JULIA

Flip Turnt

Page 2-3. Evolution of Competitive Swimming
Page 4 . Practice Routine
Page 5. Swimmer Body
Page 6. Aspiring Swimmers
Page 7. Swimming Sacrifices
Page 8. Swim Quotes

Evoluti on of Competi ti ve

Swimming is known worldwide as a properly yet it is the second fastest to
fierce sport that pushes athletes to their freestyle.
limits. This sport involves all aspects of
the human body, both upper, lower, and ?I feel like the IM (fly, back, breast, free)
cardiovascular, which is why it is crucially is very difficult because you have to make
important to train. Competitive swimming sure each stroke is perfect as opposed to
was not introduced until the early 1800?s just a singular stroke,?high school
by the National Swimming Society. It swimmer Frances Hickey said.
wasn?t until 1873 that John Trudgen
introduced a front crawl with a scissor Over many years swimming has grown
kick which is now known as freestyle. as a sport, many rules/ regulations have
Today, the freestyle stroke has been been made, officials are more precise
perfected with various speeds of kicks to with their trained eyes, and even
make it the fastest swimming style swimsuits have been advanced with
known today. This changed swimming special types of material to help a
standards and enhanced times to make swimmer glide through the water. For
competitions more competitive and example, swimmers must swim all
exciting. After all of these improvements strokes legally and must finish the
to strokes competition became faster butterfly and breaststroke laps with
than ever before which helped make a two-hand-touches with a backstroke
name for the sport. finish on their backs. If swimmers do
abide by all of the regulations they are
?My favorite part about competing is likely to be disqualified. This is a
when you finish and get a really good swimmers worst nightmare which is why
time, it just makes all of those practices it is so important to train. This is a very
in the morning, after school, and technical sport, if swimmers have good
workouts worth it,?high school swimmer technique then they will see results
Stella Moline said. quicker and have more control over their
body. It is crucial because races are won
Along with freestyle there are three and lost by .1 seconds.
other types of strokes: backstroke,
breastroke, and butterfly. Backstroke is ?Races can be so close because they?re
performed with a continuous flutter kick so fast so you have to make sure that you
and the same arm motions as freestyle are the one who touches that wall first,?
but on a person?s back. Some would even Moline said.
argue it is freestyle but on their back.
Breastroke is a very technical stroke, a Swimming is such a hard sport because
person?s arms must go in almost a a swimmer cannot be the fastest without
scooping motion and a frog like kick. constantly being in the water and
Unlike freestyle and backstroke, practicing building muscle to be able to
breastroke does not use a flipturn. be a great swimmer and compete with
Butterfly(fly) also does not have a flip turn the best. A major part of swimming is
and is a continuous body dolphin motion also breathing, a great swimmer takes as
with arms extended above the head with few breaths as possible which is not
a person?s hands being pulled downward easy. It takes time to be able to train the
in a semicircular motion. Fly is one of the body to not breathe while competing.
hardest strokes there is because of the
pure strength it requires to swim it ?I love being able to just get in the water
and not have to think about anything else
for those couple hours and figure out how
I can better myself not only in swimming
but in different aspects of my life,?Moline

e Swi mmi ng with the women?s suits covering their
upper body and mens stopping at their
said. hips.Tech suits are made from a water
It is also an excellent exercise for repellent material and are crucial for
improving cardiovascular endurance, swimmers because it is so tight a
lengthening and toning muscle tissue, slimmer profile helps to streamline them
and improving joint range of motion. and cut down on drag.
Swimming is a great way to get fit, it uses
all of the major muscle groups, including ?It?s the smallest things in swimming
the back, shoulders, legs, abdominals and like the type of suit you wear that can win
hips. Nothing about any sport is easy, that you a race,?highschool swimmer Marissa
being said it it can be very difficult to be Pelland said.
consistently getting better and a lot of
swimmers struggle with plateauing. Swimming is not easy but then again
Plateauing is when a person keeps no sport is, it takes time and practice to
training but can never keep beating their reach a person?s goals. The olympics are
own times. It is a huge struggle which is a great example of what it takes to make
why it is so important to train a person?s it, those athletes train year round for just
body to keep performing under the a few races. Michael Phelps (now retired)
pressure of competition. is the most successful and most
?You can't put a limit on anything. The decorated olympian of all time, he also
more you dream, the farther you get. holds the all-time records for olympic
If you want to be the best, you have to gold medals. Phelps is an idol to most
do things that other people aren't willing swimmers and just proves that with
to do. I won't predict anything historic. swimming the possibilities are endless.
But nothing is impossible,?olympic gold
medalist Michael Phelps said. 3

Men?s swimming was in its first ever
olympics in 1896 and women?s swimming
became apart of the olympics in 1912 at
the Stockholm Games. Since then, it has
been part of every edition of the Games
and the men?s and women?s programmes
are almost identical. A swimmer may be
capable of competing in the olympics
with just their skills alone but to give
them that edge most swimmers wear
tech suits.

?At first I didn?t believe a tech suit
would improve my swimming but I
remember diving into the pool with it on
for the first time. I felt like I was gliding
through the water and it truly made a
difference in my times,?Hickey said.
Tech suits are extremely tight and can
take multiple people to put just one
person in their suit. They do not look the
same as regular suits either.They are
longer and go down to a swimmer's knee

Practi ce Routi ne

A workout always starts with a warm-up, this There is usually always either a kick or pull
is a set which is swam slower and focuses set during an average workout. Kick sets help
more on technique to get the body warm and build leg strength which is needed to push off
ready for harder sets. Warm-up can be of flip turns, blocks, and to be capable to kick
anywhere from 200 yards to 1,000 yards long. throughout an entire race.

