“Márton Áron” National Collage

Miercurea Ciuc - Csíkszereda

Way to the Gold

Student Coordinating Teacher

Katalin Szőcs Katalin Kolozsváry

12th F

2018
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 Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 4

Definition of swimming ....................................................................................................... 4

Competitive swimming ....................................................................................................... 4

The beginnings ................................................................................................................................ 5

Health benefits of swimming .............................................................................................. 5

Trainings .......................................................................................................................................... 6

Swimming styles.................................................................................................................. 6

Diet...... ................................................................................................................................ 7

Shedule ............................................................................................................................... 7

Swimwear............................................................................................................................ 8

Accessories .......................................................................................................................... 8

Competitions ................................................................................................................................. 10

Events.. .............................................................................................................................. 10

Competitive pools ............................................................................................................. 10

Officials.............................................................................................................................. 11

The Olympics ................................................................................................................................. 13

After the Gold ............................................................................................................................... 13

Conclusion....... .............................................................................................................................. 14

Biography ...................................................................................................................................... 15

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 Introduction

Swimming is a very complex sport that has los of health benefits. On pro level it is not just
about the training. Many little things has to work together to be possible to a swimmer to
qualificate to the Olympics.

Definition of swimming

Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, usually with the aim of plessure,
sport, exercise, or survival. The moving is reached by coordinating the limbs, the body, or both.
Humans can hold their breath underwater and undertake rudimentary locomotive swimming
within weeks of birth, as an evolutionary response.

Swimming is one of the most populat sports activities, and in some countries, swimming lessons
are part of the curriculum.

Competiptive swimming

Although humans have been swimming for thousands of years (Ancient Egyptians were
swimming 10,000 years ago) , swimming became a competitive sport only in the early 1800s.
Today, swimming is the third most-watched sport in the Olympic Games.

Competitive swimming became popular in the 19th century. The goal of high level competitive
swimming is to break personal or world record. Swimmers are supposed to create resistance in
order to obtain maximum speed. However, some professional swimmers who do not hold a
national or world ranking are considered the best in technical skills.

The international governing body for competitive swimming is the Fédération Internationale de
Natation ("International Swimming Federation"), better known as FINA.

There are two main branches of competitional swimming; one takes place in pools and the
other in open water (e.g., in a sea or a lake). Now we will focus on the first one. This has varied
distance events in butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle, and individual medley. In
addition to the individual events, four swimmers can take part in a freestyle or medley relay.
Each swimming stroke requires a set of specific techniques, and in competition, there are fixed
rules regardind the acceptable form for each individual strokes. There are also regulations
related to what types of swimsuits, caps, jewelry and injury tape are allowed at competitions.
Competitive swimmers can have several injuries from the sport -- such as tendinitis in the
shoulders or knees -- there are also multiple health benefits of the sport.

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 The Beginning

Before a child can start swimming competitively, he/she needs to work on the basics. Children
can begin swimming lessons that develop aquatic readiness - or water acclimation and
preswimming techniques - as early as 15 to 18 months, according to the American Red Cross
Advisory Council on First Aid, Aquatics, Safety and Preparedness. Parents should wait to begin
formal lessons that offer instruction in swim strokes until the child is at least 4 years old. As the
child builds his basic swimming skills – floating on water and putting his head under the water –
he is ready to begin an to compete at an entry-level.

Unless the child is a swimming superstar, it is unlikely that they begin at an elite level. First
competitive experiences generally happen for children in a local community or school-based
swim teams. By these events they get plenty of experiences, they get motivated and learn how
to face failure. These participations help them a lot when they arrive at a higher level.

As a competitive sport, swimming in a league or on a team means competing against other kids.
Children begin this by participating in local or regional meets. There are a variety of different
types of meets, depending on your child's age, league and regional area. Community swim
teams typically compete in local invitational meets that host anywhere from 150 to 1,000
children, according to USA Swimming. As children progresses in the world of competitive
swimming, they might have the opportunity to participate in larger meets such as the USA
Swimming Zone Championships. There are four zones in the USA -- Western, Eastern, Central
and Southern -- that host these mega meets.

Health Benefits of Swimming

As well as being fun, swimming is a great way to keep fit, stay healthy and make friends.
Swimming is a healthy activity that you can continue for a lifetime. It is a low-impact activity
that has many physical and mental health benefits.

Swimming is a great workout because you need to move your whole body against the
resistance of the water. It is a good activity because it tones muscles and builds strength,
provides an all-over body workout, as nearly all of your muscles are used during swimming and
it reduces stress.

