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Customer Reviews (56)

Interesting and informative
I found this book entertaining and informative.Lynne describes her swims so vividly that the reader can almost feel and taste the salt water.At the same time, she manages to explain the complex issues involved in distance swimming.She pays special attention to the unique challenges of her cold water swimming.These athletic achievements take strength, stamina, speed, planning and bravery.Lynne manages to remain modest and matter-of-fact as she describes multiple situations where she displayed all these qualities.

Can't put it down
i got the book on a friends recommendation. i swim in San Francisco bay and have for many years. he thought i would like it, i love it. she is a good writer with incrediable experiences which she relates in a quick paced, insightful and emotional way. the emotions of family ties, determination, personal best and the love of being in the water.i would recommend it to anyone that enjoys reading about overcoming adversity to succeed in the adventures we set for ourselves in life.

Swimming to Antartica
This is a terrific book about an individual challenging herself and at the same time making a difference in the world.

You'll never share another adventure like this one!
Swimming to Antartica, written by Lynne Cox, is so much more than a history of one amazing swimmer. With her accessible, but sophisticated style of writing, Cox has written this almost like a diary, almost like a history book, and almost like a realistic fantasy all rolled into one fantastic story.She tells her story simply.And yet, this is such an exciting, sometimes gripping read.It is a wonderful read for anyone!

Swimming to Antarctica
I just finished reading the autobiography of Lynne Cox - Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer. She is a remarkable athlete with an incredible ability to swim long distances and withstand hours in freezing water. Her accomplishments start in 1971, when at the age of 14, Lynne swam across the Catalina Channel with a group of teenagers from Seal Beach, California. They swam the 27 mile crossing in 12 hours and 36 minutes. She held back waiting for her teammates. But the seed was planted for her bigger adventures.

At age 15 Lynne swam across the English Channel and shattered the men's and women's world records with a time of 9 hours and 57 minutes. When that record was broken, she returned the next year and broke the world record for the English Channel a second time with a time of 9 hours and 36 minutes.

She went on to bigger and bigger adventures, breaking more swimming barriers. Her writing is very matter of fact. Sometimes just a brief mention of some crazy swim. The book fails to get at the core of what motivates her and interests her in swimming long distances. Her remarkable achievements carry you through the narrative.

The last swim in the book gives the book its name as she swims a mile from a ship to the Antarctic shore. The more interesting swim is across the Bering Strait at the end of the Cold War. She swims five miles in thirty-eight-degree water in just a swimsuit, cap, and goggles from Little Diomede Island in Alaska to Big Diomede Island in the Soviet Union.

Although the writing is a bit plain, it is filled with joy and a sense of adventure. All of the tales are stirring and heart-warming. A worthwhile read. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (6)

More Than Just A Good Swim

I greatly enjoyed this book for a number of reasons. As a swimmer it was very elucidating, shedding light on what is considered the greatest challenge in distance swimming. But as I stated in the title, this is more than just a book on the annals of Channel swimming. In fact, I would classify it as social history. The events take place during the "Roaring Twenties", an era of change, turmoil and optimism after the destruction of the Great War of the previous decade. The place of women in society was changing. Part of this change, was the status of the woman athlete. This book focuses on the struggle of four courageous women to become the first female to swim the English Channel. Two accomplished the goal. An amazing feat considering that up until that summer of 1926 only three men swam the Channel successfully. As with any great story, there is no derth of human emotion including ego, jealousy and pettiness.

The author wrote the book in a fluid style (no pun intended) and it's a great read. I happened to read the book during the summer, 53 years to the day after the events.

One last thought: I have to ask myself if Mr.Mortimer purposely used obscure words in many descriptions ("emollient", "mulligrubs" and many more). At any rate, I had to look them up so I must thank him for improving my vocabulary.

Ederle's great adventure
A really great story, well told.A must-read for anyone interested in the history of open water swimming.

Worth reading
Interesting, historical, inspiring, contains lessons on life. I had not heard of the endeavors described in The Great Swim previously.

Definitely a must-read history!
At a time when it was declared that no woman would ever be capable of swimming the English Channel, then the pinnacle challenge of endurance swimming, four American women set out to do just that. Not just the story of incredible and ground-breaking athletes, this is also the story of a time in American history when a woman was arrested for indecency on a New York beach for removing her shoes, and women were barred from the Olympics because it was unladylike to sweat. Gavin Mortimer has written an amazing history that was an absolute pleasure to read.

Take a dip
During the summer of 1926 the eyes of the world turned to Europe, specifically the small strip of water that separated the British Isles from France.Four American women had announced their intentions to swim the English Channel.The first swimmer to accomplish that feat would be the first woman to ever complete the channel swim, joining elite group of male athletes who had managed to navagate the channel.Women had been making huge strides in the realm of athletics, steadily setting aside stereotypes and prejudices.

