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 >>

From the Swimming World website... By Niki Urquidi Many swimmers consider quitting at one time or another due to the intense demands of the sport. Waking up at 5 a.m. to be pushed to the limits day in and day out takes a toll on anyone’s psyche. Yet most swimmers only make empty threats rather than walk out on the sport that formed most of their identities. Read more >>

From the Swimming World website... By BRI GROVES Swimming fast requires intense physical and mental exertion, which is all the more reason for competitive swimmers to focus on what goes into their bodies. It’s no wonder then that providing your body with the proper nutrients it needs to perform, recover, and reset comes with a hefty reward. Read more >>

From the Swimming World website... By Allison Peters, Swimming World College Intern We all know what it is like to have your swimming coaches yelling at the top of their lungs during practice, trying to get our attention. Here’s a few things that you can improve on to reduce some of this noise. Read more >>