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 Training

Swimming styles

In competitive swimming, four major styles have been established. These have been relatively
stable over the last 30–40 years with minor improvements. They are:

 Butterfly
 Backstroke
 Breaststroke
 Freestyle

In competition, only one of these styles may be used except in the case of the individual
medley, or IM, which consists of all four. In this latter event, swimmers swim equal distances of
butterfly, then backstroke, breaststroke, and finally, freestyle. In Olympic competition, this
event is swum in two distances – 200 and 400 meters. Some short course competitions also
include the 100-yard or 100-meter IM – particularly, for younger or newer swimmers (typically
under 14 years) involved in club swimming, or masters swimming (over 18).

Butterfly

In butterfly, the legs move together in a dolphin kick (imagine a mermaid), the arms move
together to push the water downward and backward, and the torso undulates like an
earthworm as the body moves forward through the water. While other styles like the
breaststroke or backstroke can be swum by beginners, the butterfly is more difficult, it requires
good technique and strong muscles. It is the newest swimming style swum in competition, first
swum in 1933 and originating out of the breaststroke.

Backstroke

The backstroke is easier than the butterfly or breaststroke and similar to the freestyle in that
swimmers use an alternate windmill arm stroke and flutter kick. Two keys to a proper
backstroke are that the arms move with equal strength, otherwise the swimmer will swim off to
one side, and that the body rolls from side to side so that arms can catch enough water to
propel the bodu forward.

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Breaststroke

The breaststroke involves exquisite timing, and in fact, the swimmer can be disqualified from
competition if he misses even one stroke. The stroke involves form that causes the body to bob
up and down as it glides forward through the water. This is a difficult stroke. The basic is that
the arm pull, the breathe, the kick and the glide has to be perfectly syncronised. The stroke
itself is the slowest of any competitive strokes and is thought to be the oldest of all swimming
strokes

Freestyle

The backstroke is easier than the butterfly or breaststroke and similar to the crawl in that you
use an alternate windmill arm stroke and flutter kick. Two keys to a proper backstroke are that
your arms move with equal strength, otherwise you will swim off to one side, and that your
body rolls from side to side so that your arms catch enough water to propel you forward.
Freestyle races are the most common of all swimming competitions, with distances beginning
with 50 meters (50 yards) and reaching 1500 meters (1650 yards), also known as the mile.

Diet

The USDA recommends that typical men eat between 2,000 and 2,500 calories per day, with a
recommendation for women at 1,800 to 2,300. Since swimmers are active and have better
muscle tone than most others, the baseline calorie need will be on the high end of or above this
scale.

A 70 kg swimmer burns about 210 calories in a half-hour of moderated intensity swimming, or

The diet should be based around low glycaemic carbohydrates for long lasting energy, but with
a reasonable amount of protein too, along with good amounts of essential fats, fibre, vitamins
and minerals. Swimmers can be suspective to muscle cramps, so, in addition to appropriate
rest, they have to ensure a good intake of electrolytes available from fruits.

Shedule

Typically, a competitive swimmer has two trainings per day in the pool with a varied training
range of lengths from short speed distances to multiple lengths. During a training, an athlete

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swims 7-8 km. Also, swimmers do some cardiovascular training and light weight training in the
gym 5-7 times per week to further strength and endurance.

Swimwear

Speaking about swimsuits, there are two types that we need to mention. The first one is the
one that swimmers wear durig practice. This is more leisure and it is easy to move in it. These
comes in different styles.

The other one is made especially for competitions. Swimsuits designed to be worn during
competitions are manufactured to assist the athlete in swimming competitions. They reduce
friction and drag in the water, increasing the efficiency of the swimmer's forward motion. The
tight fits allow for easy movement and are said to reduce muscle vibration.

In 2009, FINA rules and regulations were altered and suits made with polyurethane were
banned because they made athletes more buoyant. These rules also banned suits which go
above the navel or below the knee for men and suits which extend past the shoulders or cover
the neck.

Accessories

Swim cap

A swim cap keeps the swimmer's hair out of the way to reduce drag. Caps may be made of
latex, silicone, spandex or lycra.

Goggles

Goggles keep water and chlorine out of swimmers' eyes. Goggles may be tinted to counteract
glare at outdoor pools. Prescription goggles may be used by swimmers who wear corrective
lenses.

Swim Fins

Rubber fins are used to help kick faster and build strength and technique, but are illegal in a
race. They also improve technique by keeping the feet in the proper position while kicking.

