Laura Hamel is on the move, out in the open.

In her new role as the Communications and Publications Director of U.S. Masters Swimming, Hamel is very effectively utilized the power of the word and the platform of U.S. Masters Swimming to promote the sport of open water swimming.

Hamel, an enthusiastic pool and open water swimmer from Sarasota, Florida, is not only the Editor-in-Chief for U.S. Masters Swimming’s SWIMMER Magazine, but she is also responsible for all content management for U.S. Masters Swimming’s publications from its heavily trafficked website (www.usms.org), its popular STREAMLINES e-newsletters, and emerging social media.

There is arguably no one more responsible for the increased awareness of open water swimming among America’s adult swimming population than Hamel.

Open any issue of SWIMMER Magazine and articles and mentions of open water swimming events, personalities, issues, exploits and coaches are found from cover to cover.

Throughout the year, Hamel appropriately directs the magazine’s content from extreme swimming in winter to warm-water masters swimming relays in the summer as well as pens some great articles. She highlights charity swims driven by swimmers from the West Coast to hard-nosed ice swimmers from the East Coast. Relentlessly positive and thoroughly informative, the articles are educational and inspirational as a result of her careful research of the sport and her working with writers from shore to shore.

The dissemination of information throughout the U.S. Masters Swimming community has spurred many adult swimmers, their friends, teammates and children to try open water swimming, either for fun and fitness for the first time, or for challenge and competition for veterans. Thanks in very large part to the humble, behind-the-scenes work by open water enthusiast Hamel.

Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source