Swim With Inspiration and Motivation

Swim With Inspiration and Motivation ("SWIM") is a 501(c)(3) organization formed in 2006 designed to help teach the sport of swimming to low socio-economic kids in Austin, Texas. The vision of this program is to work with local non-profits to identify eligible kids and hope that the program will serve as a bridge between learn-to-swim programs teaching water safety and the full-fledged USA Swimming clubs here in Austin, Texas.

SWIM was inspired by previous clinics done in Austin, and was formed by three former University of Texas swimmers, Bryan Jones, a 1998 and 2001 USA Swimming World Championship Team member, Tommy Hannan, a 2000 USA Swimming Olympic gold medallist, and Paul Wallace, who has the most inspirational story of us all, having come from inner-city San Antonio to a become a University of Texas graduate, largely through his involvement in swimming. Many of the local legends in swimming have shown support for this program, including Brendan Hansen, Ian Crocker, Eddie Reese, Jill Sterkel, Nate Dusing, Kris Kubik, and many others have volunteered their time to help us with this inaugural six week session, as well as myself Scott Goldblatt.

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We hope to have several six week sessions each year. For more information or to help with this effort/program, please visit our website at www.swimaustin.org.

Read more at Timed Finals.

And speaking of Scott Goldblatt, Don't miss Deck Pass..

...the world's first internet radio broadcast dedicated to the sport of swimming. Every Saturday at noon PST (3pm in New York and 5am in Sydney, Australia) the Deck Pass will bring listeners the latest in swimming news and excitement. Interviewing the world's top athletes and other minds involved with the sport, the Deck Pass will get answers to the questions fans are asking!

This week Scott talked injuries with Nick Brunelli, last week the topic was Golden Goggles. Who knows what's next (I say we petition for a Brendan interview)...

Thanks lala for finding these links!

And one last thing..Our favorite sportswriter John Lohn has a new premium article up on Swimming World's site and I love this bit...

**At the Golden Goggle Awards next month in California, the Perseverance Award will go to Erik Vendt, Hayley Peirsol or Megan Jendrick. Each of the aforementioned athletes is deserving, but the award could have featured a fourth candidate, a man who has been a longtime staple on the United States National Team roster: Neil Walker.

Among the elite sprint freestylers in the world for nearly a decade, Walker has remained dedicated to the sport and his training regimen while a number of young guns have tested the waters. Although Walker didn't contest an individual event at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, he forged ahead and has regained individual-event duty for the U.S. in the 100 free, which he will race at next year's World Championships.

Woo Hoo! Go John! And Neil!