Zoomers

A type of rubber swimming fins, zoomers are cut off fins with the holes in the bottom. They
help make the swimmer kick faster, but at the cost of working harder.

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Hand paddles

Swimmers use these plastic devices to build arm and shoulder strength while refining hand-
pulling technique. Hand paddles attach to the hand with rubber tubing or elastic material. They
come in many different shapes and sizes, depending on swimmer preference and hand size.

Kickboard

A kickboard is a foam board that swimmers use to support the weight of the upper body while
they focus on kicking. Kicking is the movement of the legs only which helps to increase leg
muscle for future strength.

Pull buoy

Often used at the same time as hand paddles, pull buoys support swimmers' legs (and prevent
them from kicking) while they focus on pulling. Pull buoys are made of foam so they float in the
water. Swimmers hold them in between the thighs. They can also be used as a kickboard to
make kicking a little harder.

Ankle bands

Improving balance will minimize the need for this kick to provide an upward, instead of a
forward vector, and in some cases completely corrects the kick. Using an ankle band will have
the immediate effect of turning off your kick, which then forces you to make efforts to correct
your balance. If you are successful in discovering these, then the ankle band has done part of its
job.

Snorkel

A snorkel is a plastic device that helps swimmers breathe while swimming. This piece of
equipment helps the swimmer practice keeping their head in one position, along with training
them for the proper breathing technique of breathing in through the mouth and out the nose.
This technique is the opposite of a common runner's breathing pattern, which is in the nose
and out the mouth.

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 Competitions

Swimming was a part of the first modern Olympics in 1896, when competitors were dropped
off in the Mediterranean to swim to shore. Since the 1908 London games, these races have
been conducted in swimming pools. Swimming was one of the first sports to allow women to
compete.

Events

There are several events on swimming competitions in that swimmers can compete. These
events can be categorized by the type of the stroke and distance.

Five Races

There are five types of swimming races, one for each of the four basic strokes and a medley
combining the strokes. Strokes are backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle. An
individual medley starts with butterfly, then progresses through backstroke, breaststroke and
freestyle. A medley relay begins with backstroke, then moves to breaststroke, butterfly and
freestyle. Freestyle relays are 200 and 400 meters, with four swimmers per team using the
same stroke.

Distances

Race distances are 50, 100, 200 and 400 meters for individuals, with longer events of 800
meters for women and 1,500 meters for men. Individual medleys, in which one swimmer does
all four strokes, are 200 and 400 meters for both men and women. Those same distances are
used for team relays.

Competitive pools

World Championship pools must be 50 metres (long course) long and 25 metres wide, with ten
lanes labelled zero to nine (or one to ten in some pools); zero and nine (or one and ten) are
usually left empty in semi-finals and finals. The lanes must be at least 2.5 metres wide. They are
equipped with starting blocks at both ends of the pool and most have Automatic Officiating
Equipment, including touch pads to record times and sensors to ensure the legality of relay
takeovers. The pool must have a minimum depth of two metres.

Other pools which host events under FINA regulations are required to meet some but not all of
these requirements. Many of these pools have eight, or even six, instead of ten lanes and some
is 25 metres long, making them short course. World records that are set in short course pools

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are kept separate from those set in long course pools because it may be an advantage or
disadvantage to swimmers to have more or less turns in a race.

Officials

There are several types of officials, which are needed to manage the competition.

Referee

The referee has full control and authority over all officials. The referee will enforce all rules and
decisions of FINA and shall have the final answer to all questions relating to the actual conduct
of anything regarding the meet, as well as the final settlement of which is not otherwise
covered by the rules. The referee takes overall responsibility for running the meet and makes
the final decisions as to who wins each race. Referees call swimmers to the blocks with short
blasts of his or her whistle. This is the signal for the swimmers to stand next to their blocks.
Then the referee will blow a long whistle that will tell the swimmers to step on the block. For
backstroke events, the long whistle is the signal for the swimmers to jump into the water. The
referee will then blow another long whistle, signalling the swimmers to grab the gutter or the
provided block handle. Finally the referee will hand over the rest to the starter by directing his
or her hand to the starter.

Starter

The starter has full control of the swimmers from the time the referee turns the swimmers over
to him/her until the race commences. A starter begins the race by saying, "Take your mark." At
this point, the swimmers will get into stationary positions in which they would like to start their
race. After all swimmers have assumed their stationary position, the starter will push a button
on the starting system, signaling the start of a race with a loud noise (usually a beep or a horn)
and flash from a strobe light. A starter sends the swimmers off the blocks and may call a false
start if a swimmer leaves the block before the starter sends them. A starter may also choose to
recall the race after the start for any reason or request the swimmers to "stand", "relax" or
"step down" if he or she believes that (a) particular swimmer(s) has gotten an unfair advantage
at the start.

