Did anybody else happen to catch the PBS show, Independent Lens, this week? There was an hour long documentary entitled Men Who Swim, and I must say it was one of the best things I have seen on TV in years, and the best documentary since Sherman's March. Funny, poignant, and beautifully filmed, especially the underwater stuff.
I almost didn't watch it because the topic seemed self-consciously whacky: a group of Swedish guys approaching 40 who decide to start what they believe is the first (and only) male synchronized swimming team.
You can see some clips that the director posted here: www.directorsnotes.com/.../
I suspect it might be available, too, for watching in its entirety on the pbs website.
Anyhow, I think it really captures what so many of us forumites seem to love about the swimming community in general--the friendships we make, the laughs we get to share, and a reassuring sense of camaraderie as we all approach the aging process together.
Two erect thumbs straight up!
Is this the whole thing? Very poignant/funny.
www.pbs.org/.../
Now we have a USMS team dance (Pop and Loc), celebration song (Al Green's "Let's Stay Together"), and the possibility of opening all meets with a men's sychronized swim.
Sounds like a fun show.
When I was in high school we had a (girls) synchro swimming club after the HS swim season was over. We put on a show in the spring, kind of like a dance recital in the water.
The boy's swim team was recruited to assist with some duets/trios; and they performed a boy's only number. I forget what music they picked, but it was fun to watch as they did butterfly and flipturns and kicking with kickboards and big splashes in synch with some creative yet simple choreography. Pretty sure they wore their team Speedos - no leotards/tights/makeup. I think everyone enjoyed watching the guys swim.
Synchro teaches a lot that carries over to "speed swimming" - we did a lot of drylands working on the core muscles, we were great at sculling and breath control, and we had very good spatial awareness.
Yes, we do make friends among the pain & work. As we see our goals develop, we see ourselves as a part of a group of like minded other swimmers.
I do look forward to swimming with the team.
One of my best memories from age group swimming was doing a syncronized swimming routine (for fun) after our warmup but before the meet started. I remember lots of laughs from both the competitors and the spectators.
there was a swedish comedy from 2008 too called "Allt flyter"
www.imdb.com/.../
This was a documentary made by director Dylan Williams.
It sounds like Allt Flyter was more of a fictional movie, though it's hard to imagine the two directors don't know about each other's efforts (and perhaps even wonder if the other is a plagiarist!)
Ryan, are you Swedish or an immigrant to Sweden? If the latter, the movie makes the point that it can be hard to make friends in Sweden if you aren't born there, but that the best route for doing so is to "join a club"--which is precisely what filmmaker Williams decides to do at the outset of his documentary.
All in all, a very charming glimpse into the search for meaning, friendship, and -- to a much lesser extent, exercise! -- in middle aged men.
I can definitely relate.
Ryan, are you Swedish or an immigrant to Sweden? If the latter, the movie makes the point that it can be hard to make friends in Sweden if you aren't born there, but that the best route for doing so is to "join a club"--which is precisely what filmmaker Williams decides to do at the outset of his documentary.
I'm a military brat, born in Texas, raised around the world. But settled in Sweden when I couldn't convince my wife to move to the US.
It is hard to make friends in Sweden. Swedes are very nice people, but can be very closed at the same time. I had lots of acquaintances the first 5-6 yrs I lived here, most of them through my wife's circle of friends or my work. But in 2007 when we moved 80 miles north to a new town and I picked up swimming again it made it easier for me to make friends.
But the problem with making friends is not unique to Sweden. Most places I moved, I made swimming friends long before I had school friends or neighborhood friends. People tend to like the number of friends (contacts) they have and are not as willing to add the new guy/girl.
