| who's ever seen a finswimming sprinter race the 50 | | | | coverage of finswimming events is thin. Finswimming |
| meters, knows why finswimming is called the | | | | rules and disciplines have been approved by the |
| "Formula One" of swimming. The speed is impressive! | | | | International Olympic Comitee in 1986 but still the |
| But it's not only that. Just like in the Formula One of | | | | sport is far from any participation in these prestigious |
| motor sports, where the elegance of the cars | | | | sport games. To be considered for participation the |
| fascinates fans and spectators as much as the | | | | sport has to become more popular first, because |
| speed, the elegance of a finswimmer using a monofin | | | | only "widely practiced sports" are allowed to enter in |
| has no comparison. Like a dolphin he moves through | | | | the "mother of all sport events". A lot of work |
| the water, one almost expects him to breach just | | | | behind the scenes will have to be done, to make this |
| like the sea mammal. He draws a wake behind him | | | | goal come true. |
| like no other swimmer. His whole body becomes one | | | | One medium, that has already started to include |
| wave that moves through the water like an orca. | | | | finswimming in its selection is the internet. There are |
| Beauty and speed, just like in the Formula One. | | | | plenty of websites around, where enthusiasts and |
| Though monofins are also used by freedivers, | | | | the interested can find information about the |
| because they help them to conserve power, the real | | | | "Forumla One" of swimming. Plenty of finswimming |
| beauty of using these fins, which is reminiscent of | | | | clubs, or swimming and scuba diving clubs with a |
| the tail of a dolphin, shows in the speed of | | | | finswimming department, have their own homepages |
| finswimming. A top finswimmer can reach more then | | | | and well known monofin manufacturers like TRITON |
| 11 km/h (6.8 mph) in the water, which is almost 3 km | | | | offer their equipment through their own internet |
| h (1.9 mph) faster then the speed of a top freestyle | | | | presence. There even are communities like Fin City |
| swimmer. Nevertheless, just like the swimmer the | | | | where finswimmers and everybody interested in the |
| finswimmer uses only his own body power to propell | | | | sport can find like-minded people all over the world |
| himself forward. | | | | and exchange information. Fin City is much more than |
| But to reach these speeds it takes time and lots of | | | | a social community though. It offers a Wiki, where |
| hard training. A Formula One driver goes through | | | | knowledgeable members can create and edit articles |
| years of training in several classes of the motor | | | | about their sport and like this make their knowledge |
| sport before he might be allowed to join the "king | | | | available to the whole finswimming scene. Important |
| class". A finswimmer also needs years to reach his full | | | | events are published in the Finswimming Events |
| potential. His body has to memorize the dolphin like | | | | Calendar and enthusiasts can exchange ideas and |
| movement until he can do it in his sleep. Small | | | | opinions in the Finswimming Forum. To make the |
| mistakes will cost him split seconds and, just like in | | | | sport more visual there is a Finswimming Photo |
| the top class of motor sports, split seconds count. | | | | Album and plenty of Links related to finswimming |
| The exitement of a finswimming 50 meter sprint | | | | websites can be found in the Finswimming Link |
| race, when two or three of the competitors hit the | | | | Directory. |
| wall at almost the same time is like no other in water | | | | With the help of Fin City and other dedicated |
| sports. But finswimming races are held in various | | | | websites, and with the inclusion of the sport in other |
| disciplines, each with several different distances from | | | | medias, especially television, finswimming has a much |
| 25 meter (only for the younger athletes) to | | | | better chance of finally becoming an olympic sport. |
| marathon races up to 25.000 meters held in open | | | | Though some finswimming enthusiasts believe, that it |
| waters like the sea or lakes. Each and every one of | | | | is not even desirable to go "olympic". They believe |
| them holds its particular exitement. Sometimes, | | | | that finswimming should go the way of golf or the |
| especially in longer distance races, one athlete swims | | | | Formula One which are not olympic sports and still |
| on his own, far in front of all the others for almost | | | | extremely popular. Whatever the personal opinion, |
| the whole race, only to be overtaken on the last 20 | | | | the sport has great potential to become at least as |
| meters by a competitor who learned to preserve his | | | | famolus as its slower cousin swimming, if not even |
| strength during the race. | | | | more so. And let us not forget the elegance and |
| For all its exitement finswimming is still not a well | | | | speed of a finswimmer, who makes us believe that |
| known sport. Popularity is low, partly because fins, | | | | the eternal dream of mankind, to move like a |
| especially the extremely fast hyperfins, are mostly | | | | mermaid in the water, is now one step closer. |
| handmade and expensive, and partly because media | | | | |