Michael Phelps...

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Michael Phelps In Action!

Swimming olympians and what they have done....

Mark with his seven gold medals at the 1972 Olympics.

Some of the greatest Olympians in swimming have a lot of medals but others maybe just have the one....


Mark Spitz..

Mark Spitz is the greatest swimmer in the history of swimming. With his 11 Olympic medals, he became the fourth highest medalist in the Olympic history and jointly the highest in Men’s Swimming.

Matthew Nicholas Biondi..

Biondi is another great swimmer in the swimming history winning 11 Olympic medals including 8 gold. Appearing in three Olympics Games, he could prove his skill and potential in swimming.

Johnny Weissmuller..

Johnny_Weissmuller is another talented swimmer in the swimming history. This multi skilled legend is also very famous for playing the role of Tarzan in the movie titled ‘Tarzan’, one of the successful movies ever released in Hollywood.

Ian James Thorpe..

Nicknamed ‘Thorpedo’ he is one of the most popular swimmers in the present world. Having participated in two Olympic Games, Thorpe bagged nine medals including five gold.

Ian Thorpe.

Michael Phelps..

Phelps is another passionate American swimmer in the present world. He has showed his talent and skill to be accepted as a legend in the swimming history.

Jennifer Elizabeth Thompson..

Jenny Thompson is a great swimmer in the world swimming. Jenny could win 12 medals participating in four Olympics games. Her number of Olympic gold medal is 8 which deserve her to be included in the list of one of the great Olympians. 

Krisztina Egerszegi..

This Hungarian great Olympian was a famous swimmer from the late 1980s to the mid 1990s. Participating in three Olympics Games, she bagged 7 medals in which 5 were gold.

Dawn Fraser..

This Australian great swimmer is mostly famous for her successes in the Freestyle event. She is the first women to finish swimming within one minute in the 100m events.

Michael Phelps.

Shane Gould..

Shane is another great Australian swimmer in the world swimming. It is still a mystery that in spite of having a great skill and potential, she retired at the age of 16.

Johnny Weissmuller.

Kristin Otto..

Shane Gould.

Kristin is the famous swimmer in the swimming world. This German swimmer appeared in one Olympic Games in 1988 and she could prove the tale that great people does not need two chances to show their greatness. In that tournament she won 6 gold medals.

Kristin Otto

What we would do and concentrate on in training....



A OK'S



In training we consentrate on lots of different things:

Usually first we do 200m A'ok's or 200m Trickle fingers.

A'ok's help you feel the water as it goes through your fingers.

Trickle fingers is wear you trickle your fingers along the tip of the

water as you are swimming frontcrawl/freestyle.

Then we would do 3 times 300m Pull, Kick, Swim.

Pull helps you concentrate on your arms more then with a pull boi you don't

have to concentrate on your legs.

Kick helps you concentrate on your legs more then with a kick board you don't

have to concentrate on your arms.(opposite to the above).

Swim is just normal swimming (usually frontcrawl)

We would then do 10 times 50m Frontcrawl front/end.

This would then make us go all out on the first 25m then come back slowly so that you get back your breath ready for your next 50m. This shows what you would be like for example at the end of a 400m.

Kick (kick board)

Pull (pull Buoy) 

Swim

Sunderland Swimming Gala...

Me and my team went all the way to Sunderland for a swimming gala. I had seven races to compete in....

200m Freestyle,
50m Freestyle,
100m Freestyle,
200m Breastroke,
400m Freestyle,
50m Breastroke,
100m Freestyle.

It was top 3 medals.

The  competitors there were really hard to race against however I did not do that bad in the Breastrokes (my best stroke!).

The pool was really nice, big and spacious. The water was really thick with a lot of chlorine in but this is sometimes a good thing!

I would love to go there again!

Swimming Facts...

Swimming facts....

• 
• Swimming started in the 1st century.

• Over 50% of world-class swimmers suffer from shoulder pain.

• Swimming has been a part of the Olympics since 1896.

• Peanuts are a source of energy for swimmers.

• The shorter your hair is the more chance you have for swimming faster because there is less friction
• Swimming can be done for competition and it is helpful in survival.
• Swimming strengthens the heart and lungs 

• Swimming works out all of the body’s major muscles

• Going swimming is very relaxing and has been compared to yoga and meditation in terms of its soothing effect on the mind and body.

Wrexham Swimming Gala...

Great Gala!

On the 26 th of November I went to Wrexham to compete in a level 3 gala. The Swimmers there were really big competitors and were hard to beat...

50 fly- 13 Moseley, Eden 12 ECTM 49.13
50 Breast- 6 Moseley, Eden 12 ECTM 43.85
100 IM- 10 Moseley, Eden 12 ECTM 1:32.79
50 Back- 11 Moseley, Eden 12 ECTM 42.98
50 free- 13 Moseley, Eden 12 ECTM 37.51

It was top 6 Medals... So I got 1 medals.



