Solar autonomous floating lamps for swimming pools in the shape of 'Jelly fishes'

These pool lamps in the shape of jelly fishes were designed by Goldesign. Here is a direct link to the product page: [Link]

What would be even cooler is if they could swim around. I found these originally at NotCot-dot-org.

SPMA LCM Regionals 2007 - part 1

trdn1 at YouTube posted this cool video of the 2007 SPMA LCM Regionals. I missed these races due to open water races and such. Next year I am so there.

SPMA LCM Regionals 2007 - part 2

Here is the second part.

Las Vegas Casino Swimming Pools

I won't give away which pools these are but this photo gallery at About.com has about 16 photos of Las Vegas casino pools. The one on top has an adjacent lap pool and I bet the pillars give it away. [Link]

How to reboot your lungs when nerves take away your breath

I still tend to lose my breath and my heart starts racing right before I get on the blocks. Well, according to those that study performances and such, the breathlessness and racing heartbeat is all about nerves. Duh!, right?

There is a operatic technique to 'reboot' your lungs when nervous. What a stupid thing to say but I found this blog post right up my alley. So, the swim meet ain't over till the skinny girl swims! [Link]

I originally found this post at Digg.com: [Link]

Photo from Roger Martin's photostream at Flickr.com. Direct link to the photo: [Link]

Metacafe is a video sharing site - look at the quality of this Phelp's video

Michael Phelps - The funniest videos clips are here

Here we have a video of Michael Phelps racing in the 200 'Fly form a few years ago. I am very impressed at the clarity the Metecafe videos have. They are much better than You Tube.

'The Telgraph' explores the dark arts of performance enhancing drugs

Amgen is a 'multi-kagillion-dollar' bio-tech company that shot to 'kagillion-dollar' proportions when it brought two historic drugs to market called Epogen and Neupogen. (EPO creates more oxygen carrying red blood cells versus Neupogen which creates white ones. Cheaters use EPO whereas cancer patients use both.)

Seventeen years ago Epogen use to be very expensive but it is a lot less now since its patent expired. Hence, Amgen had to remedy that price point problem by creating a new and improved Epogen which is called Aranesp or Darbepoietin. These are the drugs discussed in The Telegraph articles

The Telegraph has been posting some very informative articles on sports doping. What I was happy to hear is that swimming is not considered to the major doping problem it once was during the cold war with East Germany and later during the 1990' with the Chinese. (Of course the USA had dopers too.)

This snippet from The Telegraph Mumbai:

"... Q: Which are the main sports where drug-taking is rife?

The sports which appear most associated (and stigmatised) by drugs are weightlifting, cycling, pro-football, pro-baseball, athletics and to a lesser extent these days, swimming. What are the new designer drugs coming into vogue?

I don’t see a day when drugs in sport will ever be beaten. Soon, the cheats will have moved on to genetic doping methods. Gene doping offers a permanent fix and will be largely undetectable. An interesting dilemma will confront sport soon: a pain vaccine is at the clinical trial stage and, as sure as eggs, every man and his dog will want this stuff because it will avoid what every athlete fears — the dreaded ‘pain barrier’. ..." [Link]

The concept of 'gene doping' sounds very fascinating to me for is it really doping? Imagine that you have asthma or brachycardia, perhaps an inefficient metabolic rate that makes you prone to obesity, why not correct it permanently and have a higher quality of life? Is that doping if it makes you swim faster?

Per this snippet from The Daily Telegraph Australia, the designer drugs athletes are taking now are:

"...They were Oxyglobin, Erythropoietin (EPO) and Darbepoietin. The controversial gene therapy drug Repoxygen was not among the drugs offered. But leading Australian researcher Robin Parisotto claims the powerful oxygen-boosting drug Repoxygen is available to rogue athletes.

The Canadian firm's representative recommended that I buy Darbepoietin. The reason, I was told, is that a test already exists for EPO - for human athletes and horses.

But a test has existed for Darbepoietin use by humans since 2002. Furthermore, a test now exists for horses too.

Darbepoietin is basically a super form of EPO that preceded Repoxygen's arrival on the doping scene as detailed in The Daily Telegraph yesterday. ..." [Link]

The photo to the right comes from penston's photostream at flickr.com. It is entitled Aranesp. Here is a link to the actual photo. [Link]

Look who coaches for SCAQ

Clay Evans sent me this:

How Badly Did Your Swimming SUCK This Summer?

