400y IM at Winter Nationals in December.

Grieshop still has another 10 months in the 17-18 age group to do more damage, but he already owns the #8 time in history for 17-18 boys in the 500y free, #5 in the 1000 and the 1650, #71 in the 200y IM, and #14 in the 400y IM. He has also signed the 45th 200m free, 53rd 400m free, 29th 1500m free, 16th 200m IM, and 4th 400m IM.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: 2016 Swammy Awards: Age Group Swimmer of the Year – 17-18

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

The boys’ swimming & diving team from Waukesha South/Catholic Metro vaulted not only into the top 10 of the latest Wisconsin Interscholastic Swim Coaches’ Association high school rankings in the latest version, released late Sunday evening, but jumped all the way to 2nd place. The team is a co-op between the public Waukesha South and private Catholic Metro that last won a Division I (big school) state title in Wisconsin in 2010, and came out 6th last season.

The jump comes after a very fast start to the season for WS/MC. So far this year, they’ve beaten #3 Arrowhead, a conference rival, in a dual meet, and then victored in last week’s Waukesha-tri-meet with a thunderous victory over the North/KM/Pewaukee co-op and West/Mukwonago co-op.

They sit 2nd in the latest rankings behind only Madison Memorial – an overwhelming favorite to repeat as state champions after finishing 112 points ahead of their next-closest competitors from Madison West (314-202) last season.

Division 2 had a big leap of its own, as the Elkhorn Area High boys jumped 9 spots from 11th to 2nd in the latest rankings.

Weekly polls are computer generated at midnight each Sunday and based on the Top Times. Individuals are scored in their top two scoring events only.

Points are awarded as follows
Individuals: 1st=30 pts. / 30th=1 point (1 point increments)
Relays: 1st=60 pts. / 30th=2 points (2 point increments)

Division I Top 10:

1

Madison Memorial

565 pts

2

Waukesha South-Catholic Memo

up 16

550 pts

3

Arrowhead

518 pts

4

Madison West

down 2

490 pts

5

Middleton

down 1

474 pts

6

Sauk Prairie Co-op

down 2

277 pts

7

Eau Claire Memorial-North

277 pts

8

Neenah

down 1

276 pts

9

Hudson

230 pts

10

Verona Area-Mount Horeb

down 2

210 pts

Division 2

1

Monona Grove

746 pts

2

Nicolet

up 3

413 pts

3

Deforest

380 pts

4

McFarland

373 pts

5

Elkhorn Area

down 3

360 pts

6

River Falls

new listing

300 pts

7

Baraboo

down 1

297 pts

8

Fort Atkinson

down 1

280 pts

9

Rhinelander

down 1

228 pts

10

Pulaski

207 pts

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Waukesha South/Catholic Metro Co-Op Vaults to #2 in Latest WI Rankings

This fall was an exciting time to be a Fairfield fan. 

       

By SwimSwam Contributors on SwimSwam

by Elizabeth Wickham

This past week, I was thankful to have both my kids home for Christmas break at the same time. It made the festive week so special to have the family together. Speaking of togetherness, one of my favorite things over the holidays was swimming with my kids. I started swimming Masters more than a year ago. Now, as a fellow swimmer, I share a special bond with my kids that didn’t exist when I was sitting on the sidelines as a swim parent.

Here are a few reasons why I believe parents should swim too:

One

Getting Out of Bed

One morning last week, it was pouring down rain which is rare where we live. I would never have ventured out of the house, let alone go to the pool to swim laps. “Come on, Mom. Let’s go!” my son said. Minutes later, we jumped off the freezing deck into the pleasant warmth of the water, rain pelting down around us. We were the only swimmers at the pool and we’ll both remember that morning. Later my son said, “I really liked swimming with you. That was so much fun.”

Two

Tips About Technique

Swimming with my daughter, she dove under water and watched me swim. She helped me by giving some pointers about my stroke. She enjoys having the tables turned—she’s the expert and the one telling me what to do.

Three

The Car Ride

It’s so much better to have company during the car ride in the wee hours of the morning. Talk about motivation to make it to early practice—how could I pass up spending time with my kids and watching the sunrise together.

Four

The View

This morning I had a unique spot to catch glimpses of my daughter at swim practice. I was in Masters at the same time as her Senior practice. Watching from a nearby lane gave me a whole new view of watching her swim.

Five

Respect

My kids tell me what a good job I’ve done after swimming. It’s nice that they have a new level of respect for me. They definitely know how hard swimming is and they’re proud I’m sticking with it.

Six

Health and Well Being

Swimming makes me feel good. Another swim parent told me that “swimming is the secret elixir of youth.” I strongly recommend swimming for not only the health benefits but the better understanding you’ll gain about your kids sport. Swimming is a healthy activity you can enjoy together for years. By the way, I didn’t even know how to breathe in freestyle when I started. If I can do it, anyone can.

What benefits do you think parents can gain from swimming?

