Next month marks one of the biggest events in the swimming calendar. The British Gas Swimming Championships 2012 will determine who will secure a place on the GB Team for this year’s London Olympics.

Held at the London Aquatics Centre, the venue for this year’s Olympic swimming events, it will be the first opportunity that our finest swimmers will have had to race in the stunning Olympic pool. It will also be the first chance for many spectators to visit the Olympic grounds in Stratford, East London!

Among those competing will be household names like Rebecca Adlington, Liam Tancock and Ellie Simmonds.  And what’s more Goggleblog has three tickets (two adults, one concession ticket for over 60s or under 16s) to give away for the completely SOLD OUT final day (March 10th) when you can see the Mens and Women’s Freestyle semi-finals and finals*.

To be in with a chance of winning all you need to do is head over to Goggleblog’s Facebook page and answer the following question either by posting on our wall or leaving a comment on the post. (You must ‘like’ our Facebook page to be considered for the winning tickets).

Where is the best place you have swum in the UK and why?

The winner will be decided on March 1st by the editor of Goggleblog.

* March 10th schedule:

SEMI-FINALS & FINALS
50m Free-W-F
1500m Free-M-F
1500m Free-M-F

For more information visit the British Gas Swimming Championships trials website.

Ian Thorpe after finishing his comeback race in Singapore. He came second in his 100IM heat.

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about sporting comebacks and why there have been quite a few in swimming, most notably Australia’s Ian Thorpe and America’s Janet Evans. What makes them do it?

The cynical might say it’s the opportunity to make more money through (fairly) lucrative sponsorship deals, but I’m really not so sure. Few swimmers it seems are that money motivated because let’s face it there are very few in the sport who are seriously wealthy.

Instead, I think the answer lies partly in the desire in the swimmers to prove themselves once again at the top level – in essence to show themselves and others they’ve still got it. Of course this isn’t at all easy, at least according to former Olympic champion Mark Spitz (right) who tried – unsuccessfully – to make a comeback for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics aged 41, 20 years after scooping 7 gold medals at the Munich Olympics.

“By leaving the sport, the door was open for everyone else to jockey up to the No1 gig and so when I re-entered the sport 17 years later I was not only yesterday’s news I was trying to find my own way back.”

Why do swimmers retire so young?

These are all good points that Spitz makes, but I think in some ways we need to be asking a different question to fully understand why swimmers – in particular – want to make a comeback. And that’s why did they quit the sport in the first place?

I don’t pretend to have all the answers but I reckon one factor may be the gruelling nature of the sport that leaves top athletes exhausted, burnt out, before they are at their physical prime. Kids at swimming clubs up and down the UK who show any promise are training several times a week (up to 20 hours of swimming) by the age of 10, typically getting up to train at 5am before school.

It’s no wonder so many of them quit the sport by the time they are teenagers and many more who go on to achieve international success retire early – too early in my opinion. I’m not the only one to think this. In an interesting piece in the Sydney Morning Herald, three times Olympian Kieren Perkins argues that the sport’s administrators often fail to look after their athletes as well as they should.

“I think what we see with the comebacks is that swimming as a sport is very deficient in managing older athletes,” he said. “We push our kids very early, very hard, for a very long time and when they start to get a bit of age and a little bit of free will the first and most obvious thing you want to do is get away.

”It’s not a physical impediment, it’s an emotional one … I’ve never seen a real medical reason why they can’t keep going and if anything, conventional wisdom says that for blokes especially it’s in your early to mid-30s when you really hit your physical peak.”

In theory that’s music to the ears of Ian Thorpe who is making a comeback at the grand old age of 29 though, like Spitz, Perkins thinks he’s going to find it tough going to qualify for the London 2012 Olympics.  ”I think at this point you’d have to say that he’s obviously got some challenges ahead of him,” the 38-year-old said.

Meanwhile, last week I read the sad news that one of our brightest young prospects, Achieng Ajulu-Bushell, is quitting swimming to concentrate on her studies aged just 17. Team GB’s first black female swimmer, Achieng seemed to indicate that the major reason for her decision was the lack of support from British Swimming.

“It is a brutal sport and horrible to go through the plateau when things aren’t going right. There was a huge lack of support for athletes not doing well.