Bad? Then you need to SWIM! Start off by joining us in a swim workout/clinic 101 this Sunday 8 AM at LMU, 11 AM at VNSO [Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Pool] or Monday nite at Westwood 7 PM or at the Culver City Plunge at 6:30 PM. You need to RSVP by midnight tomorrow for this Sunday. We do them every Sunday so you can go next week, BUT WHY WAIT?

Pardon my language in the subject line, but seriously, do you think you will get better if you do not swim this fall? Winter? This email is going to our massive list of swimmers and triathletes who have not joined SCAQ (some members are getting it) and we want to give you a chance to really get to know the sport of swimming and be proficient at it.

I am going to brag about SCAQ in this email. I think we have a right to brag. We have just about the best seven pools in LA County and certainly the best coaches. Unfortunately there are many "certified" coaches out there that have done a couple of triathlons, but have never swam on a college team, competed many years in USMS swimming or have never even competed in a sanctioned swim meet . Our coaches have and they truly know the sport of swimming. You cannot get good at swimming by wishing it, watching tech videos and then start up again in Spring. Sorry, you are new and you need to get into the water as much as possible. And why not? Swimming is after all the very best exercise and so you learn and get in shape.

Swimming is very technical and you can only scratch the surface in first year. It takes time and effort and that is why SCAQ has grown into the most successful adult swim program in history, anywhere. Our success is because we coach fun but serious workouts run by some of the following great coaches. And, you will be swimming with the best group of adult swimmers on this planet. Just take a look at some of the fresh faces in the last year on our coaching staff. What a group! When you come in to swim they do not need to make up a bunch of sill things to tell you, they know exactly, in just a few strokes what are your technical issues and what you need to work on.

Tim Murphy grew up swimming for the famous Cincinnati Marlins Team where he was a Jr. National qualifier , a YMCA Nat. finalist, high school All-American and competed for the NCAA div II dynasty Kenyon College where he was All-Conference.

Sangeeta Puri returns to us after her stint in law school. Her international swimming career culminated in the 1996 Olympic Games . She is a Princeton Alumni.

Rada Owen was a 17 time All American at Auburn University and also competed for the USA in many international competitions, including the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.

Jon Albrecht was a 2005-2006 co-captain of the men's swim team at University of North Carolina, where he was one of their top backstokers.

Jon Carroll swam University of Pennsilvania before migrating to California he is currently the Head Coach for Team Santa Monica. John is currently the Age Group Rep. of the Pacific Section.

Erin Robertson swam extensive team swimming before concentrating on water polo at CSUN , she is also coaching at Team Santa Monica.

Eric Tomalchoff swam for USC from 1999-2003. He competed in the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Trials and recently qualified for the 2008 Trials ! Go Eric.

SAMPLE OF OUR WORKOUT:

Focus of this example workout:

1) Start off getting to know your own times. Our simpler workout strategy is designed to provide YOU with more COACHING. Our coaches keep track of varying abilities, get times and help set goals in a workout.

2) The set is broken up in different increments, which keeps the "carrot" dangling within reach of the swimmers. This way, you are always encouraged to work a step harder than you thought you could.

MAIN SET: After a good, solid warm up of of 1,000:

ROUND 1 - 3x100's - descend so that each 100 gets faster with an interval that will give you 10-20 seconds rest. Pacing, via descending is critical to good workouts. Then two easy 50s for the fastest guys, one for the middle lanes and none for the beginners so that you can all start the next round at once.

ROUND 2 - 3 x 100's - on the very best interval possible. Less than 5 seconds rest on each repetition. Couple easy 50s between rounds.

ROUND 3 - 7x100's - the first and last are on interval above or even faster than the middle five 100's are. on that interval above but an additional 5 seconds rest per repetition. Easy couple 50s. Slower groups go 6 x 100s and 5 x 100 respectfully with the same theme. Comments: "This is like doing an ocean swim-- going hard to the first buoy and then finishing hard at the last buoy. "

ROUND 4 - 3x100's - 1 and 3 fast, # 2 is easy plus 10 seconds rest. This set should be all lanes starting at same time and all lanes hearing PEP talk from the coach!

100 easy for fast guys, 50 for medium and rest for slow lanes so that next round 5 can also go as one group.

ROUND 5 3x100's 1 and 3 easy, # 2 is the GREATEST of all 100s! Then 100 easy for fast guys, 50 for medium and rest for slow lanes so that the last and final round can also go as one huge group...

ROUND 6 100 ALL OUT!!

