March 2012 Volume 1 Issue 2 SLIEMA A.S.C. Section

Special points of in- Sliema Swimming terest:

 100 Years of Monthly Sliema ASC

 A Meeting With The Senior Team Coach: 100 Years of Sliema Aquatic Sports Club Isabelle Zarb This Year our club is celebrating  What Is Body Roll? 100 years of successful aquatic participation and for this reason  A short history of our Sport the monthly news letter will be dedicating some time to the  Super Star Profile: Mark Spitz history of our club. In this issue you will find a small taster of how our glorious club started but make sure to follow the next themselves with goalposts. This This was followed by the break- issues in order to fully under- was when the game of waterpolo ing up and leveling of rocks, and stand the history and heritage of developed at Ghar id-Dud. eventually, the construction of a Sliema ASC. wooden hut. This hut was built in The need to form some sort of Although the club was officially such a way that it could be dis- premises in order to set up a founded in 1912, records show mantled at the end of each sum- proper aquatic club was felt, and that Sliema Point Battery was an mer and erected again at the a committee was formed. Funds Inside this issue: established meeting place even commencement of the following were raised amongst swimmers before that time. It was a rocky summer season. Its height did who frequented Sliema Point and foreshore where youngsters not exceed that of the boundary Interview with Isabelle 2 from various shops in Sliema. Zarb met, and somehow provided wall surrounding the Fortizza, which was still operational. The What is Body Roll? 2

hut later included a bar. In this Short History of our 3 way, Sliema Aquatic Sports Club sport was born. The club took part in Forthcoming Events 4 waterpolo and swimming events organised by the Amateur Swim- Super Star Profile 4 ming Association of Malta. Page 2 Sliema Swimming Monthly

An interview with Isabelle Zarb Name: Isabelle Zarb Orange Juice losophy with me Nickname: Izzy, though not real- Favourite Colour: blue and A dream you have: ly a nickname much before I started coaching Continue studying to obtain the Full Time Job: Teacher by pro- Sliema :-) highest coaching qualification and fession but currently am the Favourite Swimmer? Why? help swimmers reach their goals Administrative Secretary of the Therese Alshammar for swim- An achievement in life: ASA of Malta ming 50m fly without breathing There are quite a few but the one Swimming Job: Head coach once and for such a long suc- that I cherish the most is being Sliema cessful swimming career crowned Malta Triathlon Champion Isabelle Zarb with Years in Swimming: 15 years as Favourite Athlete? Why? Michael Phelps in 1999 a swimmer and 10 years as Usain Bolt for performing so Something that defines you: teacher/coach well, for being so talented but determination and people say I Type of music: anything pleas- most of all for his relaxed atti- inspire them ant to the ears tude before racing. His ap- QUOTE OF A quote you have: Favourite film: Once Upon a proachability towards the media Only as high as I reach can I grow THE MONTH Time in America makes him an all-time favourite Only as far as I seek can I go Favourite Food: Oh that's a Personality admired: If you have Only as deep as I look can I see difficult question since I eat Bob Bowman, Michael Phelps' Only as much as I dream can I be a lane, you anything but most probably I coach, whom I shadowed for 2 Karen Ravn have a prefer sea food weeks and who shared a wealth chance Favourite Drink: Fresh (blood) of knowledge and coaching phi-

What is Body Roll / Rotation?

In swimming jargon we call body and hips should all roll together as well to one side but not to the roll your rotation around your one. For your kick, this means you other in their stroke technique. 'long axis' during the stroke. This kick on the side slightly as you Important: The head should remain is the rotation of your shoulders, rotate. stationary and not roll with the torso and hips. The terms 'body In the freestyle stroke it is quite body unless you are breathing. roll' and 'rotation' mean the same rare to see someone with too Want to know more about body thing, we use them interchangea- much body roll but it is very com- roll?? Follow the link: http:// bly. For good efficient swimming mon to see too little. It is also www.swimsmooth.com/ technique, the shoulders, torso common to see swimmers rolling rotation.html Page 3 Volume 1 Issue 2

