The 3.5 Mile Swim Across the St. Johns River has been moved to the JumpingFish site at jumpingfish.net/sasj. Many new features!

SASJ Expedition #5 A Success!

The 3.5 Mile Swim Across the St. Johns Expedition was an amazing success. Read more about it here!

Critical Skills For Mastering Waves by Mat Hudson

Critical Skills for Mastering Waves

Here is a great article from a great swim coach whim I had the pleasure of studying with at the TI clinic in Coral Springs last year. It is the best writing I have seen on this subject.

To read Mats article click here.

Expedition #5 is a Go!

The Swim Across the St. Johns River Expedition #5 is a go.

We have a great crew, and are still looking for one more crew member, particularly an experienced swimmer, to provide assistance. This is a good opportunity for anyone interested in the race to get a birds-eye orientation.

Our Expedition #5 swimmers are Katie Bombly, Diego De Los Rios, and Samantha Valverde.

For more information on Expedition #5, click here!

The Swim Across the St Johns River—The Expeditions Begin

Coming this Summer from JumpingFish Coaching…

The 3.5-Mile Swim Across the St. Johns River

In Partnership with St. Johns Riverkeeper

Raising Awareness for the St. Johns River

Click here for the latest news!

The Daily News of Open Water Swimming: Why Open Water Swimmers Do It – A Look Behind the Goggles

Read my latest article in The Daily News of Open Water Swimming: 
Why Open Water Swimmers Do It – A Look Behind the Goggles

You can also link to it from Jamie Patrick's: 
Swimming California Newsletter.

Jax Pier 1 Mile DOS Swim

One of my favorite swims this year. the water was challenging and fun. We had a record turn out this year of 11 swimmers including Mike, Sarah, Mitch,John,  Luis, Erin, Nicole, Toby, Richard, Diego and me.

Click on the photo to get a larger view. Send me an email if you want a high rez copy!

 Our oracle and photographer, Candice.

and off we go...

I love this shot...

Duval Ocean Swimmers on April 24th

This was our 5th outing this year. as you can see the water is quite choppy and knocked us around a bit.

Me, Diego, Richard and John.

March 27, Glassy and temp getting close to 70! Wet suits off!

March 20 Still chilly!

Me, Richard, Diego, Toby and Nicole

JAX50 at Bolles

On April 16th Diego and I participated in the USA Swimming JAX50 at Bolles. We got o watch some great Olympic Medalists swim and had the opportunity to compete with some great swimmers. It was also our first long course event of the season. Diego swam the 50 Fly (Mariposa!) and we both swam the 50 Free (Libre!). I was able to beat my last unofficial 50 LC by 7.5 seconds. This meet was the weekend right after Swim Miami. I was concerned about no recovery time but it all worked out!

That is Diego on block 7 and me on 8.This picture was taken by Joan Davis, painter, photographer and great Mom to Candice! Love you Joan! Below is Diego and his mom Gina. I was so happy to see her there! 

Below is a my great coach Colin Hardy! he kicked our ass to get ready for this race. thats what coaches do right? Thats why we call him Coach Colin Hardassy. Thanks coach for all the encouragement and work!
My good friend and fellow swimmer Diego.

Nutrition for Swimmers

As a swimmer I like to maintain a good balance of protein and carbohydrates. Each swimmer is different in their training and body type so their ratio’s are individual. Check with your nutritionist. Many swimmers try to avoid fats. Fats are your friend. Eat the good fats high in Omega 3’s. You can find them in Monounsaturated fats such as olive oil and avocados; and Polyunsaturated fat such as grains, fish and walnuts. Maintaining a proper balance of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids is essential for a swimmer to stay trim and in shape. Many Americans consume them in a ratio of up to 50:1 while they should be consumed at a ratio of 4:1. Spread your calories out. Eat often, 6 or more times a day and keep your metabolism burning. Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits. They not only provide energy and anti-oxidant support, they also help keep you hydrated. Swim well!

Nike Swim Miami 2011 : First Open Water Event of the Season!

Nike Swim Miami was my first Open Water event of the season and a chance to swim a mile across Biscayne Bay. I beat my personal best in m open water three consecutive time by my pace as measured in minutes per mile and came in 6th in my division. Candice provided incredible support and training by Coach Colin Hardy. Inspiration... Diego De Los Rios, the man that introduced me to Open Water swimming!

In addition my good friend Calvin Hicks (see photo below) gave me a great resistance stretch the day before the race. Hi-Kara stretching is invaluable to me. he is an awesome guy folks!

The following Monday I did a post race cool down at the Coral Springs Aquatic Complex where Calvin coaches. I had the pleasure of swimming in the lane next to Dara Torres.Yes, she's very fast. Zooooom!

A sea of arms!

 Fini!

Candy and I after the race.

