Swimming

Rowdy Gaines, one of the swimming stars of the 1984 Olympics who last month set a master's world record in the 100-meter freestyle, has been struck with a rare disease of the nervous system and is in guarded condition in a Honolulu hospital. Gaines, 32, is undergoing treatment for Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a neurological paralytic disorder of unknown cause, his mother Jettie said Wednesday night from Hawaii.

After his previous experience as a pool owner, Scott Lansburg swore: "I never want to have a pool again." For some, the refreshing rectangle of turquoise may be the symbol of backyard living in Southern California. For Scott, it was a maintenance nightmare. "All I did was clean up eucalyptus leaves and pine needles," he says. In 2005, he moved to a quiet, tree-lined neighborhood in Fullerton with his wife, Serena.

Researchers find that 4-year-olds who had taken swimming classes as infants did better on gripping and reaching as well as balance. Researchers found they did better on gripping and reaching as well as balance. Teaching babies to swim might assuage their fear of water and provide good exercise, but it could have other benefits as well. Researchers from Norway and Britain found that children who had taken baby swimming classes did better on tests involving gripping and reaching as well as balance, compared to children who had no experience swimming as babies.

Few anticipated the oldest world record in swimming would be sunk Sunday at the TYR Swim Meet of Champions. Certainly not Kate Ziegler of Great Falls, Va. But as she completed one stroke after another in the women's 1,500-meter freestyle at the Mission Viejo Aquatic Center, it became clear that something rare was brewing on the final day of the four-day meet. By the time Ziegler completed the 15-lap race, the edges of the pool were lined with cheering spectators, coaches and competitors.

Alan Richardson, chairman of the international swimming federation's medical commission, was suspended Wednesday for leaking information to reporters about drug test results of Chinese swimmers. Richardson, warned at last summer's World Championships in Rome not to address the controversy surrounding the Chinese swimmers, was accused of discussing information about the seven, including world champions Lu Bin and Yang Aihua, who recently tested positive for banned substances.

The sexual abuse scandal at USA Swimming has revealed its biggest name yet — the former director of the national team. Everett Uchiyama was on a list released Tuesday by the swimming organization showing 46 people who have received lifetime bans or permanently quit the organization, most for sex-related offenses. According to USA Swimming, Uchiyama received his suspension on Jan. 31, 2006. The oldest suspension on the list was handed out in 1991, but most occurred in the past decade — including 11 since the beginning of 2009.

The city will offer two weeks of free swimming lessons for beginning swimmers, infants, preschoolers and their parents starting Monday and continuing through July 12. Because registration is limited, those interested in participating should contact the Recreation and Community Services Department at (818) 898-1290 soon, said Gwen Indermill, the city's recreation supervisor. This is the first year that the city has offered free swim lessons, Indermill noted.

A recent Times article indicated that $74,000 had been awarded to design a 15-acre swimming hole at Hansen Dam, estimated to cost $2.1 million (not including inevitable overruns). Here are seven good reasons it is a stupid idea: It won't use the old lake. A very costly high ground hole will have to be dug and sealed, to prevent leakage. It will have to be filled and replenished with fresh drinking water (ever heard of a water shortage and rationing?) It will be very costly and perhaps impossible to maintain a safe bacterial count.

I find it amazing that Santa Clarita would grant a permit for a 140,000-gallon swimming pool (Sept. 5). When the pool was started three years ago, we were in the throes of the most devastating drought California has experienced in years. Just because last winter was very wet does not mean this could go on forever. Added to the pool are an 18-foot waterfall and a 20-person spa. I find all this disgusting. E. MARGARET WILSON Glendale