Open Water Course Maps & Start Lists Posted for This Weekend   Florida Swimming and the Open Water Festival Officials have posted the Start Lists for this weekend's Florida Swimming Open Water Championships and also Course Maps for all races throughout the week.  Start Lists for the the Crippen Mile will not be available until just before the reace start due to on-site registration.   Click Here   for informmation on the Florida Swimming Open Water Championships. Click Here   for information on the Cripen Mile. Click Here  to go...

Olympic Swimmer Amy Van Dyken Finds a New Purpose After Paralyzing Accident   By Sharon Cotliar @SharonCotliar   Just 10 months after Olympic swimmer Amy Van Dyken-Rouen was paralyzed from the waist down in an all-terrain vehicle accident, she tells PEOPLE, "I am out doing what I love again, feeling the wind in my hair."   "People see me all over the streets of Scottsdale [Arizona]," says Van Dyken-Rouen, who is driving again but often opts to ride around town in a wheelchair that looks like a Vespa. "I'm out...

April is Pool Safety Month - Stay Safe in the Water All Year Long   April is Pool Safety Month.  Here is some good information to pass around to clubs, and facilities about swimming pool safety.   Pool Safety Toolkit http://www.poolsafely.gov/pool-spa-safety/staying-safe-pools-spas/residential-swimming-pools/ Lifeguard Skills for Pool Owners http://blog.poolcenter.com/article.aspx?articleid=6478 Swimming Safety Tips http://www.safekids.org/tip/swimming-safety-tips Parent's Guide to First Aid https://www.acls.net/a-parents-guide-to-first-aid.htm Guidance for Safety: The Pool and Spa Safety Act http://www.cpsc.gov//PageFiles/122216/361.pdf Pool Safety Products Protect, Prevent, and Rehabilitate http://www.homeadvisor.com/article.show.Pool-Safety-Products-Protect-Prevent-and-Rehabilitate.14504.html  

The Four Biggest Problems in Youth Sports Today By Changing The Game Project, April, 3 2015 When you run an organization such as the Changing the Game Project, you hear many youth sports stories from parents, coaches, and players. Some stories are absolutely heartbreaking, others inspiring. Recently I encountered the absurd. Many of us have seen the news about a volleyball player from Washington DC who was taking her playing time issues off the court, and into the courts. The article, which originally appeared in the Washington Post and can...

U.S. Olympic Committee 'Candidly Concerned' Non-revenue College Sports Will Be Cut By Pat Forde, Yahoo Sports, April 1, 2015 The great competitive and commercial climax of the college sports season occurs this week in Indianapolis with the Final Four. Millions of dollars will be spent watching millionaire coaches and (a few) future millionaire players battle for the national basketball championship in a football stadium. Final Fours, like the college football postseason, have done nothing but expand in scope and profitability in recent years. The amount to be spent on (and...

The Conversation All Parents of Young Athletes Need to Have By Ruthie Fierberg, Parents Magazine, April 3, 2015 For those of you who don’t know, April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. For those of you who want to stop reading now—it is a tough subject—I remind you that it’s because of this sensitivity that we need to talk about it. According to the CDC, one in four girls and one in six boys will have experienced some form of sexual abuse by age 18. We can all agree that even...

CVST Throw Back Thursday - #TBT   Do you remember these "Cowgirls"?  Shopping at the western wear store on an Ocala Meet Team Trip a few years ago?      

Mike's Mailbag: Negativity on the Deck By Mike Gustafson//Correspondent   Dear Mike, I am an age group swimmer who has been having issues with a difficult coach recently. I love swimming, I’ve been doing it as long as I can remember and it’s always been a part of who I am. Unfortunately, this coach has turned swimming into a negative experience the past few years. He brings a negative atmosphere to our team, and has been the cause of many of our best swimmers leaving the sport. He does not...

6 Things You Can Learn From An Age Group Swimmer   Maturing as a swimmer is great. As you get older, you figure out your best events, make your best friends in the sport, develop your race strategies, and discover which type of coaching style works best for you. But that doesn’t mean you won’t ever feel wistful for your days as an age group swimmer. Yes, those kids can swim 25s in meets, which is awesome and jealousy inducing. Plus age groupers seem to be genuinely excited about swimming. ...

Support CVST through AmazonSmile this Mother's Day! https://smile.amazon.com/ch/59-1620925   With Mother's Day just over five weeks away, now's a great time to start thinking about Mother's Day Gifts and with CVST and AmazonSmile you can get all that shopping done early and help support CVST all at the same time!  Shoppers turn to Amazon every year for great Mother's Day gifts like jewelry, flowers, and electronics. Support CVST with your AmazonSmile donation this Mother's Day and all year long when using AmazonSmile. Just save and use the link above whenever...