Sports Girls Play » Swimming

It’s Time to Kick off Summer Swim Team

Char — Fri, 21 May 2010 17:03:53 +0000

Summer is right around the corner – literally – with thousands of pools marking the beginning of summer Memorial Day weekend and summer swim teams starting practice. Summer swim team has got to be one of my favorite activities of the year. Some of my best memories as a child are from summer swim team and now with three kids – ages 8, 11 and 13 swimming on a local team, I am forever finding myself recommending summer swim to just about everyone I know.

First off, why would you want your children doing summer swim? Everyone can do it, it’s affordable, it is great cross training for other sports, its social and it is wonderful for self-esteem! Read my article on 5 Benefits of Joining Summer Swim Team for my complete thoughts why summer swim is so good for kids!

Secondly, once you have taken the plunge and signed your kids up for summer swim team, what do you need to remember for all those meets? Holly at the Volunteer Spot starts us off with a list of 5 Swim Mom Musts and then fellow Swim Mom Jill from Musings from Me adds 5 more really great tips including one I learned the hard way our first season – bring at least one extra towel per swimmer.

Finally, have fun with it! Don’t get wrapped up in the ribbons and results! Encourage your swimmers to do their best, set personal goals and most of all, HAVE FUN this summer.

For even more great tips, check out the newly redesigned USA Swimming website and check out my recommendations on the best places to find swim gear at affordable prices.

Vintage Sports: 1919 Australian Women Swim Team

Char — Thu, 20 May 2010 18:06:10 +0000

Women and girls’ participation in sports has come a LONG way over the years. Check out this photo of the Australian Women’s Swim Team from 1919.

While I am not sure of the actual athletes featured in the photo, it is quite possible that both Fanny Durack and Wilhelmina Wylie are in the photo as they were Australia’s first female Olympic medalists in swimming. They finished 1st and 2nd respectively in the 100m freestyle race at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics.

I am starting a new weekly series on SportsGirlsPlay to take a look back through history at some of the women who have been pioneers in their sports. If you have any old photos or stories of pioneering women in sports, please let us know in the comments or email char@sportsgirlsplay.com

Natalie Coughlin Kicks Off Her Weekend in Charlotte with Gold

Char — Sat, 15 May 2010 12:03:45 +0000

USA Swimming’s Golden Girl, Natalie Coughlin, is back in the water after taking an extended break following the 2008 Olympics. Her extended break even included a stint on Dancing With The Stars, but its clear, Natalie’s real talent is in the water.

She kicked off her return to competition – and the road to London 2012 in March swimming 3 events (and medaling in all three) in the Austin Grand Prix swimming the 100m butterfly, 100m backstroke, 100m freestyle. This weekend she is at the Charlotte UltraSwim swimming again and she started the weekend off with gold in the 100m Butterfly, edging out Felicia Lee – who is 10 years younger than Natalie.

With two more races to go this weekend and two big meets coming up this summer – the U.S. Championships and the Pan Pacific Championships -Natalie seems to be setting a good pace for herself.

Universal Sports is covering the Charlotte Ultraswim and has some good video already:

Speedo Friends and Family Sale

Char — Mon, 10 May 2010 17:58:20 +0000

Summer swim leagues are gearing up across the nation and if you have a summer swimmer or a year round swimmer, don’t miss out on the Speedo Friends and Family Sale Event!

30% Off Friends and Family Event at SpeedoUSA.com ~ May 10th through May 17th

Stock up on everything your swimmers need for the summer!

Swimming with Olympians at the Mutual of Omaha Breakout Swim Clinic

Char — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 14:32:19 +0000

I Raced a Gold Medalist Today - What Did You Do?

A few weeks ago we signed my daughter up for the Mutual of Omaha Breakout Swim Clinic that was being held at the pool she trains at. She was so excited to get to swim with Olympians Kate Ziegler and Matt Grevers that all she talked about in the weeks leading up the clinic was the clinic. The clinic was yesterday afternoon and let me tell you, it lived up to every last expectation in her mind!

