TYR gets FINA approval for two types of speedsuits: "The Tracer Light" and the "Tracer Rise"

I saw this first at Lane 9 News which is ironic since you would think that TYR would have it right there on their splash page. Instead they have it as a small text link towards the bottom of the page. [Link]

Snippet: "... TYR announces the approval by FINA (Federation Internationale de Natation), the international swimming governing body, of its newest version of the Tracer™ technology, Tracer Rise. Tracer technology significantly advances the boundaries of what an elite swimsuit can do for the performance of an athlete. ..."

At the TYR website; where I yanked the above photo from, there are no tracer items for sale but since I wanted to add equity to this post, I did find a store that may have accidentally put a TYR Tracer Splice Tri Suit up for sale a bit too early. The picture does not say much but the paragraph explaining it does.

Here is ibikedoyou2.com had to say about the technology:

TYR Tracer Splice Tri Suit with Teflon coating throughout the fabric and stitching makes the suit hydrophobic and fast through the water.

• Teflon coating throughout the fabric and stitching makes the suit hydrophobic and fast through the water

• Tracer muscle compression technology reduces muscle undulation and focuses on the directional movement of t he engaged muscle groups

• Strong and low profile 4-Way stretch flat-lock stitching

• ITU legal back zip Color: Black/RedFit:

• Men'sSleeve Style: Sleeveless

They are racing in the Beijing "Water Cube" right now!

I believe Britta Steffan and the German team is there as well. Here is the results page, nothing has been posted yet though: [Link]

These are the events:

Freestyle: 50m men and Women, 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m (women only) and 1,500m (men only) Backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly: 100 and 200m Individual medley: 200 and 400m Relays: 4×100m, 4×200m and 4×100 medley

Info about this meet was discovered at About.com. Here is the original Matt Luebbers article: [Link]

He's 13, only been swimming five years, and he might make it to Beijing!

Here is Australia's best young swimming prospect. From The Australian: "... AUSTRALIA is set to adopt another Kiwi-born potential sporting star. Thirteen-year-old Te Haumi Maxwell, born in New Zealand but raised in Australia, is being hailed as the best male swimming prospect since Ian Thorpe. He won five gold medals and a bronze at the NSW state age championships in Sydney last week, clocking times that make him the fastest in the world for his age. ..."

Analogies to Michael Phlps and Ian Thorpe are explored. [Link]

4,000 to 6,000 metric tons of sunscreen wash off swimmers annually in oceans worldwide and it could be killing coral

National Geographic is a credible source and this is what they had to say: "... The chemicals; [in sunscreen], cause the viruses to replicate until their algae hosts explode, spilling viruses into the surrounding seawater, where they can infect neighboring coral communities.

Zooxanthellae provide coral with food energy through photosynthesis and contribute to the organisms' vibrant color. Without them, the coral "bleaches"—turns white—and dies. ..." [Link]

I suspect that this is something Hawaii, Australia, and the south pacific should take quite seriously; I trust it doesn't apply the northern Pacific

Peter Travis, 80 - Invented the Speedo in 1961

Peter Travis, Order of Australia Member, and a snappy dresser told this to the The Sydney Morning Herald: "... A Manly boy, Peter Travis was working for Speedo Holdings in 1960 when his boss asked him to re-create the overseas fashion of shorts in Hawaiian motif. "My reply was: 'The whole world will have that. I will start with a costume you will swim in,"' Travis, 80, says. ..." [Link]

That is the best way to design; function first, then form! Today's technology becomes tomorrows art.

The Next "FINA 10km Marathon World Cup Series" race will be held in Sante Fe Argentina

The Sante Fe, Argentina race will be held on February 3rd and the winner takes home $300. Swimmers are definitely doing it for the love here.

Natalie Coughlin cross trains with open water workouts and body surfing!

The opening line of Nicole Jeffrey's column for The Australian rules: "... Each morning this week Coughlin has given an unintentional master-class on bodysurfing at Sydney's Cronulla Beach as part of her training regime for the Olympic Games."

It's a good profile piece on her training and her attitude going into the 2008 Beijing Olympics: [Link]

Close up on the 'TYR Tracer Light' material

I found this on the TYR page with the results of their sponsored swimmers at the the 2008 Toyota Grand Prix of Swimming: [Link]

More photos of the completed "Water Cube"

Also there is a graphic diagram explaining all of the minutia of the venue [Link]

Girls behaving badly: FINA 10K Marathon World Cup

I was going to wait for permission before I made this blog post but screw it, I'm impetuous.

It appears the girls are still beating each other up in the open water events whereas the men are being summarily polite. I discussed this with two time Olympian, Clay Evans as to why the men are so polite and he said every man out there has played water polo and knows it would be mutually assured drowning if they struck another competitor.

