Starts set the pace for any race, but in a relay, there are three other people depending on you to nail it successfully. The pressure causes some swimmers to hesitate and others to spring ahead, with splits significantly faster than their individual events. Here’s some advice from coach David Ellinghaus of the BEGNW Marlins for swimmers looking to improve their relay starts.

Physical exhaustion, sore muscles, mental fatigue, moodiness – what swimmer hasn’t experienced this before? While most swimmers are accustomed to wearing themselves out, too much exertion with not enough rest can lead to what’s often referred to as “overtraining.”

Last weekend’s sectional meet in Athens, Ga., put Bryan Lundquist on alert. With just over two weeks remaining before the 2010 ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships begin Aug. 3 in Irvine, Calif., Lundquist learned he’s not quite fast enough yet to truly contend for a top spot. But having been in this position before, the Auburn University graduate knows his fastest swims are still in front of him.

Team USA’s Alex Meyer won the men’s 25K Open Water World Championship title Thursday in Roberval, Quebec. All four 25K swimmers on the U.S. Open Water Worlds Team, including Joe Kinderwater, Haley Anderson and Emily Hanson had a strong showing in the event, finishing in the top 10 on both the men’s and women’s side.

The Disability Swimming Committee is seeking nominations for national and LSC-level awards for swimmers with a disability and their coaches, as well as members of the swimming community who have provided outstanding service to disability swimming.

The 2010 Speedo Champions Series is underway. This week features five meets in Mt. Hood, Ore., Minneapolis, Minn., Columbia, Mo., West Lafayette, Ind., and Santa Clarita, Calif.

Team USA’s Eva Fabian won the women’s 5K Open Water World Championship title Tuesday in Roberval, pacing the field with a time of 1 hour, 2 minutes and .98 seconds

Splash Magazine special correspondent Mike Mejia presents the Exercise of the Month. This month Mejia demonstrates the Tuck to Streamline exercise to improve core strength.

The USA Swimming Foundation today announced that current USA Diving President and CEO Debbie Hesse will be named Executive Director of the USA Swimming Foundation, effective November 15, 2010.

Christine Jennings, the U.S. Women’s 5K National Champion, and Chip Peterson, the 2005 10K World Champion, recently checked in from the Open Water World Championship Team’s training camp in Quebec. Both Jennings and Peterson will compete in the 5k and 10k at Open Water World Championships. The competition, which includes open water races in the 5K, 10K and 25K, begins July 17.

The 2010 Speedo Champions Series is underway. This week’s meet is the Eastern Section of the Southern Zone, held in Athens, Ga. Upcoming meets and results from this season are listed below. For more information about the Speedo Champions Series, go to our Speedo Champions Series event page.

The New England All-Star swim team was invited to the Massachusetts State House by Representative Willie Mae Allen and the Black and Latino Legislative Caucus, in acknowledgment of the team’s success. The children had the opportunity to meet public officials and take pictures as a team with their trophy in the State House Chamber.

Hosted by four Detroit-area swim teams and sponsored by the City of Detroit Recreation Department, the first-ever 2010 Open Water Festival will take place Aug. 14 at Belle Island in Detroit.

2010 World Open Water World Championships Teamer Emily Hanson recently checked in from the team’s training camp in Quebec. Hanson will compete in the 25k at the Open Water World Championships. The competition, which includes open water races in the 5k, 10k and 25k, begins July 17. Also, be sure to check out the SwimCam Gallery from the camp

Olympians Dana Vollmer, Rebecca Soni and Japan’s Kosuke Kitajima each set meet records Sunday on the final night of the LA Grand Prix. Vollmer set the meet record in the women’s 100m butterfly with a time of 57.39, while Soni and Kitajima set the marks in the women’s and men’s 100m breaststroke in 1:06.23 and 1:00.82.

Shannon Gillespy, the Open Water World Championships Team Manager for the U.S. Team, recently checked in from the team’s training camp in Quebec. The competition, which includes open water races in the 5k, 10k and 25k, begins Saturday, July 17.

It was a big night for American Olympians Saturday at the LA Grand Prix. First, Kara Lynn Joyce and Nathan Adrian won their second events of the meet, taking the women’s and men’s 50m freestyle. A short time later, Katie Hoff set the meet record in the women’s 400m free with a time of 4:06.21.

2008 Olympian Kate Ziegler opened the LA Grand Prix Thursday night by setting the meet record in the prelims of the women’s 800m freestyle. In Friday’s finals, Ziegler shattered that mark by more than five seconds, turning in a time of 8:25.89.

This correspondence will provide you with some important information related to swimsuits for the 2010 USA Swimming Championship meets

Fighting a nasty, draining head cold, Christine Jennings persevered. A week removed from winning her first Open Water National Championship (5K), Jennings made the trip to Mission Viejo, Calif., last weekend to compete in the Meet of Champions.