By Olivier Poirier-Leroy on SwimSwam

by Olivier Poirier-Leroy. Join his weekly motivational newsletter for competitive swimmers by clicking here.

Last summer in Rio we saw one of the strangest and funniest moments in Olympic swimming history.

In the ready room before the men’s 200m butterfly semi-finals Chad le Clos of South Africa, the man who out-touched Michael Phelps in the event four years ago, got up in Phelps’ eye-line and performed a series of shadow boxing moves, high paced arm shakes, and more, clearly trying to distract Phelps.

In what became known as #PhelpsFace, the greatest swimmer of all time showed not only his displeasure with le Clos’ antics in the ready room, but beat him in that semi-final and then again in the final the following evening to take back Olympic gold in the event.

In other words, despite all the pressure Phelps was already feeling in that moment, on top of le Clos’ attempt at psyching him out, he stayed mentally tough and got the job done.

And while it’s great to see Olympians being able to exhibit large amounts of mental fortitude, it can be tempting to think that just because we aren’t at that level that we couldn’t benefit from the ability to focus and perform under pressure.

Whether you are an inspiring Olympian or not, working on your mental training can yield a heap of benefits both in the pool and in the rest of your life.

Here are just six of the benefits of mental training for competitive swimmers:

1. It will teach you to master your mindset.

One of the challenging, and ultimately rewarding parts of working with young swimmers is showing them that they have the ability to dictate their mindset. Once they get it, they get it, and it’s like a dam is burst and a lot of great things begin to happen very quickly.

Mastering your mindset removes that awful feeling of a performance not being in your control (or the way you react to it).

For swimmers who struggle with anxiety before big races, or who give up because a set is “impossible”, or who feel overwhelmed by the enormous amount of work required to achieve their goals getting a grip on the way they choose to react to things makes things a whole lot easier.

2. Set way better goals.

The truth is, most of us stink at setting goals. It’s not that we don’t deserve to achieve success that we struggle with them, it’s simply that we haven’t mastered the process of doing so.

Working on our mental training includes learning how to set goals the right way.

This means setting goals that are realistic, while challenging, and most importantly, building a plan of action. It’s that last part that has the peculiar effect of making you feel like you are in control of the process, and goes a long way in helping you become a more consistent swimmer in the pool.

3. Manage stress and arousal levels.

If you’ve ever spent the night before a big race wide awake, or been out-of-control anxious behind the blocks to the point that it hindered performance you understand how infuriating it can be to let stress negatively impact performance.

Spending time trying out different techniques to increase and decrease arousal levels means that you can get better at turning up the dial when you need some intensity, and perhaps more importantly, how to turn it down when you are getting a little too worked up.

We all face stress in our lives, and when we understand how to combat it with tried and proven tactics and methods we not only are able to perform better in the water, but are better equipped to deal with the day-to-day stresses that we face.

4. Bounce back from adversity.

Wanna know what the big difference is between the best athletes in the world and the rest? It’s not talent, or genetics—although those things certainly help. It’s how top champions are able to be resilient in the face of setbacks and adversity.

When you master your mental training failures don’t derail you—they somersault you into doing things better. Similarly, when you are injured, it can be really hard to stay positive and motivated—being mentally tough insures that you follow through with your rehab and come back with vengeance.

5. Teaches you to make your success a process.

Great athletes have great routines.

Sure, they start with a goal, but the focus becomes the process, or the routine that is required for them to achieve the things they want. From breaking down their goal into actionable tasks, to scheduling training and planning the high-impact parts of their swimming (nutrition, etc) great swimmers insure that success is in their hands.

Regular mental training shows you how to become process driven. It teaches you to set a pre-workout routine, to having mantras and powerful and positive self-talk to help push you through tough times.

6. Increased levels of awareness.

Each time we go to practice there is an internal monologue that we use. Whether it’s good, bad, funny, dry or even harsh–we all have it.

And for most of us, the things we tell ourselves go without much notice; we are simply reacting to things based on the way that we have in the past. We assess our performance, our effort, and praise or scorn ourselves, often without realizing it.

And if you are like most athletes who don’t manage their mental training, and by effect how aware they are of their performance, this means that you often underrate yourself and gloss over the things you do well.

While there is no replacing practice that is well executed, there is great value in positive self-talk. It’s one of the tools you can lean on when you are neck deep in a tough set.

The reality is that our thoughts influence our actions. Being aware of the monologue you use while training and in competition means that you can help influence your eventual outcome as well.

The Takeaway

Perhaps the biggest benefit is that these skills—goal setting, mastering self-talk, visualization, being able to face up to adversity—is applicable to life outside of the pool as well. No matter how ambitious your goals in the water are, these skills will serve you well on dry land as well.

ABOUT OLIVIER POIRIER-LEROY

Olivier Poirier-Leroy is a former national level swimmer. He’s the publisher of YourSwimBook, a ten-month log book for competitive swimmers.

He’s also the author of the recently published mental training workbook for competitive swimmers, Conquer the Pool: The Swimmer’s Ultimate Guide to a High Performance Mindset.

It combines sport psychology research, worksheets, and anecdotes and examples of Olympians past and present to give swimmers everything they need to conquer the mental side of the sport.

Click here to learn more about Conquer the Pool.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: 6 Cool Things That Happen When Swimmers Improve Their Mindset

By Karl Ortegon on SwimSwam

We’ll be previewing the top 12 men’s and women’s programs from the 2017 NCAA Championships – stay tuned to our College Swimming Previews channel to catch all 24. Can’t get enough college swimming news? Check out the College Preview issue of SwimSwam Magazine for some inside looks at the life of a college swimmer as told by college swimmers themselves, plus full-length profiles of a few of college swimming’s biggest names, including our cover athlete, Simone Manuel.