“So many needed attention that it just went against British Swimming’s ethos of this being a long-term sport. But I’m not bitter. I just got to the stage where I got fed up. My stroke was changed and I simply lost rhythm and strength in my legs.”

Cassie Patten (right) quit swimming last year, citing long term injury. Will she be back?

Similarly, last year Cassie Patten – the Olympic open water 10km bronze medal – called time on her swimming career at the age of 25, citing a long-term shoulder injury. Even 22 year old Rebecca Adlington has hinted she may quit after the London 2012 Olympic games.

In other sports, especially football where money is obviously much more plentiful,  the athletes are given time to develop both mentally and physically with many making a career of it until their mid 30s.

But swimming, it seems, is a much less forgiving sport in many ways. To me it’s no wonder that so many swimmers who quit in their early twenties, even their teens, try to stage a comeback a few years later. The real shame is that very few of them will make it, even though many of them are yet to reach their physical peak.

Team Goggleblog complete The Swimathon at Finchley Lido, 2011

It’s that time of year. The days are starting to get longer and although it’s still cold out there, thoughts are turning to this year’s swimming events.

Obviously my preference is for swimming outside which is why I’ll be signing up to the British Gas Great London Swim in The Thames very soon. I enjoyed it last year though I wasn’t quite prepared for people swimming over the top of me as much as they did!

However, this year it looks like my wife and I will be doing The Swimathon – the UK’s biggest swimming charity event – indoors at the beautifully restored Marshall Street Baths in London’s Soho.

I would have liked to have done it outside but the timings at London Fields Lido don’t work out for me and they are only doing it indoors at the Oasis in Covent Garden which is a shame.

Meanwhile my son, Archie Price, who will have just turned 9 is hoping to do the whole 5Km himself at Barnet Copthall Leisure Centre where he trains four times a week with his swimming club, Barnet Copthall SC.

The beautiful Marshall Street Baths in Soho

Today is the last day you can enter for 50 per cent off – just £5 so it’s worth signing up before 11.45pm tonight. Taking place April 27-29, Swimathon Weekend is open to all ages and abilities. Whether you want to swim the ultimate Swimathon 5km for Marie Curie Cancer Care or a short distance as part of the Big Splash Team Mile for Sport Relief, the Swimathon Weekend has a challenge for you.

For more information go to the Swimathonwebsite here.

Jodie Kidd and Duncan Goodhew celebrate the launch of this year's Swimathon Weekend, taking place April 27 to 29

The UK’s biggest swimming charity event, Swimathon, celebrates its Silver Jubilee in Olympic year with a big splash planned for the weekend of 27th to 29th April 2012.

Officially launched at the fantastic Oasis outdoor pool in Covent Garden yesterday (Thursday January 5th), the event promises to be the biggest swim to date! Swimathon Weekend ambassadors Duncan Goodhew and Jodie Kidd posed by the pool to kick start the event in fantastic fashion – see picture right.

Swimathon Weekend participants swimming for Marie Curie Cancer Care can choose from the individual 2.5Km or 5Km or Team/Corporate 5Km challenge while those opting to raise money for the Big Splash Mile for Sport Relief can take part individually or as part of a team.

Jodie Kidd said: “I‘m delighted to help launch the 25th Swimathon – and in such a special sporting year for this country. With all the talk of being inspired to take up exercise in 2012, it’s events like this that give us all that sometimes necessary goal to aim for. Whilst I can’t claim to be a fish in the water exactly, diving into my local pool is something I definitely enjoy. And even more so now that I can take in my little boy with me.”

“Of course, Swimathon Weekend isn’t just about fitness and personal achievement. With the funds this year going to both Marie Curie Cancer Care and Sport Relief, all of that perspiration is even more worthwhile.”

Swimathon President and former Olympic swimmer Duncan Goodhew added:

Jodie Kidd pictured at the launch of the Swimathon 2012 fundraising weekend

“We all know that 2012 will be a very special year for sport in Britain. In our 25th Anniversary year, we’d love to add to the half a million people who have taken part in the event over the years to dive into pools up and down the country. Teaming up with the Big Splash is not only a great way to help make this happen, but should also boost the total funds raised for two important charities; Marie Curie Cancer Care and Sport Relief.”

