Taylor Covington - (Author)

A Swimmer's Guide to Chlorine Hair: How to Keep Your Locks Healthy Anyone who has swum since they were little knows the struggle of chlorine hair — dry, frizzy and bleached. “Swimmer hair” is a tell-tale sign in every group, the kind of signal that says, "oh hey, she definitely swims." From the outs...

5 Drills to Improve Your Underwaters: Improving a Key Aspect of Racing Underwaters are one of the most important parts of a race. That fact is confirmed by watching any elite-level swim. The fastest swimmers stay underwater for an extended period, using strong, powerful kicks to propel themselves fa...

Wellness Trends: What's Available to Support Recovery? In an age when wellness and health dominate conversations, endless fitness trends naturally follow. From new treadmill workout plans to protein-heavy diets, there are countless ways to try to improve your fitness game. In recent years, recovery ...

Storylines to Look Out for in SEC Swimming in 2025-26 With the college swimming season underway for the 2025-2026 year, there’s no shortage of storylines to follow. Between up and coming competitors, returning stars, new coaches and movement among conferences, this NCAA season should have it all. He...

Katie Ledecky and Her London Gold in the 800 Freestyle: The Race That Started It All Katie Ledecky is a household name. Her career résumé — 14 Olympic medals, including nine gold, 21 World Championships medals, 16 world records, and 37 American records — has not only solidified her as one of the gre...

How to Balance the Transition to the Fall Season By this point in the year, high schools have begun their fall semesters. The summer heat begins to dwindle, classes pick up and swimming kicks off its next season. Although it’s a transition many swimmers have experienced for years, it can still prese...

Why Does Masters Swimming Continue to Grow? Fitness, Community and Adaptability are Key Reasons Before the sun rises each morning, hundreds of pools across the country open their doors for swimmers – but not the ones you might expect. Instead of college athletes or energetic age-group kids, these la...

5 Reasons to Appreciate Your Coaches A new season is set to dawn for many swimmers around the country. Some have taken a summer break. Others have eased off the pedal over the past couple months. But the time to go full blast is once again on the horizon. A chance to set new goal times. The opportun...

Defensive Pessimism: How Negative Thinking Can Have a Positive Impact The most common approach heading into a big competition is to think positively–visualize the best-case scenario, focus on improving times or beating opponents, and avoid worrying about negative outcomes. For years, athletes and co...

How College Club Swimming Offers a Different Path for Swimmers For many swimmers who have grown up in the sport, there comes a time near the end of high school where you’re forced to make a decision: “Do I pursue swimming in college or do I retire?” The answer is often a difficult one to find for ma...

Dangers of Energy Drinks for Athletes: Know What Your Body is Consuming As an athlete, balancing early practices, weight training, school extracurriculars, sleep and everything in between can be a challenge. For many swimmers, grabbing an energy drink for a quick afternoon pick-me-up has become part...

Three Open Water Swims to Complete in the Florida Keys Open Water swims take place weekly all across the United States. From lakes to oceans to the Gulf of Mexico, open water swimming offers an outlet for retired swimmers, current swimmers, and serious competitors alike. Florida – particularly the F...

Has Age Group Swimming Gotten Too Competitive? As the years go on, swimming keeps getting faster. Like most sports, it evolves as athletes find new ways to become stronger, quicker, and more skilled. For many swimmers, summer league is a starting point: a fun, low-pressure environment that sparks a ...

What's New in Swim Style? A Look at Suits and More! Although fashion might not be at the forefront of one’s mind when thinking about swimming, the trends and styles used by swimmers often play a large role in the day-to-day routines of many athletes. New styles, technology, partnerships, and pushes ...

The Training Transition: How to Adjust When Moving From Competition to Lifestyle Pursuits Competing as an athlete demands a specific and rigorous approach to training. It often involves long, grueling hours of practice and a significantly increased caloric intake to match the energy burned. That phy...

The Art of Tapping for Visually Impaired Swimmers For visually impaired and blind athletes, competing in swimming is predictably more complicated than it is for swimmers with sight. “Tappers” are the individuals who assist these swimmers during their transitions. Their name refers to the motion they...

As Her Spectacular Career Winds Down, a Look at the Excellence of Lilly King It’s official: Lilly King is retiring. The three-time Olympian and breaststroke legend announced in a May 31 Instagram post that this season will be her last. Alongside a collection of memorable photos from her career, King...

Wellness Wednesday: The Role of Cooling Down in Recovery With the long course season in full swing and the World Championships in Singapore on the horizon, swim meets are at the forefront of most swimmers' minds. Preparing for competition takes more than just time in the pool. It involves intense tr...

Backstroke to Breaststroke: Which Turn is Right For You? The transition from backstroke to breaststroke in the individual medley has become a major topic of discussion in the swimming world over the past decade. The crossover turn has largely dominated the competitive scene, favored almost unanimous...

Chlorine Exposure: Is It a Danger for Swimmers? Swimmers are known for many things: tan lines, long practice hours, broad shoulders and the unmistakable scent of chlorine. Growing up, people who I'd never met before would ask me if I was swimmer. "Yes," I'd say. "How do you know?" More often than no...