 Great friends Shelly Solomon the former pro tennis star and incredible Life Coach. Calvin Hicks our stretcher and mutual friend. Calvin is also a swim coach and stretcher to Dara Torres.

Where's Waldo?

New JumpingFish Coaching Web Launch Coming in May

Look for the new JumpingFish Coaching Web Launch coming soon!

JumpingFish is launching a new web site by the beginning of May. With our launch comes the addition of several new coaches, including life, fitness and nutrition. We also have sports coaching including swimming, boxing, tennis and sports nutrition. Design and implement your ideal life!

Are you a fish meant to fly?

Area 1-4 Championships - Third USA Swimming Competition of the Season

The Area 1-4 Championships was my third USA Swimming event of the season. (See the post "Unexpected Results"). It was the first time I swam 2 events in a single meet. Tough stuff for this old guy! It's great preparation for the Open Water season. Keeping up with these young talented swimmers is nothing less than a dream!Thanks to some great coaching by Coach Hardy and the encouragement of my comrade Diego De Los Rios I was able to beat my personal best. To be surrounded by great people is a blessing all it own. Then the wonderful women in my life, Candice and Mom! I was so happy that mom came to my swim meet. that was a first and not the last!

Cold Winter Swim with the Jellies in the Matanzas River

On February 27th I did the first open water swim of the season. (Excluding the Polar bear Plunge on New years Day!). The idea was to swim 1.5 North up the Matanzas River. the water was 50 or so degrees. I had to flex my hands during the recovery of each stroke to try and keep them from from getting stiff from the cold water. 

It was quite a challenge. On the other hand the real challenge lay just a few moments away. The attack of  the Nettles! 

After 1.2 miles and 4 stings I stopped the swim. The stings aren't to bad but multiple stings in the same spot took the joy out of it. Back in the kayak!

It was still a blast. Thanks Candice for the photos and being a great spotter!

Article: Dara Torres, Rebuilt Knee Ready To Compete In First Meet Since 2008 Olympics

by Sharon Robb. Originally posted here. Reposted with kind permission.

Click here to visit the Coral Springs Swim Club! 

Ageless Dara Torres is ready to shake the rust off.

The South Florida Aquatic Club's five-time Olympian will join twelve of her teammates at the Feb. 18-21 Missouri Grand Prix in Columbia, Mo.

It will be the 43-year-old's first meet since the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and state-of-the-art surgery on her left knee.

Torres will compete only in the 50-meter freestyle, the event she missed the Olympic gold medal by a finger nail tip (1/100ths of a second).

At age 41, she was the oldest Olympic swimming medalist after bringing home three silver medals, the only swimmer to win a medal in five Olympics and oldest U.S. swimmer to compete in five Games.

"She is ahead of schedule according to her doctor and trainers," said SOFLO co-head coach Bruno Darzi. "She is ready for her first meet."

Originally, SOFLO six-time Olympic coach Michael Lohberg and her Calgary, Canada-based strength and conditioning coach Andy O'Brien, had scheduled the March 3-5 Florida Gold Coast Senior Championships at Plantation Central Park for her first meet.

"She will have fun with this," Lohberg said. "We will see what she can do. If she reacts well, then we will know we are on the right track. If not, it's been a heck of a ride."

O'Brien, 33, Director of Sport Performance at the Edge School's Duckett Performance Centre, has been visiting Torres every month to check on her progress. O'Brien was recently selected to The Hockey News' Top 40 Under 40 list.

"Every time Dara switches a phase that she is going through I will come in and do an assessment and I'll take a look at her body biomechanically and find out what she needs to work on to stay balanced and how she is improving in terms of her strength," O'Brien said.

"Then I will design her next phase and teach it to her. We videotape the drills that she is doing and provide her with the tape. Then I leave and she continues on her own with the people here at the club to help and supervise her."

At Beijing, Torres competed despite severe pain. She wasn't able to chase her daughter Tessa Grace around or walk up stairs without pain.

Reknowned surgeon Dr. Tom Minas of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, said her knee was causing a "career-ending problem."

Torres underwent a procedure that uses biotechnology to regrow her own cartilage cells by implanting them in her knee with hopes or repairing it back to health.

Minas performed a radical procedure Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation (ACI) on Torres. He removed 10,000 cartilage cells from Torres' knee. They were sent to a lab and grown for several weeks into 50 million cells.

During a 3 ½-hour surgery Torres' knee was opened and Minas sewed a synthetic patch over the pothole where two cartilages were missing and then the 50 million cells were injected to harden and grow into healthy cartilage.

After taking a year off and six weeks after surgery, Torres was back in the pool with no kicking. Before that, she started working out following O'Brien's training plan to regain strength in her legs.

Torres would be 45 if she makes her sixth Olympic team. The idea that someone could compete in the Olympics at 45 is inconceivable to most but not those in the swimming world who have grown up with Torres and understands her steely determination not to mention her love for her daughter who is now old enough to understand the history her mom is making.