Be one of the first 10,000 people to sign up online for a Swimathon Weekend session before 31 January 2012 and you’ll enjoy half price entry. Swimmer entry is open until 25 April 2012. We are planning to swim a couple of Swimathons with my eight year old promising to swim the whole 5Km by himself! You can enter here.

And here’s a little taster to whet/wet (!!) your appetite:

If you’re into running there are all kinds of different apps, like the Nike Plus iPhone app, and gadgets like Garmin’s GPS Forerunner watches which are designed to keep track of your run. They tell you your pace, how far you ran, where you ran and let you know how long it’s going to take to reach your goals. Many of the apps also let you share this information with other people via social media – Twitter and Facebook.

However, if you’re much more of a water baby there isn’t as much choice. Sure you can invest in a £99 Speedo Aquacoach swimming watch which will automatically count your lengths and work out calories burned etc and number of strokes per length. But sharing this information with fellow swimmers via Twitter and Facebook hasn’t been possible. Until now.

A new system called Swimtag aims to change this. It acts as your own personal swimming coach, whether you go swimming once in a blue moon or you’re an advanced swimmer who’s at the pool everyday. To use the system, the pool has to be in on the technology too, which is why you may not have heard about Swimtag up until now (there are currently only a few pools which have installed the technology. Check Swimtag’s Twitter feed for the latest updates.)

So how does it work? Basically you swipe your Swimtag card before entering a participating pool and you then receive a wristband. When you wear the wristband in the pool you can then monitor all kinds of things, such as the number of laps you complete and the  stroke you use. As soon as you’ve finished swimming all of that important data is then uploaded to your account, which you can view online, via mobile, or even at a special kiosk run by the pool.

There are all kinds of similarities with running apps and services like Nike+ and Runkeeper, because you can select special training plans, add friends from social networks, share your swims and even set challenges too. There’s also integration with online charity platform JustGiving as well, so you can raise money for your swims and prove that you’ve done them afterwards.

The Swimtag system is designed to be as simple and easy-to-use as possible, so it makes sense that it shares a lot of similarities with Nike’s increasingly popular running app, Nike+. The fact you give your wristband in at the end of the swim means users have nothing to worry about, they just carry their cards in their wallets and all other kinds of information are accessible online. We imagine it’ll be a successful system for swimmers of all levels, but particularly for swimming clubs where there is a need to monitor the individual performances of swimmers quite closely.

The only thing that we think may stop Swimtag from becoming a big success is its availability. There’s no official word on the Swimtag website about locations just yet, but apparently 661 swimmers are currently using it and if you want to find out more about availability you can get in touch with one of the Swimtag team.

[Via Springwise Image via Jim Bahn's Flickr]

Article via Connected Health

A festive swimmer with the Outdoor Swimming Society's Kate Rew (left) and Radio 1 DJ Edith Bowman (right)

On Saturday I went for the traditional Christmas dip with the wonderful folk from the Outdoor Swimming Society. It was great fun, though I’m not sure I’d do it again without proper preparation – or a wetsuit. To swim in very cold water (it was 8 degrees C) ideally requires a certain amount of body fat (which I haven’t got). And a week of cold showers in advance probably wouldn’t have gone amiss either! Plus I had a bit of a sniffle and a cough. In short I didn’t feel 100 per cent.

So when I had to sign an insurance waiver saying if I died of a heart attack it was my own stoopid fault and the most I could expect would be that they would fish my Speedo-clad corpse out of North London’s Parliament Hill Lido, I did fear the worst. What I figured though is that I was best trying to get used to the cold temperature before diving into the water for the 12 o’clock race to the other end of the pool and back. So I gingerly skirted round the edges of the lido, dipping my toes in, until I plucked up enough courage to get in the water.

A brass band played Christmas Carols as we swam (or attempted to). A lovely way to get into the festive spirit

What I didn’t expect was that my breath would be completely taken away seconds after lowering myself into the water. There was no possible way I could exhale and the feeling was, if not quite terrifying, not exactly pleasant. So after about 15 yards I swam to the steps and tried to warm up before trying again.

