Annika Hobson - (Author)

The Importance of Test Sets: How They Serve As a Barometer (Examples Included) By Annika Hobson In a sport that revolves around times, the implementation of test sets during practice are a great way to gauge where a swimmer is within their season. Test sets are challenging, but highly rewarding. Dif...

The 200 Freestyle: Where Distance Meets Sprint By Annika Hobson, Swimming World College Intern The 200 freestyle, where distance swimmers meet sprinters, is one of the hardest events in competitive swimming. Whether you are racing the 200 freestyle in short course yards or meters, or long course met...

Swimming in College: The Joys of Division III Competition By Annika Hobson, Swimming World College Intern As a proud NCAA Division III swimmer, I can attest to the immense joy that Division III swimming can provide. Swimming in college allows for many opportunities such as travel, making new friends...

The Resiliency of a College Swimmer During the Covid Pandemic: A Letter By Annika Hobson, Swimming World College Intern Dear Fellow Collegiate Swimmers, With the surge of Covid-19 cases across the world, everyone must show some resiliency, including collegiate swimmers. As swimmers we know how to wo...

Relays: The Fun and Fast Nature of Uniting As a Team By Annika Hobson, Swimming World College Intern In an individual-based sport, relays bring swimmers together for fun and fast races. Relays score big at meets, so the crowd and the teams in attendance get rowdy and excited to cheer for their teams...

Swimming into the New Year: Resolutions to Garner Success By Annika Hobson, Swimming World College Intern Any point in the year is a good time to pinpoint some habits to better your swimming, but with the new year quickly approaching, it’s a great time to center your swimming habits. To become a bet...

How to Best Train During College Breaks By Annika Hobson, Swimming World College Intern With the holiday season quickly approaching, college swimmers have some breaks from training with their teams. Being away from the routine of college and set practices can make it difficult to ensure you are trai...

Distance Swimming Strategy: A Few Options To Consider By Annika Hobson, Swimming World College Intern Racing to get your hand on the wall first can come down to a hundredth of a second, even in distance races. Swimming distance races requires some strategy to execute a successful race. To ensure a s...

Swimmer Hobbies: A Necessary Break From the Pool By Annika Hobson, Swimming World College Intern One of the most demanding sports, swimming calls for a great deal of dedication, so it can be helpful to have some hobbies to relax after a hard day of training. A swimmer’s main hobby remains swimming, ...

The Beauty - And Levels - Of Swimming As a Lifelong Sport By Annika Hobson, Swimming World College Intern The sport of swimming is a lifelong sport that people can join at any stage of life. Whether a child learns to swim, or an adult joins a local Masters swim program, swimming is a wonderful sport...

Being a Newbie to Open Water Swimming By Annika Hobson, Swimming World College Intern About to run headfirst into your first open water race? Don’t know how to transition from the pool to the ocean or a lake? Let my firsthand experience and lessons learned guide you. This summer, I trained for and c...

Don't Just Tune in Every Four Years: What to Watch Now that Olympic Swimming is Over By Annika Hobson, Swimming World College Intern Already missing the thrill of watching 2020 Tokyo Olympians battle it out in the pool? Can’t wait to watch some more speedy swimming? Well, the good news is you won’t ...

Why an Olympic Year is Great for the Sport of Swimming By Annika Hobson, Swimming World College Intern Buzzing with anticipation, sports fans are eagerly awaiting the start of the Summer Olympics in Tokyo and eight days of fast swimming. For the most part, swimming is a beloved sport to only swimmer...

The Pre-Race Rituals Witnessed at the U.S. Olympic Trials By Annika Hobson, Swimming World College Intern While watching the United States’ Olympic Trials, I observed that most of the athletes have specific pre-race rituals. Pre-race rituals are beneficial as they allow a swimmer to collect themselv...

U.S. Olympic Trials: Omaha Is the Hollywood and Red Carpet of USA Swimming By Annika Hobson, Swimming World College Intern Walking around the streets of Omaha, Nebraska while the United States Olympic Trials is being conducted, swim fans have many chances to see their favorite swim stars. The swimme...

The Four S’s of College Swimming: School, Swim, Sleep and Socialization By Annika Hobson, Swimming World College Intern Swimming in college enhances a student-athlete's educational experience. Trekking around campus with wet hair, swimmers run all over the place from morning practice at the pool, to...

From Cannonballs to Three-Point Entries: The Way Swimmers Get in the Pool Says a Lot About Them By Annika Hobson, Swimming World College Intern Hovering over the edge of the pool at 5 a.m., a swimmer faces one of his/her most difficult challenges: Mustering up enough courage to hop into the chilly w...