Results tagged “swimming”

The 10th Annual Los Angeles Triathlon is this Sunday, which means there will be street closures as participants bike from Venice to downtown and then run back and forth (literally) along Grand Avenue. The following streets will be closed and opened in waves as competitors race:

It seems like just yesterday we were prepping to dive into the deep end of Summer 2009, and now with Labor Day Weekend upon us it looks like it's time for us to start coming in from the water. Well, that's the case for most City of L.A. Public Swimming pools, as all but seven city seasonal aquatic facilities will close on Labor Day. You can get your swims in this afternoon until 5, Sunday from 1-5, and Monday from 1-5 if you're in need of a cool down and find yourself without a pool to dip your toes in.

We don't know many details at the moment, but a guy named Paul apparently started swimming late last night from the western portion of Catalina Island to the Palos Verdes Peninsula. That's nothing too unusual, as the San Pedro Channel is a popular place for marathon swimmers, but what's pretty cool is that it's being tracked in real time on a Google Maps application.

Vending machines are the sacred territory of chips, candy, soda, and coffee that tastes like watery dirt...okay, and the occasional iPod. But Quicksilver, the Huntington Beach-based company that makes a popular line of swimwear and beach-going duds, is hoping patrons of the Standard Hotel in Downtown LA will drop a few coins in their new box. Starting August 8th, 70's-styled boardshorts and bikinis will be available for purchase from a vending machine they're installing at the chic DTLA hotel's rooftop pool, reports the OC Register. "The Standard Boardshorts by Quiksilver will have 4 different designs, such as red and white polka dots called Hokus Polkas, from the ’70s and ’80s [and] the bikinis are in basic black." So just how many nickels will you have to drop in the slot to make a purchase? No word yet on pricing, but online the swimwear retails $75-84.

Tomorrow marks the first day of summer, though our overcast skies tell another much gloomier story. Today happens to mark the day when several public City-operated swimming pools open up for the season. It also marks the launch of Operation Splash, a free "learn-to-swim project for area youth," run in partnership by the City of Los Angeles and Kaiser Permanente, according to abc7.

Get ready to splash! Come Saturday, 34 pools will open to the public for the summer season, including the new family Aquatic Center at Jackie Tatum (Harvard) Recreation Center in South LA. Additionally, 16 year-round pools will begin their summer schedule.

Thanks to 22,000 gallons of sewage spilling "out of a manhole cover in South Pasadena on Saturday," all of the city beaches in Long Beach are closed today until further notice, according to abc7.com. The waste may have seeped into the storm drainage system that leads to the Los Angeles River as a result of "a grease plug in the line." The line empties into the ocean at Long Beach. Officials initiated the shutdown to ensure the safety of beach users, and are awaiting clean water samples in order to re-open the beaches.

When it rains in the Los Angeles area, the yucky stuff (you know, bacteria, debris, trash, and other public health hazards) from city streets and mountain areas enter the ocean via storm drains, creeks and rivers. That means, swimming near them for the next few days can be hazardous for your health.

As of 8:30 this morning the last wave of starts for the 9th Annual Los Angeles Triathlon took off, completing the waves that began at 6:45 a.m. The participants will swim one mile starting at Venice Beach, do a 25 mile bike race through parts of Fairfax, Wilshire and Hollywood, and end with a 10 kilometer run that terminates at Staples Center. Street closure began over night, and some will not reopen until early this afternoon, so if you're headed out this morning, be sure to check the map to make sure your path doesn't cross that of the 2,500 triathlon participants.

LA Dodgers defeat Philadelphia Phillies 8-6. The Dodgers were lucky to have a big lead going into the bottom of the ninth or these words would be talking about the Dodgers third consecutive game lost in the ninth inning. It seemed like the Dodgers had finally learned that one Manny an entire team does not make, but that ninth inning almost undid things. Jonathan Broxton gave up three hits and two earned runs in that ninth inning but got out of the jam when Ryan Howard hit a grounder weakly to second. Nomar Garciaparra will be back in the lineup after his 50th trip on the DL. The question now is who goes down? It's starting to sound like Andruw Jones might go on the DL. Maybe.

With so much going on in the world of sports right now with the Olympics, baseball, USC injuries and all, here's a list of things to keep an eye on.

The pool at Ritchie Valens Park in Pacoima closed last springs for repairs, which was not exactly good timing for the summer season in a not-so-good neighborhood in a city traditionally known for little recreation space per capita. Councilman Richard Alarcon's office said that "due to the age of the City’s pools, the Department of Recreation and Parks is unable to fully discern the condition of the pool until the Spring when the pools are filled and cracks and leaks can be discovered." The good news today is that the pool re-opens this morning to the public.

In an effort to give more swimming pools access to residents, the city has entered into an agreement with the LA Unified School District to open fifteen pools to residents citywide. Five of those pools are under construction, but the eight that will open soon include Miguel Contreras Learning Complex, which houses an Olympic-sized pool downtown. Other schools included Banning High School, Cleveland High School, Fremont High School, Panorama High School, Roosevelt High School, Santee Education Complex, Venice High School, West Adams Preparatory High School, and Yosemite Recreation Center at Eagle Rock High School.

Damn, it's hot! The city of Los Angeles' 54 summer pools will open tomorrow, the first day of summer, through Labor Day, and are free for seniors, people with disabilities, youth, and adults with LA Public Library cards.