 Cullen Andrew Jones
Since this is due before May 1st and I had it ready I thought I would share it now. Cullen Andrew Jones was born on February 29, 1984, in the Bronx, New York. Jones specializes in freestyle sprinting events. This past summer, he won silver medals in both the 50-meter freestyle and 4X100-meter freestyle relay. Jones is also a part of the American team who holds the World Record in the 4X100-meter relay. For school, Jones went to North Carolina State University. In 2006, he decided to turn professional and signed with Nike as his first large sponsorship. Jones is also the second African American swimmer to hold and be a part of a team that holds a World Record.
Springboard diving is done from a flexible plank made of aluminum or steel and measuring 16 ft (4.9 m) long by 20 in. (51 cm) wide. It extends horizontally over the water at a height of 1 m (about 3 ft 3 in.) or 3 m (about 9 ft 10 in.). The flexibility of the board allows the diver to jump high into the air to execute various maneuvers before entering the water. Platform diving (also called high diving) is usually done from a tower 10 m (32 ft 10 in.) high that is not flexible and that projects nearly five feet (1.5 m) over the water. The height of the tower permits more involved acrobatics during descent; it also poses considerable danger as divers enter the water at speeds of 40 mi (60 km) per hr or more.
Both types of diving are done from standing and walking starts, and in competition judges score on the basis of form, execution, and degree of difficulty. There are six groups of dives: forward, backward, reverse, inward, twisting, and armstand. On springboard, divers usually perform five dives with degree-of-difficulty limits—one dive from each group except armstand—and five dives (six for men) with no limits. On platform, divers perform four dives with difficulty limits from the six groups. Women then perform four dives, men six, without limits. In all dives the final entry position should be rigid and vertical, the less splash the better.
Swimming is a sport that many people like to do. One does not have to be a competitive swimmer to enjoy this sport. There are many different strokes that one can do as well as different speeds. Swimming has many health advantages no matter what type of swimmer is swimming.
Swimming works many parts of the body such as cardiovascular, endurance, and muscular. As one swims, his/her heart raises and pumps more blood throughout the body. Competitive swimmers tend to breathe faster and more deeply which increases the level of oxygen within the blood. This is helps to to prevent clogged arteries as well as keep low cholesterol. Sprinters have the effect of mostly cardiovascular; however, long distance swimmers are also gaining endurance. Starting with just a few laps is key, as not to over-strain oneself, and then gradually continuing to add more and more laps. The more that swimmers swim helps to increase their endurance. Swimming laps also results in stronger muscles. Swimming provides a natural resistance; as one swims his/her hands and arms are pushing and pulling the water away from him/her. This process helps to build flexible, stronger muscles within the swimmer’s arms. All of these health advantages are good for one’s lungs and help to reduce strokes, heart attacks,and diabetes.
There are many other additional health benefits to swimming. It is a great tool to lose weight. Cardiovascular workouts help burn calories, lose fats, and builds muscle. It has been known that just thirty minutes of general swimming can burn between 180-266 calories for those who weight between 125-185 pounds. In addition to losing weight, many people use swimming as an exercise tool because there are few injuries associated with this sport. A person weighs 1/10th less within the water so there is no stress on one’s bones or joints. Swimming is also good for relieving stress because it is so relaxing. As one swims, he/she can go at his/her own pace. Also with competitive swimming, one focuses on his/her breathing and swim time. This allows more oxygen to flow to swimmer’s muscles and forces swimmers to regulate their breathing. Focusing on breathing and the strokes helps one to forget about his/her trouble for a little while which can relieve stress. Swimming has many aspects that help to increase one’s health. Go to your nearest pool and start swimming today!
 Breast stroke kick can be broken into different phases: recovery, catch, out-sweep, in-sweep, and leg lift into a glide. Recovery occurs at the end of the propulsion; this is when the body is scrunched in the water. During the catch phase, a swimmer’s feet move into a position to push the water. Knees move away from each other and rotate outwards. Out-sweeping is sweeping legs backwards and outwards while pushing against the water with inside of lower legs and feet. In-sweep is the continuing motion of out-sweeping, but now the legs sweep inwards. At the end of this phase, the legs are pressed together. The last phase is when legs move upward due to inertia which concludes in the streamline position and a glide. At the end of this, the legs are extended, close together, and toes are pointed.
