A True Inspiration

All American Swim Supply recently had the chance to interview a motivational swimmer currently training to compete in the 2012 Paralympic Trials. 17-year-old Ryan Minks, who competes in swimming and wheel chair racing, says, "Pain is for the moment, and winning is forever." In August of 1992, Ryan was born with spina bifida, and his parents were told that he would never sit up on his own, crawl, or walk. But Ryan's determination has led him to beat the odds, and he now competes in track and field and swimming. Ryan says that his parents have been the most influential force in his life. "They both encourage me and have instilled in me that I can accomplish anything that I set my mind to. They are my support team."

As a competitive swimmer, Ryan practices about 5-6 hours a week with the Memphis Tigers at the University of Memphis. His favorite thing about being an athlete, he says, "are the competitions and the recognition for the hard work that you put into it." His most memorable moment is winning gold at the National Junior Disability Championships in the 50 breast and 200 free. Ryan's favorite event is the backstroke, and he would love to meet Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte, given the chance, "because he is a great competitor in backstroke events."

To learn more about Ryan's story and the events he competes in, visit Ryan's website. To help support Ryan and his efforts to compete in the 2012 Paralympic Trials, visit Wheelchair Sports, USA.

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Age is Just A Number

12-time Olympic medalist Dara Torres is still swimming fast and beating the competition at age 42. Last year, Torres won three silver medals in Beijing. For her, age is just a number, not an obstacle. She writes about her triumphs in her appropriately titled new book, "Age Is Just A Number: Achieve Your Dreams At Any Stage In Your Life." Torres is also considering swimming in the 2012 Olympics in London. For more on her story go to yahoo!news.

Fitter & Faster Tour Kicks Off This Weekend!

All American Swim Supply is proud to be a sponsor of the 2009 Fitter and Faster Tour! The Fitter & Faster Tour, which will bring olympians and world championship swimmers to pools across America, will begin Saturday, August 15th in Seattle, WA.

The tour will give fans a chance to interact with world-class athletes who will travel all over the nation to bring stroke and exercise tips to swimmers. Each event includes a 3-hour clinic for age-group swimmers and masters swimmers. Swimmers participating in the tour will receive tips on race preparation, hear motivational stories, and participate in question and answer sessions. In addition, all participants will receive 20% off one full-price item from SpeedoUSA.com.

Now is the time, so sign up quickly! For more on the tour click here.

2009 Speedo Junior National Championships

The 2009 Speedo Junior National Championships began yesterday and will run through Friday, August 14th. The event is being held at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Washington. For live on-demand video of the competition go to swim-network.com. For the heat sheet, timeline, and results go to usaswimming.org. Good luck to all of our swimmers from Raleigh, NC!

Sticking With Speedo

Britain's Gemma Spofforth believes wearing a Speedo LZR Racer helped her win the 100m backstroke title at the World Championships in Rome. Spofforth decided to stick with her Speedo suit, just as Michael Phelps famously did when he won the 100m butterfly at World Championships. Her decision not to wear a "supersuit" like the Jaked, or Arena X-Glide Suit mentally propelled her to finish first. Spofforth set a new world record of 58.12seconds in the 100m backstroke.

Spofforth stated, "I had so many meetings with different coaches saying I was putting myself at a disadvantage not wearing it and wearing it wasn't cheating.

"And it was about putting myself on the same level as everybody else I was racing against.

"And I was like 'if I get a world record in a suit is that really a world record?' That was one of my things.

Nearly 190 world records have been set since the Speedo LZR became available in February 2008, 43 world records have been broken in Rome alone.

sportinglife.com

Jessica Hardy is Back!

After being banned from competition for failing a drug test at the 2008 Olympic trials, Jessica Hardy is back in the water and ready to compete. Hardy's one-year ban ended July 29th, just in time for her to be eligible to race in the U.S. Open.

All eyes were on Hardy as she competed in Wednesday's 100m freestyle. Hardy was nervous about the race stating "I haven't raced in a year. I feel like I don't even know what I'm doing. It's very frustrating." Despite her frustration, Hardy finished the race in 2nd place with a time of 55.07. Erika Erndl won the race in a meet-record 54.59.

"This is the first of many races to come. I made a lot of mistakes," she said. "I have a lot of stuff to improve, but I'm getting more comfortable and back to where I was last year. For me, I just need to mentally get back. For me, it's a mental rebirth, regrowth."

For more on Jessica Hardy and her return from suspension click here.

For news on her new world record in the 50m breast click here.