Skip navigation.

I'm trying

...but where is this all leading?

Posts tagged with "swimming"

I'm home

Relentless November rains make for grumpy cats. And people. But what better way to ease the doldrums than submerge yourself completely in it. Water that is. And so, two years after my big shoulder accident I went to a swim meet!
Honestly, I felt really ill this morning. No amount of ginger water could ease my nervous tummy. My shoulders were stiff, my hips ached. How could I swim? But I did. Funny how once you start you totally forget about your pains and worries. I even remembered what one of my old coaches said to me, "But Sandy, it's supposed to hurt!" And so, when my legs started fatiguing I just kicked even harder. Anyway, it's early in the season, but I have neared my best times of ten years ago. Ten years ago! I was lucky to get good placings too: 1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze. (the Canadian record holder dropped out of the last event! ) :hat: :D

I'm smiling again! OH NO! WRINKLES! :lol:

I'm so excited!

Okay, if you have never met me in person, you will not know that I rarely show excitement. Not sure why that is but many have commented on it. It has to be pretty big for me to jump up and down and at least smile. Smiling causes wrinkles anyway.

Anyway. There's a breaststroke swim clinic at UBC in December and it's run by Joszef Nagy who is Annamay Pierce's coach . He has also coached Mike Barrowman, Olympic champion and world record holder. Nagy invented the "wave" breaststroke style. He's famous, world renowned! And I'm going! I don't even know what else to say about it. I'm excited!


Pierse credits the arrival of acclaimed swimming coach Joszef Nagy as being instrumental in her recent success.
Pierse describes Nagy as "a genius when it comes to breaststroke." He sees every little thing we are doing in the pool and technically coaches us to be the best in the world," she says.



I need a new swimsuit now! :rolleyes:

600 - 150 5/3/5 - 50 stroke 100 kick choice

,

My coach yelled at our lane today. I know sometimes some of the people in my lane talk after a set and then miss what the next set will be. They often ask me because I usually know what's going on. So, today, after a long hard set in which I and another swimmer finished, but in which the other swimmers stopped before us because we almost lapped them, things got a little confusing. Anyway, so while they were waiting for us two to finish they started talking. When I finished the set I looked up on the white board and saw what to do next, and I started. But after 50 metres coach stopped us even though we had another 50 to go. He said the other lanes were finished because they had been listening and that we were talking too long and so our time was limited. But that's not true. So I called him on it. Just said, "But we we went as soon as we finished the set. " And that's when he yelled at us. It was very uncomfortable and unfortunate because he is usually a great coach and a nice guy. And we are adults and really don't put up with anyone yelling at us. So what if we're a little social? So what if we don't exactly finish all the sets? A couple of lengths here and there isn't going to make a big difference. Anyway, I was so put off about it all that I got out early and didn't even say goodbye. Swimming is supposed to be a stress release not cause it. We're not Olympic swimmers, we don't need that kind of attitude to improve.

All I can think is that maybe he was tired and maybe something happened at home that made him flip out.

Dare

Training suit

Racing suit

Dear Mr. Phelps

I fully understand your annoyance at having lost a race but it never has done any athlete any good to complain about outside reasons for defeat. I fully agree that these new suits should be banned if they do increase buoyancy. Anyone who has ever swam in a proper swimming wetsuit realizes how even a bad swimmer can swim so much faster in rubber! For one, your body position is higher and you don't need to kick so much. This is great for a long distance swimmer as myself who kicks as little as possible. I'm way faster in a wetsuit. I think these new suits are much the same as wetsuits but much thinner.

So many world records have fallen as well by those wearing these new suits. Is that fair?

Anyway. Are you really going to boycott the next race, the 100 Fly (against that Serbian swimmer..what's his name? :whistle: who just happens to wear one of these new suits). If not this is what I propose you do in order to show who really is the best swimmer in the world. You have a few options:






1. Swim in the traditional brief speedo. What do you need that Speedo Lzr suit for anyway? Some argued when that suit came out it gave swimmers an unfair advantage.

2. Swim in your Lzr and make Speedo proud by winning.

3. Give in and swim in the Jaked or Arena suit. If you wallop the competition everyone will know how unfair the suits are. Though, if everyone wears the same suit doesn't that level things?


