It looks like the Olympic pool may be a little darker next year, what with this hopeful young swimmer from the University of Texas, not to mention Brett Fraser, who surpassed Hill in NCAA 200 free. Fraser swam for his native Cayman Island’s Olympic team in the 2008 games.

I had to take this video down because four videos playing simultaneously is more than a bit much. Here’s a link to the page where I found all four videos. Enjoy, and let me know what you think.

Jim Ellis, the Philadelphia coach featured in the movie, Pride, has a new reason for pride. He has replaced his dilapidated facility at the Philadelphia Department of Recreation with a beautiful new facility. Ellis accomplished so much with so little; there is no doubt he can accomplish his goal of teaching everyone to swim in this new pool.

Here in America, swimming is subculture. Many recognize its importance of a life skill, and they take steps to equip their children with swim skills. But where to get lessons is often word of mouth, underground information.

Maybe you return to the place where you learned to swim. I did, but, temporary as swim teachers can be, everything had changed in the almost 20 years since I’d learned to swim. If you come from generations of non-swimmers, maybe you go to the Y, the one place that does advertise swim lessons. Maybe their way of teaching doesn’t actually get your child the swim skills. I don’t know how many years I took Y lessons and still didn’t know how to swim!

There is probably any number of good swim instructors in your area. Maybe they come out to private pools and offer private lessons. Maybe they’re at the country club, or the hospital, University, city pool.

THEY SHOULD ADVERTISE! Apparently, that’s what swim teachers do in Australia. Swimming is much more esteemed over there, too. It seems a small step to raise the level of swim awareness and appreciation in this country. And didn’t we invent commercials, anyway?

Good form is essential. Check out this streamline.