INTERESTS
AND
ACTIVITIES
Yuko is a member of USA Swimming Association
Member of International Marathon Swimming Association (IMSA)
Member of The United States Masters Swimming , Inc.
(TEAM ORLANDO MASTERS)
In her spare time she is a
Swimming Coach
Freelance Journalist
Currently a special guest correspondent for both
"Do Swim Magazine" and "Swimming Magazine"
Professional Speaker
Photographer
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WHAT IS MARATHON SWIMMING?
So you are wondering what is MARATHON SWIMMING? Well, where do I begin. I guess at the start of the day. We are going to have to wake up very early. How early? Before chickens wake up! We get to swim from 25km to even 88km. If we start the race late, we know that we are not going to arrive at the finishing point before sunset. Once the sun has set, it becomes very scary to swim and we all know that there will be no spectators waiting at the finishline. This means, no welcomes, no greetings, no applause, only stray dogs and mosquitos await our arrival.
We have a lot to do before the race starts. The most important things is to check our belongings. We won't find any grocery stores, pizza deliver service, or even a McDonalds in the middle of ocean. If we forget any of the very important things, we can't keep swimming, especially without food! and boy do I get hungry during the races. We always need to think about this just in case.
Next we put vaseline and suntan lotion, without them it could become a very painful race. During the race, we are always under the strong sun. We can't run from the sun, of course we can not hold sunshades or umbrellas over us. Our backs just feel like a Thanksgiving turkey. Very Hot! Vaseline is very effective to protect our body. I usually put a lot of both suntan lotion and vaseline but then people see me and move back away from me. I guess I look like a badly done Christmas cake.
Just about 1 min before the start and almost all the swimmers are still chatting. If we start, we know that we won't talk for about 10 hours. Last chance to talk! I usually talk to two of my friends Kathrin and Morgan. We always says" Good luck buddy. Talk to you soon! See you later!" Oh, Very important warning. Do not touch the swimmers. They are very sticky.
The race begins and the first thing that we look for is our escort boat. It's really hard to find it. Simply because there are so many escort boats, judge boats and spectator boats in the river. What a traffic jam! just looks like a major highway during rushhour. Usually we can not find our boats because of waves. That is the coach's job. If we get a bad coach and escort boat, we are going to have to swim by ourselves all the way to the end. We just pray, "Find me! I am here." Do not forget! This is very important , "Swimmer can not swim without escort boat and coach" During the race, coach is more important than a passport. The coach feeds us , gives us directions to go and cheers us up. If you want to be a great success, get your own coach who has a great sense of responsibility, patience, and humor. We are a team! We should be working as one. It's hard to find a good coach. Me, well, I have a great coach since 1997! I am so proud of my coach.
After 6 hours we are just tired. Simply exhausted. We can not think about anything. Well actually one thing " Where am I?" Now is the time to show the coach's ability. The coach has to find and return the swimmer's flying brain in their heads. The coach uses various techniques to entertain the swimmer, he uses a blackboard to write jokes , sometimes singing, or salsa dancing on the boat will do too. In this race, only an excellent coach is very busy.
A little more to go but still thinking about the race. The sunset is coming soon. I am going to have to reach to the finishing area before the spectators go back home for dinner. The finish is near and we finally get to touch the "FINISH" plate. We are free!!! We do not need to swim . The sky turns gray. All I just want to do is to take a hot shower and lay down somewhere. But we still have lots to do. We have to go to the stage for special presentations and meet the public, our fans. Have you ever seen 10 million smile at the same time? Let me tell you it's just wonderful! To see all those bright smiles just focus at you. I think I will definitely keep swimming.
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Yuko Matsuzaki
This is an excerpt from her book
"MARATHON SWIMMING , MY FUN JOURNEY"
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