See you swimming, Clay

SCAQ website: [Link]

A fun 'Speedo' commercial

That killer whale pup is hot! ;-)

Faucet water drips inspire light fixtures

If it is aquatics or water related and I think it's cool, I post it. In this case it is water inspired and I think it's so boss that I am posting it. These faucet driven lamp fixtures were designed by Rafael Morgan, and industrial designer from Brazil. Found at Mocoloco-dot-com, here is an interview: [Link]

Cullen Jones in 'USA Today' and other notable newspapers as well

The photo above was taken by Chris Faytok/The Star-Ledger. You can watch a video of him here if you register. Scroll to the second paragraph down: [Link]

"Swimming Champ comes home to New Jersey": The Star Ledger [Link]
"Record-breaking black swimmer hopes to close 'swimming gap'": USA Today [Link]
"Jones promotes program to fund swimming lesson": The Seattle Times [Link]

Innovative Body Solutions has a page with stretch exercises and videos of Dara Torres

I got a comment on my ABC NEWS video-profile of Dara Torres from someone posting anonymously. They enclosed a suspicious link but upon investigation it appears to be a pretty decent site. I had noted that Dara Torres looked amazingly flexible and the poster commented that it was all about Innovative Body Solutions.

I went to the site and I found some pretty useful information in the About US section. There they have photo illustrations and several paragraphs of a couple of important stretches as to how they are done safely and correctly. See the picture to the right. More stretches here [Link]

Here is a 'Dara centric page' in the About Us section with links to videos and audio reports of her swimming and stretching as well. [Link]

ABC News Profile of Dara Torres

Dara Torres profiled here with some meet videos and underwater stuff as well. Her freestyle technique is very graceful to watch and she has a great pull. To my eye she has both the flexibility and reaction time of an 18-year-old which adds even more equity to her swims.

I gotta start doing yoga. I am about as flexible as welded rebar submerged in a slab of concrete. That is going to change.

If she makes the Olympic team, which looks pretty promising, Dara will be the media focal point of the womens team.

Mark Moore will coach the USMS World Championship Team

From Lane 9 News: "...MARK Moore, the head coach of the Mission Viejo Nadadores, has been named the head coach of the United States Masters Swimming (USMS) team headed to Perth, Australia for the FINA World Masters Championships next April. ..."

I see Mark Moore at every meet I swim at. He is a very friendly and helpful coach and the USMS will be well represented: [Link]

Dara Torres at Monaco in the 50m free.

"Where the hell is Matt?" - He was in Santa Monica today

I met Matt Harding of "Where-the-Hell-is-Matt-dot-com"along with 100 other fans. Today at sunset we all danced with him for his next internet video. The one above has garnered over 8-million views just at You Tube. I think cumulatively he has had over 20-million views or more.

He was a sublime gentleman posing for pictures, even taking time to dance with a disable individual in a wheelchair. Classy guy.

Swimming to the moon!

I lived on the Moon
Uploaded by y_puig

This music video is called "I lived on the Moon" by Kwoon; a French 'emo' band. I love the jelly fish, the ocean waves and the manta ray. Also the despicable gnomes in the boat got what they deserved. They must be the Tavelocity employees. ;-)

More photos of the giant mannequin swimming through grass

The top two photos come from SouthbankSteve's photostream at Flickr.com. Here is a link to one I didn't include: [Link]

I found a link to the bottom photos and a You Tube video setting up the giant swimmer near what appears to be the London Bride. Here is a link to the London community blog that posted them: [Link]

Floyd Landis: Le Tour de France loser!

Due process of law has run its course and Floyd Landis has been stripped of his Le Tour de France title. I know this is not an aquatics related item and I really do hate posting doping stories but I am posting it as a reminder about how rampant sports doping is.

Not only does doping rob the moment and the glory of honest athletes, but destroys a sport all together. I cannot watch cycling now and I won't till it is cleaned up. The last Le Tour was either a laughing stock or an Amgen commercial, I can't figure it out.

Hopefully this does not happen to swimming and there is a potential that it could for I saw two three doping stories all ready this month. WADA has to be supported.

Here is my favorite Dick Pound quote. He was chairman of WADA and he is stepping down, "...Pound pointed out that Pete Rose was kept out of the Baseball Hall of Fame for betting on games and insists that it should be the same thing with drugs. "

Floyd, you are a dope and a loser. How dare you wear anything yellow from here on out. [Link]

Since March, Kate Zeigler, has been the most searched for swimmer on this blog with 1,863 searches but globally it's all about Amanda Beard!

