| | | BREAKING: Swimming Coaching Powerhouses USA, Canada, Australia and Great Britain Resign From World Coaching Body |
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| In a bombshell pact, the American, Canadian, Australian, and British swim coaches associations have sensationally resigned from the World Swimming Coaches Association (WSCA). In a joint statement, the American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA), Swim Coaches and Teachers Australia (SCTA), Canadian Swimming Coaches Association (CSCA), and British Swimming Coaches Association (BSCA) – who represent over 40,000 coaches and teachers – have withdrawn their affiliation from their world governing body saying WSCA’s priorities do not align with the proposed future direction of the big four.
It is a major move that could well spell the end of WSCA which was founded in 1989 by the late Australian coach Paul Quinlan, a former Australian Coaches Association (now SCTA) Executive Director; the late former millionaire-Japanese coach, businessman and swim school owner Yutaka Terao and America’s widely outspoken and respected anti-doping crusader John Leonard – himself a former executive director of ASCA. |
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| | | | Kaii Winkler Blasts National High School Records in 200 Free & 100 Free at Florida 1A State Championships |
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| Four months ago, an injury denied Kaii Winkler a chance to seek qualification for a U.S. international squad, but the 17-year-old from South Florida and future NC State Wolfpack swimmer has quickly returned to his record-breaking ways. At his last high school state championship meet Saturday in Ocala, Fla., Winkler won two individual titles while recording a pair of scintillating relay leadoffs, and he emerged with two national high school records. Winkler, representing South Florida Heat, won the title in the 200 free by more than three seconds as he clocked a time of 1:32.68. That beat the previous national record of 1:32.85 established by Carmel’s Aaron Shackell in February. Winkler joins a talented list of men who have topped the nation in the 200 free, with Carson Foster and Drew Kibler both previous owners of this mark, and now Winkler has a quicker time than either did entering their college years. In this record-breaking swim, Winkler also annihilated his own state record of 1:34.18 set last year. |
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| | | Luka Mijatovic Lowers 13-14 National Age Group Records in 500 and 1000 Freestyle |
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Over the past eight months, 14-year-old Luka Mijatovic has been on a record-breaking tear in the longer freestyle events. He currently owns seven National Age Group marks in the 13-14 age group, with marks in the 200, 400, 800 and 1500-meter free in long course plus the 500, 1000 and 1650-yard free in short course. And this weekend, he took down two of his own records at a low-profile local meet.
At the Pleasanton Seahawks Short Course Senior Open, Mijatovic crushed his own 1000 free record by almost four seconds, swimming a time of 8:55.41. He was already the only swimmer his age to ever break 9:00 in the event, having broken Matthew Hirschberger’s previous NAG record (which had stood for 10 years) since March. |
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| | Ranking the Top-12 Women’s Collegiate Swimmers Outside of Division I For 2023-2024
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Here it goes: I did another ranking, and this time, I ranked the top-12 women’s swimmers outside of Division I. To clarify, I ranked these swimmers based on their versatility and event ranking across all divisions. This list was not as clear-cut as my men’s rankings, as I felt the talent gap was much smaller between swimmers.
#12 Bryn Greenwaldt: Division II, Augustana University
In her freshman year for the Vikings, Greenwaldt was a breakout star. She posted a 22.50 in the 50 free, the second fastest among swimmers outside Division I, and posted a 22.56 in a second-place finish at the Division II National Championships. However, the craziest thing may not be her 22.50 or that she’s now only in her second year of collegiate swimming but rather that Greenwaldt is a dual sport athlete for Augustana. Outside of swimming, Greenwaldt competes for the Augustana track and field team, where she is a high jumper for the Vikings.
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| | | Once a Swimmer, Always a Swimmer: A Reflection |
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When I started swimming, I could have never imagined how much it would change my life.
Swimming is more than just a sport. It is a lifestyle. It is the activity to which we dedicate our body, energy, heart, and soul. Equally important, swimming shapes our personality and routine and influences our decisions. For that reason, retirement sounds like a solid goodbye that ends a lifetime relationship. However, it does not have to be like that. For instance, many former swimmers become coaches, meet managers, sports journalists, members of committees, owners of swimming foundations and more. Thus, as you can see, their participation in the sport continues, but this time in a different manner. And yet, that is what happened to me, so let me share my experience with you. |
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