Swimming for all it has to offer is far behind running and cycling in public acceptance. If you were in to running prior to the boom, running was primarily a sport dominated by track and field. There were few runners and the term “joggers” was not yet coined and few people ran for their health. Most running was done either in a track competition or to save one’s life. Few people ran for pleasure.

Triathlons are doing more for swimming than the swimming establishment is doing for itself. Triathlons are getting more adults to try swimming than official swimming organizations do.

Here are my suggestions, and feel free to add to the list…

1) Water temperature. I continue to hear many people speak fondly of snorkeling and swimming in warm Caribbean, Gulf, Hawaiian and summer lake waters. Yet when they go to their local pool, they encounter cold water.

2) Clothing. Few people are comfortable in a Speedo. If runners had to run in Speedos, there would be fewer runners. We need a swimming manufacturer to invent the equivalent of a sweat suit for swimming. This will be no small deal in that the suit should swim well with little drag yet still cover the body while we get in shape.

3) Events. If it were not for triathlons, there would be far fewer swimmers in masters programs. Swimming needs river races, lake races and ocean races like runners and cyclists have their road races. Triathlons could also have swim only competitions within their triathlons, yet with triathlons filling to capacity, they may not be motivated to do so. I think open water races could be as much of a challenge as a marathon in the eyes of our peers at work.

4) Runner’s World or Bicycling type magazine for swimmers.

Like running or cycling, swimming has a great deal to offer. When will we learn to unwrap the package so more people can participate, raising the level of everyone in the water?