Drills are very useful when working on Depending what type of swimmer a person is
technique and it helps swimmers be able to there will either be a sprint, distance, or IM
understand the strokes better. Drills are not set. This is going to be the hardest set
worked on every practice but it is really because it is on short intervals so there is
important to get them in because since it is a little to no rest which makes it difficult to
slower set and swimmers will be able to continue to sprint down the pool.
focus more on the strokes.

Another thing that is very important to work on Last but not least every swimmers favorite

is starts and flipturns because a they need to part of the workout cool down. This is a time

be as fast as possible to be able to get ahead where someone can swim as fast or as slow

of competitors which is why it is crucial to as they?d like and it allows that person to

work on them at practice . bring their heart rate back down and try to get

rid of the lactic acid that built up during 4

practice.

Swi mmer Body Goggles let you be able to see
underwater so you do not run
A swim cap creates a into anything.
smooth surface on your
head so that it minimizes Leg hair must go in
the drag that hair would swimming, body hair
normally cause. creates drag and with
swimming the times are
A swim suit allows you to very close so even the
swim with as little drag as hair on your legs can
possible, this suit in mean the difference
particular is for dual meets between winning and
or high school/ middle loosing.
school meets. Another suit
known as a speed suit or 5
tech suit is made from water
resistant material so it helps
you travel through the water,
which really helps at bigger
meets like states, quicker
and is a lot tighter than a
regular practice or meet suit.

Aspi ri ng Swi mmers

Most kids who grow up as a swimmer dream to build muscle in their legs and arms to be able to
make it big as an athlete. College swimming and even continuously kick and pull through the water. Along with
the Olympics are what swimmers keep their eye out for. the upper and lower body swimmers have to train their
lungs to be able to hold their breath for long periods of
?I?ve been swimming since I was six so I?m time while pushing themselves to their limits in order to
hoping to go onto bigger things as I get older now that succeed.
I?m in eighth grade and am getting more used to
competition,?middle school swimmer Scottlyn Vaughn ?It was really hard for me to realize that in order
said. to be a better athlete in the pool I have to do more than
just go to practice, for example going to the gym to
People that choose to help further their build up muscle so I can be a better swimmer,?Gutierrez
swimming career kids from the ages of six to eighteen said.
participate in a recreational swimming team called
Wyandotte Wildcats. This team holds practices from These kids have big dreams and in order to
Mondays through Thursdays and has multiple meets reach them they realize that it takes a lot of hard work,
throughout the season with other cities recreational dedication, and determination to reach their goals.
teams.
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?Wildcats has helped me throughout the years
prepare me for the middle school team,?middle school
swimmer Lucy Moline said.

Swimming can be a very technical sport
because in order to win it takes a lot of practice to make
swimmers times faster like starts, flipturns, and how
often someone breathes.

?I still struggle with my breathing during my
races because it takes a lot of time to train your body to
push yourself while taking as few breaths as possible,?
middle school swimmer Dylan Gutierrez said.

Although swimming may be difficult at times it
pays off to train more than just during a middle school
or high school swim season because it takes time for
not only your body but your lungs as well to adjust to
training.

"Wildcats helps me not only stay in shape for
my middle school season but it has helped me with my
technical training like my flipturns as well,?Vaughn said.

Swimmers that choose to participate in
recreational swimming clubs want to go somewhere
with their swimming career and have goals in mind for
the future.

?I love swimming and I eventually want to do
something with the skills I have learned whether it be
swimming in college, coaching swimming, or
lifeguarding,?Wyandotte Wildcat swimmer Daisy Moline
said.

It?s not only the physical aspect of swimming
that can be challenging but also the mental aspect
because these swimmers have to train their bodies to
continue to push themselves even when are at their
limits.

?It?s definitely a challenge to keep trying to get
better because it can be really hard to train and
compete against other amazing swimmers,?L. Moline
said.

The competitive sport that swimming is uses all
aspects of the human body, the respiratory system, the
lower body, and the upper body. Swimmers need to

If the chlorine level is too high and is
not being regularly monitored any
swimmer can start to lose hair on their
body whether it be leg hair, arm hair, or
even eyebrow hair.

All swimmers, both male School is very important
and female are required which is why is is so hard to
to shave their legs in balance, as best as
order to reduce drag and possible, practice and the
even go as far as shaving mountains of homework
their arms. your teachers give you.

Swi mmi ng
Sacri fi ces

Chlorine damages your hair by Chlorine also dries your skin out
drying it out and making it feel because of constantly being in
similar to hay. chemicals.

WIth all of the hours that swimmers have to spend in 7
the pool during season your team becomes your family
and you have little to no social life.

Home is where the If it doesn't challenge you,
pool is It doesn't change you.
SWIM HARDER
Seven days of no
swimming makes one
weak.

YOUR ARMS WILL GET
HEAVY YOUR LEGS WILL
BURN YOU'LL STRUGGLE
TO BREATHE BUT YOU
MUST KEEP SWIMMING

If you think your sport is hard
try doing it while holding
your breath

Good things come to
those who swim

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