Angela Gray's Blog (81)

I talked to an old friend today. She grew up in a Lake Michigan town, and shared with me that everyone in her town had to learn to swim. She is a black woman not held back by fear of the water. One o…

I talked to an old friend today. She grew up in a Lake Michigan town, and shared with me that everyone in her town had to learn to swim. She is a black woman not held back by fear of the water. One of her favorite sports? White water rafting. She shared how her husband went rafting with her once. He did fine, but being a non-swimmer, he just didn’t feel comfortable trying white water rafting again.

My friend told me that swim skills may not be too helpful in the rapids, but they… Continue

Added by Angela Gray on June 15, 2010 at 11:46pm — No Comments

Summer Solstice Swim Meet Memories

I heard that the Summer Solstice Swim Meet was this weekend. It was also the dreaded weekend of my daughter's Open House, so we weren't going. The Summer Solstice Meet is the big USA swim meet our local club, Great Lakes Aquatics hosts. It's a weekend long event held in a large outdoor city pool. My kids competed in it a few times before they quit swimming.

The last Summer Solstice Meet I attended was four years ago. I wrote a post about it. Here it goes:

Tan and burning.… Continue

Added by Angela Gray on June 13, 2010 at 9:56pm — No Comments

Oh No He Didn't!

A month ago, I wrote about a comment my Pastor's wife made about not being able to swim. She made a passing remark, "I don't swim, so I stay away from the water. . . "

Today, the Pastor made more than a passing comment. He made a long joke about not being able to swim. He was funny, too, talking about how folks wanted to throw him in the lake at the Church Picnic, but since he couldn't swim, he had no bones… Continue

Added by Angela Gray on June 6, 2010 at 10:30pm — No Comments

New Report Out: Blacks are Still Drowning

USA Swimming is releasing a new study that shows that non-swimming Blacks drown at a rate of 70%, Hispanics, 58%, while white non-swimmers drown at a 40% rate. The report cites the usual factors, lack of access, which is amplified in this recession. Pools are closing at an alarming rate in Black neighborhoods, and budgets to pay for lifeguards are also shrinking.

These horrifying statistics aside, we are really killing ourselves. The study cites that non-swimming black parents are… Continue

Added by Angela Gray on June 1, 2010 at 9:36pm — No Comments

Swimming Baby

I took a road trip today with the girls. My oldest had a Junior Miss function, and I took the other girls along for the ride. After she rode in the Dearborn Memorial Day parade, my daughter was invited to a pool party.

Of… Continue

Added by Angela Gray on May 31, 2010 at 10:08pm — No Comments

Cullen Jones Makes a Splash in Omaha

Make a Splash’s first event of 2010 featured a swim lesson with an Olympian.

Cullen Jones loves to repeat his testimony. It really demystifies the sport when you hear that the gold medalist was once a drowning victim. He actually had to be resuscitated when he went under the water at a water park when he was 5. I admire his mother’s wisdom and vision in enrolling Cullen in swim lessons after that incident. How many of us… Continue

Added by Angela Gray on May 19, 2010 at 9:28pm — No Comments

What's with the public pool closings?

St. Petersburg Florida is closing and filling in 4 of its 9 public pools. Other cities are closing their pools. Is it a recession thing? Or just a lack of interest, or both? What about the notion that swimming is a life skill rather than just a sport?

I guess pools could benefit from boosters and thriving clubs. We can't take for granted that swimming will grow. We have to make that growth happen. Get the word out. Get active. Save a pool.

cross posted at… Continue

Added by Angela Gray on May 10, 2010 at 9:48pm — No Comments

More than trophies

Check out this article over at Swimnetwork News.

I thought that the hours spent working out in the trenches with someone else made you close. Some of my children’s closest friendships were forged that way. And besides close friends, you also make connections. When my daughter took driver’s ed, she timidly walked into the full classroom, scared she’d not know anyone… Continue

Added by Angela Gray on May 7, 2010 at 10:13pm — No Comments

swim humor

You know you're losing body fat when. . .you sink like a pile of bricks while trying to streamline.