Short History of our Sport Although humans have on greater fame playing bleturns, were first used in been swimming for thou- Tarzan in the movie of the Olympic competition. sands of years, swimming same name) became the At the 1972 Olympics in only became a competitive first man to break the one- Munich, Mark Spitz won a sport in the early 1800s. minute barrier in the 100 record seven gold medals Today, swimming is the Freestyle in 1912. in one Games, while sport- third most-watched sport in ing his famous “drag- the . Women Make Splash En- reducing” mustache. The tering Swimming Record following Olympiad, in Crossing the English Chan- Books 1976, swimmers were fi- nel For a variety of reasons, nally allowed to wear gog- In 1875, Matthew Webb women had not been al- gles. ignited public interest in lowed to compete in Olym- Goes Under- swimming when he be- pic swimming (or most Gertrude Ederle came the first person to other Olympic sports, for water, Forcing a Rule First Woman to Swim the English swim across the English that matter) prior to 1912. Change Channel Channel. Swimming only But that year, women made In 1988, American David breastroke, it took him their Olympic swimming Berkoff and other back- more than 21 hours to debut, racing in the 100 stroke swimmers demon- “In the first modern complete this feat. Thirty- meter Freestyle and the 4 x strated that they could go one years would pass be- 100 meter Freestyle Relay. much faster by doing un- Olympic Games in 1896, fore another person would In 1926, Gertrude Ederle, derwater butterfly kicks on successfully swim across at age 19, became the first their back than by swim- men competed in four the Channel. woman to swim the Eng- ming on the surface. As a lish Channel. She beat the result, Japanese swimmer swimming events, all The Debut of Modern contemporary men’s rec- David Suzuki and Berkoff, Olympic Swimming ord by two hours, and se- the Olympic gold and sil- contested in the choppy In the first modern Olym- cured her place in history ver medalists in the 100 open water of the pic Games in 1896, men as the first woman in a Backstroke, went more competed in four swim- major sport to best a men’s than thirty-three meters Mediterranean Sea.” ming events, all contested record. under water at the Summer in the choppy open water Games that year. FINA of the Mediterranean Sea. quickly amended the Four years later at the 1900 Butterfly Emerges as a swimming rules to state Summer Games in Paris, New Stroke that backstrokers must all the swimming events As the sport of swimming surface at or before the ten (which included an obsta- grew, many swimmers and meter mark. cle course) were contested coaches began experiment- in the Seine River. ing with new technique, The Most Decorated Swim- particularly in an attempt mers of All-time Freestyle Evolves to make breastroke faster. Also at the 1988 Games in In the early years of recrea- In the 1930s Americans Seoul , Korea, tional and competitive David Armbruster and Jack of East Germany set the swimming, breastroke was Sieg came up with the dou- current record for the most the only stroke swum. In ble over-the-water arm gold medals won by a 1902, Australian Richard recovery and the dolphin woman in a single Olym- Cavill was the first to swim kick, respectively, which pic Games, with six. with an up-and-down kick combined to form butter- In 2008 Michael Phelps bet and alternating over-arm fly. It was allowed as an Mark Spitz’ record of sev- recoveries. This stroke, alternative form of en Olympic gold medals in dubbed the “Australian breastroke until the 1950s, one Games, , when he won crawl,” was the beginning when it was declared a eight gold. of modern freestyle. John- separate stroke. Also in the From: http://swim.isport.com/ ny Weissmuller (who went 1950s, flip turns, or tum- swimming-history/ Forthcoming Events: Sliema A.S.C. Swimming Section

We are on the Web www.sliema-asc.org.mt Entries Deadline Tuesday 20th March Time Trials March 24th Warm Up 13:00 Advertise On the News letter The Sliema Swimming Monthly is reaching all the members of our club. We are offering the opportunity to companies to advertise in this news letter. The prices are very reasonable and the money SLIEMA A.S.C. raised will help in the running of the Swimming section and to Taht il-Fortizza further develop our young swimmers. Ghar id-Dud Sliema SLM 1604 For more information contact: Swimming Section Contact [email protected] [email protected] +356 79702312

Super Star Profile

Full name: Mark Andrew Spitz Bio: One of the great Olympic champions of the past, and considered by many to be one of the greatest swimmers of all time. In 1972 he won seven gold medals at the Munich Games, and won them all in world record time.

Born: 1950 Modesto, California Physical attributes (in 1972): Height: 185 cm Weight: 79 kg Arm Span: 187 cm event: 100m, 200m freestyle, 100m, 200m butterfly achievements: (gold medal Olympic performances only listed)

4x100m freestyle relay 1968 1st 4x200m freestyle relay 1968 1st 4x100m medley relay 1972 1st 4x100m freestyle relay 1972 1st 4x200m freestyle relay 1972 1st 100m freestyle 1972 1st 51.22 sec (world record) 200m freestyle 1972 1st 1:52.78 (world record) 100m butterfly 1972 1st 54.27 (world record) 200m butterfly 1972 1st 2:00.70 (world record)

What you may not know: Spitz excelled as a child, by 10 years of age he held 17 national age-group records and one world record. During his career, Spitz set 27 new world records and equaled many others. He won more gold medals in one sport in a single Olympics than any other athlete. A world record was set in all his seven victories at the Munich Olympics.

Quote: I just tried to keep my cool and continue with my race plan: to win.