Thursday's Swim Report - Best Stroke Forward & Other Swim Bits

Lane 1 - The Press-Enterprise posts "Couple invents swim aid to save lives.  Their new swim aid is such a simple device that its creators wonder why no one had invented it before.  Called the Rip Rescue, the name packs a triple punch. It utilizes a rip cord to take the R.I.P. out of rip tides. These powerful, channeled rip currents flowing away from shore cause more than 100 deaths a year, according to the United States Lifesaving Association."

Lane 2 - Speedo UK posts "Speedo Advisors | Improving the strength of your lungs and breath control by Karen Pickering. How to improve the strength of your lungs and breath control whilst swimming.  Swimming advice and tips from our expert advisor Karen Pickering, Swim Fitness Coach."

Lane 3 - Haute Living posts "Olympic Swimmers Ryan Lochte, Cullen Moses and Ed Moses Celebrate the New Year at SHe by Morton’s."

Lane 4 - Trinidad Express posts "BOVELL’S BEST STROKE.  George Bovell is the Express Individual of the Year 2013.  Bovell believes 2013 has been his “greatest year ever in swimming”, despite having represented Trinidad and Tobago in four consecu­tive Olympic Games, including winning this country’s first ever medal for swimming at that level."

Lane 5 - The Telegraph posts "Former Olympic swimmer Grant Hackett putting a devastating few years behind him.  AFTER a devastating couple of years on the home front, retired Olympic swimmer Grant Hackett looks to be finally putting an ugly marriage breakup behind him and moving on.  The former 1500m freestyle champion was spotted enjoying a rare Christmas visit with his two children on the Gold Coast last week."

Lane 6 - The Westmorland Gazette posts "Olympic gold medallist swimmer Rebecca Adlington visits Kendal pool.   AN Olympic gold medallist surprised a pool full of swimmers when she called into Kendal’s Lakes Leisure centre for a dip.  Rebecca Adlington, who won two Olympic golds during her career, posed for photos, and chatted with youngsters, after popping into the Burton Road centre on Monday."

Lane 7 - ISHOF posts "more missy franklin.  One of the most frequently asked questions at the Hall of Fame are why aren't Missy and Michael in the Hall of Fame. The easy answer is that our rules require them to be retired for five years from international/national competition. But these two are the faces of swimming and ISHOF will endeavor to add more exhibits about these two living legends in the coming months."

Lane 8 - WSJ posts "An Ironman Who Wasn't Fit Enough.  How CEO of Skullcandy Became a CrossFit Convert.  When Hoby Darling, the CEO of Skullcandy Inc., SKUL +0.14% was training for the Ironman 70.3 Hawaii, he thought he was the epitome of fitness. But after the 2009 race, which consisted of a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride, and a 13.1-mile run, Mr. Darling realized being fit for endurance races wasn't the same as being fit overall."