WATERWORLD: Rebecca Gilman, 16, of Ventura swims...

WATERWORLD: Rebecca Gilman, 16, of Ventura swims six days a week as she trains for next spring’s Olympic trials. Gilman, the 1994 California Female Swimmer of the Year, has qualified in the 200-, 400- and 800-meter freestyle events. . . . “I can’t imagine what I’d do without swimming,” she says. “I never thought I would have gotten this far.”

GENERATIONS: When Total Woman spa recently publicized a 2-for-1 offer, it chose hard-core members Joan and Courtney Nigro of Silver Strand for its advertisements. The mother-daughter duo usually hit the gym five days a week for a minimum three-hour workout, says Joan Nigro, 41, who also enjoys water-skiing, roller-skating and bike riding. . . . Courtney says the rigorous exercise regimen has increased her endurance, especially in aerobics classes. “The classes have gotten a lot easier and you’re not as tired at the end,” the 19-year-old says.

KARATE KID: Erika Arciniega of Ventura is one tough 12-year-old. She recently brought home two first-place trophies from the International Karate Championship. Her four years of training have paid off in more than a brown belt. “It’s really helped me in school. I used to be really shy, but it’s helped with my self-confidence.” . . . Her instructor, fifth-degree black belt Barbara Hale, says Erika is so talented that she even helps teach the class of 4-, 5- and 6-year-old karate students.

DAS BOOT: After raising two children, Jacque Cunningham took up a new hobby: drag-boat racing. Often exceeding speeds of 150 m.p.h., the Simi Valley resident was chosen 1987 Driver of the Year by her peers in the International Hot Boat Assn., and this summer she was inducted into the Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame. “I don’t drink, smoke or do drugs. That’s my hobby and habit,” she says. . . . Surprisingly, the 61-year-old sportswoman says she’s not very buoyant. “I swim like a rock.”