Swimming

Commentary by Brent Rutemiller PHOENIX, Arizona, May 19. CASEY Barrett and Peter Busch got the story right. Michael Phelps is going to come back and compete again for the United States in the sport...

Ashley Twichell, Eva Fabian, Christian Jennings, Haley Anderson, Becca Mann, Emily Brunemann: the stars were out when the 2013 USA Swimming National Open Water Swimming Championships was held. And so were the upstarts. At one point, Tristin Baxter sprinted into the lead going into the third and final loop in Castaic Lake. It was like a heavyweight championship fight with each athlete getting in their own body blows. “Tristin moves into the lead...now Anderson has forged into the front...Fabian has a great line...Jennings is picking up where she left off in the 10K...Twichell is making a break for it...Fabian is making it a go with her...Brunemann has come up on their side...Becca Mann is on their tail...Haley is charging now…” Back and forth, the athletes kept upping the ante and pushing the pace as they charged into the wind and came screaming downstream with the currents. Lead changes kept coming without stop. Lap 1, lap 2, lap 3. Without a doubt, it was anyone's game. The pace was relentless and punishing as they fought each other and collectively against the elements. On the last loop, the leaders kept taking body blows by the rest of the field. No one could pull away and no one was giving an inch. But 6-time Olympic coach Jon Urbanchek predicted the winner as they came around the last turn buoy with 150 meters to go. "Haley was attacking. She was pissed [about the outcome of Friday's 10 km race]. The whole way, she took it to the field." "The race was hard," explained Becca Mann of Florida. "I was in a bad place and had to move around." As did everyone as they all chased Anderson over the last 150 meters when the recent USC graduate opened up an ever slight lead. "I felt strong going into the wind and gained confidence after the Olympics. I really got back into it during this race." And things look very good for the American team heading into the 2013 World Championships after two extremely hard-fought races among the top 8 athletes. "There is plenty of room for improvement," said Coach Urbanchek who assists Dave Salo and Catherine Vogt who are Anderson's coaches at Trojan Swim Club. "She is about 85% with everything going on during her senior year." And her post-graduate activities look to be very promising. Copyright © 2013 by Open Water SwimmingFrom Open Water Source's Daily News of Open Water Swimming