Since the end of 2008, Torres has had thumb surgery, three knee operations and shoulder procedure and surgery. She's had more than 15 orthopedic surgeries.

"I don't know what my body can do," Torres said. "I don't know if it will hold on for two years going for 2012, but why not give it a try?"

"It's fun being back again," Torres said. "It depends on what my body dictates. Now that I am a little bit older, it's going to be even harder than when I was 41."

When she steps on the blocks for the first time in more than two years, Torres will be surrounded by several friendly faces in the stands. Twelve SOFLO swimmers, from up-and-comers to Olympians will compete during the four-day Missouri meet.

They are two-time Olympians Alia Atkinson and Vlad Polyakov, Arlene Semeco, Leo Andara, Julie Stupp, Jessie Alcaide, Lindsey McKnight, Emily Kopas, Doug Ramos, Marc Rojas, and Italians Valerio Rasi and Gianpaolo Barelli. Two other swimmers, Brandon Goldman and Keegan Boisson-Yates may also compete if they make their cuts.

The Missouri Grand Prix is the third stop of the USA swimming Grand Prix Series seven-meet series. Race footage will be broadcast by Universal Sports and online at www.usaswimming.org.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

Unexpected Results

Today, I competed in a USA Swimming meet. I'd been a USMS Masters swimmer for quite some time when Coach Hardy suggested I join USA Swimming. Most USA members are in the 18 and younger age groups, so I was a bit apprehensive about competing in USA Swimming as a 55-year-old. In addition, I've had a pain in my shoulder for close to 8 weeks now; I hope the doctor can figure that out during my appointment tomorrow. I did not sleep well last night; anxious about the race, I came away with about 4 hours.

I met my swim pals Diego and Richard for breakfast at 7:30, as we usually do on Sunday morning. At breakfast, I was convinced I would withdraw from the event since I was tired and the shoulder was talking to me. By the time I made it to meet, I concluded it was not a good idea, especially after seeing all the young, talented swimmers I would compete with.  Then some questions popped into my head: “Why am I withdrawing from this thing that I want to do? What am I afraid of?” I found myself acting out of fear more than lack of sleep or an injured shoulder. I was afraid of failure.

Coach Hardy said, “It’s time to warm up.” I jumped in the warm-up pool. I realized, Hey, this is feeling pretty good. At that point, I remembered that I could swim. Ha! Before you know it, I was next in line at the blocks. My brain was still talking to me. “Will I screw up my launch?” “Will I go too deep?” “These guys are so much faster than me.” “What if I place last?” Coach Hardy said, “Jim, just enjoy yourself.” I heard the words, “Take your mark!” The signal went off and I found myself in mid-air, heading for a sweet, shallow and splashless entry into the water. Dara Torres said in her book Age Is Just a Number that once you leave the block, you are alone. Swimming is a lonely sport. Looking straight down at the black line, it’s just you and the water. It is that time when you are truly alone with yourself. When it gets down to it, it is about conquering yourself, exceeding your personal best. This always comes before scoring that winning time.

Today I beat my personal best by 4 seconds. That was enough for me. I had my reward. Then, as I climbed out of the pool, something happened that I didn’t expect. A women crouched over the pool with a big smile on her face and said, “Awesome swim!” Several parents of my fellow swimmers also thanked me for inspiring them.  As I walked back to my locker, another man stopped me. His eyes were moist, and I could see that he was holding back a tear. He grabbed my hand and told me how much seeing my swim motivated him. It occurred to me that as we get older, we can still be better. Excel and do more than we have ever done.  The man thanked me for being an inspiration. This was my unexepected win; my unexpected honor. After I got home, my coach texted me that he didn’t have the final times yet. I don’t care anymore.

Interview: Rob Dumouchel Talks About 10K New Year's Day Swim in Chilly CA Waters

Click here to see an interview with rising swim star Rob Dumouchel, who was the only swimmer to brave the cold California waters for a 10K swim on January 1.

Rob's our newest swimming hero! Go, Rob!

Competition: Hollywood Beach Ocean Challenge in October 2010

Two weeks after winning First Place in the Siesta Key H2Open, Team JumpingFish swam even faster on the opposite coast of Florida in the Hollywood Beach Ocean Challenge!

In mid-October 2010, Jim swam the 1-mile race in the warm waters of the Atlantic, and shaved a few seconds off his award-winning Siesta Key pace!

Stay tuned for an upcoming post with Jim's thoughts on the Hollywood Beach Ocean Challenge.

Competition: Siesta Key H2Open in October 2010

Team JumpingFish swam its way to First Place during the October 2010 H2Open in Siesta Key!

Jim outswam all competitors in his age group during the 2.5K open water swim in the warm, sunny Gulf of Mexico.

Stay tuned for an upcoming post with Jim's thoughts on the Siesta Key H2Open.