#7 NC STATE WOLFPACK

Key Losses: Alexia Zevnik (36 NCAA points, 3 NCAA relays), Kayla Brumbaum (26 NCAA points, 2 NCAA relays), Natalie Labonge (2 NCAA relays), Rachel Muller (1 NCAA relay), Lotta Nevalainen (1 NCAA relay)

Key Additions: Olivia Calegan (NE – breast/sprint free), Tamila Holub (Portugal – distance), Jacquee Clabeaux (VA – breast), Julia Poole (NC – IM), Sirena Rowe (Marshall transfer – sprint free), Lexie Lupton (Texas A&M transfer – sprint free), Summer Finke (Florida State transfer – sprint free)

Grading Criteria

We’ve tightened up our criteria from last year, where our first stab at a letter grading system got hit by a little bit of classic grade inflation. Again, bear in mind that all of these grades are projections more than 6 months out – and as none of us has a working crystal ball, these projections are very subjective and very likely to change over the course of the season. Disagreeing with specific grades is completely acceptable; furiously lashing out at a writer, commenter or specific athlete is not.

• A = projected to score significant (10+) NCAA points per event
• B = projected to score some (3-10) NCAA points per event
• C = projected on the bubble to score likely only a few (1-2) or no NCAA points per event
• D = projected to score no NCAA points

2016-2017 Lookback

A couple of seniors led the NC State Wolfpack to a 7th place finish last year. Alexia Zevnik was huge for the NC State, swimming to a runner-up position in the 200 back, placing 6th in the 200 IM, and putting up a B final swim in the 100 back to total 36 points at NCAAs. She also swam on three relays, while Kayla Brumbaum posted two A final showings in both breaststrokes.

In one of the relays that Zevnik was not on, the 200 free relay, the Wolfpack all turned in sub-22 performances and combined for a fourth place finish at NCAAs.

Hannah Moore was another top contributor for NC State, hitting 5th place finishes in both the 500 free and 1650 free.

NC State had a great 2016-17 season, looking much deeper than they ever have and rounding out a season without any significant lineup holes.

Sprint Free: B+

There will be some sprint power to make up with Zevnik and Labonge gone, but the incoming class is extremely capable of smoothing over those absences. Transfers will be most readily available to help out, as they have NCAA experience and are fast enough to contribute at least on relays.

Sirena Rowe, a transfer from Marshall, has been 22.08 in the 50 and 49.53 in the 100, but her 50 is really what’s eye-catching. It took a 22.00 to TIE for 16th in prelims last year at NCAAs in this race, so she’d have to make a little improvement to score next year, but she will definitely be a strong addition to the NC State group. Lexie Lupton is another strong sprint transfer, from Texas A&M. She’s a little better than Rowe in the 100 and a little behind in the 50, with bests of 22.4/49.0.

Freshmen Olivia Calegan (22.7/49.4) and Miranda Donley (22.4/49.4) bring even more speed into a sprint group that’s already fairly established.

Ky-lee Perry split a 21.90 leading off NC State’s 4th place 200 free relay at NCAAs last year and finished 18th individually, while Courtney Caldwell scored in the 100 free and anchored their 400 free relay with a very quick 47.14. Krista Duffield was also a member of the 200 free relay, and she returns for her senior season with the Wolfpack.

The three returners Perry, Caldwell, and Duffield will make for the centerpiece of the sprint group, and between the freshmen and transfers, there are four additions to the team that are primed to make a difference.

Distance Free: A

Hannah Moore will be taking care of things in distance free, and after a trip to the World University Games this summer where she produced a 1500 free bronze medal, she’ll be hungry for a top finish at NCAAs in her senior season. It would be hard to bet against her finishing in the top 5 again in both the 500 and 1650 free, and Leah Smith graduating makes it easier for her to climb.

Florida State transfer Summer Finke and freshman Tamila Holub are two newcomers who could be big for NC State. Finke’s best time in the 1650 free is only 16:15.07, but she went 16:22 (meters) at Worlds Trials this summer to place 6th overall in the 1500, and after a big summer from her in LCM, she looks ready for some big SCY drops. Holub, from Portugal, has been 8:36/16:20 to Finke’s 8:34/16:22, and paired with Moore, the three of them will be pretty dangerous.

IM: C-

The only swimmer on the roster right now with a chance to score in either IM race is Hannah Moore, who just missed scoring at NCAAs in the 400 IM last year with a 17th place finish in prelims.

Besides Moore, the IM ranks are pretty thin for NC State. One freshman with potential in IM though, is Julia Poole, who has been 1:57.1 in the 200 IM and 4:13 in the 400 IM.

Butterfly: D

Senior Krista Duffield is a solid flyer, and she’ll take Labonge’s 200 medley spot, most likely. Duffield split a 51.81 fly on their 400 medley relay which finished 10th at last year’s NCAAs.

Duffield was unable to get close to individual scoring in this race, though, and NC State sent nobody to NCAAs in the 200 fly. The incoming class is pretty absent of butterfly speed, though Canadian Danika Huizinga has been 1:00.7 in LCM, which is solid.

Still, there probably won’t be any individual points from the fly group at NCAAs.

Backstroke: B-

Elise Haan scored in the 100 backstroke last year, and she should bring in several more points again in the 100 next year, too.

Zevnik’s loss definitely hurts the backstroke group substantially, though Haan and Mackenzie Glover are solid on their own. Glover is more of a 200 specialist, and she finished t-29th in the 200 back at NCAAs with a 1:53.72, while Haan was a half second back in 35th.

Breaststroke: D

Brumbaum’s departure is going to be much harder to handle than Zevnik’s, since there isn’t much on the roster to replace her with.

The Wolfpack will have to look largely to the freshman class, specifically Jacquee Clabeaux and Calegan. Clabeaux has been 1:00.72 in the 100y breast, the fastest in the class and on the team, but she is strictly a sprinter and doesn’t extend well to the 200. Calegan has been 1:01.5/2:14.1, and will probably have a great 50 for the 200 medley, potentially, seeing as she’s a sprinter.

