By Kristina Henry

I am an average swimmer. As a child growing up in Vienna, Virginia I swam on our neighborhood swim team, the Shouse Village Sharks. In those halcyon days during the 1970s we all wore the Mark Spitz stars and stripes suits, ate raw Jell-O and basically swam because we hung out at the pool all day anyway and our parents didn't want to see us until dinner time. Swimming was just something to do. [Read more]

Masters of South Texas (MOST) will be hosting the 3000/6000 yard Championships in 2010. The 3000-Yard and/or the 6000-Yard must be swum in its entirety on or between September 15 and November 15, 2010. The objective To swim 3000 yards and/or 6000 yards in any 25-yard pool. Some people do the events for competition, while others do it for fitness; all who wish to participate are welcome. The recorded time you submit determines the order of finish. If two or more swimmers report the same time, a tie will be declared.   Get out during the "off season," challenge yourself and swim them both!

For more information, contact Susan Ingraham.

Online Registration

Paper Entry Form (Individual)

Relay Entry Form
 

The final two events in this year's H2Open Series are upon us. This weekend, Big Shoulders in Chicago goes off -- a sold out race! Check back at the event website for updates and results.



There is still time to register for Tropical Splash on October 2nd. Sarasota, home to the USMS National Headquarters, is the perfect place for an October getaway. For those of you wanting to make it an active open water weekend, the Siesta Key Triathlon -- a sprint tri in its 27th year-- is held the day after Tropical Splash, October 3rd.

Online Registration

by Tim Elson, Finis, Inc.

As a former swim coach, I would say that one of the most fundamental functions a coach serves is to give immediate feedback to an athlete after a swim. The process goes something like this: "As soon as you finish your swim, make sure you loosen down then come look at your splits." That immediate feedback is dominated by numbers. After all, we race to achieve the lowest numbers. [Read more]

by Ross A. Hauser, M.D.

Shoulder pain is the most common pain complaints in swimmers. Studies have shown that between 47 and 73 percent of musculoskeletal problems in swimmers relate to their shoulders. It is no wonder these injuries are so common considering that an elite swimmer may log up to 20,000 yards per day. Or consider the college or high school swimmer who is averaging 5,000 yards per day, five days per week, for 10 months per year. If one has an estimated 15 individual arm movements per 25-yard pool, this would account for over 600,000 arm movements per year. Yes, it is easy to see why a swimmer may end up with shoulder pain. [Read more]

U.S. Masters Swimming was well represented in San Juan with over 600 athletes competing. North Carolina Masters came out on top in the regional club competition, and in the local club category, Fort Lauderdale Aquatics ran away with the title. You can find their picture in the Spirit section below.

Complete scores and individual results are posted. Video recaps of the event can be found on our YouTube Channel. Photos of the event can also be found online courtesy of Leonardo Rivera.  

Start planning for the 2011 Spring Nationals being held in Mesa, Ariz. from April 28 - May 1 and Summer Nationals will be in Auburn, Ala. August 3 - 6. Both of these are held at great venues and promise to be fun events.

by Alex Kostich

It has often been said that swimming the English Channel is the Mt. Everest of open water sport, and if that is the case then the RCP Tiburon Mile would be the equivalent to the world's most prestigious tower climb, The Annual Run Up Empire State Building in New York.

Each year in October, a short, intense, and star-studded open water swim takes place in the picturesque town of Tiburon, Calif., called the RCP Tiburon Mile. [Read more]

Head coach Patty Waldron walks us through her North Carolina USMS program. Check out the video below.

 

Ft. Lauderdale Aquatic Masters

Ft. Lauderdale Aquatic Masters swimmer Adrienne Chin-Ogilvie sent this victory photo taken in San Juan. FLAQ had an amazing meet, taking the championship title in the local clubs division by over 2000 points. "As the largest team present, in red shirts, we were obviously the noisiest kids in the neighborhood - thunder sticks, shouting, dancing, cheering, clapping, whistling, etc. All 76 swimmers made Top 10 in at least one individual event ... Many personal bests were accomplished..." says Chin-Ogilvie.

During the meet, FLAQ swimmers kept in touch with each other and their teammates back home with regular Facebook postings-giving rise to their meet motto, "What Happens in San Juan Goes on Facebook." Coach Marty Hendrick celebrated along with his team by showing up at the natatorium each day with a new hairstyle: "From brown, sandy hair to platinum blonde hair, to a Mohawk and finally, a bald head!" says Chin-Ogilvie.

Congratulations to Ft. Lauderdale Aquatic Masters!