Elizabeth Wickham volunteered for 14 years on her kids’ club team as board member, fundraiser, newsletter editor and “Mrs. meet manager.” She’s a writer with a bachelor of arts degree in editorial journalism from the University of Washington with a long career in public relations, marketing and advertising. Her stories have appeared in newspapers and magazines including the Los Angeles Times, Orange County Parenting and Ladybug. You can read more parenting tips on her blog.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: 6 Reasons to Share the Joy of Swimming With Your Kids

By Jared Anderson on SwimSwam

A battle of young Olympic stars came down to just 11 votes, with gymnast Simone Biles eking out the Associated Press’s Athlete of the Year award over Katie Ledecky.

Biles won four gold medals in Rio, tying the record for American female gymnasts at a single Olympics. She’s also the most decorated gymnast in American history after winning 4 golds and a bronze in Rio. At 19, Biles was the face of the gold medal-winning American gymnastics team and one of the overall faces of American Olympic coverage.

Ledecky, also 19, was one of the other key pieces in 2016 Olympic coverage. Her 4 golds and a silver medal included an incredibly rare sweep of the 200, 400 and 800 freestyles in Olympic competition. Ledecky also helped the dominant American 4×200 free relay take gold, and showed off her impressive range with a key split on the 4×100 free relay that took silver.

In some ways, Ledecky was hurt by the overall popularity of her sport. As dominant as Ledecky was on the women’s side, she had to compete with Michael Phelps‘ farewell tour, Katinka Hosszu‘s Olympic breakthrough, Ryan Lochte‘s in- and out-of-pool charisma as well as world records from Adam Peaty, Sarah Sjostrom, the Australian 4×100 free relay and Ryan Murphy just to get coverage within her own sport. Biles was the face of a 5-person American gymnastics team that became media darlings, and as such, was launched a bit higher into the public eye during Rio.

Biles earned 31 of 59 total votes for the award, with Ledecky taking 20. The other votes went to tennis player Serena Williams (4) and basketball player Breanna Stewart (4).

The AP will announce the Male Athlete of the Year tomorrow.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Simone Biles Wins AP Female Athlete of the Year Over Ledecky

By SwimSwam on SwimSwam

The past 12 months has seen British Diving make history yet National Performance Director Alexei Evangulov believes the sport can still move forward.

Evangulov took charge in Britain in 2008 and has guided the sport to Olympic medals at the last two Games.

However, it was the Rio 2016 Games that was the crowning glory on what has been a golden era for the sport.

Rio saw Britain’s divers secure a second place on the medal table after winning three medals, including gold in the 3m Synchro – a moment that will live long in the memories.

Jack Laugher and Chris Mears entered the Maria Lenk Aquatic Centre on 10 August and saw the green diving pool and inclement weather conditions but knew they had the potential to create history.

“We walked into the venue and were surprised to see the green pool,” Evangulov said. “However, our team had worked really hard to ensure the athletes weren’t distracted by any environmental factor and just focused on their diving.

“Jack and Chris were great that day. I could tell that they could get a medal and halfway through I knew something special was going to happen.

“I was so proud of the boys and coaches Ady and Edwin that day. They showed they are true champions by keeping their eyes on the job at hand and not losing focus on things happening around them.”

There were three medals in total for the team including bronze for Tom Daley and Daniel Goodfellow and a silver for Laugher in the 3m Springboard.

“The Olympics were fantastic,” Evangulov said. “To start with a medal for Tom and Dan set up us perfectly for the rest of the competition. For a new pair to get on the podium in under a year was impressive.

“Jack was great in the 3m. He fought back from a shaky start to get back onto the podium. I couldn’t have asked for anymore. I really have to pay respect to the whole team. We came together for the biggest competition of the cycle and showed that we are strong.”

All this success came after being crowned the best team in Europe after receiving the trophy at the home European Championships in London in May.

“This year wasn’t just about the Olympics for us as we hosted a home European Championships,” Evangulov said. “Our team were outstanding. They dived so well with the pressure of a home crowd.

“To win the overall team trophy made me really proud. I saw some of our juniors really stepping up against the strength of the European nations.”

Not to be out done by their senior counterparts however the junior divers took to the World Junior Diving Championships and showed that the next generation are also carving out a name for themselves.

In Kazan, the young divers won five medals including two golds and Evangulov was a witness to the skill of the next generation

“The World Junior Championships was excellent and it is exciting to see the next generation of divers coming through,” Evangulov said. “Katherine Torrance performed well to win gold and bronze individually. But to also see Lois [Toulson] back to strength after her Olympic break and Matthew [Dixon] on the podium in his first year in his age group shows that the pathway is working.

“Our Talent and Development Manager Julian Bellan is doing a great job with the junior divers and we are really beginning to see the talent pool grow and flourish.

“Our next focus is the World Championships in Budapest next summer. The year after an Olympics is a good year to build foundations for the new cycle and we will look to have a strong team back on the boards ready to prepare for the Tokyo 2020 quadrennial.”

News courtesy of British Swimming.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: British Swimming’s Alexei Evangulov Excited For Future