Anna Shumate (1:01.7) and Olivia Fisher (1:02.5) could develop nicely, too, in the 100. There’s material for the coaching staff to work with, but they’ll be hard-pressed to produce another talent like Brumbaum right away.

2017-2018 Outlook:

Freestyle will be the NC State women’s bread and butter this year. From the 50 to the mile, only the 200 free is a bit weak, and their pure sprint and pure distance races will be excellent.

The Wolfpack will need a freshman breaststroker to rise to the top for their medley relays, and Moore might be the only heavy-duty scorer on her own with Zevnik and Brumbaum gone.

There’s no reason to panic, though, as the incoming class is huge and with a lot of potential– and there’s plenty of speed on the roster already.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: College Swimming Preview: #7 NC State Relying on Leadership from Moore

By Loretta Race on SwimSwam

More than a month removed from a lackluster showing at the 2017 World Championships, Australian backstroking ace Mitch Larkin is returning to his roots. With only 7 months of working with new coach Simon Cusack at Commercial Swimming Club under his belt, Larkin is making his way back to St. Peters Western.

After a break-out World Championships in 2015 where he won 100m and 200m backstroke golds, Larkin raced to silver in the 200m backstroke at the 2016 Olympic Games. Somewhat disappointed with nothing to show for his 100m race, as well as finishing runner-up in the longer backstroke event, Larkin was looking for something new training-wise after having been with storied coach Michael Bohl at St. Peters Western the previous 9 years.

After trying out several different coaches within Australia, Larkin settled on Cusack at Commercial, acknowledging that he was taking a step in a new direction training-wise. At the time of the change, Larkin stated, “The volume of work was the concern for me because I was used to doing five or six kilometres a session, for 10 sessions a week, and Simon does nine sessions a week with 5km in the morning and less in the evening, but the quality and intensity of that second session is higher.

“It’s very different to what I’ve done before. There’s a lot more of a speed base to it, the intensity is a lot higher and I feel like I’m swimming better more frequently in training. Because there’s more work at race pace I feel like I am practising better stroke technique more often.’’

Not able to completely buy-in to his new training regimen in such a short time prior to this year’s World Championships, Larkin performed sub-par across his events in Budapest, finishing 6th in the 100m and not even making the final in the 200m or 50m backstroke races.

While in Budapest, Larkin ruffled some feathers by stating, “The goal wasn’t to win the 100 here, if I wanted to defend my title I wouldn’t have changed coaches and had a bigger break after Rio.” The national record holder stated that he’d “go home and tweak things with Simon, he’s a good coach and there are some areas in the backstroke that we can work on.”

Instead of tweaking his system with Cusack, however, The Australian, is reporting that Larkin is doing a full-on 180, moving back to St. Peters Western. There will still be change involved, however, as Bohl has since moved on to the new High Performance Center at Griffith. Larkin will fall under the fold of Bohl’s former assistant, Dean Boxall. Boxall has been making a solid name for himself as of late with junior stars Ariarne Titmus, Jack Cartwright and Clyde Lewis.

Helping Larkin see the need to return to his former method of training was Aussie Head Coach Jacco Verhaeren. Larkin told The Australian, “One of the major questions for me was whether Simon was the best fit for me. I have huge respect for him but Jacco said to me that if you have 1% of doubt in your mind, it’s too much and I did have those doubts.”

Due to his high endurance background, Larkin said he was ‘psychologically unsuited to Cusack’s high-quality, low-volume approach. As such, Cusak’s program wound up being a ‘step too far in the opposite direction.’

‘I grew up doing a lot of hard work with Bohly, a lot of grinding through high volume and I just missed that element of working hard in a big group of swimmers who were all pushing hard twice a day.

“Mentally I was trying to buy in to the new approach, but I couldn’t get over the hurdle of not having done the work I had done previously.”

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Former World Champion Mitch Larkin Returns To Bohl-Less St. Peters

By Kierra Smith on SwimSwam

Michael Andrew posted a new video to his YouTube channel this morning.  Andrew interviewed teammates and competitors from Junior World Championships, asking what their most memorable moment was and what they learned from the meet. We get to see behind the scene footage from the pool, hotel, dinner room, and on the bus.

Most interviewed noted that their teammates were the biggest part of their World Junior Championship experience. “What really will stick with me,” Andrew reflected at the end of the video from his home in Kansas, “is the incredible support from the Team USA staff and my teammates. You guys know I train alone, I race alone apart from being with my family all the time. It was huge for me to go into a setting that was so, not foreign, but just something I don’t get to experience very often. To feel super welcome was incredible.” “My second night of racing was terrible,” “I felt like I was prepared to handle it,” Andrew admitted regarding his heavy schedule of races. Andrew remembered that after his 50 breast final he sat down and called his parents. Instead of dwelling on a rough night of racing he stayed positive and finished the meet in World Junior Record fashion (x6). Andrew learned to stay “determined, positive and focused.” “Once your race is over, assess what you can and then focus on the next thing.”

Michael Andrew took a short break to relax before getting back to the grind. Andrew spent the past week and half jet skiing and wake surfing at a friends cabin. Andrew started his season up this past Wednesday, “we are training for something that you guys are going to find very very hard to believe”.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Flashback to Junior World Championships With Michael Andrew (VIDEO)

By Anne Lepesant on SwimSwam

Katie Schorr, a USA Swimming Scholastic All-American from Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida, has handed the University of Louisville women’s swimming and diving team its fourth verbal commitment from the class of 2018. Schorr announced her decision via social media:

“Super excited to announce my verbal commitment to further my academic and swimming career at the University of Louisville!! Beyond blessed for this opportunity❤GO CARDS!!”

