Swimming My Way Through the Summer
By: Olivia Michels, Hour 3
Summer Fun
This summer I swam competitively for my swim team at different swim meets. I swam with other kids on my swim team and I also swam with kids my age and other ages from different swim teams from all over the state. All of the pools that I swam at this summer were in different parts of the state, some of the pools were in Eau Claire, Milwaukee, and in Green Bay. I swam twice a day every day of the week this summer and I swam at swim meets on the weekends. I really enjoyed swimming at different swim meets this summer and being able to swim outside!
The Science of Swimming
There is a lot of science that goes in the swimming. One of the main science components that goes into swimming is when you want to move your muscles, your brain sends signals to you muscles that tells them how to and when to move in order to move through the water. Also when you are swimming you have to float so you don't sink to the bottom of the pool. When you are floating, you either lay on your back or your stomach and when you want to float you put pressure on the water and the water also puts pressure towards you. There are also many different circumstances that affect how you float, like if you have a higher muscle mass you might sink more in the water while floating.
Look at Me!
This is me swimming butterfly.
This is a picture of me swimming butterfly this summer in Milwaukee.
This is an under-water picture of an Olympic Swimmer.
This is an Olympic swimmer swimming at a swim practice doing the freestyle.
Here is a picture from the 2012 Olympic Games.
Here is a picture of the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England.
I Wonder.....
1. If you fill your lungs with lots more air than usual, then will you float higher in the water?
2. If you are very muscular, will that affect how well you float?
3. If you become paralyzed, does your brain completely stop ending messages to your muscles?
4. What kind of signals are sent from your brain to your muscles?
5. Are the signals sent from your brain to your muscles different from the signals sent from your brain to your stomach?