For 57 minutes the men in the 2013 USA Swimming National 5 km Open Water Swimming Championships had battled each other and the rough water elements in Castaic Lake. After barreling in the finish chute in two parallel 5-wides, the men slapped the finish pontoon with some loud slaps. The crowd gave a collective gasp…and then waited. No one knew who won. Not the official nor the athletes. Not the coaches nor the parents. But the one thing that was obvious was the championships were treated to a truly entertaining and exciting race webcast live by USA Swimming. For 23 minutes the swimmers, coaches, parents, and teammates stood by the officials tent waiting for the final results. No one was making predictions; the race was simply too close to call. Using a high-resolution camera, the race officials had to review the finish over and over to get the results right. Finally, race announcer Sam Kendricks made the announcement. “Andrew Gemmell is the 2013 USA Swimming national 5 km champion.” “Sean [Ryan] and Jordan [Wilimovsky] were pushing the pace early in the race,” recalled the University of Georgia senior-to-be Gemmell. “I tried to make a move two times, especially going into the waves. It is easy to get lost in the waves, but it is also harder. I could feel the spray of the waves, but we all had to deal with it.” Unlike the conditions during the 10 km race two days ago, the winds whipped up a fury on Castaic Lake. Going down the backstretch, the field was flying fast with the currents and winds pushing them faster than many of them had ever swum in the open water. But coming back the men faced a relentless series of random waves and surface chop, slapping them around like socks in a dryer. “When I pushed the pace twice, I had to fall back both times [into the pack]. With 800 meters to go, the lead pack slowed down. I had to fight back into position, but I got boxed in the middle of the pack. So I moved closest to the shore as I fought my way to the far left coming into the finish. I breathe to that side so I wanted to be in a position to look at the field.” And Gemmell will next swim a 5 km at the 2013 World Championships in Barcelona, Spain. After his disappointing third-place finish in the 10 km, Gemmell recouped his energies and regained his focus. “After the 10K, I recovered pretty well. I put [the 10 km finish] in the back of my head. I have done multiple open water races before, so I was ready.” Ready he was and ready he will be. The official results: 1 Andrew Gemmell (Nation's Capital Swim Club-PV) 57:22.07 2 Joey Pedraza (Davie Nadadores Swim Team-FG) 57:22.68 3 Sean Ryan (Club Wolverine-MI) 57:22.75 4 Jordan Wilimovsky (Team Santa Monica-CA) 57:23.24 5 Janardan Burns (Mission Viejo Nadadores-CA) 57:24.07 6 Brendan Casey (Team Santa Monica-CA) 57:25.14 7 David Heron (Mission Viejo Nadadores-CA) 57:25.35 8 Chip Peterson (North Carolina Aquatics Club-NC) 57:25.90 9 Daniel O'Connor (Mission Viejo Nadadores-CA) 57:27.18 10 Arthur Frayler (Germantown Academy Aquatic Club-MA) 57:27.33 11 Shawn Parkhurst (Unattached-NI) 57:29.26 12 Sam Petersen (University of Tennessee-SE) 57:30.96 13 Drew Ledwith (Greenwood Swimming-NE) 57:31.65 14 Riley Mita (Navy Swimming-MD) 57:31.86 15 Steve Sholdra (Fordham Swimming-MR) 57:33.28 16 Ryan Feeley (Club Wolverine-MI) 58:02.21 17 Bradley Phillips (Nation's Capital Swim Club-PV) 58:04.84 18 Nick Norman (Mission Viejo Nadadores-CA) 59:19.10 19 Joe Szczupakiewicz (Southwest Aquatic Team-WI) 59:35.97 20 Cory Mayfield (La Mirada Armada-CA) 59:48.10 21 Bobby Yribarren (Tiger Aquatics-PC) 59:48.26 22 Ryan Kao (La Mirada Armada-CA) 59:49.09 23 Jerad Kaskawal (FAST Swim Team-CA) 59:51.60 24 Scott Simmer (Team Santa Monica-CA) 1:00:40.38 25 Bryce Bevier (University of Tennessee-SE) 1:01:48.32 26 Nathan Pawlowicz (Nation's Capital Swim Club-PV) 1:02:12.85 27 Dirk Bell (LTP Racing Club-SC) 1:02:25.59 28 Simon Lamar (FAST Sw

CARSON CITY, Nevada, May 19. FOR the first time, high school swimmers competed in Divisions 1 and 1A to determine champions in the Nevada High School Swimming and Diving Championships. The two meets w...

TOPEKA, Kansas, May 19. HANNAH Angell, a senior at Blue Valley Southwest, was named Athlete of the Year at the Kansas Girls 5-1A Swimming and Diving Championships May 16-18 in Topeka. Her coach, Arvel...