It was a nice pool . The changing rooms were all really clean and there were great facilities for a pool.
I would definitely go again for a swimming gala!

Blackpool Swimming Gala...

Yesterday, I travelled all the way to Blackpool, for the National Arena Premier League Round 1..

It was a team event not an Individual Event. So I had to compete as a team not on my own.
The pool was really nice and big..

The teams there were:

Barrow ( lane 1)
Preston ( lane 2)
Warriors of Warrington ( lane 3)
City of Liverpool (lane 4)
Satalite (lane 5)
Cockermouth (lane 6)
Trafford Metro (lane 7)
Ellesmere College (lane 8)

I got a P.B on my 50m Breastroke my old time was 45.56 and yesterday I got 44.97.

The next round is on 12th of November 2011 (hope I am in it).



               

Every second in swimming counts.....

Just the change of a costume could either slow you down or make you faster.....

I reckon for swimming the knee high costumes are the best ( in my opinion). Because they are more streamline against your body than the ones with no legs. They are elasticated at the bottom so that no water could get in our out which would slow you down.

In my opinion I think this one below is the best in the mid-range price bracket:

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As you can see it is very elasticated at the bottom. So that no water could possibly get in our or out from the bottom.

It is also tight at the top for the same reason as the bottom.

So wearing this costume or costumes like this you could probably take a couple of seconds of your personal best just by buying a better costume than your old one.

The good things about swimming....



There are lots of good things about swimming such as:

You can not hurt yourself in water whilst you are swimming because the water would break your fall ...



If you fell into the pool you wouldn't get hurt where as if you were playing football you could get hurt the same for skateboarding and biking.



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Another good thing about swimming is:

You can watch swimming online....





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Another good thing is :

You can do it with your friends or your family or your club you can just about do it with everyone....



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There is lots more these are just a couple that i can think of ...











My Favourite pools and galas...

My favorite pool would have to be:

Welti Swimming Pool

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The reason for it being my favorite is:
That the water makes you swim faster and is thinner than most of the pools that I have been to in the past.



My favorite gala is:

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The counties held at Market Drayton Swimming Pool
This event is held every year. It is my favorite because it is a nice pool and you can get medals easily there (which is what I like!!)

Monofins..

Today I tried the Monofin for the first time..

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They are like two fins stuck together.. (like above).

At first they are really hard to use but when you get used to them they are really good for helping you streamline and for helping you keep your legs and feet together under the water.


They assemble on to your feet easily just like putting your shoes on.

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Just the same as usual fins... 

Swimming Gala entry levels..

In swimming there are different levels in different galas.

A level 1 open meet is the hardest as the times are very fast just to be able to get in.
A level 2 is slightly slower entry times than level 1.
A level 3 has usually quite reasonable entry times.
But A level 4 open meet is the easiest gala in regards to qualifying times.

I have competed at all levels of galas but the level 1's I know I have to be prepared to be 'scratched' which is when the slower entrants are removed to allow faster swimmers to compete.  Although it is not nice to be scratched it does happen and I try not to worry about it too much as it means I can go all out with the races I do get.

There are galas out there for all levels of swimmers - why not have a go and have some fun!

Listography-Children's Films...

I am going to join in with Kate this week on her Listography.



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1) Bridge to Terabithia has to be my favourite film because it shows one childs imagination and brings it to life.

2) Bugsy Malone- I like Bugsy Malone because It is a nice old fashioned film and my favourite bit is where the boy gets a pie thrown at his face :).



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 3) Monster's Inc-  I love Monster's Inc because of the funny lady that says ' I am watching you always watching you' which I think is really funny.


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4) Grown Ups- Because all the guys in it work so well together in one film.

5) Last but not least would have to be Just Go With It- This film amuses me because in the end Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston end up falling in love.

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What to remember before and in a Butterfly Race...



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There are lots of things to remember in a Butterfly race:

On the Dive:

Put your goggles on at the side of the block,
When the first whistle blows you climb on to the block,
Then when the official says ' Take to your Marks' you pull back on the block as hard as you can,
Then when the seconds whistle beeps you push off the block with all your strength.

When you enter the water:

When you enter be streamline as possible,
You need to be about 1-2 feet under the water not to deep but not to shallow,
Then do a few quick fly icks underwater making sure you get past the flags on the dive,
Then come up and go straight into the stroke.