Second time round was much better, I felt I could control my breath a little easier but the ‘brain freeze’, what’s sometimes called an ice cream headache, was more than I could bear. I know from previous experience swimming in the Lake District this is one of the first signs of hypothermia and was probably how the Titanic victims felt in the few minutes they had before expiring in the Atlantic!

Anyway, I managed about 30 yards and was ready for the 12 o’clock ‘wave’, though I was still shivering quite badly – so much so that the tinsel-trunk wearing swimmer in the picture above suggested I should think about throwing in the towel or whatever the swimming equivalent is (taking off your goggles?). In the end though I was fine. I dived in no problem and was starting to getting used to it when I decided to err on the side of caution and head off for a warm shower after swimming a 25m width.

So what did I learn from the experience? That I am not so hardy as I thought (one bloke swam about 40 lengths in just Speedos and he looked totally calm). And that you can’t beat a nice cup of tea and a mince pie after a cold dip! Also I learned that it’s really not possible to have enough clothes or enough heat in the car to warm yourself up afterwards.

DJ Edith Bowman gets proceedings under way

And while I’m not sure about the whole extreme swimming thing (I was reminded on several occasions that it was just 1 degree last year when they held the event – now that is cold) what I really like is the camaraderie. I love the way that swimming outdoors generally, but especially in challenging conditions like this, brings everyone together.

So thanks once again to the Outdoor Swimming Society for organising the event and getting my Christmas off to a bracing start!

Speedo sponsored swimmers, including Rebecca Adlington (centre), model the company's new Fastskin3 'racing system'

This morning Speedo launched its revolutionary new Fastskin3 swimming racing system which could see world records tumble at next year’s London 2012 Olympics.

Designed around the athlete from head to toe, the system’s cap, goggles and suit have been developed to work in harmony as a complete package.

As a result, Speedo claims, Fastskin3 helps the athlete cut through the water with maximum efficiency, reducing passive drag by up to 16.6 per cent and delivering an 11 per cent improvement in oxygen economy.

Highlights include a cap with a ‘hair management’ system to make female swimmers more hydrodynamic in the water and a space-aged looking pair of goggles offering much wider peripheral vision and three interchangeable nose bridges for optimum fit.

Developed in conjunction with with some of the world’s leading athletes, The Speedo Fastskin3 Super Elite Swimsuit incorporates an innovative 3D Zoned Compression fabric system throughout, sculpting the swimmer’s body to create the most efficient and hydrodynamic swimming shape in the water, reducing skin friction drag by up to 2.7%.

Becky Adlington sports the new Speedo Fastskin 3 racing system

The system also incorporates revolutionary Hydro K-Zone 3D fabric which, Speedo claims, provides high power, graduated compression throughout, helping to achieve the optimum hydrodynamic profile. This is complemented by Pulse-Flex Fabric used on the shoulders and panels, offering high stretch in one direction to couple freedom of movement with powerful compression.

A ‘Body Stability Web’ constant seam framework gives greater stability, improving stroke and enhancing the effectiveness of starts and turns by up to 3%, while an IQ FIT ‘snap back’ waistband on the male jammer, eliminates the need for drawstrings and ensures a flatter, more efficient profile.

For female suits, Speedo has developed a unique Armhole Entry system making it easier to put on while maintaining the best possible fit and maximum fabric coverage, optimising the suit’s hydrodynamic properties.

Press at the event at the Tramshed in London’s trendy Shoreditch were treated to a fashion show during which models and dancers performed various swimming related dance routines before the Speedo sponsored swimmers were presented wearing the new Fastskin3 gear.

Says Olympic gold medal winner Rebecca Adlington who was the main swimming star of the show:

“The new Fastskin feels so good, it feels very comfortable. I’ve never seen all three items (cap, goggles and swimsuit) designed together like this. You don’t get as much drag when you put them together in one like this.”

The new Speedo Fastskin 3 system goes on sale exclusively on Speedo.com from tomorrow and will be widely available from the beginning of January 2012.

You can see a full set of pictures from the event here.

YouTube video: Dancers at the Tramshed, Shoreditch perform swimming inspired routines at the launch of Speedo’s Fastskin3.

Speedo Fastskin3 available from November 30 or you could win one via Speedo's Facebook page

Speedo has launched an exclusive online competition for three passionate swimmers to become among the first in the world to experience its latest pioneering swimwear innovation – the Speedo FASTSKIN³.

