To educate, entertain, and enthuse all those who venture beyond the shoreline
World Open Water Swimming Federation, a human-powered project
Swimming Smooth For 10 Years…And Beyond Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. This week, Swim Smooth‘s Paul Newsome and Adam Young celebrated the 10-year anniversary of their company, website and original DVDs. They discussed their decade-long journey here. “We’ve dedicated the blog to indulge in a little nostalgia looking back at our beginnings and giving […]
Swimming Smooth For 10 Years…And Beyond Read More »
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. Veterinarians occasionally describe medical doctors as those who take care of only one species. Cardiologist Barbara Natterson-Horowitz in her TED Talk (see here) reminds us of a similar analogy between pool swimming coaches and open water swimming coaches. While physicians focus on homo sapiens, veterinarians operate on a species-spanning
Why Open Water Coaches Are Like Veterinarians Read More »
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. United States Masters Swimming implemented some major changes to its open water swimming rules at this year’s convention. The changes involve water temperatures, water quality guidelines, drafting, swimwear, and independent safety monitors. 1. According to new rule 302.2.2A (Water Temperature), an open water swim shall not begin if the
Open Water Swimming Rule Changes Are Adopted by USMS Read More »
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. At the World Aquatics Convention in Doha, Qatar, coaches were talking about all kinds of issues, from physiological to psychological, from logistical or egotistical. One particular presentation by South African head swimming coach Graham Hill was interesting to consider. He talked about how his model for managing egos in
Staying Humble With Egos In Check In The Open Water Read More »
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. Tom Fristoe, a retired marathon swimmer, was named one of the 10 most impactful people in swimming by Swimming World Magazine (see here). Swimming World Magazine CEO Brent Rutemiller explains, “Our sport is blessed with great people. Some are public figures, others work behind the scenes.” In addition to
Tom Fristoe Named One Of Swimming’s Most Impactful Read More »
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. Kelley Prebil is a shining example of the type of ocean swimmer who participates in the annual “Will Swim For Food“, a 1-mile pier swim in Santa Cruz, California to be held on December 13th. The 1-mile swim around the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf is in 51-53ºF water –
Will Swim (In Really Cold Water) For Food Read More »
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. There are some athletes who occasionally dip their toes in the open water and there are others who are lifers. They are in it for the long haul; deep-rooted enthusiasts whose fix is the ocean. Howard Burns is one of those individuals – like all those wildly passionate ocean
A Lifetime Of Swimming, Sharing And Supporting Read More »
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. Sharon Van Rouwendaal earned her way onto the podium 3 times at the 2014 European Championships this past summer for her open water swimming exploits. With 2 gold medals in the 10 km and 5 km team pursuit, she also earned a silver in the 5 km race to
Sharon Van Rouwendaal, Stretching The Limits Of Versatility Read More »
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. When the winds increase and the ocean become swollen and turbulent with whitecaps, open water swimmers really feel like they get a good workout and have to put in a tremendous effort to deal with Mother Nature. Copyright © 2014 by World Open Water Swimming Association
Get Ready To Rumble Read More »
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. Open water swimmers often talk about the waves and wind, the turbulence and chop, the cold and the marine life of their sport. The challenge of fighting through the dynamic elements is what makes the sport so tough. But it is on those rare days out in the sea
The Calm And Tranquility Of Glassy Seas Read More »