The men's field is stacked for today's USA Swimming National Open Water Swimming Championships 5K, but with one obvious absence: Alex Meyer. But Meyer solidified his position on the USA Swimming national team with his dominant and strategic victory in Friday's 10K national championship. With his victory, Meyer has a choice to swim the 5, 10, and 25 km races at the 2013 World Championships in Barcelona. Given his background as the 2010 world 25 km champion, it will be interesting to see what 2 or 3 events he chooses to swim. In today's race in Meyer's absence, look out for Sean Ryan, Andrew Gemmell, Chip Peterson, Arthur Frayler, and Joey Pedraza, but the contingents from the Mission Viejo Nadadores, Nation's Capital Swim Club, and Team Santa Monica will also poke around the lead pack. Undoubtedly, the race will come down to the final few hundred meter sprint. The 2013 USA Swimming National Open Water Swimming Championships 5 km race competitors include the following athletes (listed with their entered times): 1. Andrew Gemmell (22) Nation's Capital Swim Club (14:59.05 1500m) 2. Sean Ryan (20) Club Wolverine (15:20.79 1500m) 3. Jordan Wilimovsky (19) Team Santa Monica (15:23.01 1500m) 4. Ryan Feeley (21) Club Wolverine (15:24.28 1500m) 5. David Heron (18) Mission Viejo Nadadores (15:28.50 1500m) 6. Janardan Burns (17) Mission Viejo Nadadores (15:30.40 1500m) 7. Daniel O'Connor (21) Mission Viejo Nadadores (15:34.62 1500m) 8. Nick Norman (16) Mission Viejo Nadadores (15:41.62 1500m) 9. Scott Simmer (17) Team Santa Monica (15:49.36 1500m) 10. Ryan Kao (17) La Mirada Armada (15:56.42 1500m) 11. Chip Peterson (25) North Carolina Aquatics Club (15:56.98 1500m) 12. Joey Pedraza (25) Davie Nadadores Swim Team (15:57.74 1500m) 13. Drew Ledwith (20) Greenwood Swimming (16:00.25 1500m) 14. Ben Miller (18) Marlins of Raleigh (16:02.89 1500m) 15. Brendan Casey (16) Team Santa Monica (16:07.25 1500m) 16. Bobby Yribarren (27) Tiger Aquatics (16:13.06 1500m) 17. Christoph Grimmett?Norris (18) Nation's Capital Swim Club (16:13.77 1500m) 18. Nicholas DeVito (17) Team Santa Monica (16:13.96 1500m) 19. Cory Mayfield (19) La Mirada Armada (16:18.40 1500m) 20. Alex Palumbo (20) Unattached (16:24.50 1500m) 21. Jerad Kaskawal (17) FAST Swim Team (16:32.28 1500m) 22. Conor Cudahy (18) Nation's Capital Swim Club (16:34.22 1500m) 23. Arthur Frayler (19) Germantown Academy Aquatic Club (14:49.88 1650y) 24. Bradley Phillips (20) Nation's Capital Swim Club (14:58.21 1650y) 25. Mitchell Huxhold (19) Unattached (15:08.61 1650y) 26. Sam Petersen (21) University of Tennessee (15:11.21 1650y) 27. Brennan Jacobsen (20) Unattached (15:22.12 1650y) 28. Bryce Bevier (20) University of Tennessee (15:22.62 1650y) 29. Alex Nickell (19) Navy Swimming (15:26.77 1650y) 30. Riley Mita (19) Navy Swimming (15:30.41) 1650y) 31. Noah Martin (18) Navy Swimming (15:35.45) 1650y) 32. Brandon Goldstein (16) Nation's Capital Swim Club (15:41.16 1650y) 33. Brian Phillips (19) Nation's Capital Swim Club (15:45.71 1650y) 34. Michael Caputo (22) Eastern Express Swim Team (15:50.34 1650y) 35. Noah Johnston (16) Lakeside Swim Team (15:50.69 1650y) 36. Nathan Pawlowicz (16) Nation's Capital Swim Club (15:51.88 1650y) 37. Ian Wheeler (21) Golden West Swim Club (15:55.15 1650y) 38. Evan Munaretto (15) FAST Swim Team (16:00.51 1650y) 39. Michael McGean (18) Shawmut Aquatic Club (16:02.28 1650y) 40. Lamar Simon (13) FAST Swim Team (16:03.65 1650y) 41. Dirk Bell (17) LTP Racing Club (9:08.65 1000y) 42. Shawn Parkhurst (21) Town of Tonawanda Titans Swim Team (9:19.62 1000y) 43. Weston Miller (17) Scottsdale Aquatic Club (9:20.45 1000y) 44. Chris Yeager (14) First Colony Swim Team (9:31.03 1000y) 45. Kyle Kemp (18) Y?Spartaquatics Swim Club SC 60 8:26.14 800m) 46. Joe Szczupakiewicz (16) Southwest Aquatic Team (8:26.35 800m) 47. Steve Sholdra (19) unattached (8:27.49 800m) 48. Peter Kalibat (17) Eastern Express Swim Team (8:31.44

We often read and watch triathlon coaches and elite athletes teach high-stepping and dolphining to their triathlete colleagues, friends and teammates. While we understand how the elite professionals and aggressive amateur triathletes (and open water swimmers) have the desire and need to high-step and dolphin both in and out of the water, we often observe how few triathletes and open water swimmers actually do high-stepping and dolphining in competition. In particular, we see a lot less high-stepping and dolphining at the end of a triathlon swim leg and open water swim finish than is performed at the start of the race. We wonder why? Are people nervous high-stepping and dolphining in and out of the water? Is it difficult aerobically? Do triathletes and swimmer practice these techniques? Are conditions too crowded to do so safely? Is it frankly even necessary for the newbie or average triathlete or swimmer? We suspect these are all reasons why most non-elite, non-professional triathletes and open water swimmers high-step and dolphin in and out of the water. Just an observation. Copyright © 2013 by Open Water SwimmingFrom Open Water Source's Daily News of Open Water Swimming