On the Swimming:

You should keep your legs together at all times,
As your arms come over:

When they come by your sides you kick once,
Then when they come near your head you kick once again so in the end you are kicking twice per stroke,

On the Turn:

You must touch the wall with two hands then as the same as breastroke you lift one arm over you head as the other whon goes up your body they then meet and you are streamline,
Then do a few fly kicks again like the dive and then come up and do the stroke again,

Streamline
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On he finish:

Touch the wall with two hands and hit the wall as hard as you can making sure that you actually hit it as this could knock off point 0's of a second.

Training Tools....

Pull Boi



Hand Paddles



Kick Board



Fins



Snorkel

These items are the ones we use regualary....

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Underwater Camera Mask
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Underwater headphones
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These items are the ones that I have seen on the internet and would like to have a go at....

What is a swimming gala....

A swimming gala is an amateur swimming competition between clubs or groups of swimmers, usually of young people.In the UK swimming galas are traditionally held at the end of the summer and through the autumn.
As well as the usual swimming events, there are often more fun events such as mixed relays and special races are often staged for the group leaders.

Swimming galas serve several purposes including competition, fund raising and social bonding.

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Famous olympic swimmers...



Tarzan
(picture from heyoscarwilde.com)



There are lots of famous swimmers but here are just a few of my favourite ones....

Johnny 'tarzan' Weissmuller: Johnny Weissmuller, of the tarzan movie fame, was also one of the best swimmers of the world during the 1920's. He won 5 olympic gold medals as well as a bronze medal. Plus, he also set 67 world records and has never lost a single swimming race, retiring from his swimmming career undefeated. Of course most people remember him portraying Tarzan, along with the characteristics Tarzan call, which he had invented.

Johnny
( picture from canada.com)

Dawn Fraser: Dawn Fraser is regarded as the greatest female swimmer in the world, being the first woman who swam the 100-meter event in less than a minute. When she was 12 years old, in 1952, a Sydney coach at one of the local baths spotted her. Dawn earned acclaim in 1955 when she broke currently held records in the freestyle events right up to 880 yds. She shot into international fame at the Melbourne Olympics held in 1956 when she broke the 100-meter freestyle record, which was set 20 years back by Willy Den Ouden. Just 18 years of age, she won 3 medals from her first Olympic games.


Dawn Fraser
( picture from schools.ash.org.au)

Ian Thorpe: An Australian, Ian Thorpe has won 5 Olympic golds as well as 11 gold medals in the World Championships. No one else from his country has been able to match is Olympic gold tally, while his World Championship feat has put him in the second place in swimming. Plus, he has been nominated four times as the World Swimmer of the Year by the Swimming World International magazine.

Ian Thorpe
( picture from daybreakingnews.com)

Jennifer Beth Thompson
( picture from browsebiography.com)

Jennifer Beth Thompson: She has won 12 Olympic medals, which includes 8 golds, while she represented the United States in the Summer Olympics of 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004, making her the most decorated Olympic swimmers in history.

Mark Spitz
(picture from olympicgamesonline.org)

Mark Spitz: Born in 1950, he has won 7 gold medals at the 1972 Olympics held in Munich, setting world records in all of the seven events. Widely regarded as the one of the all time greatest athletes, he was named the swimmer of the year in 1969, 1971, and 1972. Plus, the Sports Illustrated Magazine voted him one of the greatest Olympians and the athlete of the century in 2000. In addition, the International Olympic Committee has named him as one of the 5 athletes of the century.

 Mary T. Meagher: Named ‘Madame Butterfly’, she set a record in 1981 in the 200 meter butterfly event. Another record she had made was in the 100-meter butterfly in the same year. Later, she blazed her way to various other feats that brought glory and fame to her. For example, she won gold medals in the Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles, in 1984, in the 200-meter and the 100-meter butterfly races, plus another gold for the butterfly leg of the medley relay for women. Then, in 1988 Olympics, held in Seoul, she won a bronze in the 200-meter butterfly.



Mary T. Meagher
(picture from sportsillustrated.cnn.com)

Matt Biondi: Born in 1965, Matthew Nicholas Biodi has won 11 Olympic medals, participating in the 1984, 1988, and 1992 Olympics. He equalled Mark Spitz’s feat of winning 7 medals in a single Olympic Games, in 1988. Biondi won 5 golds in Seoul, while he set records in four of the events.

Matt Biondi
(picture from 2008.nbcolympics.com)

Laure Manaudou: She is a French World, European, and Olympic swimming champion, and holds the world records currently for the 200 meters freestyle (long course) and the 400 meters freestyle (short course).

Laure Manaudou
(picture from thebizofknowledge.com)

Michael Phelps: He is a holder of world records in a number of events. Amongst his achievements are the 8 medals he won at the Summer Olympics of 2004 held in Athens, of which 6 were gold. He was named the World Swimmer of the Year in 2003, 2004, 2006, and 2007.

Michael Phelps
(picture from hollywire.com)

These are just a few but they are all amazing olympians and great history in swimming.