The Cardinals have also received verbal commitments for the class of 2022 from Alena Kraus, Annette Schultz, and Kelly Tichenor.

Schorr is mainly a sprint freestyler. As a sophomore, she won the 50 free and 100 free at the 2015 FHSAA Class 1A Championships. The previous year she placed fourth and second in those respective events. This past season, Schorr swam the 100 free and 200 free double at the state meet, coming in second and third. She also contributed to Montverde’s fourth-place team finish by anchoring the 200 free relay to third place and the 400 free relay to fourth.

Schorr swims year-round for Southwest Stars Swim Club in Winter Garden. She was an A finalist in the 50 free (7th with 22.81) at 2016 Winter Juniors East, and an A finalist in the 100 free at both 2015 (8th with 49.86) and 2016 (5th with 49.67) Winter Juniors championships. At NCSA Spring Championships this past March she was runner-up in the 100 free (49.23) and sixth in the 50 (22.83).

Best times SCY:

• 50 free – 22.81
• 100 free – 49.23
• 200 free – 1:47.77
• 200 IM – 2:04.90
• 100 back – 57.71
• 200 back – 2:02.95

Schorr will join the Cardinals’ sprint crew that is led by junior Mallory Comerford and sophomores CaseyFanz, Jillian Visscher, and Nastja Govejsek.

Super excited to announce my verbal commitment to further my academic and swimming career at the University of Louisville!! Beyond blessed for this opportunity❤GO CARDS!!

A post shared by Katie Schorr (@katie_schorr) on Sep 8, 2017 at 3:50pm PDT

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to Recruits@swimswam.com.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Louisville Women Haul In 4th Verbal: Florida Sprinter Katie Schorr

By Reid Carlson on SwimSwam

Though bidding between Los Angeles and Paris for the right to host the 2024 Olympic Games ceased when LA agreed to host the 2028 Games, leaving 2024 to Paris, promoting the Olympic Movement and the city and culture of Los Angeles is ongoing.

In the third installment of the LA2028 web series What’s Not in the Bid Book, LA2028 Chairman Casey Wasserman reconnects with his old friend and Los Angeles-based fashion leader James Perse. Together, Wasserman and Perse reflect with nostalgia on the simultaneously fashion-forward and sports-centric culture of Los Angeles, and their upbringings in LA.

Perse, who also designs bicycles, discusses the open-air lifestyle LA’s climate affords its residents and the year-round opportunities Los Angelenos have to ride on two wheels throughout the city and down to the beach.

Wasserman considers other outdoor activities available to locals and the parts of the Greater Los Angeles Area where they are favored, including Malibu for surfing, Hollywood for running, and the Santa Monica Mountains for hiking.

Finally, Wasserman challenges Perse to a short game of ping-pong which Wasserman claims with a 5-4 victory. Team USA table tennis delegates and hopefuls may rest easy, as it seems dubious either of these two will be vying for a spot on the 2028 squad.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: LA2028 What’s Not in the Bid Book Ep. 3: LA Fashion & Lifestyle

By Gold Medal Mel Stewart on SwimSwam

If you want the SwimSwam Magazine 2017 College Preview with the Simone Manuel cover, you must be a subscriber.  You can subscribehere. The 2017 College Preview is printing now and arrives in early September.

With over 85 pages of features covering DI, DII and DIII data you need to know, this issue covers it all for the college swimmer, high school swimmer, fan and swim parent. 

With your yearly subscription,  you receive over 600 of pages of swimming’s highest quality print content, and another 1000+ pages of digital issues, going back to the first issue produced.

SwimSwam Magazines are a big, coming in at nearly a pound per issue. We provide you four massive print issues designed to sit on your coffee table like a piece of artwork.  With your subscription today you get the:

• 2015 Year in Review (Michael Phelps cover) as a digital magazine
• 2016 Swimsuit Issue (Ryan Lochte cover) as a digital magazine
• 2016 Olympic Preview (Michael Phelps cover) as a digital magazine
• 2016 College Preview (Katie Ledecky cover) as a digital magazine
• 2016 Olympic Year in Review (Michael Phelps cover) as a digital magazine
• 2017 Swimsuit Issue (Anthony Ervin cover) as a digital magazine
• 2017 Superhero Issue (Nathan Adrian cover) as a digital magazine
• 2017 College Preview Issue (Simone Manuel cover) as a print magazine
• 2017 Year In Review as a print magazine
• 2018 Spring Issue (aka Swimsuit Issue) as a print magazine
• 2018 Summer Preview Issue as a print magazine

^{If you are already a subscriber, go to swimswam.com/magazine/digital-access, type in your email/password and view the digital magazines.}

See 8 reasons to love SwimSwam Magazine for our upcoming issues. 

ONE

You want 2016 Olympic gold medalist and Stanford swim-star Simone Manuel memorialized on the cover.

TWO

All issues going forward will have a big theme, one topic we cover in-depth. For the Summer Preview issue, it’s the Superhero theme, why we swim. In the future, we’re searching for the best themes and topics we can find. If you have an idea, email us and share it.

THREE

Each issue goes in-depth on the topic covered. The College Preview gives you everything you need to fully enjoy the college swimming season.

FOUR

If you subscribe to SwimSwam Magazine, you can also buy back issues.  On the subscription page, check the box by any of the back issues to add them to your order. ***Please note, after several printings of our first issue, the 2015 Year in Review, we are out. Going forward we will not print additional runs. Once an issue is sold out, it is gone and only available on our digital platform.  Printed back issues are limited to what is in stock.

FIVE

Our magazines are massive. The 2016 Olympic Year in Review comes in at 172 pages. (That’s an increase of 40 pages over the 2015 Year in Review, which came in at 132 pages.)  The Tony Ervin cover issue is also 172 pages!