The next swimmer is Amanda Beard followed by Katie Hoff. I then went to Google Trends to see who are the most searched for swimmers globally in 2007 and there were some surprises. Ian Thorpe is more popular than Michael Phelps searches but Amanda Beard is the top search of all with Laure Manaudou a possible second. Laure and Amanda do not make 30-million-a-year like Michael Phelps is rumored to make.

This surprises me greatly. It means that female swimmers are in more demand than their male counterparts but yet the male swimmers seemingly have the biggest contracts. Madison Avenue is usually is quite amoral about the sexes preferring to go with the "unit" that has the most "constituents." In this case it appears to be female swimmers yet Amanda Beard does not make nearly as much as Michael Phelps and Laure Manadou probably makes only 10% of what Phelps makes.

Amanda Beard and Laure Manaudou are being poorly represented in the marketplace. I recommend that they switch to more Hollywood driven representation. These girls should should be selling perfume and high end clothing rather than Red Bull for Beard and Lancel hand bags if you're Manaudou. But what do I know? I was told I was "F-ing clueless" by an Amanda Beard fan with a USC ip address. [Link]

P.S. Come to think of it, when it comes to swimming, I'm told I'm "F-ing clueless" a lot!" 0_o

Giant mannequin swimming through grass to promote TV show!

This is a promotion for a Discovery Channel program in the UK called "London Ink." According to Spluch:

"... A large statue of a man swimming through the grass on the South Bank of the River Thames is unveiled, Tuesday Sept. 18, 2007. The fixture, near Tower Bridge, shown in the background, was commissioned by TV channel The Discovery Channel to promote its newest reality show, 'London Ink'. ..."

If you are going to go to the expense of making a swimming behemoth, at least get his reach right. Look how short it is. The artist was obviously not a swimmer.

I found this link at Not.cot

50 distinct components of a powerful start!

I have an exceptional reaction time but it stops there. My starts are sadly anemic and I need some practice. So, I went trolling for a web page that could make my starts at the Olympic level in just three easy steps. Though I didn't find that, I did find this and I am very interested: [Link]

Here are just a few that interest me:

Power Secret 1: One of the secrets to a powerful racing start is to have a straight back, head already up and in-line with the spine, with the eyes looking up at the goal: the backstroke flags.

Power Secret 7: The power of the start comes from gravity. Gravity and a proper launch will generate velocity in the start of as much as four to six meters per second, two-to-four times faster than the velocity while in the water. So why would you be in such a hurry to get into the water?

Power Secret 7:: It's a good idea to practice at least three times immediately before each start, getting into the starting stance and bringing the arms up to the streamline position while leaping up. It may also psyche-out the competitor next to you, seeing that you are taking your start so seriously. But the real reason is the advantage of getting your muscles stretched and ready to perform by programming the muscle memory response that you expect.

The photo above was taken from legothenego's photostream at Flickr.com. Here is a direct link to the photo: [Link]

"There are no regulation dimensions for water polo pools according to FINA" - So says GW University

According to the GW Hatchet, a student newspaper for George Washington University:

"...There are no regulation dimensions for water polo pools according to FINA, the international governing body for aquatic sports, but most NCAA pools are 30 by 20 meters and sufficiently deep to prevent standing. The pool under in Smith Center is only 25 yards, or 22.86 meters, across and only 4.5-feet deep in the shallow end. ..." [Link]

Who is the genius that thought those dimensions up?

Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre opened

It's not the Munich Pool but is very nice. Here is a direct link to the City of Sydney pool page which has more pictures and even an animation: [Link]

From Pando.com

Swimming has gained another world class facility in Sydney with the City of Sydney council officially opening the Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre this week. The Centre, which is the last public building designed by the world renowned architect Harry Seidler, includes an Olympic-size heated pool, leisure pool, program pool, spa, sauna and steam room, café and fitness centre. [Link]

From News.com.au:

"Apologies I can't be there on this exciting day, but I look forward to visiting the pool on my return from the USA," the five-times Olympic champion said." (It means he is in West L.A. hanging in The 17th Man's neck of the woods.) [Link]

My review Cirque Du Soleil's "O"

Update: Scott has this to add and it makes a great preface: "The Cirque du Soleil was started by a troupe of Montreal street performers on the premise humans were by far the most amazing animals of all so why have animal acts. There are several made-for-tv documentaries about the organization and the production of their acts. Absolutely fascinating to watch them start with a concept and then in a couple of years end up with a show. Their performers are recruited from all over the world and necessarily are tremendous athletes, but the skills which go into designing and building the set for functionality, safety, and theatrics combined; the creation of spectacular costumes which need to be flexible enough for the artists to perform but durable enough not to fall apart in a week; and the development of the routines to fit within the chosen theme are just as special and rare as the performers unique skills. When you watch it all come together you actually feel proud just to be a human being."

