Age-group Swimmers Research Articles

Dietary intakes of age-group swimmers.

The purposes of this study were to collect information regarding the dietary habits of male and female age-group swimmers and report the energy consumptions of these athletes in relation to their daily training demands. Twenty competitive swimmers, who were training 6000 m per day 6 days a week, recorded all fluid and food consumed during a 4-day period. Dietary analysis revealed that 11 swimmers (55%) had calcium intakes below recommended dietary allowances (RDA), while 13 (65%) had iron intakes lower than RDA. Despite identical training loads and body mass, male swimmers had significantly greater (P = 0.004) daily mean (s.d.) energy consumption (3072(732) kcal, 12.9(3.1) MJ) than females (2130(544) kcal, 8.9(2.3) MJ) and were maintaining energy balance. Although the contribution of carbohydrate to total daily energy intake was the same for male (55%) and female swimmers (56%), the females ingested significantly less (P = 0.011) carbohydrate (292(87) g) than the males (404(88) g) and could be considered deficient in dietary carbohydrate with respect to their daily training demands.

Relationship Between Upper Body Anaerobic Power and Freestyle Swimming Performance

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of upper body anaerobic power, as measured by the Wingate Anaerobic Arm Test (WAAT), in 50-m sprint swim performance. Thirty competitive age-group swimmers (14 males and 16 females) participated in this investigation. Subjects had been training daily for 5 months prior to the study, swimming an average of 6,000 m.d-1, 6 d.wk-1. Swimmers performed a WAAT and a 50-m time-trial. Peak power (PP), mean power (MP) and fatigue index (FI) were determined for the WAAT. Subjects also reported their current competition performances for all distances up to 400 m. Significant relationships were obtained between swim speed over 50 m (S50) and PP (r = 0.82, p less than 0.001), S50 and MP (r = 0.83, p less than 0.001), and S50 and FI (r = 0.41, p less than 0.05). PP and MP showed significant but generally decreasing correlations with swim speed as distance increased. Substantial relationships (r = 0.74-0.96, p less than 0.001) were found between S50 and swim speeds over distances up to and including 400 m. This study shows a strong relationship exists between upper body anaerobic power, as measured by the WAAT, and performance in both sprint and longer distance (400 m) swim events. The WAAT may serve as a useful tool for coaches to objectively evaluate and monitor the upper body anaerobic power of competitive swimmers.

Factors Influencing the Process of Withdrawal by Female Adolescents from the Role of Competitive Age Group Swimmer

The high attrition rates observed among young athletes, particularly adolescents, have been attributed to and studied primarily as outcomes of negative aspects of the organization and administration of competitive youth sport. The present study extends this research by examining withdrawal from competitive sport roles in the broader context of the role constellation and lifestyle of adolescent girls. A conceptual framework was developed to examine the process of withdrawal from the role of competitive age group swimmer. It was hypothesized that withdrawal is influenced by six categories of factors: (a) the salience of gender-role stereotypes; (b) the diversity and salience of the opportunity set; (c) the degree of social support from significant others for the sport role; (d) the extent to which the athlete role is perceived as central to personal identity; (e) the extent to which positive and negative outcomes are associated with sport involvement; and (f) the degree of commitment to the athlete role. Survey data were collected from 211 former swimmers and 193 currently involved age group swimmers in Ontario, Canada. It was concluded that a combination of factors from a variety of sources interact to influence the role transition.

Psychological Characteristics of Age-Group Competitive Swimmers

Measures of locus of control and self-esteem were gathered from 20 competitive age-group swimmers aged 7 to 17 yr. These young athletes were more internal than their non-athletic contemporaries. Also, on self-esteem the competitive swimmers were significantly elevated.

Metabolic effects of heavy physical training on female 'age-group' swimmers.

Twelve female age-group swimmers and twelve female controls, aged ten to sixteen, performed a pre-training discontinuous maximal cycle ergometer test to determine the capacities of their anaerobic (alactacid and lactacid) and aerobic energy systems. Heart rate and oxygen uptake were determined during rest, exercise, and recovery. Blood samples were collected before and after exercise for determination of blood lactic acid concentrations. Tests were readministered to both groups immediately following the swimmers' competitive season. It was concluded that female swimmers possess significantly superior oxygen transport systems as compared to the untrained controls and that the high level of aerobic fitness is maintained throughout their training programme.

Psychological Consistencies Within the Personality of High-Level Competitors

Longitudinal studies of the potential effect of high-level competition upon the character formation of youthful competitors in sports cannot be found in the literature of psychology or physical education. In a recent study of age-group swimmers, trends for both boys and girls of ages between 10 and 14 appeared to be so consistent that it becomes possible to engage in more intelligent speculation about the effects of competition upon personality. The data, presented in cross-sectional form, will have to be interpreted with caution because of the highly select sample that they represent. My research interest in the area of athletic personality, motivation, and the possible effects on character formation of competition has developed from extensive clinical experience with problem athletes. During a period of years, athletes from every sport representing every level from age-group competition through high school, college, and professional teams have been referred because of psychological problems. The