Sep 09
26
Sitting at home last night with my leg elevated and my knee on ice, enjoying ibuprofen-enhanced mango sorbet, I actually wondered if the same people who invented the breaststroke invented the mammogram machine. They both involve contorting body parts in unnatural positions.
Curious to know the origins, I googled “who invented the breaststroke” and found on Wikipedia that the breaststroke dates back to the Stone Age. <There goes my above-mentioned theory.> It is thought that the leg action of the breaststroke may have originated by imitating the swimming action of frogs.
Our local U.S. Masters program, TCAM, gave breaststroke instruction all week. The week prior was the butterfly stroke. Next week they’ll instruct us in backstroke technique. I am so determined to learn the breaststroke; I made the +/- two-hour round-trip trek to the pool each day. That’s never happened before.
A bum knee has always prevented me from doing the proper breaststroke kick. I use a butterfly kick: it’s much, much easier on the knees. But, because you must do the legal frog-style kick to compete in a USMS swim meet, I am pretty determined to get it down. A big goal for me in 2010 is to compete in the Individual Medley (IM). And by compete, I mean show up, not sink, finish it legally and not be disqualified. Maybe one day I’ll be competitive, but for now, it’s enough to understand and perform the four strokes in one succinct race: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle. It’s my favorite event to watch, and I’ve dreamed of doing it since childhood.
I hung out on the pool deck throughout the day yesterday with Coach Allison and Coach Patti and took some snaps of other breaststrokers. Here are a few of my favorites from the day…
Allison – one of Tuolumne County Aquatics Masters coaches – doling out the day’s breaststroke workout.
Allison keeping a close eye on her 9:00 AM Masters Swimmers group as they practice their breaststroke technique.
Great shots! I especially like the last one. Keep up the good work on the site!
Great photos! You survived the heat and got some amazing shots!
You have a good sense of humour.