Last Saturday evening I saw 'O' at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. I mention the Bellagio and Las Vegas in the same breath not for effect but rather to reference that Cirque du Soleil is permanently installed there and can be seen nowhere else. Hence, my trip to 'sin city' or to the alternate Disneyland universe.

By the way, the average tourist in Vegas does not dress up like James Bond or George Clooney; instead they look like a Costco shopper wearing the usual baseball cap, shorts, and tees; polos if they are trying to fake it. The people that did dress up were a welcome treat to the eyes. There is nothing like watching an elegantly dressed, mademoiselle; (In this case she was Asian), placing a $100 worth of chips all across a roulette table with no fear or anxiety whatsoever versus an overweight gentleman wearing a "Women love me, but fish fear me" tee-shirt.

My expectations were high for I paid a lot to see 'O' which included travel, lodging and rent-a-car expenses but those expectations were very much exceeded and I have no regrets whatsoever about how much money it cost. What justified that expense were the following qualities: I was amazed at the athleticism which to me was at the Olympic level. The artistic presentation which includes costume design, art direction etc was spectacular. The vocals and the music were so harmoniously aligned that it resonated with emotion. Not only was I entertained but I was inspired as well. We now live in an artistic period where art rarely inspires but rather just tickles or shocks the eye. Cirque Du Soleil's "O" surpassed that.

These are some 'O' components and aquatic disciplines: The stage itself is an amazing work of engineering and presentation which has the feel of a classic opera house. My "carpenter's eye" estimates that the stage is at least 60-feet-high and complimented above with a domed ceiling painted in a teal hue. From this ceiling an occasional actor or acrobat/athlete descends through a chrome, circular, 'chandelier.' Some of the talent dives from this height and it looks thrilling to say the least

The stage is shrouded in a very opaque, warm-red, curtain which is made of a very light fabric. This fabric is important since it plays a part in the staging of the opening and closing effects. I am thinking silk or or possibly a parachute-like material and it is quite dynamic. Literally!

To protect the musicians' instruments and electronics from the mist, smoke, and humidity, the musicians perform in a glassed off enclosure on the second floor of the theater to protect these instruments and such from potential water damage. The technical directors are located on the second floor as well but on the opposite side.

Other trivia that I learned from Wikipedia is that the stage is kept rather hot but the audience is kept rater cool. Las Vegas.com stated the water temp of the pool is 88 degrees. I suspect that this is to keep the athletes/performers protected from muscle cramps or stiffness. The pool itself contains 1.5-million-gallons which is an awesome feat for indoor pool upon a stage and it too is abrillant work of engineering. [Link]

The stage itself is sometimes a swimming pool and other times a flat, dry, stage. At different moments in the performance they combine the two states giving the illusion that performers are walking on water. The engineering and the timing of where and when the stage is positioned is extraordinarily important for safety and performance sake hence the technical direction has to b as good and as seamless as the play itself.

Often when dives are completed or routines are completed the performers disappear into the water and don't surface. Instead they are met by divers who assist them with oxygen in case they need it as they swim back stage. According to Wikipedia, every performer has to be dive certified. [Link]

The opening act was a synchronized swim with performers capable of holding their breaths for a very long time. From Wikipedia: Choreographed by Debra Brown and Olympic gold-medalist Sylvie Fréchette, the synchronized swimming team is made up of 17 world-class swimmers. [Link]

The most spectacular dives are produced by an apparatus called a Russian swing whereas divers are launched 30 feet into the air to begin their dives or at one point in the performance back and forth across the 100-foot-or-so stage in comical poses. One guy did a rapid 'fly kick with his arms at his sides and looked like a salmon swimming over a waterfall. Another diver posed sailing through the air as if he were laying down on a couch watching TV. It was both funny and fearless at the same time.

There were some routines with fire that were both stressful to watch and summarily amazing.

The clowns were wonderful too, great dancers who had great comedic timing.

