Swimmers

In making decisions in how, when and where to spend, we know the Columbia Association applies the cost/benefit principle. Having lived in Columbia since 1968 and having swam at the Columbia Swim Center every day for more than 30 years, we urge you to revisit your decision to "fix" the flume . The flume is a sink hole that is not profitable and is costly in ways that may not have been considered. Splashdown benefits individuals who are often not CA members at the cost of CA members (your base)

This Baltimore swimmer hopes to add to an already heavy stash of medals in London this summer. But in addition to training for the qualifying trials in June, there are multiple promotional demands of an Olympic year: modeling the Ralph Lauren-designed athletes attire, shooting commercials for sponsors such as Coke and speaking at media roundtables like the one held here Sunday. It's no wonder that sometimes, you just want to go and get a pretty manicure. "I call them my 'me' dates.

How could he have seen this coming? History wasn't supposed to repeat itself. Not like this. He'd done the research, double-checked the math, talked to the right people. There was no way, Anderson Sloan thought to himself in November, that this was happening again. Sloan had transferred to Maryland to make something of a swimming career befallen by the worst kind of misfortune: the elimination of a Clemson program he would have given everything to keep. What he found in College Park was everything, he thought, the Tigers did not have - security, a future, a chance at glory.

Patrick Husson has come a long way since walking on to the UMBC swimming team as a freshman in the fall of 2010. Now, he's one of three Retrievers hoping to compete in his country's Olympic swimming trials for a spot in the Summer Games in London. Husson will participate in the U.S. trials in June in Omaha, Neb., for a chance to be one of two swimmers to represent his country in the 200-meter breaststroke. "I have nothing to lose and I'm just having a blast with training and preparing for this meet.

A recent Sunday afternoon at the normally sleepy Loch Raven Reservoir played out like an episode of "Cops. " At its eastern point, a young man and woman who had been hiking made their way down to the infamous Loch Raven cliffs and jumped into the calm, beckoning waters to cool off. They were blissfully unaware that across the water, reservoir Ranger Simon Phillips was watching, just waiting for the splash to spring into action. "We have swimmers in the water," Phillips radioed a fellow ranger and jetted off to cite the swimmers $200 each.

Patrick Husson has come a long way since walking on to the UMBC swimming team as a freshman in the fall of 2010. Now, he's one of three Retrievers hoping to compete in his country's Olympic swimming trials for a spot in the Summer Games in London. Husson will participate in the U.S. trials in June in Omaha, Neb., for a chance to be one of two swimmers to represent his country in the 200-meter breaststroke. "I have nothing to lose and I'm just having a blast with training and preparing for this meet.

Rescue crews on Saturday recovered the body of a young man who drowned in Loch Raven Reservoir on Friday night. Anthony Ibewuike, 23, of Havre de Grace was attempting to swim across the reservoir with others early Friday evening when he went under, police said. Dive teams, boats and a county police helicopter began searching Friday for the swimmer, who went missing shortly before 6:30 p.m., said Elise Armacost, a spokeswoman for the Baltimore County Fire Department. The search ended shortly after 8 p.m. Friday because of darkness and poor weather conditions, she said.

The brave and the silly descended upon Sandy Point State Park last weekend for the 11th annual Maryland State Police Polar Bear Plunge. More than 7,000 partic ipants chilled themselves in the Chesapeake Bay on Saturday, raising $2 million for the Special Olympics in the process. Among the swimmers was former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., a habitual plunger.

Members of the Starfish Synchro Club from Fairland Aquatic Center in Laurel traveled to Richmond, Va., for their first synchronized swimming competition on Nov. 6.More than 140 swimmers from Virginia and Maryland participated. Four of the eight swimmers who attended from the Starfish club won ribbons and other members had impressive scores.The team began swimming this year on Oct. 2 with 15 participants. Nine have joined the competitive team. United States Synchronized Swimming Inc., sanctions the team.

Marsea Nelson, age 13, and her mother, Barbara, were at their wits' end last year.They had been making the 50-mile round-trip drive to Frederick twice a week to participate on the Frederick Swans synchronized swim team. But Marsea wanted more.So, last fall, the Ellicott City family started the Starfish Synchro Club, a group of youngsters ages 9 to 13 who perform synchronized swimming -- complex movements of the arms, legs and hands, executed to music."It's a combination of gymnastics, dance and speed swimming," said Marsea.

