Length after length
Swimming is one of the best all-round sports, and this word search gathers its essentials. You'll track down the four strokes — FREESTYLE, BACKSTROKE, BUTTERFLY and the MEDLEY that combines them — plus the gear, the GOGGLES and the swim CAP.
Each puzzle pulls a fresh selection from the list, so the pool changes every time you play — gentle on Easy, and a Hard-mode race once the diagonals and backwards words appear.
At the pool
A day at the pool has a language of its own, and it's here. Push off with a DIVE, count your LAPS and LENGTHS up and down the LANE, master the FLIP TURN and the TUMBLE turn at the wall, and swim a fast RELAY. There's the SPLASH and the KICK, the smooth STROKE of a strong SWIMMER, the POOLSIDE seat, the LIFEGUARD on watch, and the WHISTLE that starts it all.
Four strokes and why we float
Competitive swimming uses four main strokes, each with its own rhythm: FREESTYLE (the fastest), BACKSTROKE (swum face-up), the strong, frog-like breaststroke, and the powerful BUTTERFLY. Swim all four in order and that's a MEDLEY. Olympic races take place in a pool fifty metres long, where champions shave off time with a slick FLIP TURN at each wall.
Ever wondered why you can FLOAT? Our bodies are a little less dense than water, and the air in our lungs helps hold us up — which is exactly why swimming is such a great, low-impact way to exercise. It's also a vital life skill, which is why there's always a LIFEGUARD keeping watch.