I heard from a very solid source that Edith Van Dijk got her goggles intentionally torn off her face by a southern European competitor. She was in 4th or 5th place at the time but stayed the course with a 11 place finish. Having accomplished that, this blog has to like her now.

Last year at 2007 FINA World Championships we heard lots of stories of femme violence and I don't know what to think of it. A post I made last year: What Happens Under The Water Stays Under the Water talked about some of the dirty tricks the ladies pulled on each other. [Link]

UPDATE: I also want to add that with the upcoming 2008 FINA Championship in Sevilla, Spain; a race where the top ten men and women will get an automatic Olympic berth, I was told some girls are trying to establish a "water-polo-player-like" reputation so they can swim in "cleaner" water.

One girl in particular got her fanny handed to her when the pack turned upon her after she displayed some aggressive behavior. Consequently there is some sort of game theory equation here and I think it goes like this: collectively bully the strongest but pick your battles carefully.

I think the photo to the right is Edith Van Dijk. Ooops, My bad! Here is a photo of Edith I yanked across the network from a news article at Radio-Canada.ca: [Link]

Sublime observation by "Uinnista" last month: "The difference between a champion and a newbie"

Difference between a champion and newbie [Link] - Photo by Lanieraquatics

Hey WADA, put this gene therapy on your radar: Gene therapy to stop pain signals before they reach the brain.

Gene doping will be undetectable by standard anti-doping tests unless a marker is built in.

Here is a Technology Review writeup on a gene therapy that modifies or erases pain with a genetically modified virus injected into your cerebral spinal fluid. I suspect these types of therapies could be on a cheater's radar so I think they should be on WADA's radar too.

Snippet: "...Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine injected a virus carrying the gene for an endogenous opioid--a chemical naturally produced by the body that has the same effect as opiate painkillers such as morphine--directly into the spinal fluid of rats. The injections were targeted to regions of the spinal cord called the dorsal root ganglia, which act as a "pain gate" by intercepting pain signals from the body on their way to the brain. "You can stop pain transmission at the spinal level so that pain impulses never reach the brain," says project leader Andreas Beutler, an assistant professor of hematology and medical oncology at Mount Sinai...." [Link]

Ian Thorpe is doubtful that Michael Phelps will break Mark Spitz's record of 7 gold medals in one Olympics

From WCSN: "... I wish him all the very best. I don't think he will do it, but I'd love to see it," the 25-year-old told reporters in Beijing on Monday.

"There's a thing called competition. It won't just be one athlete that will be competing, and in a lot of events he has a lot of strong competition," Thorpe said. ..."

Also in the article is Thorpe on the meek possibility of him getting back in the pool someday: [Link]

Open Water: FINA 10K Marathon World Cup in Santos, Brazil

If you ever want fast results, go to Swimming World.

I was in a 'snarky' mood and I decided that I was going to the first person to post results of the FINA 10K in Santos, Brazil. I had a Google alert set up etc, but it appears I got beat by Swimming World by 35 minutes. [Link]

The women's event:
1) Larissa Ilchenko (RUS)
2) Kristen Groome (USA)

That Russian swimmer is awesome. She is definitely not hard to look at either;(The photo to the right is Larissa Ilchenko at the 2007 FINA Word Championships. I don't know much about Kristen Groome but what a great finish for her placing second to the 2007 FINA World Champion.

The Men's event:
1) Valério Cléri (ITA)
...
5) Mark David (USA)
7) Charles Petterson (USA)
8) Fran Crippen (USA) - TYR

I don't know if Erica Rose swam the 10k and I am really curious as to how Edith Van Dijk from Germany Holland did since I got an email last night telling me that at the last minute she decided to wear the new pointzero3 suit from blueseventy!

(Ooops, off by 100 miles or so! Thanks Honeybunny)

Terminally cute! A japanese anime about swimming!

Here is a synopsis for the Japanese cartoon Umisho: "... Kaname Okimura, a student at Prefectoral Umineko Shougyou High (”Umisho” for short), is the captain of the school’s swim team in spite of his paralyzing fear of drowning. The club is a magnet for all kinds of oddball characters, including a new transfer student, Amuro Ninagawa. Amuro is the fastest swimmer the club has ever seen, but she’s a bit naive and frequently enjoys swimming in the nude to Okimura’s chagrin. She also strangely reminds him of a childhood seaside accident…" [Link]

And what do you know, I was so intrigue I found the intro to it at You Tube:

Tara Kirk has a blog at WCSN

Tara Kirk on the 2008 Toyota Grand Prix of Swimming: "... The meet went pretty well today. However, it wasn’t without its difficulties. Yesterday, the morning session was divided up into A and B flights but today the sessions were combined so it took a lot longer to move through the preliminaries. Warm-up was also super, super crowded. I guess that I am spoiled because crowded lanes where everyone is swimming over each other just make me really angry. Still, I managed to make it back to the A final in the 100 fly and 100 breaststroke. The swims weren’t great but I think that everyone else had a bad warm-up so it didn’t really matter. ..." [Link]