SIX

The quality is high. SwimSwam Magazine has perfect binding (like a book), heavy card stock, and an expensive cover finish. If you haven’t subscribed, you simply don’t know. You feel it the instant you touch the magazine. The texture is amazing, and you’ll love how heavy it feels in your hands. Issues are nearly a pound.

SEVEN

Our covers are ideal for your coffee table or nightstand. Make a statement, show your swimming love, show that your sport is great and worth the respect it deserves.  Adorn it with SwimSwam Magazine.

EIGHT

SwimSwam Magazine named one of the 30 Hottest Launches of 2016

Competitive Intelligence of Media Leaders (MIN/Mr. Magazine) named SwimSwam Magazine one of the 30 Hottest Launches of 2016. Criteria for making the 30 Hottest list included:

• Design
• Creativity
• Audience reaction
• Industry reaction

Many thanks to MIN for this honor.  See the complete list of the 30 Hottest Launcheshere.

OUR MAGAZINE MISSION

To knock you over with each issue, producing a must-have magazine that feels like a collector’s item.

To produce unique features never before seen in swimming media.

To present swimming like it should be, the greatest sport on earth.

At SwimSwam, we love the sport, and we love changing the paradigm of how it’s presented. For far too long swimming magazines have been the same, and it our goal to deliver something spectacular, a magazine you will be excited about getting every single time a new issue is released.

Subscribe to SWIMSWAM MAGAZINE here.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: How To Get The SwimSwam College Preview Magazine

By Anne Lepesant on SwimSwam

Mesa, Arizona’s Olivia Grossklaus has verbally commited to swim for Southern Methodist University beginning with the 2018-19 season.

“Beyond excited to announce my verbal commitment to Southern Methodist University! I am incredibly thankful for everyone who played a part in helping me achieve my college swimming dream. Go Mustangs!!”

Grossklaus is the reigning Arizona Interscholastic Association Division I champion in the 100 fly (55.42) and third-place finisher in the 50 free (23.88). In addition, the Red Mountain High School then-junior contributed a 25.60 butterfly leg to the medley relay and a 52.61 leadoff to the 400 free relay; both relays placed fifth and helped the Lions to a seventh-place team finish at the 2016 Arizona State Swimming & Diving Championships.

Grossklaus does her club swimming with Mesa Aquatics Club. She had an outstanding junior year, improving across the board in both short-course and long-course seasons. After high school swimming wrapped in in November, Grossklaus went on to lower her best times in the SCY 100/200/500 free, 100 back, 100/200 fly, and 200 IM, and the LCM 50/100/400 free, 100 back, 100/200 fly, and 200 IM.

Top SCY times:

• 100 fly – 55.11
• 200 fly – 2:03.32
• 50 free – 23.88
• 100 free – 51.72
• 200 free – 1:53.55

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to Recruits@swimswam.com.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Arizona Division I Champ Olivia Grossklaus Makes Verbal Commitment to

By Anne Lepesant on SwimSwam

Jack Gray from Trumbull, Connecticut has announced his intention to swim for the University of Connecticut beginning in the fall of 2018. Gray is a senior at Trumbull High School and he swims at Westport/Weston Family Y Swim Team.

“The moment I stepped on Campus, I knew that it was the place I wanted to spend the next four years. The team as a whole was very supportive of each other in and out of the pool which is exactly what I wanted. The academic supports that UConn offers is over the top, which will help me succeed as a student! Additionally, the direction that the program is heading towards under the guidance of Coach Chris, Coach Tim, and Coach Christa made me have an even bigger desire to commit to UConn. I am very excited to attend UConn to be apart of such an amazing up and coming program! Go Huskies!” [sic]

Gray specializes in freestyle and butterfly. He competed in the 200/500/1000 free and 100 fly at the 2017 Short Course YMCA Nationals in April, finishing top-16 in the 200/1000 freestyles and top-24 in the 500. He went lifetime bests in the SCY 50/100/200/500/1000/1650, 100/200 back, 100/200 breast, 100/200 fly, and 200/400 IM during his junior year. Gray’s long course season culminated in top-5 finishes in the 200/400/800 free, and top-24 in the 50 free and 100/200 fly, at the Connecticut Swimming Senior Championships. He earned PBs in the 50/100/800 free, 200 fly, and 200/400 IM.

His top SCY times are:

• 200 free – 1:40.48
• 500 free – 4:33.71
• 1000 free – 9:24.58
• 1650 free – 15:59.05
• 100 fly – 51.83
• 200 fly – 1:56.16

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to Recruits@swimswam.com.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Connecticut Free/Flyer Jack Gray Verbally Commits to UConn

By Torrey Hart on SwimSwam

It’s no secret that Michael Phelps has golf-related aspirations.

He’s competed in a number of events during both his active swim career and in retirement, and it appears he isn’t half-bad.

The GOAT took his talents to the green this weekend at the Swiss stop of the Omega European Masters Tour, winning the celebrity tournament. While the winnings from this event with benefit Baby2Baby, an organization that provides basic necessities to low-income children ages 0-12, Phelps hosts a celebrity Golf Classic to benefit the Michael Phelps Foundation every year.

Here’s a look at his winning shot:

Hole-in-one pour @MichaelPhelps! #OEM2017#golf#cransmontana#àlaisesousleaupic.twitter.com/Ntu0VJooff

— Johan Tachet (@JohanTachet) September 9, 2017

While the poor weather affected the main competition, Phelps carried on with ease.

He posted on Instagram about the win and his co-champion, actress Michelle Monaghan, added more pictures on Facebook:

We won @realmonaghan !!! So much fun today!! It was all the @scottycameron !!@omega @omegaeuropeanmasters

A post shared by Michael Phelps (@m_phelps00) on Sep 9, 2017 at 10:00am PDT

If you’re not impressed with this win from a difficulty standpoint, don’t forget that just last year, Phelps made what’s believed to be the longest televised putt ever:

The only question that remains? If MP can strut his stuff alongside good friend Jordan Spieth in a professional tournament.