Having Matt Grevers Sign Her Shirt While Wearing His Olympic Medal

Not only was the clinic super organized, but I don’t think we could have had two better athletes – Olympic Gold Medalist Matt Grevers and World Record holder Kate Ziegler were so personable, patient, inspirational and really connected with the swimmers! Actually I think my daughter must have made Kate’s day during Q & A when she asked Kate about her last meet – which was at the Ohio State Grand Prix meet. When Kate said, yes that was her most recent meet, my daughter mentioned the comment made by the announcers that they had not seen Kate in a while. Kate laughed and said that was a bit embarrassing hearing that over the loud speaker, but loved that this information was noted by an 8 year old (who by the way, tivo-ed that meet and has watched at least 5 times).

Matt Grevers Answering Questions at the Mutual of Omaha Breakout Swim Clinic

The clinic was comprised of getting to know the athletes and their swim careers, stroke work in the pool, question and answer time with the athletes, more stroke work, races with the Olympians (how cool is that?) as well as autograph and photo sessions. Each swimmer got a t-shirt – love the back – “I raced a gold medalist today – what did YOU do?”, a bag, 2 DVDs of swim meets the Olympians and other were swimming in, and athlete bio cards. Great value for the $65 clinic fee!!

Kate Ziegler and Matt Grevers signing autographs

Clinics like the Mutual of Omaha Breakout Swim Clinic can be such a great way to really connect athletes with their heroes, boost their confidence and help reinforce the positives in their individual sports.

Has your athlete done a clinic like this? Did you think it was beneficial? Personally, I know the memories from yesterday’s clinic will not be forgotten any time soon!

Swimmer Chloe Sutton Wins Gold at Columbus Grand Prix

Char — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 17:32:21 +0000

Move over Natalie Coughlin, there is a new star in my 8 year old daughter’s eyes – Chloe Sutton. We watched Chloe win the 800m and 200m freestyle during Day 1 of the Columbus Grand Prix (televised on Universal Sports) and she is star struck. My daughter loves freestyle and swam a 500Y for time for the first time a few weeks ago. I was really surprised at how intently she watched every race and had something to say about each of them. Since watching the meet, she can’t stop talking about Chloe.

Chloe Sutton recently turned pro at age 18 – foregoing her college scholarship eligibility, and she is the current leader in the US Grand Prix Series. Watch the clip below for more on Chloe and her decision to go pro.

Have a great weekend!

Natalie Coughlin Makes Her Dancing Debut on DWTS Season 9

Char — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:23:55 +0000

We all know she can swim, but can Natalie Coughlin dance, too? We’ll find out tonight on the season 9 premier of Dancing With the Stars. Olympic swimmer Natalie Coughlin is paired with 5 season veteran and season 1 co-champ Alex Mazo.

I am guessing that Natalie will be the 13th act to perform tonight as according to her Twitter stream her vote number is 1-800-VOTE4-13. Personally, 13 is my lucky number and we will certainly be voting to make sure it is her lucky number, too.

Watch Natalie’s first DWTS interview with Alex on learning to dance and how she thinks she will do from TVGrapevine.com:

Good luck Natalie!

Natalie Coughlin Will Compete On Dancing With The Stars

Char — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 22:30:14 +0000

Season 9 of the popular ABC “Dancing with the Stars” reality show will feature another Olympic Gold Medalist – Natalie Coughlin. Season 8 was won by Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson and other Olympic stars who have competed in past seasons include Apolo Anton Ohno, Kristi Yamaguchi, Evander Holyfield, Clyde Drexler, Floyd Mayweather, Jr., Monica Seles, Misty May-Treanor and Maurice Greene.

The season premiere will be September 21. Natalie Coughlin will be joined by 15 other contestants including Tom DeLay, Donny Osmond, Kathy Ireland, Kelly Osborne, Melissa Joan Hart and more.

Coughlin is excited about having the opportunity not only to learn to dance but also to train hard at something else besides swimming. I know we will be looking forward to seeing what she can do and cheering her on!