When I use to go to the 3-ring circus as a kid, I would see acts setting up while the main act was performing. With 'O' that never happened, I would be transfixed on a dancer or fire act and suddenly there was a 25-foot-long boat floating in the air. "Whoa, how did that get there!" That happened to me me all the time during the performance. Link to the 'O' Website: [Link]

Next year they have a short course yards meet in Las Vegas, I may do it as an excuse to go see 'O' again. I may also see another water related circus by the creator of 'O' called Le Rêve at the Mirage. I am researching it now. Wikipedia: [Link] Le Rêve lame website: [Link]

I am going to see Cirque Du Soleil's "O"

I am going to Las Vegas for 26 hours just to see this show. I am missing a workout for this and I haven't been in the water in 5 days. I hope I like it.

If you didn't know, this circus takes place on a stage made of water. It has diving, synchronized swimming, trapeze etc. I will review it when I get back. Hope it's worth the cost too.

When Italian fascism went swimming!

This pool is part of a sports complex once known as the Forum of Mussolini but now named the Foro Italico. It is located in northern Rome and per its Wikipedia entry was constructed in 1928 as ordered by the fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini. (AKA: il Duce, baby!)

According to the blog, "eternally-cool-dot-net":

The Forum [of Mussolini] was intended to celebrate sport and strenuous physical exercise. Fascist leaders like to picture their regime as a youthful one. After all, the fascist humn was “Giovinezza” (”Youth”), and not only Mussolini but a number of party leaders often had themselves photographed in various sporting poses. Some leaped over drawn bayonets or through burning hoops to demonstrate their physical fitness and personal courage. “Physical culture,” as the Fascists like to call it, was an important aspect of the regime’s ideology. ..." [Link]


You can tell these individuals featured in the mosaics are good swimmers; Is that Ian Thorpe on the right? ;-)

I originally found this entry at Notcot.org

What does it cost to build an Olympic sized pool?

Ultra fast answer is: $250-a-square foot or will cost you just a fraction over $1-million dollars for the pool and the infrastructure to filter and heat it.

Here is a link to a PDF regarding pool size and pricing produced by the Aquatic Design Group, the builders of the pool above. Click on their portfolio, some of the pools therin are ultra-yummy: March 2005 - "Size Wise," Athletic Business Magazine

I think the UK should take note. They should realize that maintaining a LCM pool is never going to be about making money but rather providing a service to your citizens. However, a SCM pool on the other hand can be profitable almost at once for a pool that size takes up less than half the material and social resources to maintain. The only excuse the UK has for a lack of pools is the public will. Hence, you will see people flocking to the US for both coaching and infrastructure since only the USA and Australia seem to care.

Photo essay of the Water Cube

A photo essay from China Daily: [Link]

Why swimming in the United Kingdom is so anemic

In an article written by Joanna Coles for the New Statesman; a notable paper in the UK, Coles makes quite a provocative statement as to why the USA is so dominant in swimming. Coles gets a bit hyperbolic about kids swimming 'fly before they master reading but she includes this surprising statistic. From the second paragraph down:

"...Then there are the facilities, something one takes for granted here until you remember that the UK has only about 20 Olympic-sized pools for the whole country." [Link]

I can name four LCM pools alone that SCAQ swims in and this does not include the one in Santa Clarita, the Belmont Plaza, those two pools in Misssion Viejo, then there is UCLA, and, and, and... Poor UK!

I touched on this in an earlier post last April: [Link]

Roland Schoeman's nationality is "swimmer"

Roland Schoeman's nationality is "swimmer" for his "swimsuit" acknowledges no border when it comes to the art of sprinting.

His passport may say South Africa but his swimsuit says the University of Arizona, and speaking of Arizona, he also got a communications degree there too.

South Africa does not like that; they want him to train solely in SA. In fact, they have given this guy so much grief for training in America that I have sometimes wondered if he would eventually file for citizenship elsewhere just to end all the insults and the political nonsense he has to go through.

Governments are not obsolete but borders are blurring. South Africa should be content that he is an acknowledged South African and let him sort out which country can deliver the best resources needed for his craft.

Are the Olympics about the individual or are they morphing into which regime produces both the strongest and best looking athletes? I think it has become the latter for South Africa and that is so 20th century.