Now open for entries at www.facebook.com/speedo, the worldwide competition offers the opportunity for three lucky winners to become one of the first to wear the Speedo FASTSKIN³.

They will follow in the strokes of swimming superstars including Michael Phelps (USA), Ryan Lochte (USA), Rebecca Adlington (GBR) and James Magnussen (AUS) who were the first to trial the groundbreaking competitive swimwear concept as part of the research and development process.

Being unveiled globally on November 30^th, Speedo FASTSKIN³ winners will attend the exclusive VIP launch event in London to witness the excitement first hand, where they will also have the chance to rub shoulders with elite athletes.

As part of the ultimate money can’t buy experience, following the launch event on November 30^th the three winners will be presented with their own Speedo FASTSKIN³ and learn more about the pioneering research and development behind the concept. Their individual experiences of the innovative Speedo FASTSKIN³ will be filmed in an exclusive poolside interview for the Speedo Facebook page to inspire other dedicated swimmers around the world.

The competition prize also includes two nights’ hotel accommodation and dinner for each winner and their guest in London on November 29 and November 30 plus the winners will receive £500 worth of vouchers each to spend at Speedo’s flagship store in Covent Garden.

For a chance to win this fantastic prize, entrants are invited to submit a personal video explaining why they should enjoy this amazing opportunity to be among the first to try the Speedo FASTSKIN³ and demonstrating their commitment to and passion for swimming.

The closing date for entries is 20 November at 6pm GMT and winners will be notified by 23 November 2011. For more information visit www.facebook.com/speedo

See the YouTube Speedo Fastskin3 teaser video below:

U.S. Swimmer Mark Spitz, of Carmichael, Cal. at the Olympic Pool in Munich. He would win the 200-metre butterfly final at the Olympic Games

It’s Movember, time when men across the world attempt to grow some facial fluff to raise money for prostate and testicular cancers.

To mark Movember we pay tribute to the best moustache ever in swimming, Mark Spitz’s (see right).

Spitz , the best swimmer of his generation won 7 gold medals in the 1972 Munich Olympics – a record number until Michael Phelps scooped eight at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Sadly, it seems Spitz has now ditched the ‘tache, though the 51 year old looks pretty good for his age. You can check out his website here.

Mark Spitz, bottom, surges ahead of Great Britain’s Brian Brinkley to win the fourth heat of the 200-meter butterfly event in the Olympic games swimming competitions in Munich, West Germany.

And here he is now……

Ian Thorpe after finishing his comeback race in Singapore. He came second in his 100IM heat.

I once had the pleasure of seeing Ian Thorpe, the ‘Thorpedo’, swimming at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002. To use modern parlance, he ‘smashed it’. He was the biggest swimmer I’ve ever seen and he looked so completely effortless in the water – almost like he wasn’t trying. But he still managed to scoop six Golds and one silver medal including a world record in the 400m freestyle. Astonishing.

Lots has been written about the motives for his comeback. About his personal life, about his business interests, but ultimately I think Ian Thorpe just wants to see if he can still compete at the highest level. While I suspect he can’t, I am seriously hoping he can. After all he is still only 29 years old and in my opinion is a completely natural swimmer. Naively perhaps, I’d like to think that his natural skill in the water, and his astonishing physique (6 feet 7inches, size 17 feet), counts for something in an age where instense training has become everything.

And while today’s comeback swim in Singapore was perhaps less than amazing (second in his 100m IM heats in 56.74 secs, sixth fastest time for the finals) it wasn’t terrible. After all the 100m IM is an event he hasn’t competed in since he was 12 and he admitted that it was less than perfect. “I can’t remember the race at all. I remember starting and touching the wall. So I think there’s probably a lot of things I can do better in the final. But I’m happy. I’m really happy to get the first one out of the way. Now I’m able to focus on improving my swimming, rather than getting my first race back.”

There’s still plenty of room for improvement, of course, but if anyone can do it I think Ian Thorpe can. He may talk about expecting to fail, about not wanting to compete, but secretly I think he still wants to win. Let’s hope he is given the opportunity to compete in the London 2012 Olympics and complete the fairytale comeback that he is capable of.