The most frequently used kicks is the flutter kick. This motion has two roles: provide propulsion and stabilize the body. Studies have shown that the amount of propulsion through flutter kick is only about 10% and the rest is provided by the arm stroke. The kick goes opposite of the arms, which helps to keep balance in the water. To go into a little more detail, the legs are kept parallel and execute opposite movements while toes are pointed. The first half of the downbeat is initiated by slightly flexing the leg at the hip, and then the knee bends a little as well. The second half is when the hip is locked in place while the knee is extended. Finally, the upbeat movement occurs while the knee is still extending. While the leg moves upward, the pressure of the water against the lower leg extends the leg. Just flutter kicking is a great way to exercise. During both a downbeat and upbeat, the muscles in the legs grow stronger which helps swimmers to propel faster, providing propulsion.
 Melissa (Missy) Franklin
Melissa (Missy) Franklin was born on May 10, 1995 in Pasadena, CA. She started swimming at the age of five and has accomplished at such a young age of seventeen. She attends Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora, CO, and plans to graduate this year (2013). Franklin has been declining sponsorships and endorsements in order to stay an amateur athlete to be able to swim and in college. She is planning on attending the University of California and swim for the school starting next year (2013-2014 season). After two years in school, Franklin plans to become a professional athlete after the 2015 NCAA Championships. Franklin is a four-time Olympic gold medalist and currently holds the World Record in the 200-meter backstroke as well as the American Record in 100 and 200-meter backstroke.
 Butterfly is one of the most difficult competitive strokes. As a swimmer, it can be very hard to learn due to the fact that it is quickly exhausting. To start, the arms are straight in front of the swimmer. Then with cupped-hands, the arms move in a “keyhole” motion which helps to pull in the water. As the arms do this motion, the top half of the body propels forward, providing time for the
swimmer to lift his or her head and breathe. The arms then become fully extended and make two half circles while palms switch from facing inward to facing outward together in front of the swimmer as they enter the water. The legs do what is referred to as a “dolphin kick.” This is all in the hips where legs stay together and knees constantly bend. For some swimmers, just swimming one lap in butterfly is difficult; however, when the swimmer masters the stroke it looks really cool to watch and enhances the stamina of the swimmer.
 Another competitive stroke is breaststroke. This stroke is often one of the first strokes that children learn, resulting in the most known and most popular swimming stroke. It is swum in prone position, meaning that both arms and synchronized in their motions of half circles and “frog kick.” The arms start straight in front of the swimmer the make half-circles, coming together right below the chest. Once the hands are together, the swimmer pushes the arms straight forward again and glide. The legs start straight, then come up as though they are scrunched. The knees then go out in opposite directions and the lower part of the legs make half circles, propelling the swimmer forward. This stroke also involves periodic breathing. As the swimmer pulls in his or her arms and legs, the head comes up and the swimmer can take a breath. Then as the swimmer’s arms and legs come out, creating a straight line with his or her body, the head comes down underwater and the swimmer propels forward, also known as a streamlining.
 Backstroke is one of the four main swimming strokes. When swimming, arms go in opposite movements. One arm sweeps underwater and past the hip while the other arm comes out of the water and sweeps past the ear. Arms are also supposed to be straight and go in big circles. Hands are cupped so that when they get pulled under the water, they are able to provide propulsion for the swimmer. The kick involved is a flutter kick. This is a standard kick for most swimmers; however, the swimmer is on his or her back. The swimmer’s face is above the water; however, the water getting pulled when the swimmer’s arms are rotating tends to splash in the swimmer’s face. When swimming on lanes, swimmers need to watch and count the number of strokes they take after the flags before hitting the wall in order to do a flip turn. As swimmers approach the wall, they just turn over, flip, and stay on their back. If a swimmer happens to turn over too early, then he or she just floats on his or her stomach until he or she is able to turn. This stroke also involves a different start. Instead of starting off the block, the swimmer uses the wall to push off when staring a race. Aside from competitive swimming, backstroke targets back muscles. It is a great source of exercise for those suffering of back problems. Personally, this was my favorite stroke when I used to swim; unfortunately I could never swim in a straight line. :)
 Freestyle, also known as front crawl, is the most known and used swimming stroke. Arm strokes are alternating movements: one sweeps backward in the water from an overhead position to the hip and provides propulsion while the other arm recovers above water from the other hip back toward the overhead position. Flutter kick is also used in this stroke. The swimmer’s head is straight, face down in the water and if he or she needs to breathe, when an arm comes up, the swimmer will tilt his or her head slightly to that side and take a small breath and as the arm goes back into the water, the head goes back down. There is a certain technique with the forearm that helps swimmers go faster with this stroke. The forearm moves downward and backward into a vertical position. At this time, the elbow and upper-arm stay high in the water creating a high-elbow position. Once it is in the water, the forearm sweeps water directly under the chest; this helps to propel the swimmer forward. This stroke involves a lot of concentration and technique, but once mastered, it is the fastest and most efficient way of swimming and often preferred by experienced swimmers.
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