Nothing brings home mortality like watching little kids performing brilliantly at sports you once dabbled in. Over the weekend, I spent some time at a swim meet, cheering as tiny 8- and 9-year-olds sprinted down the pool. Techniques and rules have changed over the years, so an amazing number of these young swimmers had beautiful, quick strokes that would put an old swimmer to shame. So, naturally, I had to head to the catalog to find a book to fill me in on what's changed. Here are some of the more recent titles on competitive swimming:

Championship swimming : how to improve your technique and swim faster in thirty days or less, by Tracey McFarlane Mirande and Kathlene Bissell ; with photos by Ben Van Horn. Tracey McFarlane Mirande is a former world champion swimmer. Here she provides advice for beginners to advanced swimmers. See 797.21 M.

Swimming fastest, by Ernest W. Maglischo. This is the revised version of Swimming Even Faster, with everything from stroke basics to training strategies. Includes entire chapters on increasing propulsion and reducing resistance. Find it at q797.21 M, in the oversized 700s (after 799 but before 800).

Breakthrough swimming, by Cecil M. Colwin. In addition to stroke instruction, coach Colwin gives the history and development of swimming. Another oversized 700, q797.2109 C.

To inspire the kids (of all ages!), Greg Kehm's Olympic swimming and diving takes a look at swimming in the Olympics, from 1896 to 2004. Find it in the Children's Department at JUV 797.2 K.