Swimming for Life

Swim Bits

Ralph Mohr — It seemed appropriate after this year’s Super Bowl (with apologies to Connie Shuman and Mike Carew who can’t stand TB) to discuss Tom Brady’s approach to keeping fit at the advanced football age of 43. There’s lots of information on line about the TB12 system, but I was curious about […]

Swim Bits – March 2021

February 18, 2021 in Aqua Master Online / Swim Bits by Ralph Mohr

Ralph Mohr — I’ve been asked by some OMS swimmers to explain why and how Mingus Park Pool is still open in Coos Bay this winter during Oregon’s COVID-19 epidemic. The first part is easy to explain; it’s an outdoor pool. We’ve used Mingus for practice, lap swimming, high school, and age group, […]

Why Mingus Park Pool in Coos Bay is Still Open ...

January 17, 2021 in Aqua Master Online / Swim Bits by Matt Miller

Dick Hannula — Dick Hannula is the most successful high school swimming coach in Washington State ever. His teams at Wilson High School in Tacoma won 24 straight State Championships. Hannula coached at the Olympics and several times at the Pan-American games. He also sold swim suits which I used at Marshfield High […]

Swim Bits – January 2021

December 18, 2020 in Aqua Master Online / Human Interest / Memories / Swim Bits by Ralph Mohr

Ralph Mohr — A Book Review by Ralph Mohr In Iceland everyone swims. It is a government requirement. Bonnie Tsui in her book, Why We Swim, starts with the story of Guthlaugur Frithorsson, an Icelandic fisherman, who, when his fishing boat capsized and sank, swam three and a half miles to shore in […]

“Why We Swim” written by Bonnie Tsui

September 25, 2020 in Aqua Master Online / Swim Bits by Ralph Mohr

Ralph Mohr — With pools opening up and lakes warming up in Oregon, swimmers are emerging from a required break. Hopefully everyone will remember to use sunblock, not sunscreen, when swimming outdoors. The rules for sunblock while swimming are simple: use nothing that is only chemicals, especially oxybenzone. The only real sunblocks are […]

Swim bits – July 2020

June 12, 2020 in Aqua Master Online / Swim Bits by Ralph Mohr

Ralph Mohr — As we are all waiting to get back in the water, this gives us time to consider what we will do once we get wet again. There are all sorts of workouts available online. What about our mental approach? With the 2020 season so changed, what are your new goals? […]

New Beginnings

April 17, 2020 in Aqua Master Online / Swim Bits by Ralph Mohr

Ralph Mohr — Potpourri Former University of Oregon swimmer, Mike Hastings, died at the end of February. Hastings held the 200 fly record for the Ducks and swam with Masters swimmers, Ron Nakata, Dave Boyd and Ralph Mohr, among others. Hastings started his coaching career in 1962 as the second coach of the […]

Swim Bits – April 2020

March 18, 2020 in Aqua Master Online / Swim Bits by Ralph Mohr

Ralph Mohr — ‘If exercise were a pill, it would be hailed as a “wonder drug.” ‘ We swimmers are doing something right. We’re just not getting credit for it in international media. A recent on-line article mirrors this: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-51006325. The article is on marathon runners, in a study done by an English […]

Swim Bits – February 2020

January 18, 2020 in Aqua Master Online / Swim Bits by Ralph Mohr

Ralph Mohr — Most of us remember that Mark Spitz won seven gold medals with seven world records at the 1972 Munich Olympics. What most don’t know is that Spitz almost did not swim his first event, the 200 butterfly. After the Mexico City Olympics four years earlier when he finished last in […]

Swim Bits – How I Came to Appreciate Mark Spitz ...

October 18, 2019 in Aqua Master Online / Human Interest / Memories / Swim Bits by Ralph Mohr