Swimmer's ear is an infection of the ear canal. If you stick your finger in your ear, you're feeling a little of the ear canal. But if you have swimmer's ear, and you stick your finger in your ear — YOW! Let's find out more about this painful type of ear infection, which often affects swimmers. Swimmer's ear — also called otitis externa (say: o- ty-tus ek- stur-nuh) — is different from a regular ear infection. Usually, when people say a kid has an ear infection, they mean otitis media...

FAQs for the day! Q: What will happen to my child's meet results if he only makes half of the offered workouts because he is participating in other sports? A: Children involved in other activities can benefit in the areas of coordination and balance, as well as improved social and intellectual development. Specialized training in one activity does not necessarily need to take place at this stage of development. Will your son’s teammate who makes all practices have better results? Probably, because his teammate is working solely on developing swimming...

News For SWIM PARENTS Published by The American Swimming Coaches Association 5101 NW 21 Ave., Suite 200 Fort Lauderdale FL 33309 ___________________________________________________________________ Lifetime Fitness Growing recognition that many American children are neither developing sufficient fitness, nor learning appropriate lifetime health habits has caused leading physical educators to re-evaluate their long-time methods and shed the traditional coach/drill sergeant image for an educational approach that gives young students the tools for lifetime fitness. Ron Feingold, Ph.D. of Adelphi University in N.Y., and one of the leaders in this movement explains,”To me, what's...

There will be no practice for all 5pm groups (morning and evening) Friday, June 25th if you are not in the meet at Coral Springs. There WILL be practice for all 3:45pm groups.

Thousands of Kids Hurt While Diving Each Year In the few remaining weeks before summer comes to an all-too-soon end, kids and teens will undoubtedly cram in as much swimming as they can. But, as a new study shows, a fun day cooling off can quickly turn into a trip to the ER when a dive into the water goes wrong. In the first nationwide study to look at diving-related injuries in kids and teens, researchers sifted through 17 years of emergency room data (from 1990 to 2006). They found...

FAQs for the day! Q: Some days he likes to just play with his friends. Should I force him to go to practice? A: You should not force your child; you want his participation to be his decision. Reinforce the choices and decisions he has made to start swimming. For example, your son chose to go to practice on Tuesday and Thursdays, on other days he has the freedom to do other activities. As a parent, explain your expectation that he fulfill the commitment he made by joining the team....

Have you ever stayed in a pool or bathtub so long that your fingers got wrinkly? This is normal — and can even affect your toes. But why does it happen? Even though you can't see it, your skin is covered with its own special oil called sebum (say: see-bum). Sebum is found on the outermost layer of skin. Sebum moistens, or lubricates (say: loo-bruh-kaytes), and protects your skin. It also makes your skin a bit waterproof. That's why water runs off your skin when you wash your hands, instead...

FUELING YOUR STROKE Six 200’s descending on five minutes. Twenty-five 50’s on :58. Whatever your “favorite,” every set during every workout and dryland session requires energy. Nutrients are the “chemicals” that supply the body with energy. Carbohydrate, protein and fat supply energy in the form of calories. These are your “Energy-Yielding Nutrients.” Vitamins, Minerals and Water don’t supply energy in the form of calories, but their presence is required in order for the body to access the energy provided by carbohydrate, protein and fat. During exercise, the body gets its...

FAQs for the day Q: Shouldn't my child be swimming more laps instead of doing all those drills? A: Your child needs to develop a solid foundation in stroke mechanics. Drills and drill sets serve the specific purpose of teaching skills and fundamentals. Drills develop motor coordination, motor skills, and balance. In fact, your child’s coach may prescribe a particular drill, just for your child, in order to improve a part of her stroke. In addition, she may actually be experiencing a “training” benefit from drills. Drills require concentration and...

Courtesy of the Nemours Foundation The weather is warming up, the days are longer and there’s more time to be outside doing all kinds of fun things! But if you're going to be out in the sun, especially on a hot day, you need to stay safe. Let's find out how. Don't Feel the Burn Even though the sun is hot, it does cool things. It keeps us warm. It makes flowers and plants grow. It even gives us vitamin D so we can better absorb calcium into our bodies...