1. Swimming is the act of moving through water by using the arms and legs. Swimming is a popular form of recreation, an important international sport, and healthy exercise. Swimming improves heart action, aids blood circulation, and helps develop firm muscles.
2. Swimming has been known since prehistoric times. Swimming became a popular form of exercise and recreation in many ancient lands, including Assyria, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Swimming became less popular during the Middle Ages as it was opposed by the church. Swimming regained popularity in the early 1800's. Organized swimming competitions became common during the mid-1800's.
3. The International Swimming Federation (FINA Federation Internationale de Natation Amateur) governs international swimming and other water sports at the amateur level. The FINA consists of national associations from about 100 countries.
4. Swimmers move their legs, feet, arms, and hands in certain ways to propel themselves through the water easily and quickly. The movements of the legs and feet are called kicks. These movements combined with movements of the arms and hands are called strokes. Swimmers use four types of kicks: the flutter kick, the breaststroke kick, the dolphin kick, and the scissors kick. Each of these kicks is used in doing one or more of the strokes. The basic strokes are the front crawl, the backstroke, the breaststroke, the butterfly, and the sidestroke.
5. The front crawl is the fastest and most popular stroke. The backstroke, or back crawl, is performed as you lie on your back. It is a restful stroke because your face is always out of the water and breathing is easy. The breaststroke is another restful stroke. It is done in combination with the breaststroke kick. The butterfly is a difficult stroke to learn, but it is smooth and graceful if performed correctly. Sidestroke, dog paddle and the elementary backstroke are applied strokes and are not used in competition.
6. Swimming competitions are held in both long-course pools, which measure 50 metres long, and short-course pools, which measure 25 metres long. Swimmers participate in five kinds of races freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly and individual medley. In a freestyle race, swimmers may choose any stroke, but usually they use the front crawl because it is the fastest stroke. In the medley athletes swim an equal distance of each stroke. In competitions, individual freestyle races are held at distance of 50, 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1500 metres. Breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly events are 100 and 200 metres long. The individual medley covers 4X50 and 4X100 metres. Mens and womens team relays are contested as a 4X100-metre freestyle relay, a 4X100-metre medley and a 4X200-metre freestyle relay.
A. Swimming competitions
B. History of swimming
C. Swimming technique
D. Governing body of swimming
E. What is swimming
F. The basic strokes
TEXT 6
Vocabulary
| skiing Nordic skiing Alpine skiing slalom (giant, super giant, parallel) downhill skiing Biathlon manoeuvre schussing traversing turning safety measure vertical drop control gates | ( ) (-, , ) , () ( ) |
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I. Before you read the text discuss these questions.
1. What is skiing?
2. Can you name any famous skiers?
3. Do you know any types of skiing?
SKIING (ALPINE SKIING)
Skiing is one of the major competitive sports and is extremely popular in many countries. It appeared thousands of years ago in northern Europe and Asia but organized competitive skiing began only in the 19th century. In 1866 the first ski races were held in Norway near Oslo.
There are three basic types of skiing: Alpine skiing, Nordic skiing and Freestyle skiing. Alpine skiing refers to skiing downhill. The term Alpine comes from the name Alps, the mountain system in Europe. Alpine events became part of the Winter Olympics in 1936. The three basic maneuvers of Alpine skiing are schussing, traversing and turning. Alpine skiing consists of slalom, giant slalom, super giant slalom, parallel slalom and downhill.
The downhill is a test of high-speed skiing. It is run on a course with a vertical drop of 800 to 1,000 metres for mens events and 400 to 700 metres for womens. As a safety measure, control gates are placed along the course. They direct skiers away from dangerous areas and force them to reduce their speed.
The slalom challenges skill in high-speed turning. The course is marked by numbered gates that each competitor must pass through in proper order. The mens course has a vertical drop of 140 to 220 metres and from 55 to 75 gates. The womens course drops from 120 to 180 metres and has from 45 to 60 gates.
The giant slalom is a test of high-speed traversing, combining elements of both the downhill race and the slalom. The mens course has a vertical drop of 250 to 400 metres. The womens course drops from 250 to 300 metres. Both courses must have 30 or more gates set at least 5 metres apart. The super giant slalom is a cross between the downhill race and the giant slalom. The mens course has a vertical drop of 500 to 650 metres and 35 to 65 gates. The womens course drops from 350 to 500 metres and has from 30 to 50 gates. The parallel slalom has two or more courses resembling a small slalom course. The courses are from 6 to 7 metres apart. Both mens and womens courses have a vertical drop of 80 to 100 metres and 20 to 30 gates.
