It's +Guard Season!

It's Open Pool Season.... LIFEGUARDS! Do you need a suit? Can't find it from last year? Need it for this weekend? Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom? Stop by D&J Sports Coopersburgfor your every need, Suits, Whistles, Lanyards, shirts, Booty shorts we have it all. Pick up your Speedo +Guard suit today!!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

This is the time of year where we look forward to summer, pools open up, life guards are coming in for their guard suits, and it's the unofficial start for grilling season.  However, this is also a day to remember those that have fought for our freedom and continue to do so and remember those that have fallen fighting for our freedom.  When you see that flag on Memorial Day and smell those burgers, stop and think for a minute.

Ployester vs. Lycra Swim Suits

So, you have that swim suit that was a bargain deal and you had to get it because it was on sale, right? After a few swims it started to fall apart.  Did you get your moneys worth?  Maybe, maybe not.  There are basically 2 kinds of swim suits out there, Polyester and Lycra.  Here are the major differences between the two styles of swim suits.

Lycra:

Lycra is a stretchier fabric which allows flexibility and movement while you wear it.  Unfortunately, the chlorine breaks down the elastic movement and wears the suit away.  The color also breaks down and fades away.  As Jesse says, imagine a paper clip.  You can bend a paper clip in all sorts of ways, but when you bend it too much it breaks apart.  This is the same idea with Lycra swim suits.  It's great if you only need it for a summer and a kid will out grow it the following year, but if you need multiple uses out of it and wear it every day, Lycra would not be the right option for you.

Polyester:

Polyester suits do not stretch as much as the Lycra and tend to have a different fit, because of this, the suit does not break down as fast and has a longer use out of it.  The chlorine also does not affect the suit from fading.  The Polyester suits do cost a little more than the Lycra, but will outlast Lycra much longer.  If you are a competitive swimmer and need practice suits which you will wear every day, Polyester is the way to go and is worth the couple dollars more over time.

Suit Care:

Whichever suit you choose; to extend the life of the suit there are some Dos & Don'ts...

Do... rinse your suit in cold water and hang dry

Do... clean it with a soft soap, but not mandatory

DON'T... put them in those YMCA suit cleaning machines, or drying machines.  Again, Jess puts it great by comparing it to a taffy machine.  Taffy gets pulled and pushed and stretched.  This is the same thing that happens to your suit!  It won't matter if you have polyester or Lycra, you will be purchasing a new suit every couple months. 

DON'T... Forget to hang it up after using 

USA Swimming's new campaign

Check out USA Swimming's new campaign to increase awareness with the sport, along with the hash tag #funnestsport.  This is a smart move for swimming and keeping interest with the sport.  Check out the video below.  What do you think?

What Makes Open Water Special?

The biggest difference about open water swimming besides lane lines, is the feeling of swimming freely without boundaries.  Whether it's an ocean, bay, river, or yes, even the English Channel swim, it takes a special dedication and mental endurance to finish the swim.  Swimswam.com talked to Becca Mann about 'What Makes Open Water Special?'  

So, if you swim open water, what makes it special?  Comment below.

The Arena Grand Prix at Charlotte

This weekend the Grand Prix meet is being held in Charlotte.  Michael Phelps is set to swim the 100Fly later on this morning.  You can catch the meet Live if you visit USA Swimming's site Live Feed.  Also, here is the heat sheet for today's event Heat Sheet.  Enjoy, and Go Phelps!!

Michael Phelps Is Back

Michael Phelps is back!  He will be swimming this week on the 16th at the Arena Grand Prix in Charlotte.  This is his second meet since announcing he was coming out of retirement last month.  In the Arena Grand Prix Mesa meet he swam the 100Fly which he came in 2nd to Ryan Lochte.  This Friday he will be swimming the 100 meter Butterfly and the 200 meter Freestyle.  Is this his attempt to try and get to Rio in 2016?  I sure hope so.  It would be great one last time to see the best of the sport to compete. Live coverage during the day can be found on USA Swimming website.

Welcome Swimmers and Non Swimmers!

Hello!  This our first blog for D&J Sports in Coopersburg, PA.  In the future you will find news, reviews, swim information and anything that's happening that is swimming related.  I hope you enjoy it and thanks for following!