On another note. Yay Canada. Annamay Pierce swam a new world record in the 200 Breaststroke, and then went on in the finals to a silver medal. The American, her rival, Rebecca Soni, went out way too fast and totally faded in the last 20 metres. What a huge mistake that was!

And I watched another race, the men's breaststroke. The leader made the mistake as did that Serb guy in the Olympics against Phelps, by gliding into the wall at the finish. It looked as though he won, but was outtouched by another swimmer who timed his finish much better. These swimmers should know better!



...p: Bring back the traditional speedo for men!

Power of words

I subscribe to a online swimming newsletter and I received a new edition yesterday. Much to my surprise the top headline was about the Canadian swimming trials for the upcoming world championships in Rome. A young (15 years old!) swimmer Amanda Reason set a new world record in the 50 metre breaststroke. It's been a while since we've had such promising swimmer at the international level. You'd think something like this would make the national news. (Did I just miss it? I don't think so, I look at the sports headlines everyday.) There was nothing on the CBC sports website, nothing at all. Until today. Funny, how she set the record five days ago and now it is finally in the headlines. Funny, how I wrote a letter just yesterday to CBC complaining about their lack of sports coverage outside of baseball, basketball, hockey and football. Perhaps I wasn't the only one who wrote in and complained. Well, it doesn't matter, at least her accomplishment has been recognized now. World Championships start this Friday! Can't wait!

Waterbabies

,

Finally something on the radio other than Swine Flu. A very interesting documentary (to me) about being comfortable in water.

There is a certain kind of person who is a little different from the rest of us. They exist on land, like the rest of us but they live ... thrive in the water. The Current's Chris Wodskou is not one of those people. But he wanted to find out how the minds and bodies of elite athletes in aquatic sports mesh in the water. Chris Wodskou's documentary is called Water Babies.



Listen here .


I can totally relate to what these elite swimmers say, being much more comfortable in the water than on land where I feel heavy and clumsy. I always try to swim quietly, it's more efficient. One of my coaches used to say I was a 'scenic' swimmer, like I was out for a Sunday drive. :lol: My current coach says I'm very technical but not aggressive enough! Kick harder kick harder! But I like this feeling of skimming through the water gracefully, and if I try to go faster that feeling is ruined!

Fitness vs fatness

,

It feels odd to even bring this point up, but I've been thinking about it all day. People who are large and considered dare I say, "fat" are one of the most discriminated groups around. Last night I went to hear the swimmer Lynn Cox speak. (Read her books!) I knew she was a large woman, I have seen her on television, gasp, in a bathing suit. I am sure that most women her size would never been seen in one. To see her on the street, clothed, you would for sure think, oh, such a pretty face but, she needs to lose weight, get active; and yet she is a world class athlete, the best at what she does. Her heart rate is only 45 bpm! There is a woman her size in my swim club and she has completed an Ironman distance triathlon! There is another woman in the slower lane next to me, that weighs probably 50 pounds more than me, but she sometimes is faster than me. (I don't like anyone being faster than me!):rolleyes:

Anyway, just to say, that just because someone looks fat, doesn't mean they are not healthy and fit. Remember that when you think you'd be happier and more successful if you only lost 10 more pounds.

And...read Lynn Cox's books! They are about more than swimming.

Inspired

,

I met a great human being tonight . My hero, Lynn Cox. She is someone who knows no limits and never doubts her abilities. I felt so emotional listening to her speak, reliving her great swims. She also showed a clip of the Discovery Channel film about her swimming in Antarctica. My glasses fogged up during that.

Some of the attendees asked questions about her swimming technique, her stroke rate, heart rate, body physiology. All I could think was, "Oh you boring boring athletes!" If they had read her books they would've known that information! Anyway, I got up the courage to ask a question that has been on my mind a while. I asked her if she kept a journal when she was young, because her writing is so vivid and detailed; how could she remember all of the little things that happened 40 years ago. She thanked me for asking that question! And yes, she started keeping a journal when she was 12, and that she also just has a really good memory because those things she did were so memorable. Afterwards a lot of people got up to talk to her, so I didn't get a chance to meet her in person. That's okay. I feel inspired anyway. :happy:

u goin' swhimmin' at dis hour?

,

...jus turn da wite off when u weave pweeze :zzz:

December 2009
S M T W T F S
November 2009January 2010
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30 31