Cooper VanDriessche - (Author)

By Abby Bergman, Swimming World College Intern. Swimming the English Channel is considered the pinnacle achievement of marathon swimming, but fickle weather in England and changing conditions in the channel can make waiting for a weather window the most stressful element. Swimmers often wait between...

By Abby Bergman, Swimming World College Intern. Like many athletes, swimmers often enter the sport at the urging of a parent or other relative at a very young age. Some continue into adulthood, while others burnout. In contrast, there are many swimmers who join the sport as adults and achieve a grea...

By Abby Bergman, Swimming World College Intern. It is not an easy feat to step into a position vacated by a beloved coach of 40 years. This, however, is exactly what Coach Zack Kundel plans to do at Smith College this fall. Former Smith College head Coach Kim Bierwert retired after the 2016-17 seaso...

By Abby Bergman, Swimming World College Intern. If you head down to the beach in Santa Monica, California on any Sunday morning, you are likely to find Rebecca Nevitt training for her next cold-water marathon swim. Her bright pink cap is clearly visible in the blue water, often accompanied by other ...

By Abby Bergman, Swimming World College Intern.  A question swimmers often field from those outside of the swimming community is whether we get bored swimming during long sets, staring at the black line. One way to stay interested during the back and forth that is innate to our sport is to meticulou...

By Abby Bergman, Swimming World College Intern. Open water racing is both a fun pastime for pool swimmers as well as a unique sport comprised of its own set of rules and skills. Many open water champions begin their careers in the pool and then transition over into open water racing. This move to a ...

By Abby Bergman, Swimming World College Intern. From helping kids find a love for the water to training swimmers to cross the English Channel...from chairing the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Committee to producing national champions, Coach Kim Bierwert has had an incredible career.  For the...

By Abby Bergman, Swimming World College Intern. One of the most valuable aspects of collegiate athletics is the opportunity to experience the world while being part of an amazing college team. Yet this opportunity also presents tough choices for athletes who must balance their commitment to their te...

By Abby Bergman, Swimming World College Intern From winning an Olympic medal to achieving a personal best, from crossing a body of water to reaching a new time standard, most swimmers have goals that drive their daily routine. Whether an athlete is motivated by internal or external factors, achievin...

By Abby Bergman, Swimming World College Intern Colorado open water swimmer and Smith College team captain Eliza Cummings is preparing to become the 8th person to swim nonstop and unassisted from Plymouth, Massachusetts to Provincetown, Massachusetts, across Cape Cod Bay. The Denver native and Smith ...

By Abby Bergman, Swimming World College Intern Melanie Margalis qualified for the 2016 Olympic Games in the 200m IM and as a part of the 4x200m freestyle relay at the USA Olympic Swimming Trials in Omaha, Nebraska last month. The upcoming Games marks a first Olympic appearance for the Clearwater, Fl...

By Abby Bergman, Swimming World College Intern Because it is the middle of summer and many college swimmers are away from their teams, it is fitting to recognize how important training partners and teams are to swimmer performance. I have been following a distance training program all summer to prep...

By Abby Bergman, Swimming World College Intern Accomplished marathon swimmer Paige Christie is currently training for the longest marathon swim in the world, the 8 Bridges swim in the Hudson River in New York. Unlike many traditional marathon swims, the 8 Bridges Swim occurs in seven stages over sev...

By Abby Bergman, Swimming World College Intern Champion Paralympic swimmer, Serafina King, is getting ready for Paralympic Trials, which will be held June 30 - July 2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. King currently holds the S10 American record in 50 and 100 yard backstroke (32.00/1:05.00) and won bron...

By Abby Bergman, Swimming World College Intern As with athletes in many sports, swimmers who begin a new phase of life face challenges as they try to reconcile the demands of a novel school, job, or family with their commitment to swimming. With these challenges also come new motivations to show up ...

By Abby Bergman, Swimming World College Intern At this time of year, many college swimmers are heading home for the summer and face challenges unique to this situation, being away from their team. Swimmers must deal with not only staying in shape while balancing internships and jobs, but also learn ...

By Abby Bergman, Swimming World College Intern While open water swimming and pool swimming are both part of the same larger sport, there are many differences between the two that many swimmers may not be fully aware of. Through interviews with marathon swimmer and former English Channel record holde...

By Abby Bergman, Swimming World College Intern Out of the pool, I have almost no use for music in my everyday life. My sister will confirm that I couldn’t carry a tune if it would save my life. I’m not even allowed to play "Name That Tune" on car trips. However, I rely on songs in my head daily to g...