From the USA Swimming website... By TrueSport Expert Dr. Kevin Chapman As caregivers, you want your athlete to perform at their best and achieve excellence in their sport, at school, and in their other extracurricular activities. But while striving to be their best is important, sometimes athletes can take these behaviors too far and end up hurting themselves as a result. So, how can you help your athlete strive for greatness—while avoiding the dangers that can come from perfectionist tendencies? Read more >>

From the Swimming World website... By Summer Finke When I look back on my swimming career, the milestones and medals are clear—but what stands out even more is the incredible network of support that helped get me there. My parents volunteered as officials, drove countless miles to early morning practices and late-night meets, and never stopped believing in me—even when I struggled to believe in myself. My coaches, often running on little more than coffee and passion, were there through every high and low, pushing me to grow both in...

From the Swimming World website... By CHANDLER BRANDES Swimming is a sport like no other. You learn a lot about yourself throughout your years as a swimmer and the sport inherently instills valuable life lessons in you. Even when your time as a competitive swimmer is done, you still continue to learn more about the sport and have time to reflect. Read more >>

From the USA Swimming website... By TrueSport Expert Stephanie Miezin, MS, RD, CSSD When grocery prices seem like they are always on the rise, many caregivers are understandably stressed out when it comes to shopping for their athlete. And there’s plenty of messaging out there that suggests you should spend top dollar on your athlete’s food in order to be a ‘good’ caregiver. Read more >>

From the USA Swimming website... By TrueSport Expert Nadia Kyba, MSW Mediation—the act of working with a neutral third party to solve a problem and come to a solution—can be an extremely useful tool for any athletic team. Rather than simply arguing amongst yourselves or bringing the coach in to solve every inter-team issue, being able to use mediation to settle disputes between team members can lead to a much healthier team overall. That "neutral facilitator" could be another teammate, a mutual friend, or a trusted adult, but it’s important...

From the Swimming World website... By Emma Foster, Swimming World College Intern Long Course. These two words have huge implications for even the most seasoned swimmer. The beginning of long course represents the transition from shorter pools broken up into 25 yards, to the much longer and sometimes more daunting 50-meter length. Read more >>

From the Swimming World website.. By Cathleen Pruden Full disclosure: I am a 400 IMer and I absolutely love it. It took me a while to come to terms with my fate as an IMer. I struggled with the fact that I didn’t have a “prime” stroke. It wasn’t until being well rounded started to get me cuts to meets (because when you’re younger, I swear the 400 IM cut is more generous than any other) that I started to appreciate my situation. Even better, learning to love my strength...

From the Swimming World website... By Annie Grevers After watching the Minneapolis Arena Pro Series this past weekend, I could not help but empathize with those swimmers who seemed to be swimming through mud. Coaches try to convey to age group parents routinely– this is part of the process, fast times are not meant to come midseason. They will be there when it counts. Read more >>

From the Swimming World website... By Kristy Kinzer Many college athletes elect to room with another athlete, particularly a teammate, for the big transition to college life and sports. But those who room with non-athletic regular people (NARPs for short) must inform their new co room-dweller of the odd circumstances of their schedules and swimming life. Read more >>

From the Swimming World website... By Jamie Kolar, Swimming World College Intern. Swimmers live busy lives. We never stop moving from the moment we wake up until the moment our head hits the pillow at night. We wake up, run to practice, run to class and then run to practice again. We fit meals and homework in there somehow, but we are hurricanes that never stop. Read more >>