Anna Ruth Riggins - (Author)

6 Meet Day Nutrition Strategies Swimmers Should Know Among the most important things an athlete can do is set goals, and with these goals come standards. Proper training, sleep, and nutrition are vital necessities for success in any sport. But balancing these priorities can be challenging when jobs,...

5 Impactful Leadership Styles For Swim Teams The best swim teams are not just defined by performance in the pool, but by team cohesiveness. To optimize both aspects of a swim team, there must be members who are willing to step up and make a difference in not only their own swim journeys but the jour...

5 Strategies to Build Excellent Team Culture The cultivation of great team culture is critical to a team’s success. Anytime a swimmer is looking for a new swim team, it's likely that one of their primary concerns will be how well the team gets along, as teamwork makes the swimming experience far mor...

5 Outside-the-Pool Activities For Faster Swimming When thinking about ways to become a faster swimmer, it makes plenty of sense to consider certain things you can do differently and better IN the water. However, more swimming does not always translate to better results. As a matter of fact, there ar...

5 Challenges a Swimmer Faces and How to Conquer Them Anybody who is familiar with competitive swimming knows that with all of the rewards the sport offers, they come with a price. This price includes a variety of challenges that can push your body and mind to their absolute limit. Below are five of ...

5 Ways That Failure Can Be Used to Find Success Any swimmer you meet, no matter what level, has a dream. Whether that dream lies within or out of the water doesn’t matter. The reality is that these dreams almost always come at a price. This price happens to be failure. No one wants to fall short of ...

5 Holiday Season Swim Workouts to Give a Try As the conclusion of another year draws nearer, the holiday season is right around the corner. No matter what traditions and celebrations you may participate in outside of the pool, it is also a great time to finish the year strong in the pool. Winter can...

7 Memorable and Meaningful Coaches' Gift Ideas With Thanksgiving behind us, shopping for the upcoming holidays will pick up. So, here are some considerations while out and about, or surfing online. Our swim coaches give us so much during our swimming careers: inspiration, guidance, counseling, educa...

5 Ways Swimming Can Help Your Everyday Life One of the most common desires a person can have is to live a healthy lifestyle, which opens up many opportunities in both the present and future. Swimming can accomplish just this, as it is a perfect exercise for the entire body that can be done by people...

5 Ways to Snap Out of Your Swimming Slump Swimming competitively can provide all sorts of triumphs. After putting in so much work in training, improving results can be therapeutic for swimmers. But, as with anything we do, these positive results are never guaranteed. Whether you are a novice, a prof...

How to Draw More Kids Toward the Sport of Swimming Swimming is an activity that can benefit people in all sorts of ways and at all ages. As such, there is no better time to begin swimming than in your youthful years. When one learns just how beneficial swimming is for your health, it’s hard not to w...

5 Ways Swimmers Can Overcome Pre-Race Jitters Whether it's your first time or 100th time standing behind the starting blocks before your race, there is always going to be room for nerves. The question any swimmer would ask themselves, though, is how to curb these jitters. Doubts regarding your readi...

5 Effective Strategies to Mentor Fellow Swimmers Every team needs mentors. In difficult times, struggling athletes seek out teammates to lead them in the right direction. Fortunately, there are many ways for more experienced athletes to step up and take the roles necessary to offer that support. Whi...

6 Ways Being Part of a Swim Team Can Enhance Your Life & Career Being a part of an athletic team, no matter the sport, provides far more than just fond memories with friends and athletic accomplishments. Not only can being a part of a team help you to learn about yourself and your teammates, but it ...

7 Ways Swimmers Can Help Their Coaches What makes a great team? No matter how complex your answer to this question is, one thing is certain. Coaches are the most important aspect of any team. Without a coach, the athletes would be lost and teams would not even be able to train or compete. As coaches...

The Pros and Cons of Virtual Meets in the COVID Era Athletics in this global pandemic have certainly been unique, with mask-clad athletes and smaller to non-existent crowds. Swimming is no exception to these abnormalities, with the holding of "virtual" swim meets becoming a norm. Rather than two tea...

5 Effective Strategies to Limit Meet Day Nerves Meet day nerves can play a significant role in any swimmer's mental game going into a race and can be extremely challenging to deal with. Whether it is the fear of having equipment malfunctions, missing a wall, not achieving a goal, or losing the big r...

Don't Leave Home Without These 6 Must-Have Swimming Accessories When taking a swim, it is essential to have the right gear. Suits, caps, towels, and a reliable pair of goggles are all examples of swimming staples. If forgotten, they can make swimmers put their hands on their heads in frustration, wo...

5 Dryland Training Exercises To Become A Stronger Swimmer One of the major objectives of becoming a better swimmer is to be able to move faster in the water. While pool swimming obviously helps a great deal, dryland training is another great way to build strength for better results in competition. T...

Overcoming Obstacles to Make Swimming Accessible to All As all swimmers can attest, our sport poses all sorts of challenges: early mornings, freezing cold water, sets of the utmost difficulty, and even simply finding the time to fit a workout into the day. What many may not realize, however, is that...