Riley Pulaski - (Author)

Swimmers' Villain Origin Stories: The Moments That Created a Personal Vendetta In swimming, there are few things more devastating than realizing you have another 50 yards to swim after you have already taken off your goggles. Or missing a championship cut by .02. Or getting disqualified after droppi...

The Moment of Truth: How a Swimmer Reacts to the Scoreboard The pool deck is cold beneath your feet as you pull off your parka. You stand behind the block, watching the swimmer in front of you race while trying to squeeze in a few last minute stretches. Your heart is pounding, your goggles are tight...

I Asked Swimmers What Their Version of the “Worst Set Ever” Would Look Like There is a certain moment in practice when the pool deck gets unusually quiet. Warmup is over, the pre-set is done, and everyone has finally earned a short break. For a few minutes, the deck feels almost peaceful. Swimmers g...

Building a Swim Community: I Let My Whole Swim Team Pie Me - Here’s Why My fellow coaches and I stood in a line, about to meet our fate. Our young swimmers and their parents roared with laughter as pies flew through the air. One by one, they hit each coach in the face. With whipped cream in my hair ...

The Inglorious Truth About the First Week Back at Practice Nothing is quite as humbling as that first week back at swim practice. After weeks of relaxing, traveling, and enjoying life out of the pool, going back to practice can be painful. You walk onto the pool deck, mesh bag in hand, and the famil...