It’s clear he’s too good for mere amateurs.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Phelps is Golden on the Golf Course, Wins Celebrity Event

By Anne Lepesant on SwimSwam

The high school recruiting class of 2018 has been busy. The school year has only just begun and already we have 180 seniors who have made verbal commitments to swim in college. On this day a year ago, there were just 55 names on our list.

In just over two months, since we first talked about the 2018 verbal commits in aggregate, we’ve added the names of 97 athletes to the list. 15 of our top 20 boys from the high school class of 2018, and 15 of our top 20 high school girls, have already verbally committed to Division I programs, and we still have two months left before Early Signing Day. Arizona State and Virginia Tech lead the way with 12 verbals each to the combined men’s and women’s teams. Joining them in the double digits are Indiana with 11 and Texas with 10. Close behind with 9 combined commitments are Florida, NC State, and Stanford. Here are the colleges that have received early pledges:

• Alabama – 3
• Arizona – 2
• Arizona State – 12
• Auburn – 2
• Cal – 7
• Cincinnati – 2
• Colgate – 1
• Colorado State – 2
• Duke – 3
• Florida – 9
• Florida State – 5
• Georgia – 3
• Georgia Tech – 2
• Harvard – 1
• Indiana – 11
• James Madison – 2
• Kentucky – 4
• Louisville – 5
• LSU – 1
• Michigan – 2
• Minnesota – 2
• Missouri – 4
• NC State – 9
• North Carolina – 4
• Northwestern – 3
• Notre Dame – 6
• Ohio State – 2
• Penn State – 3
• Pitt – 3
• Queens (NC) – 1
• SMU – 1
• South Carolina – 4
• Stanford – 9
• Tennessee – 4
• Texas – 10
• Texas A&M – 6
• Toledo – 1
• Tulane – 1
• UCLA – 3
• UConn – 1
• USC – 3
• Virginia – 2
• Virginia Tech – 12
• William & Mary – 2
• Wisconsin – 5

High School Class of 2018 Verbal Commitments

Meanwhile, we’ve sent some 1600 athletes off to swim and dive in all three divisions of the NCAA, in the NAIA, or in junior college. Take one last look at the class of 2017:

High School Class of 2017 Verbal Commitments

Read the full story on SwimSwam: 180 Athletes from the Class of 2018 Are Now Committed to Swim in College

By Loretta Race on SwimSwam

Former world champion James Magnussen of Australia continues to make his opinion known regarding the standing of his nation’s swimming in light of an overall disappointing result in both Rio and Budapest. Most recently at the 2017 World Championships, Australia nearly completed its competition without a single individual gold medal, save for Emily Seebohm’s heroic win in the women’s 200m backstroke.

‘Maggie’, who was one of several high-profile Aussies to have opted out of competing at the event in Budapest, had previously taken to the press to question why Australia hasn’t been leading off the 4×100 free relay with its fastest swimmers. Now, Maggie is also putting Swimming Australia on the defensive regarding attention, both monetarily and coaching-wise, being direction away from his home state of New South Wales (NSW).

Speaking about his birthplace within NSW, Maggie told The Sunday Telegraph, “I have no doubt that if I was swimming as a 16-year-old now in Port Macquarie, I wouldn’t be talent scouted the way that I was back when NSW swimming was a lot more predominant in the scheme of things.

“It’s just identifying those talents, grooming those swimmers to come through and get the best out of their abilities and not lose them to other sports.”

The 26-year-old Olympic medalist continued, “I think the thing I struggled the most with was the neglect of country NSW. They’re falling by the wayside because there are not the structures in place to keep those swimmers coming through.

“There are James Magnussen‘s at every second pool in NSW right up and down the coast. I have no doubt there are hundreds of swimmers in country NSW, and NSW as a whole, who have just as much talent as I ever did but sadly we lose a lot of those.”

In response, a Swimming Australia spokeswoman said, “Swimming Australia is committed to increasing the number of swimmers in New South Wales as well as across the country. Coaches are a vital part of the sport’s success and to help invest in the future generations, Swimming Australia has partnered with the NSW Institute of Sport and Swimming NSW to employ Ron McKeon as the state head coach who is part of a nation-wide coaching leadership team that works closely with Head Coach Jacco Verhaeren.”

According to Swimming NSW’s annual report for the 2016/17 season, its membership figure experienced a 5.8% increase, which translates to 1846 new members. That brings NSW’s total to 33,714, with the report noting particularly strong growth in the regional areas of NSW.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: James Magnussen Voices Concerns Over His Home State’s Swimming Status

By Anne Lepesant on SwimSwam

As we prepare to launch Season 5 of WWAGS, we thought we’d look back to see what 2016-17 looked like “by the numbers.” In our first year, from October 2013 through August 2014 we had 508 mentions; during the 2014-15 season that number was 473, and in 2015-16 it was 327. Last year we wrote about 357 athletes, some of which are household names but most of which you’ve never heard of.

The age group distribution was fairly even this year, although I must admit I had to force myself not to write about 12-year-olds every week. Unlike last year, when the 15-16s was the predominantly-mentioned age category, 2016-17 saw more 13-14s than any other group. That isn’t really all that surprising given that big growth spurts during the teenage years tend to lead to big time drops. After all, what we tend to look for when putting together a WWAGS lists is relative performance.

Below is the breakdown of mentions for the 2016-17 swim season. For the first time we’ve listed all the swimmers we have written about during the year, in addition to the club they represented. Go back through the archives to read what we wrote about your favorite team, your teammate, your son or daughter, or just clubs/swimmers you are curious about. The dates of the articles in which they are mentioned are provided in the far-right column.

Mentions By Age

Mentions By Gender

Mentions By LSC

Teams Mentioned in 2016-17

By Karl Ortegon on SwimSwam

Mizzou has released its schedule for the 2017-18 season.