Four women, Gertrude Ederle, Mille Gade, Lillian Cannon and Clarabelle Barrett, completely different but each posessed the desire to be first to complete the swim.Each knew the accomplishment would thrust them into the public spotlight and could better their fortunes and futures.The public interest after their swims was beyond anything anyone could imagine, and changed their lives. The Great Swim captures the giddy optimism of the 1920's and the emergence of women as a force in the world.Using diaries, newspaper archives, and primary sources Gavin Mortimer brings to life the excitement that surrounded the swims, the people supporting the swimmers and the swimmers themselves. It is a unique glimpse into the "roaring twenties" and the way the idea of a lone female swimmer taking on the channel capturedthe American public'simagination. It is also a cautionary tale ofpublic adolation, the power of the press and greed. An engrossing read.
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Product Description
Part of the "Successful Sports" series, this book on swimming covers three of the six Areas of Activity recommended for Physical Education at Key Stages 2 and 3. It is written for the young sports enthusiast. It includes clear descriptions of: skills, tactics and rules; specially shot photographs of children demonstrating the key skills; action shots of star players now and from the past; and fact circles full of interesting trivia. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Disappointing
I found this book at my local supermarket in the bin for discounted items.Now I know why.The book was a disappointment.Though it claims to be the untold story of Michael Phelps, it doesn't talk about him as much as I would have liked.Rather, half of the book is concerned with his team mates or competitors. (The reviewer before me, K. Knight, describes my opinion exactly so I won't repeat here what was said very well previously).
Nevertheless, I did learn a few interesting facts about the extraordinary athlete that Phelps is. I look forward to reading the book that Phelps has written.

Plus and minus
I find myself disappointed in this book. I've read Phelps' books that he's written, and I enjoyed those much more. For a book claiming to be an untold story of one man, this book seems to focus a lot on other swimmers. In fact, I'd say half the book is stories about Phelps' teammates, both male and female. The stories are interesting, and as a fan of swimming in general, I didn't mind them, but I think it's a bit of false advertising to produce a book claiming to be about one person when there's so much about other swimmers (and I'm not talking about swimmers' opinions of Phelps, rather stories of Lezak, Vanderkaay, Thorpe, Torres, etc., beginnings in swimming and things about their personalities, and training schedules.)

That said, there's a lot in this book that is new, at least for me. Schaller interviewed a lot of people and the stories, especially from Phelps' sisters, are interesting.

My other main gripe with this is that it has a meandering style that is sometimes hard to follow. A chapter will start with Phelps and 2008 and then suddenly be talking about Athens or the 2007 Worlds. It can be hard to follow.

My advice is to read Phelps' own books, Beneath the Surface and No limits, if you want to know about him. If you're interested in him and swimming in general, this book might be worth picking up.
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Product Description
Ages 6 to 9 years. People enjoy swimming for exercise and as a fun recreational activity. This book will inform kids about the basic strokes and techniques plus highlight a few games. Clear text and lovely colour elements include: the four strokes -- freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly; poolside safety, rules, and CPR; how and where to dive; the world of racing. ... Read more

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A practical, easy-to-use program designed to teach both novice & competitive swimmers the most effective swimming techniques. It combines the scientific skill-learning approach to swimming developed by renowned swimming coach, Dr. Jeno Tihany, with tips & personal observations from Olympic gold medalist Alex Baumann. You ll learn how to achieve mastery of the four basic strokes -- freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke & butterfly, that make up Alex Baumann's specialty. Each element of proper technique is analyzed in detail: body position, leg & arm action, breathing, the start & the turn. Drawings & photos. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Book for the Competitive or Serious Recreational Swimmer
Still one of the best books on swim technique and competitive training regimes. Tihanyi provides most of the technical advice, but his student Baumann gives some perspective on the competitive swimming life and thediscipline required to win 2 individual gold medals at the LA Olympics. ... Read more

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Following on from the successful Biomechanics and Medicine in Swimming VI proceedings which covered the conference held in Liverpool, this book contains all twelve of the keynote addresses and selected, edited and revised papers presented at the Swimming Science VII conference in Atlanta. Leading international experts have contributed state-of-the-art research on the subject. ... Read more

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The International Symposium on Biomechanics and Medicine in Swimming, held every four years under the aegis of the International Society of Biomechanics and the World Commission of Sports Biomechanics, provides a forum in which research related to swimming is reported and problems that confront swimming practitioners are debated.

This volume contains the papers presented at the sixth symposium. The keynote addresses covered lactate metabolism, performance determining factors and the analysis of sprint swimming. The contributed papers range widely across sports science, coaching and training and sports medicine. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Short but complete in depth coverage of competitive swimming.
This is a great book covering all aspects of swimming very clearly. This is a very readable book. The pictures and explanations are outstanding. There is little missing despite the fact this book is fairly small. It covers all aspects of the sport. I was impressed. I wish I had this book when I started coaching. The only complaint I have is the info on starts seems slightly dated but this fact is made up for in quality and depth of coverage. I would recomend this book. ... Read more

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This guide sets out the basic principles involved in all the stages of swimming, from developing initial water confidence to the mechanics of the four main strokes. It also covers diving, water safety, personal survival, and the Amateur Swimming Association Incentive Awards. ... Read more

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Useful manual
This is a useful little book for a beginner. Everything is explained to the point and one can read the book in less than an hour. There is less/no explanation about "why" to follow a specific body action, but gives sufficient descriptionabout "how". It ll be useful for beginner swimmer and a parentwho is helping his/her children learn to swim. It serves as a useful manual with good illustrations. ... Read more

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Instructor in Scientific Swimming at the Dalton Swimming School, and Originator of the Dalton Method AND A CHAPTER ON ADVANCED STROKES BY LOUIS C. DALTON Of the Dalton Swimming School ... Read more