MOVIES
Angels and Demons, 2009
You don’t have to wait very long before you see Tom Hank’s character swimming laps in an indoor pool that looks like it dates from the 1950-60s pool era (think: narrow lanes, maybe only 20 yards, lots of tiny white tiles, slight curve to walls, etc.)
Blue, 2003
The main character swims solo laps as she recovers from a car accident that took the life of her husband, who was having an affair, and her child.
em>Breaking Away, 1979
A group of “townies” cool off during the summer at an abandon quarry.
Mermaids, 1990
The youngest daughter in this restless-but-trying-to-settle-down family is a swimmer.
Miss Congeniality, 2000
Don’t miss Benjamin Bratt swim laps in the beauty pageant hotel pool!
Muriel’s Wedding, 1994
Muriel’s “greencard” husband is a South African swimmer seeking citizenship to join Australia’s national team.
On A Clear Day, 2005
Newly laid-off recreational swimmer gets his life back on track by training to cross the English Channel.
Pride, 2007
Based on the true story of Jim Ellis’ start as an inner-city swim coach for Philadelphia’s Department of Recreation (PDR).
SwimFan, 2002
High school swim star is stalked by an obsessive girl after they fling.
Swimming Upstream, 2003
Based on Tony Fingleton’s book about how he overcame several odds to become a champion in 1950s Australia.
TELEVISION
“Go Fish” episode 20 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season II
Sunnydale high school’s male swim team members turn into sea monsters!
“Kids” 5/3/05 airdate of House, Season II
Opening scenes show age group swim meet in progress; medical mystery of the week revolves around a 12-year old female diver with symptoms that don’t match those from the meningitis outbreak that occured at the meet.
DOCUMENTARIES
“The Magnificent Ones” (1996) from The Olympiad Greatest Moments Series
features Mark Spitz.
BOOKS
Autobiographies
Below the Surface, Dawn Fraser (with Harry Gordon), 1965
An early book written at the peak of this famous Australian sprinter’s career.
Champions Are Raised, Not Born: How My Parents Made Me A Success Story, Summer Sanders (with Melinda Marshall)
Great advice wrapped around Summer’s personal story, directed to both kids and their parents.
Michael Phelps: Beneath the Surface, (with Brian Cazeneuve), 2004
Candid view, very much in Micheal’s tone, about events leading up to his second Olympics.
Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer, Lynne Cox, 2005
The modern-day hero for cold-open water swimmers.
Dawn: One Hell of a Life, Dawn Fraser, 2001
The stories Dawn Fraser really wanted to share all along…
Deep Water, Don Schollander (with Duke Savage), 1971
Hands down, the best “behind the scenes” look at Olympic-level training and competition.
Other Shores, Diana Nyad, 1978
A compelling read about marathon open water training and compeititon in the late ‘1960s-1970s.
Age is Just a Number>/em>, Dara Torres with Elizabeth Weil, 2009
A breezy, quick read that covers Torres’ most recent come back (Beijing 2008) as well as her age group and collegiate days and earlier come backs. Keeping the timeline straight is tricky in some spots; a few unanswered questions remain by omission, but Torres comes off as personable and inspiring as ever.
Biographies
Gold in the Water, P.H. Mullen, 2001
This thoroughly researched and well-written book tracks the fate of several swimmers (Kurt Grote, Tom Wilkens, Dod Wales, Tate Blahnik, Ed Moses, and even Dara Torres for a little bit) from the illustrious Santa Clara Swim Club during the two years leading up to the 2000 Olympic Trials and Games. Includes several black and white pictures.
Golden Girl, Michael Silver, 2006
The book on Natalie Coughlin
The Torch Within, Eileen Rose, 1965
Murray Rose’s mom narrates Murray’s rise to fame as one of Australia’s greatest long distance swimmers.
Young Woman & The Sea: How Trudy Ederle Conquered the English Channel and Inspired the World,, Glen Stout, 2009
Going well beyond “just a biography,” Stout includes the historical, political and social backdrop, which places Trudy’s swim into the proper perspective for the first time.
Collections
Awaken the Olympian Within, 2000
Motivational stories by Olympians include pieces by John Naber, Rowdy Gaines, Nancy Hogshead and Brian Goodell.
Novels
Best Friends Forever, Jennifer Weiner, 2009
As an adult, main character Addie starts to get her life back on track by starting to swim laps every day in a fancy athletic club’s pool.
Poppy Done to Death, Charlaine Harris, 2003
Does a masters swimmer have time to commit murder in between 2x/day practices and traveling to meets? Find out in this engaging mystery!
Swimming, Nicola Keegan, 2009
It takes a few chapters to pick up the stream of consciousness writing style, but it’s well worth the effort. National and Olympic swimming is the backdrop as “Philomena” grows up and finds herself despite family tragedy.
Guides
Janet Evan’s Total Swimming, 2007
Covers the basics from gear to dry land training; includes several workouts and drills.
History
Wind, Waves, and Sunburn: A Brief History of Marathon Swimming, Conrad Wennerberg, 1997
Grueling stories from the early days of the open water racing circuit.