Clerk of course

The clerk of course (also called the "bullpen") assembles swimmers prior to each event, and is
responsible for organizing ("seeding") swimmers into heats based on their times. Heats are
generally seeded from slowest to fastest, where swimmers with no previous time for an event
are assumed to be the slowest. The clerk of the course is also responsible for recording and
reporting swimmers who have chosen to "scratch" (not swim) their events after they have

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signed up or qualified to a semifinal or final. The clerk is also responsible for enforcing rules of
the swim meet if a swimmer chooses to not show up ("No show" - NS) his or her events.

Timekeepers

Each timekeeper takes the time of the swimmers in the lane assigned to him/her. Unless a
video backup system is used, it may be necessary to use the full complement of timekeepers
even when automatic officiating equipment is used. A chief timekeeper assigns the seating
positions for all timekeepers and the lanes for which they are responsible. In most competitions
there will be one or more timekeepers per lane. In international competitions where full
automatic timing and video placing equipment is in use timekeepers may not be required.

Inspectors of turns

One inspector of turns is assigned to one or more lanes at each end of the pool. Each inspector
of turns ensures that swimmers comply with the relevant rules for turning, as well as the
relevant rules for start and finish of the race. Inspectors of turns shall report any violation on
disqualification reports detailing the event, lane number, and the infringement delivered to the
chief inspector of turns who will immediately convey the report to the referee.

Judges of Stroke

Judges of stroke are located on each side of the pool. They follow the swimmers during their
swim back and forth across the pool. They ensure that the rules related to the style of
swimming designated for the event are being observed, and observe the turns and the finishes
to assist the inspectors of turns.

Finish judges

Finish judges determine the order of finish and make sure the swimmers finish in accordance
with the rules (two hands simultaneously for breaststroke and butterfly, on the back for
backstroke, etc.)

If an official observes a swimmer breaking a rule concerning the stroke he or she is swimming,
the official will report what they have seen to the referee. The referee can disqualify (or DQ)
any swimmer for any violation of the rules that he/she personally observes or for any violation
reported to them by other authorised officials. All disqualifications are subject to the decision
and discretion of the referee.

Those who are disqualified may choose to protest their disqualification . Protests are reviewed
by a panel of officials instead of the deck referee or stroke judges who may have made the
initial disqualification report.

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 The Olympics

Swimming has been a sport at every modern Summer Olympics. It has been open to women
since 1912. Along with track & field athletics and gymnastics, it is one of the most popular
spectator sports at the Games. Swimming has the second largest number of events (after
Athletics). Olympic events are held in a 50-meter pool, called a long course pool.

For qualifying for the Olympics, swimmers should reach the Olympic Qualifying Time. Every
country can enter maximum 2 qualified athletes in each individual event. Every country has a
different process to select the athletes that get the qualification to the Olympic Games.

After the Gold

There comes a day in every swimmer’s career when they realise it is time to hang up the
goggles. This may be for numerous reasons– age, injury, lack of time for such a demanding
sport or just simply falling out of love with swimming. There are lots of activities that
swimming leads into which can be as enjoyable and rewarding as swimming.

Coaching

There is an alternative that allows ex-swimmers to carry on a career in swimming– coaching.

Teaching

In a similar way to coaching, swim teaching allows swimmers to give back to a sport they love.
Unlike coaching, where a coach focuses on small technicalities within strokes, a teacher is often
working from scratch to give children the life-saving skill of swimming. The work can be
rewarding and maybe a bit frustrating for the recently retired swimmer.

Lifeguarding

The unnoticed presence of the poolside, lifeguards provide support to the competitive
swimmer in a multitude of ways, whether this be through setting up for meets and training
sessions or performing the very occasional rescue. Although less involved with the swimmer
than a coach or teacher, lifeguarding provides a fitness element due to the powerful training
lifeguards are required to go through.

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 Conclusion

In conclusion, swimming is not only popular, but it is also one of the best all body workout
exercise that a person can do. It has several benetfits and it can also save lives.

On a pro level, it is one of the most time consuming sports. A swimmer has to fight with
physical strain day by day and has to give up his social life. Being a performance sport, every
minute of the training matters and a little piece of the techinque that is not perfect can cause
losses.

Swimming is a very complex sport that requires lots of effort, time and endurance, but it is
absolutely worth it.

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