April Pools Day: SWIMKids USA makes it easy to get ready for swim season with a day of free swimming lessons, hot dogs, water games, cotton candy and snow cones. Reservations are required at (480) 820-9109.

Athlete of the week

It won’t be impossible for Arizona’s swimmers to break state records this year.

Some adorable Mesa babies will show off their swim skills on national TV this coming Tuesday.

U.S. gold medalist Matt Grevers and his fiancé, U.S. Swim Team member Annie Chandler, will pass out medals during this year's Blake's Miracle swim- and float-a-thon at Mesa's SWIMkids USA.

Banner Children’s at Cardon Children’s Medical Center will have a free “Asthma Attackers” swim class 11:30 to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 6 in Mesa.

Sun Devil Aquatics swimmers Whitney Lopus and Christine Olson swam in C Finals Monday on the first day of the 2007 ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships in Indianapolis.

Sometimes it takes a fourtime Olympic gold medalist swimmer to teach kids pool safety.

July 7, 2004

Pick your poison when swimming against Scottsdale Notre Dame. Freshmen Alex and Ben Brouwer have been carving up the competition.

President Obama had a busy week. After helping to eliminate the world's No. 1 terrorist, Obama switched gears to focus on raising a record $1 billion in campaign contributions. Rather than capitalizing on bin Laden's demise by using an event to rally allies in a focused campaign to finish the job to root out bin Laden's more notorious associates -- Obama is rallying supporters to donate their capital so he can build up his campaign war chest. First things first.

Let this year's highlights reel commence:

Participate in a global attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the largest simultaneous swim lesson and water safety class. The event is sponsored by SWIMkidsUSA. Advance registration required to bigwave@bigsurffun.com.

Two-year-old Renee Figueroa of Chandler is at home in the water. The toddler took her first swimming class with her mother, Alisa, when she was 4 months old.

Sun Devil Aquatics swimmers Whitney Lopus and Christine Olson swam in C Finals Monday on the first day of the 2007 ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships in Indianapolis.

The Arizona State men’s swim team will host a gala dinner and silent auction at 5:30 p.m. Friday at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort to raise money to endow the recently reinstated progra.

Job title: Aquatic Director of Swimkids USA, Mesa; Education: Trained at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology, from Whitworth College.