Get your news fix on happenings outside the pool with the latest ‘Beyond the Lane Lines.’ With each edition, we collect personal stories, little known facts, and general items of interest from around the world. Read on and learn something new this week.
#1 Swimming Western Australia Appoints President
Last month, the Western Australian Swimming Association, Inc. (Swimming WA) elected Helen Hull as Board President. Hull replaces Louis van Aardt, who had been the incumbent for 7 years.
Hull previously served as Club President of Breakers Swim Club and has been in a Swimming WA director position for the past 2 years.
Of her appointment, Hull said, ‘I am fortunate to be provided the opportunity to lead Swimming WA, as we enter our next phase as a united Board, all working together for our sport.’
#2 Castle Appointed CEO of Sport New Zealand
Starting on December 15th, Raelene Castle will take over as the new CEO of Sport New Zealand. The former CEO of Rugby Australia and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs is replacing Peter Miskimmin, who will be stepping down after 11 years in the role.
Castle has held several governance roles in sport, previously serving as a board director of SANZAR (Super Rugby and The Rugby Championship), the ANZ Championship netball competition and the International Netball Federation (INF).
“Raelene brings tremendous breadth and depth of experience as a CEO in sports administration and is a proven people and organisational leader. The Board of Sport NZ sees her as the ideal person to lead our organisation forward as we continue our important work in addressing declining participation among young people and protecting the strength and integrity of our sector,” says Sport NZ Chairman Bill Moran.
Of her appointment, Castle says, “My time in Australasian sport has shown me the critical role sport and recreation play in bringing communities together and the positive impact those experiences have on society. I am looking forward to working with our partners and colleagues across Government and our sector to ensure more New Zealanders, particularly our tamariki and rangatahi, are able to enjoy quality participation experiences.”
#3 Rikako Ikee Honored with Shinji Hattori Award
20-year-old Rikao Ikee of Japan is on her way back to swimming form after having fought leukemia for most of 2019. As she inspires newcomers and seasoned swimmers alike around the world with her determination and perseverance, Ikee was honored with the Shinji Hattori Award by the Shinji Hattori Culture and Sports Foundation.
The award is bestowed upon those who have been active in sports and music while also displaying courage. She was among the 6 recipients to have received the award and said at the November 2nd ceremony, “I want to be a person who can give courage and excitement to many people.”
You can see photos of Ikee receiving the award on her personal website here.
#4 Tappin-Doussan to Swim Lake Pontchartrain
A small group of swimmers successfully crossed Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana last Sunday, November 15th. Among them was 3-time Olympic gold medalist Ashley Tappin-Doussan.
The now-45-year-old took home relay gold at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona and came back to snag two more relay golds at the 2000 Games in Sydney.
Tappin-Doussan led the effort to complete the 24-mile journey across the lake from Mandeville to Metairie. 4 swimmers rotated through the 24-mile swim, followed by boats and spotters.
When asked the motivation for completing the task, Tappin-Doussan said, “Why not — I mean why not — it seems like the thing to do,” said Tappin-Doussan.
In light of the coronavirus pandemic having cancelled her usual bread-and-butter triathlons, Tappin-Doussan said, “This seemed like a good thing to harness my little community and bite off and go for, I know it sounds crazy.
“Everybody needs something positive to focus on.”
#5 Vlad Morozov Talks Coronavirus & Tokyo Frog Kings
Tokyo Frog Kings member Vlad Morozov (RUS) recently talked to his nation’s state media on all-things swimming. Topics covered included the ISL, COVID-19, as well as his training regimen.
As far as his training situation over the past several months, the former USC Trojan said, “for the first two months, absolutely everything was closed. Closer to June, a couple of swimming pools opened. Two pools for the whole of Los Angeles and one gym. The conditions are not ideal, but from June it was possible to start working out again.”
Morozov also comments on fellow Russian swimmer Andrei Minakov‘s 47.57 World Junior Record in the 100m free. “That was very cool. That made me really happy.”
You can read Morozov’s entire interview here.