Lane 9 News has an article of just some of the stupidity and name calling that Schoeman has had to deal with" [Link]

Photo comes from umifoto's photostream at flickr.com. Here is a direct link to the photo: [Link]

This guy did a 5k open water race swimming the whole thing butterfly

I hear if he dies and goes to hell, Satan is going to make him a swim coach for lost souls such as Clay Evans, Dan Leonard and myself. Snippet:

"... You will enjoy swimming butterfly because you will be swimming it longer, stronger and faster. Get used to heading down to your favorite beach and swimming nothing but butterfly for at least an hour. I often swim more than 90 minutes at a time when training for Big Shoulders [race]. Lastly, leave the wetsuit at home!"

I would like to say that the above was the devil talking but it is Daniel Projansky the swimmer in question. [Link]

The 'Last Playa Del Run' was held Saturday at Zuma

UPDATE: Dan Leonard was out of the water before I was but the results don't reflect that. The results can be found here: [Link]

The last Playa Del Run aquathon of the season was on Saturday and I have to say each one gets better and better. I have been doing these for 3 years and I endorse this race for those wanting to either experiment with or prep for an open water race. The Playa... races allow you to choose your race: you can either do the aquathon; (both the swim and the run), or you can choose a solo event to do instead.

For instance, Dan Leonard took to the beach for a fun "1000 meter" swim; (read as 800 yards), sans a wetsuit and a 3-mile run whereas wussy me went for just the swim while wearing a wetsuit.

I am beginning to really hate my suit. It slowed my stroke turn-over due to the lack of flexibility under the arms. Consequently I am really considering an sleeveless wetsuit next time but how will my arms feel in 57 degree Alcatraz water? maybe I should rent one in the winter?

Dan apparently came out out the water in or around 11th place out of 150 of us and I think I came out in 30th.

The water was nice, and the visibility was amazing. I love Zuma in September. 50 foot underwater visibility is not unheard of.

WCSN has been very good to swimming and swimmers at large

WCSN has cut a deal with FOX Sports to provide content for them through MSN. Business Wire [Link], Lane 9 News [Link]

Unlike the Wasserman Media Group that wants to tie up the video rights to such swim events as the ConocoPhillips 2007 Swim Nationals even going as far as sending out copyright notices to You Tube and Google to pull down fan videos from the stands, WCSN has been a very charitable neighbor posting swim videos as soon as 24-48 hours after a competition. This cable network along with Rowdy Gaines have done more for swimming than any for profit organization I know.

Here is a link to a about 100-million cubic feet of water and some great races swam therein. All posted by WCSN. I want this cable station; I may even get satellite dish to get it. [Link]

Water and bubbles floating in zero gravity

This may be one of my more wildly Zen postings I have ever made but these water spheres and bubbles floating in zero gravity are extremely 'neato'.

When they put the air bubble within the water sphere and then a droplet of water within that, It was like looking at micro model of the big bang.

Then there is the Alka-Seltzer tablet being inserted into a sphere of water that was like watching millions of bubbles fighting for supremacy till there were only two left.

Fun video that I ran into at Digg.com

Great angle of Anthony Ervin swimming a 19.98 in the 50scy free

From Wikipedia:

Anthony Lee Ervin (born May 26, 1981 in Burbank California is an American swimmer who tied Gary Hall Jr. for the gold medal in the Men’s 50m Freestyle at the 2000 Summer Olympics. He also won a silver medal on the Men’s 4x100m freestyle relay team behind Australia at the Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

Loving that catch and how symmetrical his stroke is. This You Tube video was shot by NEShortYards2007, filmed at the 2007 New England Masters Short Course Yards Championship at Blodgett Pool, Harvard University.

It appears that Harvard, a private university, has no problems with sharing great swims within their pool. (Thank you very much)

UPDATE: This You Tube link shows Anthony swimming a 50 LCM filmed completely underwater. The very last race has the best angle. He is the swimmer in the middle lane of three. [Link]

100m free races with Ian Thorpe, Jason Lezak and other superstars filmed completely under water

100 meter free races with Ian Thorpe, Jason Lezak and other superstars filmed completely underwater. In very race, every swimmer is looking up. Also, I am not seeing any "S" curve in their stroke pulls.

I can't embed this video since the user is insisting that you ask them first but here is a link directly to their YouTube video page: [Link]

Is a swimming pool or a football stadium a public place?

On September 6th of last year, the NFL decided that it owned all the filming rights to a football game from grass to stands. This pissed of a guy named David Rehr, the head of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) since local broadcast stations would put their talking heads on the sidelines and film some of the plays for production value. The NFL rule changed all of that meaning broadcasters had to pay the NFL 'mad bank' to show a play.