Kirsty Coventry Doubles at Santa Clara Invitational

Char — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 14:18:55 +0000

Kirsty Coventry was just one of 20 Olympians swimming this weekend at the Santa Clara Invitational. The meet is the last stop in USA Swimming Grand Prix series,the last major American meet before the U.S. championships in July and an important meet leading up to the World Championships later this summer.

Coventry won both the 100m backstroke and the difficult 400m IM in yesterday’s sessions. Newcomer Kasey Carlson finished second to Liesel Jones in the 100m breaststroke. California’s Dana Vollmer has won 4 events so far (the competition concludes today) taking the 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly, a relay win, and the women’s 200m freestyle races.

Katie Hoff scratched from Friday night’s finals and all races Saturday after coming down with an illness. It is uncertain if she will swim today.

Sunday’s women’s competition includes the 200m fly, 50m free, 200m IM, 200m back, 800m free and 400m medley relay. You can follow the meet throught Swimnetwork.com and Universal Sports. Swimnetwork.com will provide a LIVE online stream of the finals and the prelims from each day of competition and Universal Sports will broadcast finals footage Friday through Sunday. SwimStarsLive has complete meet coverage as well, including some great photos!

PS – if you are a swimmer you have to check out the Universal Sports swimming page for some of the coolest swim photos taken from under the water plus swim tips such as how to improve your flip turns.

5 Reasons to Join a Summer Swim Team

Char — Tue, 26 May 2009 16:02:00 +0000

This weekend marked the official kick-off of another summer and the opening of neighborhood pools across the country! Summer Swim Team is one of the best activities for building self esteem, creating new friendships, and it offers an amazing value for the money. My daughter did summer swim team last summer and still talks about it. As a matter of fact, she is counting down the days until their first summer swim meet.

Here are my top 5 reasons why your kids should give Summer Swim a try!

1. Just about anyone can do it! The only pre-requisite at our pool for joining summer swim is the ability to swim (anyway, anyhow) across the pool. No previous swim experience required. Just a desire to work hard and learn. And as an added bonus, swimming is a life long sport and useful life skill.

2. Affordable. If you live in a neighborhood with a community pool, chances are you are already a member of the pool. Summer swim fees tend to be relatively inexpensive – considering your child can practice 5 days a week and participate in multiple swim meets through out the summer. If you don’t have a neighborhood pool, check with your local YMCA, parks and rec department or local private pools for additional options. As far as equipment goes, you really just need a one-piece swim suit and a pair of goggles to get started. Some teams will give your swimmer a team swim cap – others may require you to purchase it. Either way, they are not too expensive. (My favorite online resources for high quality swim gear at great prices)

3. Social. It is real easy to make friends with kids you train with just about every day! My daughter and her friends do their best to get from one end of the pool to the other first so that they have more chit chat time while waiting for their team mates to finish up. Then there are the swim meets themselves – tons of cheering for each other, writing sayings like “eat my bubbles” on each others’ backs, and relays!

4. Fitness. Whether your child plays soccer in the spring, basketball in the winter, or gymnastics all year long, swimming an hour a day 4-5 days a week for the bulk of the summer just improves their overall fitness level. Cross training is excellent for any athlete.

5. Self Esteem. Regardless of what skill level your child starts the summer with, it is just about guaranteed they will improve as the summer goes along. Last summer my daughter started the season off too scared to start her races on the blocks. With some positive coaching and lots of practice, she was diving off the starting blocks with ease by the time finals rolled around. Our league rewards kids with heat winner ribbons, generous placement ribbons, and the kids get an award of some sort at the end of the season.

Last year was our first summer swim season and I will say I was a little overwhelmed at what seemed to be organized chaos at the first meet. By volunteering to do one of the many jobs it takes to run a swim meet, I quickly learned the ins and outs of the chaos – it wasn’t as crazy as it initially appeared to be.

All youth sports require parent volunteers in order to be successful. Summer swim is no different. Whether you help as a timer, scorer, clerk of course, marshall or in the snack bar, I guarantee your child and their team will be very grateful for the support!

Make some memories this summer! Get your kids involved in summer swim and watch them flourish.