I swam today, honestly I did.  But when syncing my Garmin Swim the workout vanished!  Nada, nothing, no swim.  If I can't post it did I really swim it?  Wait, the watch a minute ago had 0 yards swum now it's 1,900.  It should have been 2,000 but I hit pause instead of start and missed a 100 IM swim.  Hopefully later the damn thing will sync and I'll have my workout.  I made it up as I was going.  Easy swim, some kick, some pulling, some free, some IM, some 50 switches, more kick, more switches and an attempt to swim fly.  Month    Total DistanceJan    6.96 miles (=12,250 yards, =11,201 meters)Feb    6.25 miles (=11,000 yards, =10,058 meters)Mar    2.50 miles (=4,400 yards, =4,023 meters)Apr    7.02 miles (=12,350 yards, =11,293 meters)May    4.12 miles (=7,250 yards, =6,629 meters)Total    26.85 miles (=47,250 yards, =43,205 meters) Well once again at least I'm swimming.  It was my first swim in a week.  I really need to swim more then once a week.  But hey, at least I'm swimming.  Yeah, I get sick of telling myself that but... Also, at least I swam more then I did in March!  Small victories!

"Are there sharks out there?" Craig Dietz asked before he entered the Swim Across America event in Long Beach, California back in 2012. "I have never really faced sharks before." That was then, and now is different. Dietz, a frequent keynote speaker at events from the Midmar Mile in South Africa to the Global Open Water Swimming Conference in California, is now heading to San Francisco Bay to compete in today's Sharkfest Swim. His friend John Mix of FINIS explains, "Craig is an extraordinary athlete. His story is unique in that he does not share the same loping swimming stroke pattern as many of his competitors; he does not drive towards the finish line with a roaring six-beat freestyle kick. Despite these differences, Craig continues to swim and does so in a manner that is easily recognizable from the shore. Deitz trains and competes laying flat on his back, one large fin attached to a portion of his leg, his hips and core undulating to provide propulsion. Despite being a late bloomer when he fell in love with open water swimming at age 34 when he competed in his first 1500m swim event at the Pittsburg Triathlon in 2008, he now trains over 5000m a day. Simply put, Craig loves swimming." Dietz was born without limbs, but embodies effort and positivity. In a message that hits every naysayer and individual with a negative outlook on life smack in the chest, Deitz chooses to face adversity head on and to do what he enjoys. This is what separates him from many. But his message is that everyone can be remarkable and every individual is capable of extraordinary feats. Today, Deitz will tackle the coldest waters he has faced yet and will swim 1.5 miles from Alcatraz to Aquatic Park. No hands, no feet. No arms, no legs. No problem, all guts. Copyright © 2013 by Open Water SwimmingFrom Open Water Source's Daily News of Open Water Swimming

In light of the research done by Dr. Richard Weller of Edinburgh University about the benefits of sun exposure, we note that Exposure Scientific has developed skincare products that are formulated to permit the body to synthesize vitamin D while blocking the harmful, unwanted rays of light. The skincare products include sunscreens, daily-use moisturizers, lotions and other products with SPF factors. Vitamin D is made in large quantities by the human body when certain wavelengths light penetrate the skin. Traditional sunscreens with SPF factors, however, have been shown in studies to seriously impair the cutaneous production of vitamin D. Problem Number 1: An alarmingly high percentage of people in Australia, Canada, European Union, Japan, New Zealand and the United States suffer from vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency. The problem is a result of living indoors, behind glass and wearing long clothing. Before buildings and an indoor lifestyle became commonplace, humans got the vast majority of their vitamin D by exposure to sunshine. To compound matters the only chance many working people and students get to make vitamin D in their skin is during their outdoor weekend activities – but this is just the time when they impair their skin’s ability to make vitamin D by coating it with traditional sunscreens and products with SPF factors. Problem Number 2: Dermatologists often warn of the danger of harmful rays of light penetrating the skin, with wrinkles, photo-aging and skin cancers resulting from excessive exposure. The solution: Reducing the harmful rays of the sun, but allowing the body to synthesize the vitamin D with Exposure Scientific's RadianD. Copyright © 2013 by Open Water SwimmingFrom Open Water Source's Daily News of Open Water Swimming