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Swimming
BY: ERICH AGENO

History of Swimming
In the earliest records of men, swimming was learnt to cross rivers and lakes.
Cave paintings in Egypt during the early Stone Age depict swimmers. Many references
include the Bible, Iliad, the Odyssey, and other sagas or stories. The Greeks did not
include swimming during the ancient Olympics. Though swimming to Greeks are as
important as learning to run. Meanwhile in Japan, swimming was considered to be a
noble skill for the samurais. Japan has one of the earliest recorded swimming races which
was held by Emperor Suigui around 36 B.C. During 1538, a German professor named
Nicolas Wynman wrote the first swimming book, Colymbetes.
Around the 1800s, competitive swimming in Europe started. Mostly, the
competitors used breaststroke as their preferred style. In London, 1844, Native Americans
participated in a swimming competition against the British, the Nave Americans used a
variant of the front crawl that was used in in the Americas and Pacific islands. The
Natives won 1st and 2nd place. The British considered the Native Americans style to be
barbaric and un-European. The British continued to use the breaststroke until 1873.
Eventually, John Arthur Trudgen introduced the front crawl in 1873. Known back then as
the Trudgen. Mr. Trudgen copied his style of swimming from the Native Americans
during his trip to South America.
In 1896, the Olympics Games were held in Athens as a man only competition. Six
events were planned, but only four events were actually contested: 100 m, 500 m, and
1200 m freestyle and 100 m for sailors. The first gold medal was won by Alfred Hajos of
Hungary in 1:22.20 for the 100m freestyle. Hajos was also victorious in the 1200 m
event, and was unable to compete in the 500 m, which was won by Austrian Paul
Neumann. Another swimming competition of 100m for sailors included three Greek
sailors in Bay of Zea near Piraeus, starting from a rowing boat. The winner was Ioannis
Malokinis in two minutes and 20 seconds. A 1500m race was also performed.

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Competitive swimming came into prominence with its inclusion in the

modern Olympic Games from their inception in 1896. Olympic events were originally
only for men, but womens events were added in 1912. Under the creation of FINA and
FINA regulations, race lengths came increasingly to be measured in meters, and in 1969
world records for yard measured races were abolished. The kinds of strokes allowed were
reduced to freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. All four strokes were used in
individual medley races. Many nations have at one time or another dominated Olympic
and world competition, including Hungary, Denmark, Australia, Germany, France, Great
Britain, Canada, Japan, and the United States.

Importance of Swimming
Swimming is one of the basic vital skills that nature gives. Many animals are
given the ability to swim naturally. But as humans, we must learn how to swim safely and
efficiently. Learning how to swim has many healthy and physical benefits to us. Whether
it is done for recreation or competition. Swimming trains the cardiovascular system. It
helps build endurance, strength, and fitness overall. It also provides a peaceful and
relaxing form of exercise. And just in case we may get into tight situations where
swimming may be involved, we can rest in ease knowing you have the proper swimming
skill to save yourself and save others when needed.

Pool Etiquette
1. Gauge the speeds of each lane and join the lane where the swimmers swim at your
speed.
2. If you are alone in a lane, you can swim following the middle line.

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3. If there are two swimmers in the lane, it can be split into halves and each
swimmer swims in one half of the lane.
4. If there are more than two swimmers in the lane, they should all circle in the lane.
5. When joining a lane, slowly enter the water and wait on the side during one lap
until all swimmers have noticed that you will join the lane.
6. If you are the second swimmer to join a lane, discuss with the first one how you
will share the lane.
7. Dont dive into the lane from the starting blocks when you join a lane.
8. Shower before entering the pool and wear proper attire.

Basic Swim Wear/Equipment

1. Goggles: Swimmers use goggles to protect their eyes from the chlorine as well as
to gain a clear view of their surroundings in the pool.
2. Caps: Caps are designed to keep the hair out of swimmers faces and goggles
straps into place.
3. Fins: Fins are a device that fit on a swimmers feet to increase kicking speed
during practice.
4. Pull Buoys: Pull-Buoys are a device used by swimmers during a practice to
enhance body position during pull sets when the swimmers are not kicking.

Brief History of Pools

Probably the most prominent pool history comes from the ancient Greeks and
Romans. A major change in the quality of life occurred in these times as individual
wealth increased and, with this increase in the standard of living, came luxuries like
pools. Water itself played such an important part of society for thousands of years and
during this period pools were placed everywhere and for many reasons. Not only were

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pools considered aesthetic and enhanced the beauty of the property (much the same as
todays custom pools do in our homes) but pools were used for bathing, health, religious
ceremony, socializing and much more. In the 6th to 8th Century BC, the ancient Greeks
had Palaestras which were essentially an open court area between columns and rooms
where one could come and wrestle, box, play ball type games and other miscellaneous
exercises. But most importantly, there were pools here for swimming, bathing and
socializing in. Pools at this time were also used by the Greek and Roman militaries to
physically train for war. The great Greek philosopher Plato felt that every child needed to
learn to swim as part of a proper education along with mathematics, writing, astronomy,
etc. And, in fact, it was standard education to teach children to swim in pools dating all
the way back to 400 BC.
Competitive swimming was first introduced in the early 1800s in Britain by the
National Swimming Society. At that time, there were man-made indoor pools in London
and the National Swimming Society of England used them for swimming competitions.
These events became popular in England and led to the formation of the Amateur
Swimming Association in 1880.

