Triathlon Training Daddy: This week with Swim Meister Tony

The latest and greatest from Swim Meister Tony!

Swimming news has been very busy lately. Hopefully you got a chance to watch some of the televised National Championships that were held at Stanford University at the beginning of this month. We saw many of the swimmers from the team that represented the U.S. at the World Championships just a few days before. Some of them struggled, yet others were able to overcome the difficulties of an extended taper and jet lag from their China trip, and swim even faster than they did in Shanghai. We also saw several swimmers who just missed making the Worlds team shine with a chip on their shoulder, and a couple of solid comebacks. U.S. swimming is looking stronger every day! Nationals here.

Did you hear about Diana Nyad? She attempted to swim from Havana Cuba to Key West. She swam for 29 hours, reaching almost half way (about 50 miles) before she had to give up. I can’t hardly call that a ‘failed attempt’! Pretty amazing what she accomplished at the young age of 61! Also check out what masters swimmer Jim Barber did that get him into Sports Illustrated “Faces In The Crowd”!

Upcoming Local Events:
There are still some opportunities to participate in swimming events this summer!
Swimming in Moonshine August 27th in Branson, MO. It’s a late morning event, so it can be don in a day trip if you prefer.
Penguin Paddle August 28th at Prairie Village Pool. Organized by our own Lisa Diven! Swim what ever distance you want up to 5k (or more). The main idea is to raise funds for the Arthritis Foundation, and have fun doing it! Contact Lisa with questions.

Going into fall, we have a couple of local meets.

October 1 and 2 there will be a meet at the new aquatic center in Lees Summit. Those of you that were able to volunteer at the Special Olympics event got to see what a great facility this is. For that meet the pool will be set up for a 25 meters format. Meet and entry info is not available yet.

November 19 (date is tentative) there will be a meet at Gladstone, same pool that hosts the Corporate Challenge meet. I participated in this event last year, and it was a well run meet, with a fun social afterwards.

No meet at Mizzou this year. For the last 5 years or so in early December, we have had a meet at the new facility at the U of Missouri. Due to the expense of renting that pool, and the availability of the new facility in Lees Summit, the Mizzou meet has gone to even years only.

Get out there and enjoy some outdoor swimming, there isn’t much time left! As always, feel free to bother me with any questions you have related to swimming! It’s one thing I never get bored of talking about!