Dig, I was just as excited as the rest of the country, nee the world–about Michael Phelps and his success. I mean, oh my goodness–how cool is that to set and reach big hairy audacious goals like Phelps did?

But I also found myself tripping, gawking and carrying on over every black or perceived to be black arm I saw in that Olympic pool.

Like the guy who won gold in the 1500 M free, pictured above. His name is Ou Mellouli, and he’s from Tunisia. My daughter argued with me as to whether or not this guy is black. We’ll he’s North African, ok? And I read that he trains with the American swim club the Trojans.

One night, I swear I saw some black arms come in second or third (or fourth?) of some heat of some stroke. Great details, I know, and since I can’t find my notes on the event, I checked online.

I found Malick Fall, from Senegal, who finished fourth in the third heat of the 100M breast stroke.

I also found a few others from African nations that looked more like that guy from Tunisia than the dude from Senegal, if you know what i mean. They likely didn’t get televised, but there were swimmers of color representing Madagascar, Algeria, and Mauritius, an island off the southeastern coast of Africa.

That doesn’t include several swimmers from Brazil and other South American nations.

I’m hoping the US produces more folks like Cullen Jones in time for the next Olympics. This trolling through the foreign archives is exhausting.

(edited to add: 50 M freestyle gold medalist from Athens, Malia Metella of France is also black. She came in 8th at the semi-finals this year).

The best thing about swimming is how you can do it when you’re young, old, or in between. You can swim if you’re fat or thin. In fact, if you’re fat, you may even have more buoyancy. You can swim if you can’t walk, if you’re pregnant. . .you get the idea. watching my kids swimming back and forth for years made me really anxious to get in the pool myself.

But starting out in the pool over 40 can be intimidating.

Where to start?

I like the idea of the 0 to 1650 plan, which quite literally takes you from ZERO swimming at all to swimming 1,650 yards every week in nice bite sized chunks that anybody can handle. They even help you get over the Fear of Water, if that’s a problem for you. Like Cool Running’s Couch to 5k program, the 0 to 1650 plan can get you from not swimming at all to swimming a mile in about 6 weeks.

At least, that’s how it’s supposed to work.

But then I read that plan. I have never swum more than twice a week, and it has you starting out swimming three times a week. So right away, I see I have to condition myself just to get up to speed in this beginning level. If you are in that same boat, give this a try.

1. Just Get Wet

Start out swimming one day a week, or even one day every other week, or two days every other week. Something unthreatening enough. Then set a goal for how many lengths you want to swim. The pool can be divided into lengths, which is one way down the pool, from deep end to shallow end (or visa versa), or laps, which is down and back, or yards/meters. When my kids were in swimming, they counted yards. 25 yards is half the length of an Olympic pool, and is the standard high school/YMCA pool length. I usually count my swimming in yards.  So a 50 is 2 lengths is a lap.  Dig? 

2. Set a Goal, Any Goal

A mediocre plan done will beat a superb plan not done. Set a goal for yourself. Make one up. Like, today I want to swim 500 yards, no matter what.  Again, any goal is fine. If you have you start with, I’m getting in the pool today, no matter what, start there. But set a goal. Trust me, you’ll be so glad you did. Then, you reach that goal, no matter what.  If you’re like me, the ‘what’ would be “I can’t breathe!  I can’t catch my breath!  I’m so tired!” So you can sit at the end of the lane and pant after every 25, or you can do some recovery strokes, like anything on your back.  You can swim elementary back stroke and breathe deeply.  You don’t completely erase the tired feeling, but you do recover your breath, and in the process, you’re building endurance.  You could also do sidestroke, or doggie paddle if you want.  The point is to keep moving.  And each length you do, no matter what the stroke, counts towards your goal.  Bonus! 

3. Build on Your Success

Before you know it, you’ve reached your goal.  Now you have success you can build on.  Commit to increasing your goal at a regular interval.  Say you want to increase by 100 yards each week, or each time you get in the pool, or each month.  It matters not.  It is just another goal you set and reach.  Say your ultimate goal is to swim a mile.  You can do that 100 yards at a time.  Then you’re ready for someone else’s workout plan.

Where do we go from here?

Come back next week when I will give you an actual workout routine that anybody can get started with. And if you’ve got a “getting started” routine you’d like to share drop a line in the comments.