Types of Swimming Pools

1. Play pool: Typically no deeper than 5 feet. Built for relaxing and cooling off
during hot days. Suited for water sports.
2. Diving Pool: Generally about 8 and a half feet deep. With a diving platform and
springboard. Used for diving competitions.
3. Freeform Pool: A lagoon style pool or naturalistic pool usually with rocky
features.
4. Geometric Pool: Has very straight lines or has a consistent radius. Does not
require a specific dimension.
5. Lap Pool: Narrow and long. Usually 50 meters or more to facilitate exercise or
swimming for health and fitness benefits.
6. Negative Edge Pool: Usually referred to as an infinity edge pool. It is designed
to appear endless.
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7. Spool: A combination of a spa and pool. Generally 12x14 and usually found in
spa centers.
8. Perimeter Overflow Pool: A pool where the water level is the same as the top of
the docking. It looks like abed mirror lying on the ground.

Basic Water Safety

Be kind to lifeguards. They might save your life later on.

No pushing or pulling anybody into the pool or near the pool area.
No running.
Check the layout of the pool. Ask employees working at the pool area

about the depth.

Take note of the entry and exit points.
Take note of where the water depth is highest and lowest.
Avoid eating a full meal before swimming.
Know how to use lifesaving apparatus.
No open wounds or skin diseases while swimming.

History of Swimming in the

Philippines
During the early 1900s, American soldiers introduced competitive swimming to
the Filipinos. Since the ancestors of Philippines are sea faring people, its only natural for
Filipinos to appreciate swimming. Local YMCA leaders impressed upon the Filipinos the
rudiments of swimming. In 1910, the Filipinos acknowledge swimming as a competitive
sport with the meeting of YMCA of the American military and the YMCA of Fort
McKinley at its very first swimming meet.
In the present, the creation of the Aquatic Sports Association of the Philippines
(ASAP) brings about a new era in competitive swimming in the Philippines. ASAP aims
to to promote swimming and other aquatic sports throughout the country; and to recruit,
train, and develop world-class athletes to represent our country in various international
competitions.

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Prominent Filipino
Swimmers of the Past and
Present

Condrado Benitez emerged as the most outstanding Filipino swimmer in the

second championship of the YMCA Swim Meet (1912).
During the Far Eastern Games held at Manila. Filipinos C. Alville and L. Cristol
won the championship against Japan and China.
Teo Yidenfonso, a Philippine Scout of the US Army won recognition as the
greatest Filipino swimmer for his achievements in national championship meets,
the Far East, and Olympic Games.
Haydee Coloso-Espino. Asian Swim Queen during the 1950s. Won three gold
medal, 3 silver, and two bronze.
Ray Arabejo. Won two gold medals during the Southeast Asian Games in 2007.
Roxanne Ashley Yu. Won 3 bronze gold medals during the 2015 Southeast Asian
Games.

Terminologies

Deck and Lap: The pool is surrounded by a hard surface called a deck. When a
person swims from one end to another, it is called a lap.
Land and Lane Line: When a swimming, you may be assigned a specific lane.
Your lane is your designated swimming area. Lane are usually separated by a
lane line.
Flag: Triangular banners featuring two or more colors to. Usually hanging
down over the lanes on lines.
Diving and Relay: A method of the entering the water by jumping head first.
Swimmers participate in relay events, in which four swimmers each swim a
quarter of the total race distance.
Set: A number of repeated swims at specified distances with a stated interval
Pace: The often pre-determined speed of the swimmer.
Negative Split: The second half is faster than the first half.

Reflection
Reflection 1: The Philippines is a country completely surrounded by water. Our
ancestors were sea fearing people and swimming was a natural part of their daily life
and one of their basic survival skills. Filipino swimmers are good in swimming, but

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they lack the physical attributes to compete with other top notch swimmers around
the world. Also, it is a bit weird that our ancestors did not think of swimming
competitively.
Reflection 2: In America, swim wear has become less conservative over the
past decades. Its normal to see women wearing micro bikinis in the beaches of
America. Meanwhile, here in the Philippines, some women who wear bikini, especially
in the provinces, are still look down to. Some view it as disgusting and inappropriate.
It will be interesting to see how the Filipino culture will change when the new
generation and new social fads come to the country.

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