Alyssa Blair - (Author)

The Swimming Dictionary: A List of Words and Phrases Lost on the Non-Swimmer Like any sport, swimming has its own set of words. Here we have compiled a list of some of the most commonly used and commonly confusing terms and phrases swimmers use that non-swimmers may not understand. Words Heat Sheet ...

7 Talents That Swimmers Automatically Possess The sport of swimming is like an onion. It has a lot of layers. Many skills go into making a whole swim race: Start. Stroke. Turns. Finish. Swimmers, then, are versatile - but not just in the pool. So, if you have swimming as a credential, you automatica...

Beauty Problems Only Swimmers Will Understand Any athlete will tell you that, sometimes, the game gets messy. It’s not designed to be glamorous or cosmetic. Instead, it’s about getting into the competition and getting the job done. It requires grit, determination, and pushing the limits of mind and ...

Seeking Personal Life Balance With Swimming Is a Key to Happiness Most days, it may seem like being a swimmer is the most important role you play in life. There are the tedious, daily practices in which you try to perfect your technique. You spend more time at the pool than at your own home. You see...

What School Subject Matches Your Best Swimming Stroke? Swimming and school. The two S-word commitments are the ruling factors for young athletes partaking in this sport. On the surface, one may think there is absolutely no correlation between the two, but they would be wrong. There are certain ident...

Tips For Successfully Handling the College Recruiting Process The new year is in full swing, but another kind of year has an end in sight - the academic year. For those readers who are both swimmers and upperclassmen in high school, the idea of post-graduation plans is usually at the forefront of th...

5 Life Lessons From a Retired Swimmer I think we all understand the expression “hindsight is 20/20” a little better. The end of each calendar year brings about a flurry of resolutions of everything one will vow to change because of the metaphorical version of a clean slate that comes with the change...

Where Do you Fit? The Different Factions That Identify Swimmers “What’s your stroke? What’s your event?” Like a college student always being asked what their major is, these are probably the number one questions swimmers get asked right after telling someone they are or were a swimmer. Most swimmers...

The Similarities Between Swimming and Romantic Relationships Swimming and romantic relationships. Both are things many people reading this article will experience at one point or another in their lifetime. Are they related? On the surface, it may not appear so, but when you dive just a little bit de...

There Is No Right Form: Don't Let Anyone Knock Your Body Image “Your body is a temple, don’t knock it down.” “Beauty is pain.” “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” It’s no secret that we, as a society and as a human race, have put a huge emphasis on the physical body and what is considered “beaut...

The Differences Between College and High School Swimming Change is a difficult thing. Whether it excites you or causes you dread, change rarely comes without some level of anxiety about the unknown that will undoubtedly accompany it. One of the biggest changes that can happen in a swimmer’s career i...

Even When the End Comes, Swimming Will Always Be a Part of You In our sport, exits come in waves. On the world stage, announcements of retirements are career-defining moments. After the Olympics, after World Championships, after NCAA meets. The world’s top athletes will finish out their careers on t...

The Afterlife: When a Swimming Career Comes to An End Now. It’s a word, a concept, that many athletes in general, but swimmers especially, understand well. Being present in their training, honing not only their bodies but also their minds, to be the best and most sharp that they can be. Racing a mee...

10 Thoughts That Cross the Mind While Watching the United States Olympic Trials One of the cool things about the United States Olympic Trials is the way it brings the swimming community together. Fans, athletes, parents and coaches have the opportunity to watch the festivities from Omaha on nightly ...

Grinding Through Small Distractions a Key To Success in the Pool To anyone who has ever been an athlete, you understand when I speak about grind. Grind is not a simple word, but rather a complex word that contains many layers underneath the seemingly straightforward five letters. When you are an ath...

Planning a Fun-Filled Olympic Trials Watch Party The highly anticipated, and COVID-delayed, Olympic Games are just around the corner. With the United States Olympic Trials slated to begin on June 13 (Wave II), there’s no better way to get hyped than by celebrating (safely) with teammates, coaches, f...

The Dynamics of a Swim Family Behind every great athlete is a great support system. This rings true across all sports. The dynamics of a swim support system are unique in many ways, especially when your family is a swim family. There are multiple layers that, when peeled back, expose a complicated s...

The Changing Thoughts of a Swimmer From the Beginning to End of the Season From the beginning of a season to the end, the mindset of a swimmer changes. It’s no secret that that one’s mindset shifts in a variety of ways, and what that looks like is different for every swimmer. Here’s a look at a comp...

Tips and Ideas For How to Pass Time at a Swim Meet At swim meets, there’s always some sense of routine. No matter what country you’re in, who your opponents are, whether the pool is indoors or outdoors, meters or yards, there is always some sense of familiarity. That familiar routine of a swim meet ...

The Untold Truths of a Training Trip Training trip. Whether you take your first training trip as a college swimmer, or take it in your younger years over Christmas break, most competitive swimmers will take one in the course of their swim careers, depending on how long you swim for. Every swimmer’s ...