Lane 1 - Pink Is The New Blog has "Chris Hemsworth Gets Wetsuited Up. Chris Hemsworth, the hunky Aussie actor who portrays Thor the God of Thunder in the superhero film of the same name, ventured out to Long Beach, CA this weekend to take in some sun and surf … which turned out to be a blessing to anyone with eyes. Hemsworth decked himself out in a rubber wetsuit, which he half-peeled off his massive body … which you can enjoy seeing below."
Lane 2 - From Deadspin "Man Gets Flipper On His Stump." Get your mind out of the gutter!
Lane 3 - I'm so going to try this out! From Swimming Science "Cheap Swimming Tip: Wiffle Ball Swimming…Watch any elite swimmer and their hands slices the water accelerating effortlessly through the various phases. Swimmers as accomplished as National qualifiers can have "sloppy" hands. This means as the swimmer glides forward in freestyle, but their hand deviates from a streamlined reach…Having the athlete swim wiffle balls in each hand (holes away from the palm) is one cheap swimming tip to try to correct this habit. The wiffle ball increases water resistance and adds resistance in the water, this forces an increase in shoulder stability and will increase feedback to the swimmer of slow of stopped points in their stroke." It sounds crazy enough to work!
Lane 4 - AZ Central reports "6/14: Arizona swim schools attempt world's largest lesson. On Tuesday morning, June 14, about 18 swim facilities from Arizona will be involved in an international effort to set the Guinness World Record for the world's-largest-swimming lesson, and to create awareness about drowning prevention."
Lane 5 - The Mercury News reports "Walnut Creek moves ahead with ambitious swimming pool plans. Plans to essentially rebuild the Clarke and Larkey swim centers were approved Monday by the Walnut Creek City Council in a joint session with the city's Park Recreation and Open Space Commission. The upgrades suggested Clarke include a 50-meter-by-25-yard all-deep pool, a 35-meter pool with movable bulkhead, a six-lane instructional pool, a new family recreational pool and a modernized and expanded bathhouse. The Larkey pool would be renovated and get a sprayground."
Lane 6 - Boo! Hiss! The Sun Sentinel reports "Fort Lauderdale won't buy temporary seating for Swimming Hall of Fame. Decision could lead to departure of YMCA championships. The city will not buy temporary bleachers for the International Swimming Hall of Fame in hopes of saving the YMCA's annual national swimming championships. City commissioners on Wednesday rejected spending $710,000 to demolish the current unusable grandstands and buy replacements that could be used until a major redevelopment of the hall of fame is completed. The YMCA has said it will not return without a major repair of the aquatic complex and must decide where to hold its 2012 championships this month."
Lane 7 - From bettor.com "Yannick Lebherz wins Men’s 200m back-stroke final – 2011 German World Championships Selection Trial. Yannick Lebherz conquered the Men’s 200m back-stroke on fifth day of the 2011 German World Championships Selection Trial."
Lane 8 - From Swim At Your Own Risk "The Shark Whisperer."