Last night, I saw what I was waiting for in the Olympics. I don’t have to harass my family with endless hours of footage, hoping to glimpse Cullen Jones. I missed him set the world record at the prelims, swimming with three others who ultimately didn’t swim in the finals.

But I watched him as part of the world record breaking 4 x 100 US men’s team.

Swimming superstar Michael Phelps had his hopes hung on this race. The gold medal in this race would be his second in his quest for eight medals. He swam the lead off leg of the relay, clocking in below the world record, and still coming in second behind the French, the favored team. Garret Weber-Gale, in his first Olympics, took the lead from the French, giving Cullen Jones a good lead off. Cullen swam fast and hard, but lost the lead again to the French. Jason Lezak, swimming the anchor leg for the second time of his Olympic career, had an axe to grind. He had been on the team in 2000 when the Americans won the silver medal. He’d also been part of 2004′s bronze medal team. It was time for gold.

He said, “people do extraordinary things in the Olympics.” Indeed. He was in second place all the way to the 20 meter mark. He out-touched the stunned French swimmer by .08 seconds–the shortest margin of victory in Olympic history.

My husband and I were jumping up and down and yelling, like everyone in the stands, and especially Michael Phelps and Garret Weber-Gale. Where was Cullen Jones? He is quoted as saying he was shouting things that were not suitable for TV, as was Weber-Gale. But Jones was off-screen during the exciting final seconds of the race.

We were disappointed that he lost the American team’s lead, and made for a really tough leg for Lezak. But he won a gold medal. He was part of that history making team. I hope he continues. He’s a good 8 years younger than Lezak, and about 16 years younger than Dana Torres. Swimming is a good sport for longevity. I hope to hear of bigger and better things from Cullen Jones in the future.

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming. . .

You have no idea how hard it is to name this post! I’ve gone through so many names. There was the 5 best, blah, blah, blah. Then there was the most hype clubs. Or should it be most hyped? The Black Swim Clubs with the Most Buzz? Idk. It’s been a trip. But finding out about these swim clubs was cool. It let me know that I’m not alone in the world being black and liking swimming. There are some folks that liked it so much, they started swim clubs. Swim clubs are important if you or your child are to be competitive in swimming. The clubs give you company while you’re working hard to be the best. They give you experience in racing, winning and losing. If you find a black swim club, you have found a rare gem. Here are the 6 most popular black swim clubs:

1. The legendary: The Nile is not just a really long river; it’s also the oldest black swim club in America. Started in 1958, it just had a 50 year family reunion. This club is in Yeadon, Pennsylvania

2. The famous: Jim Ellis’s club in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the PDR (Philadelphia Department of Recreation) club, featured in the movie Pride.

3. The Productive: Washington DC (Department of Parks and Recreation) DPR: Hosts national black history month swim meet in February.

4. The Up and Coming: Queen City Dolphins: Charlotte North Carolina. Its coaches were college swimmers, Rodney Sellers, and Marcus Green. They host (a/the) National Black Heritage Championship Swim Meet.

5. The humble: Greenview Dolphins swim club: Columbia South Carolina

6. The Afro-Centric: Black Star Line All-Star Swim Team: Oakland California

Bonus: for all you triathletes and wannabe triathletes: Tri-Masters—not strictly swimming, but triathlon support: Chicago Illinois. I might have to go check them out. I have dreamed of competing in a triathlon for years. . .

I remember going to college as a music major. As a double bass player, I was used to borrowing someone else’s instrument. I only got an instrument of my own for the purpose of taking it to college.

I wasn’t in school long before I needed a new instrument. The plywood instrument just didn’t do much to showcase my skills. As a matter of fact, it hindered me. When I got a better instrument, my playing improved markedly.

They’re saying a swim suit can do the same thing for elite athletes. In spite of myself, I couldn’t help but be skeptical. Come on, don’t swimmers win races, not swim suits?

But then I read that of the 41 world records made since late May, When Speedo introduced its new LZR (LASER) suit, 37 were made by athletes wearing the LZR suit. The suit applies science to keep within the rules. The Olympic rules state that you can’t make a swimmer more bouyant. Speedo instead makes the swimmer smaller by compressing the areas of the body more prone to drag. Ah, the dreaded form drag, where your body actually works against you to slow you down in the water. This LZR suit addresses that issue, and top athletes are trying to wear it, no matter which company they endorse. It’ll be available to the public this fall. I’d like to try it, even though it looks painfully tight.

Remember that Spike Lee Nike commercial?

That’s what they’re saying about this suit.