Get your news fix on happenings outside the pool with the latest ‘Beyond the Lane Lines.’ With each edition, we collect personal stories, little known facts, and general items of interest from around the world. Read on and learn something new this week.
A Bristol, England pet kitty is obsessed with swim goggles, hunting the aquatic treasures and bringing them home to his owner, Sally Bell, virtually every day.
“He’s always been a hunter, bringing home mice and frogs and things like that,” said Bell. But, 3 weeks ago, the cat named Avery returned from his regular outdoor excursion with a pair of goggles. Three days later, Avery returned with 2 more pairs of goggles. At the time of publishing, 8 pairs of goggles have been ‘gifted’ to Bell by her kitty.
Despite checking with all her neighbors, Bell said she had no idea where they are from. Hide your goggles, kiddos!
This cat can't stop stealing GOGGLES 🏊♀️
Avery keeps bringing them home – and his owner doesn't know where he's getting them from 😂
At one point it was a pair everyday 😼
As lovely as the *gifts* are, Avery's mum wants to return the goggles to their owners.
📸 Sally Bell pic.twitter.com/EDgxE7KgC5
— BBC Radio Bristol (@bbcrb) July 14, 2020
#2 Deaflympics Hopeful Sebastian Galleguillo Builds Plastic Bag Pool
Argentinian swimmer Sebastian Galleguillo has been unable to train in his usual pool for nearly 4 months due to the coronavirus pandemic. That put a big kink in the teen’s plans of training to participate in the 2021 Deaflympics in Brazil.
But, the Buenos Aires-located athlete got crafty and, with the help of his father, created a temporary pool in his backyard using plastic sheets, logs, an old tank, and two metal drums. The 400-liter capacity pool is allowing 18-year-old Galleguillo to continue training as best he can. Galleguillo trains daily in his pool, with heat from wood burned in a metal drum.
“I said to my mom: I want to train again because I am becoming rigid, I am losing mobility in my body… It’s not the same to train outside as being in the water.
“With swimming, I am one, I am completely me: in there, I do not depend on my hearing, I am in the water and I only need my body to train,” he said. (GDN Online)
At the time of publishing, the nation of Argentina has seen 122,524 coronavirus cases reported, resulting in 2,246 deaths. (Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center)
#3 Birmingham 2022 Mascot Designers Wanted
The next edition of the quadrennial Commonwealth Games is headed to Birmingham in 2022 and organizers are seeking youth inspiration for the prestigious event’s mascot.
Children aged 5-15 located in the UK are encouraged to design their own mascot and upload the picture, drawing, collage, etc. to the official submission site. The winning design will inspire the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games’ official mascot and the originator has a chance of winning family tickets to the Commonwealth Games’ opening ceremony slated for July 28, 2022.
Organizers say, “the Birmingham 2022 mascot will be a global icon for the Games. It should represent the identity, heritage, and culture of the Commonwealth Games, Birmingham and the West Midlands, and embody everything the city and region stand for: youthful, diverse, dynamic and creative, always looking to innovate and move forward.”
#4 Bronte Campbell Set to Sleep Rough
Two-time individual world champion Bronte Campbell will be joining other Australian sports stars at the Sydney Cricket Ground next month in raising funds for homeless youth. As part of the Chappel Foundation’s ‘Sport Stars Sleepout’ on August 3, Campbell and other athletes will be armed with just a sleeping bag, a few sheets of cardboard and a plastic sheet in case of rain, sleeping on the streets as a way to understand what homeless Australians live through.
Anticipating her ‘sleep on the streets’ experience, C2 says,” Ithink it will give me a really small insight to what young people living on the streets experience
“I don’t think it will show me exactly what it is like to be homeless but hopefully it will give me some sympathy and empathy to what they encounter daily.
“As it gets colder and colder and you start to think about people living on the streets and how hard it would be to go about your everyday life if that was your reality.
“I really wanted to raise awareness for this cause and see what that experience would be like for myself because I’ve often thought if you are not even able to be safe when you are sleeping at night, I don’t know how you are supposed to have enough energy to confront the rest of your day.
“It has definitely been something I have thought about a bit this year, especially with everyone spending a lot of time in their houses – what it would feel like to not have that sense of security.”
Quotes courtesy of Swimming Australia.
#5 Hong Kong Victorian Harbour Race Cancelled
The 2020 Hong Kong Victorian Harbour Race has been canceled due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The Hong Kong Amateur Swimming Association (HKASA) made the announcement of the open water cancellation this weekend in order to ‘ensure the health and safety of swimmers and staff.’
Ronnie Wong Man-chiu, President of the HKASA, said, “The safety of swimmers and staff has always been our utmost priority. The COVID-19 situation has lasted for months. Given the recent resurgence of the pandemic and with public health in mind, the HKASA decided to cancel this year’s event. We sincerely thank our title sponsor, New World Development, for its support and kind understanding. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by the cancellation of the event. The HKASA hopes the COVID-19 pandemic will end soon. We hope all swimmers will join us at next year’s race and enjoy the experienced swimming in Victoria Harbour.”
At the time of publishing, Hong Kong has had 1,886 coronavirus cases reported, resulting in 12 deaths. (World Meters)
The story about Sebastian Galleguillo and his pandemic pool made my day, such resourcefulness! Thanks!