Wow, I feel a hard college hangover talking about this swimming thing. We used to be down with the struggle. Fight the good fight, and all that rot. You know, against racism. It was an exciting time to be alive, those late 80s.

I make light of that struggle; its goals not clearly defined in my day. But here’s this other struggle, and it is life or death–the struggle towards 100% swim competency. Now the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) is in the struggle, too.

Bruce Wigo, president of ISHOF says that the mission of his organization is to inspire everyone to be a swimmer. They’ve created a new section of their website celebrating black swimming history.

It features swim champions like Anthony Nesty, Olympic gold medalist from Suriname, Charles Chapman, who swam across the English Channel, and Rick White, a professional diver. It also shows lifeguards and other swim professionals.

“Black swimming history is one of the most incredible stories never told before,” says Wigo. “Who could imagine that before the Civil War, Blacks were the great swimmers and whites drowned in appalling numbers? It tells a lot about our social and cultural history and it’s a story that will fascinate swimmers and not swimmers alike.”

To find out more, visit ISHOF.org

Halle Berry is not afraid of the water. Here she takes her baby swimming, and she is set to play a diving instructor in an upcoming movie. In Deep Tide, set to begin taping this summer, Halle will play a diver who escaped a near fatal shark attack.

I don’t think I could watch that. It took me YEARS to get over Jaws! The idea of returning to the deep after being attacked by a shark? Not for the kid! I wonder if she gets a stunt double? Or will the shark?

I saw my swimming friend at church on Sunday. I told her I’d missed her a couple weeks ago at the pool.

She’d taken a little time off to get her kids established with their school year, among other things. She promised she’d get back in this week.

And I told her that I had to take some time off because of my neverending miscarriage finally kicking into gear. (except minus the details)

Then I found this on her facebook this morning: Nursing a bruised ego. It’s disconcerting to have a sexagenerian outswim you. I can tell myself its because it’s been 3 wks since I’ve been swimming or I just got over a cold. But still, we started at opposite ends of the pool and she still passed me. Ouch. Maybe she was a 20 something disguised as a 60 year old. Yeah, that’s it.

Which raises the question: why must you stay in the pool?

When my kids were on a swim team, we took off one spring session so I could have a baby. By the time we got back, kids that my children had no problem beating beforehand were now a threat. What’s up with that?

I know the coach would start talking about anaerobic thresholds and what-not, but it wasn’t making much sense. It’s just hard to accept how hard it is to build up the endurance in swimming, and how easy it is to lose it.

Does anyone have a good explanation? I’m dying to hear it.

Find more videos like this on Diversity in Aquatics

Now here’s something you don’t see everyday!

Derrick Butts is a diver at George Mason University in Virginia. He’s new to the sport [about 7 years] but is quite passionate about it. He just started serious diving the last semester of high school. He broke the three meter record three months after arriving at GMU.

Did you hear about the Italian swimmer whose suit split right in the backside?

I can’t imagine the embarrassment. And I shudder to think what it would have been like if she’d had a bigger backside.

Kind of erases the whole aerodynamic swimsuit advantage, don’tcha think?

This girl was good three years ago when my kids were on team with her. She stuck with it. I’ll be following her in the future.