INDIANAPOLIS - For someone who has lived much of his life in long, four-year arcs, Michael Phelps packed a lot into an eventful couple of days here. The Baltimore swimmer thrilling the crowd on the last night of the Indianapolis Grand Prix with a blazing win in a marquee match-up against Ryan Lochte, the friend and rival he is expected to duel in the London Olympics this summer. Phelps led each leg of the 200-meter individual medley Saturday, finishing with the fastest time in the world this year, 1 minute 56.31 seconds.

INDIANAPOLIS - A reflective Michael Phelps returned Wednesday to what he called the "birthplace" of his Olympic career, the city where he qualified for his first games and now will compete in five races over the next three days as he prepares for his fourth and final Olympics. "It's kind of crazy," the Baltimore swimmer mused, saying that every meet such as this week's Indianapolis Grand Prix brings back memories of a storied athletic career that he is now trying to bottle as he approaches its end. "All the memories and things that have happened in certain cities - it's kind of weird to think it's all coming to an end," Phelps, 26, said.

How could he have seen this coming? History wasn't supposed to repeat itself. Not like this. He'd done the research, double-checked the math, talked to the right people. There was no way, Anderson Sloan thought to himself in November, that this was happening again. Sloan had transferred to Maryland to make something of a swimming career befallen by the worst kind of misfortune: the elimination of a Clemson program he would have given everything to keep. What he found in College Park was everything, he thought, the Tigers did not have - security, a future, a chance at glory.

Broadneck has been forced to forfeit its Anne Arundel County girls swimming championship after it was discovered that an athlete violated rules by shaving on-site just prior to the county meet. School system officials learned of the Feb. 10 violation in the past week, according to a news release sent out Tuesday. They redistributed the points earned by the disqualified swimmer to the other participating teams, and as a result, Severna Park has been crowned the champion. Broadneck finishes third.

Charles L. Wright Jr., a retired paper-goods salesman who headed the Rosedale Recreation Council swimming program, died Monday of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, at his Rosedale home. He was 74. He was born in Baltimore and raised near Clinton Street in Canton. After graduating from City College in 1955, he served for four years in the Air Force in weather reconnaissance. Mr. Wright worked as a salesman for the old Warner Paper Co. and later its successor company, International Paper Co. He retired in 2011 from Ray's Envelopes.

Several years ago I led a grassroots effort with hundreds of others to establish a much-needed high school swim program in Howard County. Because the Columbia Association operates like a municipal facility, Howard County has no indoor pools other than Howard Community College's. So we appealed to CA to allow the Howard County Public School System to purchase some lap lane time during a low-volume period for the three months of the swim season. Had CA helped us, other facilities would have as well.

Eight seniors at Fallston High School joined the school's swim team with high hopes. Five joined as freshmen, two as sophomores and one as a junior. First, they set their sights on winning the county meet. They achieved their goal four years in a row. Then, despite facing adversity, they set a goal to win the state championship when it was initiated in 2007. And they did. They repeated the feat this year. "These boys stuck together and worked as a team," said Sheri Huppenthal, one of the team's two coaches.

Wow! I'm having trouble seeing my monitor through the fog on my glasses! Yes, steamy romance has come to "The Walking Dead" in the form of Boy Scout Glenn and Farmer's Daughter Maggie enjoying a little afternoon delight in the pharmacy, and it was hot-hot-hot! This episode also featured what may have been the least hot scene ever on "The Walking Dead. " I'm talking, obviously, about the bloated, clammy, slimy, deformed zombie down in the well. I dare anyone to watch the scene when the survivors' plan to pull him out of the well falls apart without making some kind of noise.

In making decisions in how, when and where to spend, we know the Columbia Association applies the cost/benefit principle. Having lived in Columbia since 1968 and having swam at the Columbia Swim Center every day for more than 30 years, we urge you to revisit your decision to "fix" the flume . The flume is a sink hole that is not profitable and is costly in ways that may not have been considered. Splashdown benefits individuals who are often not CA members at the cost of CA members (your base)