Their fall lineup includes two SEC opponents, as they’ll host South Carolina on October 14th and then travel to Carbondale for a meet with Kentucky at Southern Illinois. They are set to host the Mizzou Invite as their mid-season invite meet, before heading into the winter break.

In the spring semester, the highest profile battle will be a dual with Texas A&M on January 6th. The SEC Champs are to be held in mid-February in College Station, while women’s NCAAs will be at Ohio State from March 14-17. Men’s NCAAs will be the following weekend in Minneapolis (below is the men’s schedule, which does not include the women’s NCAA champs info, while Arkansas will also be at the South Carolina meet to take on the Mizzou women).

The Mizzou men graduated a huge class and will be in rebuilding mode this year, while the women will be led by Hannah Stevens and Arizona transfer Annie Ochitwa.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Mizzou Releases Schedule for 2017-18 Season

By Torrey Hart on SwimSwam

13TH ANNUAL REPUBLIC OF CHINA STUDENT GAMES

• Hangzhou, China
• September 10th – September 15th
• LCM
• Full schedule and results

The 13th annual Republic of China Student Games kicked off this morning at the Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, following the conclusion of the 2017 National Games of China on Friday.

Today’s event lineup featured prelims and finals for the 400IM, 100 breast, 200 fly, 200 free, and 4×200 free relay.

2016 Rio Olympic Games and 2017 FINA World Championships bronze medalist Wang Shun led off finals with a 4:19.38 in 400IM, obliterating Shi Shi, who came in second at 4:22.05. Shi narrowly beat out An Jiabao, who clocked in at 4:22.29.

On the women’s side, Zhao Min took the win in 4:42.22.

In the 100 breast, Chinese Worlds team member Yan Zi Bei was the only man to break 1:00, going 59.15.

From the province of Liaoning, Xue Ching Tong nabbed the top spot on the women’s side with a 1:08.74, over two seconds ahead of Li Yiyi, who was second with a 1:10.92.

For the city of Tianjin, Mu Xinxu took the win in the men’s 200 fly with a 2:03.91. Teammate Cai Xuechun won the women’s race with a 2:17.99, nearly five seconds ahead of Yuyue Yang (2:22.77).

In the 200 free, Asian record holder and 2016 Olympic gold medalist Sun Yang cruised to a 1:45.56, way ahead of teammate Xu Qiheng‘s second place 1:49.11. Yang was over a second off his impressive 2017 FINA World Championships time (1:44.39), but only slightly off his time from last week’s National Games (1:45.15).

For the women, rising star Shen Duo narrowly beat out Cao Yue, going 1:58.30 and 1:58.50, respectively.

The teams from Beijing took first in the 4×200 free relays in both the men’s and women’s races. The men went 7:40.95, leaving Tianjin’s second place 7:49.51 in their wake. The women went 8:42.11.

The Games will continue through September 15th, with prelims beginning at 9 a.m. and finals at 2 p.m. everyday.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Sun Yang Headlines Day 1 of China Student Games

By Loretta Race on SwimSwam

We were already treated to a much-hyped clash of the titans in the form of 23-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps racing a Great White Shark to kick-off this year’s Shark Week on the Discovery Network. But another unexpected, high-profile battle may indeed be brewing.

While at an ‘Optus Speed Of Bolt’ party event in Sydney, Australia over the weekend, Olympic icons Ian Thorpe and recently retired track star Usain Bolt were speaking to the crowd when Bolt decided to throw out his hypothetical racing predictions. The Jamaican sprinter and reigning fastest man in the world told the audience that he can swim faster than 5-time Olympic gold medalist Thorpe, the man who owned 3 world records at one time and still owns two Australian long course national records in the 200m and 400m freestyle.

“First of all, I can swim faster than you,” Bolt said. “Are you ready for this? Let me say something, let’s analyse this. First of all, I’m taller than him which means my legs are longer than his, my shoulders are broader than yours and my hand reach is longer than yours, that’s three things that prove I can swim faster than him.

“You can probably do freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, whatever, but I can run on water, easy.” (The Sunday Telegraph)

Thorpe, along with the 400 VIP guests in attendance, reportedly responded to the statements with silence, which led the MC to comment, “Ian Thorpe came here to interview Usain Bolt, but Usain Bolt ended up interviewing Usain Bolt.”

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Usain Bolt Says He Would Beat Aussie Icon Ian Thorpe In Swim Race

By Loretta Race on SwimSwam

Tasmania, Australia’s smallest state, recently made swimming headlines with 16-year-old Ariarne Titmus becoming its first female national title winner in 40 years. The teen won the women’s 800m freestyle title at the 2017 Australian National Championships and later landed just off the podium in 4th place while competing in the 400m free event at the 2017 World Championships.

Titmus’ home state is in the news again, but this time due to a controversial new rule introduced by its swimming governing body. Per Swimming Tasmania, any swimmer not holding Australian citizenship will be deemed ineligible to claim Tasmanian titles or records posted at Tasmanian Championship events. Additionally, non-citizens are not allowed to compete in relay events at championship meets. The rule applies to Australian residents and paid members of state swimming associations and will take effect with the upcoming Tasmanian Short Course Championships.

Egyptian born swimmer Ahmed Awad, 18, is among those Aussie citizens who believe the rules are no good, as he spoke with the local news recently.

“I think the new rules are foolish and unreasonable” he said. “The visitor status imposes limitations on swimmers who are eager to compete and are dedicated to their craft.

“Since these swimmers are permanent residents of Australia, it is nonsensical to deem them as visitors”.

