Personal Growth / Body /

Swimming


Compared to other participatory sports, swimming hasn't made much of a splash on the World-Wide Web. You'll find only a few general interest swimming sites, but they provide in-depth information for swimmers of all types.

The Best

WebSwim is the best overall site by many lengths. The least of its virtues are its links to 25 other swimming resources, most of which are run by swim clubs, university swim teams, and vendors of swimming-related wares. But the star of this page is content. Site maintainer Donncha Redmond has collected useful articles and lists from listservs and Usenet newsgroups. She says she'll add more information as it becomes available. True, not everybody will find all of WebSwim compelling. Many people, for example, could do without the list of mail order vendors of swim apparel. But most serious swimmers will want to read about how to perfect a flip turn, shoulder injuries, and general training guidelines. Here also is a collection of articles from the rec.sports.swimming newsgroup about learning to swim using a new technique created by Terry Laughlin, a well-known swimming teacher. WebSwim's design is uncluttered and straightforward.

The Rest

The American Swimming Magazine sounds like it has more broad appeal than it does. This is the magazine for the American Swimming Coaches Association, and while its articles are aimed at coaches, there are also tidbits for serious swimmers.

Masters swimming is becoming increasingly popular as the baby boomers age. The best place for information is the World of Masters Swimming. This page is Hong Kong-oriented, but it includes some general swimming information, including a complete list of masters swimming records and information about wearing heart rate monitors. And to make sure you take advantage of every possible competitive edge, it offers you information about Chinese astrology.

If you are into long-distance swimming, check out the Long Distance Swimming Calendar in the World. This is a list of open-water, long-distance, swimming events. Some of the information here isn't up-to-date, but many of the older items are annual events and include contact names.

If you swim in heavy surf, it's nice to know there are people who can save you should you run into trouble. The World of Surf Rescue is full of information about surf rescue and competitive lifesaving. It isn't a big sport in the U.S., but it is in Japan, and this site lists lots of contests there. It also has a link to an excellent site that teaches you how to perform CPR.

Competitive swimming and lifeguarding aren't the only ways to be competitive in the water. Body Surfing, sponsored by The Santa Cruz Bodysurfing Association, tells you about contests for that sport. For those who aren't aficionados, the most impressive part of this site is a collection of body surfing photos.

by David Haskin

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Internet Life Vol.1 No.1 Winter 1995