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Yesterday I went swimming. I was having a rough time, getting breathless and feeling like I was dragging. I decided to time my IM, even though I didn't think I'd get a good time. I went for it. As I finished my freestyle, I pressed a button on my watch. I looked at my time. I saw 2:43. I was thrilled. That was 5… Continue

Added by Angela Gray on May 6, 2010 at 5:15pm — No Comments

Bragging about non-swimming

I was happy to go to church his week. After worship, Pastor opened up the congregation to prayer. He began prophesying over various congregation members. Then his wife began to prophesy to someone. She is blessed and inspiring in her spiritual strength. I was happy, as I always am, to hear her join her husband in prayer. Mrs. Pastor began telling someone about a large body of water, prefacing her words with, "I don't swim so I stay away from the water. . ."

I was taken…

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Added by Angela Gray on May 4, 2010 at 7:30pm — No Comments

how to fill a pool

The Y where my daughter works is smaller than the Y where I usually swim. I'll call them her Y and my Y here. At my Y, there are two pools and a hot tub. The large pool is heavily scheduled. You must check the schedule carefully before planning a trip to the Y to do your lap swimming. Or you might get there during a water aerobics class, open swim, or swim team practice.

At her Y, you know that there is usually a lane available for lap swimming; open swims are longer and more often.… Continue

Added by Angela Gray on May 2, 2010 at 5:17am — No Comments

I'm Swimming!

I have recently begun a push to get in shape. After 7 babies and a miscarriage, it was definitely time. I have been doing push ups, sit ups and squats at home, riding my bike, walking/running, and playing cardio tennis. I also swim whenever I can.

A few years, and two babies ago, I was in the same position of getting back into shape. I did workout videos, running, bike riding, swimming, and classes at the Y. I remember when I finally made the shift from out of shape to more in shape.… Continue

Added by Angela Gray on April 28, 2010 at 10:10pm — No Comments

Back to the swim class grind

After a few months off work, my (swim teacher/lifeguard) daughter returned to the pool this past weekend. She had classes from 9-12, and one of them had over 20 kids in it.

She shared how she had one child that gave her trouble. The child wanted a different swim teacher to help her get to the deep end, but the other teacher was busy. My daughter kept her composure and told the child that she was it. The child relented, and had a successful time in the pool.

Rapport with… Continue

Added by Angela Gray on April 27, 2010 at 7:17am — No Comments

Swim Skills Saved the Day

My 9 year-old daughter had a play date the other day. Her friend lives on a lake, and thought the weather was warm enough to go out in the paddle boat. Then her friend decided to jump in the water looking for shells. Now, if my daughter had been a non-swimmer, there would have been gnashing of teeth, maybe a tragedy, certainly drama. But, since she can swim, she didn’t hesitate to jump in after her friend. My daughter is a black girl, you know. She didn’t give her hair a second thought, even… Continue

Added by Angela Gray on April 25, 2010 at 12:11am — No Comments

About Converting New Swimmers

I spend a lot of time watching my children do gymnastics these days. It reminds me of the days I watched the older children perfect their strokes hour upon hour in the hot humid room with a pool. Then, I’d talk about how wonderful the water looked, and how badly I wanted to join the children. One of the swim fathers jumped in and kept up with the kids for a while. I was so jealous. I thought, surely I couldn’t do what these children are doing. Another parent, a mother, would bring her baby in a… Continue

Added by Angela Gray on April 22, 2010 at 10:30pm — No Comments

About Converting New Swimmers

Added by Angela Gray on April 22, 2010 at 10:00pm — No Comments

Are you supposed to be born good at everything?

Remember High School dances? There was no learning the dance at the party. If you didn’t already know before you got there, you were sorry. You had to step…

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Added by Angela Gray on April 21, 2010 at 10:00pm — No Comments

Trinidad's winner

None of the people I follow ended up winning the JAX 50, but the men’s winner is of interest anyway. He is also responsible for Trinidad and Tobago’s first medal for swimming. (in the 2004 Olympics). George Bovell is actually a native to America, but represented those tropical nations in the Olympics. This really piques my curiosity.… Continue

Added by Angela Gray on April 19, 2010 at 9:30pm — No Comments

Arlene Semeco

Arlene Semeco - Comercial Coca Cola

Uploaded by adaef. - Basketball, baseball, pro wrestling and more sports videos. (ed. note: I love Spanish almost as much as swimming!)

Arlene Semeco was another of the swim stars who participated in JAX 50. The… Continue

Added by Angela Gray on April 18, 2010 at 9:52pm — No Comments