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
**********************************************************************
**********************************************************************
**********************************************************************
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.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Yuko Matsuzaki
This is an excerpt from her book
�"MARATHON SWIMMING , MY FUN JOURNEY"
***ABOUT YUKO***AWARDS
***JAPANESE WEBSITE***