So the NAB said, "We will so take you to court over this." This was was one of the arguments they were going to go with:

"... Many NFL stadiums are taxpayer funded, the ban may run afoul of laws requiring reasonable and equal access at otherwise public forums.”

This was the point of view of The Progress and Freedom Foundation Blog:

"... Let’s unpack that argument a bit and do it in reverse order. First, is an NFL stadium a “public forum” [Or is a swimming pool?], as the broadcasters suggest? If so, then the NAB certainly has a strong case because our legal system provides clear First Amendment protections for individuals who want to speak in, or report from, areas that are considered public forums, such as public parks, town squares, and government buildings. [Link]

They went on to say that this particular argument was anemic since the NFL stadiums were generally not public places. However, in my opinion some local pools or aquatics centers are. Hence, cameras summarily could and should be allowed when the location was created entirely of public funds. Caveat though , if a college built a stadium or a pool, the venue is considered private property and rights can be sold.

Here is a list of sixty-two video sharing sites!

UPDATE: Bad Link has been fixed!

Above is the greatest swim fan video of all time. I believe it may be the only film of Kate Ziegler breaking Janet Evans' 19-year-old world record at a TYR Swim Meet of Champions in Mission Viejo.

If you have a swim video that you would like to upload, of course there is YouTube, Daily Motion, Google, and my favorite, BrightCove, but these sites frequently receive take down notices despite the fact that the person or persons claiming copyright infringement do not have the right to do so.

If this sort of nonsense ever happens to you, here is a list of sixty-two video sharing sites that will host your swimming videos. [Link]

I am looking into fair use laws regarding the filming of games or events of any sort. It is hard for me to believe that the NFL or MLB would take someone to court for bringing a camera to a ballgame and filming a minute or two.

Study: Arrhythmia riskier in athletes

Irregular heartbeats suck and if you are an athlete they are much more serious. They can fix "A-fib hearts through a procedure called ablation. now if you happen to be "A-fib" or suffer "intermittent A-fib" please follow a doctor's advice.

Note this Italian study:

"... Since 1981, Italian authorities have run heart checks on all competing athletes. The incidence of sudden, fatal heart attacks has dropped from four cases per 100,000 to 0.4 cases per 100,000.

Without testing, athletes genetically predisposed to having an irregular heartbeat might not be aware of their condition until it's too late, doctors said. Adrenaline produced during exercise may overstimulate the heart, causing it to essentially short-circuit.

"Sport acts as a trigger," Corrado said in research presented at the meeting. ..." [Link]

The scary photo came form more research I did on the potential for sudden death during sports. If you are an athlete, or going to become one, it is very important to get an EKG: [Link]

I have posted this before of Popov but this is a much cleaner version

Alexander Popov - Free Phases
Uploaded by Quiche

Now I know I we have made it! Swimming World link to us.

I am sublimely flattered; Swimming World linked to us regarding my questioning of the transparency of the WMG/USA Swimming marketing deal.

All WMG/USA Swimming press releases have been murky and full of marketing-speak. More summarily state that commercial interests will be created and placed along side USA Swimming's interests. These are WMG's words in a press release quoting another NGB partner:

“...This approach is a response to the ever changing marketplace of sports today. WMG’s technology, market savvy, and capital investment will help us build something new and provide a comprehensive platform to members, fans, and corporate partners. This combined effort will allow us to create resources that promote our brands, programs, athletes, and events, and serve the passions of those who care about these sports on a daily basis,” said Steve Penny, President, USA Gymnastics..."

This whole thing started when I couldn't post some You Tube and Google videos of various swims at 2007 US Nationals which were shot by fans in the stands. It stated that WMG had them removed since they owned the rights. I got pissed off and couldn't grasp how WMG could own the rights since they didn't even sponsor the meet. This led me to believe that WMG was given the rights by USA Swimming but how is USA Swimming allowed to profit from these rights since they are a non-profit?

FROM LANE 9 NEWS:

"In the coming months we will be launching a new commercially-oriented web site that will be designed to better market and promote our sport. This is going to be a very exciting development for swimming and this new site will hopefully create an extremely active 'social community' for not only our members, but for anyone interested in learning more about all aspects of swimming." [Link]

NBC Sports has a trailer for the 2008 Beijing Olympics featuring Michael Phelps

The trailer is titled: XXIX Olympic Games: Swim sensation Michael Phelps leads Team USA into China. [Link]