The club for whom Awad competes made no qualms voicing its opinion on the matter on its Facebook page. When announcing its relay line-ups, the Hobart Power Aquatic page stated the following,

Note: as a result of new ridiculous Swimming Tasmania swim meet rules in relation to Visitor classifications…Yanan will swim in B teams and these teams will not be eligible for medals…

Why are they ridiculous rules? Well, its like the great Citizenship debacle in parliament…on a much lower level…non Australian citizens are classified as visitors under the new Swimming Tasmania swim rules. This is despite Swimming Tasmania being queried and having no audit mechanism for who is a citizen and who is not…apparently its a guessing contest. Therefore there is no way of ensuring that there is a consistent approach to dealing with non australian citizens. We even have the situation where long standing Tasmanian records have been held by non australian citizens..im sure there are plenty of other non australian citizens hidden away in the ranks…our advice is if any official asks your citizenship status…reply that you are pretty sure you are Australian…

Just stupid…

Read the full story on SwimSwam: New Swimming Tasmania Rule Excludes Non-Citizens From Records, Relays

By Sanuj Srivastava on SwimSwam

Koi Ferk Nhi Padta Ki Ap Kis Level Ke Swimmer Hai Ap Humesha Pool Me Apne Swimming Me Sudhar Kerne Ke Liye Kuch Behtreen Tarike Khojne Ki Kosis Kerte Hai Bhle He Apne Swimming Sirf Apne Mje Ke Liye Ya Fit Rehne Ke Liye Li Ho Ap Humesha Ek Khoj Me Rehte Ho Kya Chij Better Swim Kerne Ke Liye Kya Kerna Hoga Apni Body Ko Fit Bnane Ke Liye Apni Mussels Aur Jodo Ko Majboot Bnanne Ke Liye Aur Swimmer Upkaren Ka Use Krke Apni Swimming Ko Kaise Better Kr Sekte Hai

Yha Kaise Mahan Swimmer Bna Ja Sekta Hai Iske Liye Kuch Lines Me Advise Di Gyi Hai

• Ek Swimming Group Bnao
• Ek Swimming Club Join Kro
• Ek Achhi Swimming Team Join Kro
• Apna Stroke Ko Analysis Kro
• Quality Is Better Than Quantity
• Flip Turn Ko Fast Kaise Kar Skte Hai Us Par Kaam Kro
• Swimming Me Jyada Tym Drills Pe Do
• Khud Ko Jyada Time Do

Ek Mahan Swimmer Banne Ke Liye Km Age Me He Swimming Clubs Ko Join Krna Shi Hota Hai(90% Case):-

Jb Apke Pass Koi Nhi Hota Baat Kerne Ke Liye Tb Ap Apna Sbse Achha Dost Swimming Pool Ko Bnaiye Ek Swimming Club Join Kerne Se Apke New Friends Bnenge Aur Sath He Sath Apki Swimming Bhi Improve Hogi Aur Other Swimmers Ke Sath Swimming Kerne Se Apka Ek Target Banne Lgega Ki Apko Aur Tej Swim Kerna Hai.

Small Area Se Bahar Nikle:-

Chote Talab Ka Aaram Choro Kyuki Ab Ap Pehli Baar Badi Fishes Ke Opposite Competition Kerne Ja Rhe Hai Jisse Apko Ehsaas Hoga Ki Abhi Kitna Adhik Kaam Aur Kerna Baki Hai Aur Kis Kis Type Pe Kaam Kerna Hai.

Parents Ya Kuch Achhe Dost Hote Hai Jo Swimming Pool Me Apko Support Karte He, Hmesa Unhi Jaise Logo Ke Sath Rhne Ki Adad Dale, Kyuki Wo Kafi Important Hai.

Friends Ka Support :-

Kuch Friends Aise Bhi Hai Jo Apke Practice Ke Time Apke Support Me Rehte Hai Jo Apko Humesa Motivate Kerte Hai Is Veykti Ko Apke Sath Practice Kerne Ki Zaroorat Nhi Hai Lekin Agar Ap Nirash Hote Ho To Vo Humesha Apko Prerit Kerne Ke Liye Aur Humesha Ke Liye Ap Aage Badhe Ye Koshish Kerte Hai.

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Rules:-

• Sirf Swimming Related Topic Hi Group Me Dale.
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• Swimming Ke Alawa Koi Bhi Message Krne Wale Ko Group Se Remove Kar Diya Jayega

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Professional Swimmer Banne Ki Kuch Khas Tips

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.– USA Swimming is proud to recognize more than 1,1...

By Loretta Race on SwimSwam

With the city of Durban, South Africa officially stripped of its 2022 Commonwealth Games hosting duties earlier this year, the Commonwealth Games Federation is on the hunt for a replacement city. Among the nations of Canada and Malaysia vying for a possible bid, England has thrown its hat into the ring.

Between two possible cities of Liverpool and Birmingham, England’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport have confirmed that it will indeed back Birmingham’s bid to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

A major city in England’s West Midlands region, Birmingham would utilize its existing four indoor arenas of the NEC, Genting Arena, Barclaycard Arena and Symphony Hall for various competitive events. Birmingham’s Victoria Square and Royal Leamington Spa’s Victoria Park have also been identified as potential venues, though final plans have yet to be released.

The only new-build venue within Birmingham’s bid would be the new Sandwell Aquatics Centre, set to host Swimming, Para Swimming and Diving.

Among those supporting a Birmingham bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games is 5-time Paralympic swimming champion Ellie Simmonds. “It is great news that the West Midlands will finally be getting a world-class competition standard swimming pool. When I was a youngster progressing up the rankings I had to move from Walsall to Wales in order to find facilities of the standard I needed to train.

“The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and the Sandwell Aquatics Centre will inspire the next generation of swimmers as well as encourage the local community to enjoy swimming and diving and learn a valuable life skill.

“I am so excited about the possibility of the Commonwealth Games coming to Birmingham and urge everyone to back the Birmingham Bid.”

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Birmingham’s 2022 Commonwealth Games Bid Includes Possible New Pool