San Francisco: 'Prop C' would raze Alcatraz and put in a global peace center in its place

This story is for real and comes to you from the SF Gate:

"... Proposition C seeks to change the city of San Francisco's policy toward Alcatraz Island. ... Da Vid, director of the Global Peace Foundation, described Alcatraz as a "major power point" where "energy moves through the planet." The vision to turn it into a peace center came to him in 1978. "It was a flash," he explained, "and I wasn't on any drugs either. ..."

[Maybe you should have been?]

"... We asked him where the money would come from to raze the old prison and build a new center. He assured us, "Money will come." He suggested the Bechtel Corp. might want to "create some good karma for itself" by doing the prison demolition for free.

According to their Web site, www.globalpeacefoundation.org, the proponents' plans for the center will be based on the geometry of the hexagram. Elements include a harmonium, employing sound techniques to impart a "deep meditative, transpersonal and transcendent experience," a medicine wheel and a labyrinth. ..." [Link]
- • -
I am biased about Alcatraz; what would the Sharkfest Swim, The Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon mean if Alcatraz was erased? Alcatraz is our own Devil's Island; to preserve it is to remind us of what we once were and to never go back. Don't get me wrong I love the idea of their hippy-themed Disneyland proposal; (though a UFO based does have a nice ring to it), but use the Presidio or make a new island like they do in Dubai. Here is a link to the artificial islands of Dubai - [Link]

Don't wreck my favorite open water race, the Alcatraz Sharkfest!

What does 300 calories look like? Here are the photos and the prices along with every day items so as to illustrate the size.

Found this on Digg.com and it reminded me of a post at Unfogged.com that broke down Michael Phelps caloric intake if he was only eating food from McDonalds.

Here is a snippet from the HealthAssist.net article: "...But what do I have to eat to get these Calorie? Using another tool, I calculated weights of the food I usually eat so that they equal 300 Calorie. It turned out that 300 Calorie is more than 2 pounds of watermelon or just 2 ounces of milk chocolate. Eventually, I decided to make photographs of what these 300 Calorie look like in different foods. ... " [Link]

The stuff above is cocoa powder. That stuff is like "crack" to me. I have cut it out of my diet now for the last 4 weeks and I have been dropping a pound a week. Unfortunately the cravings don't go away.

WCSN has granted me permission to post swim videos to the blog - Here is Nystrand setting a world record in Berlin

WCSN has been very good to swimming. So far they have provided the best swim coverage to date of any other sports network around. I would venture to say that their coverage has even surpassed NBC Olympic coverage in that they make their product instantly accessible at their website for an insignificant fee or they provide it to the public weeks later on You Tube for free.

Consequently, conversations now are taking place all over creation at such places as message boards, blogs, and at the swimming pools regarding technique, accomplishments, and every other nuance about our sport. This is the organization that USA Swimming could have used to market the sport of Swimming rather than practically invisible Sportsnet. Money talks I suppose.

The key factor in allowing this to occur is that I won't run any advertising or secretly "pimp" a product in exchange for favor, cash or merchandise. (I have been offered!)

For superb and dynamic media coverage of the sport of swimming, visit the swim coverage WCSN website: [Link]

Above is Stefan Nystrand setting a world record in Berlin with his unconventional windmill stroke. What pulls it off for him is his insanely fast turnover. I wonder what his shoulder MRI looks like? Probably just titanium cogs and gears.

www.wcsn.com

"USA!-USA!-USA!" - American swim fans defined by an Australian jornalnist!

Jason sent me this satire piece from the Australian paper, The Age. Journalist Jim Schembri says American swim fans have the following traits:

"... Being loud is not just an intrinsic part of being American, it is a legal requirement. Here are three others:

(1) Every American must have on their person at all times at least one flag. The flag does not have to be the size of a picnic blanket, though it usually is anyway;

(2) Every American must be able to instantly recite their favourite episode from either Seinfeld, The Simpsons or that one with Charlie Sheen that keeps getting renewed;

(3) Every American must know the words to their national anthem, which goes something like this: "USA! USA! USA!" ..." [Link]

Here is a Wiki link to where the "USA Chant" originated: [Link]

The world's largest swimming pool resides in Chile

From the Daily Mail: "...Acknowledged by the Guinness Book of World Records, the San Alfonso del Mar seawater pool in Algarrobo, Chile as the world's largest swimming pool, the lagoon measures 1,013 metres in length and covers an area of eight hectares. ..." [Almost 20 acres]

Since it is a saltwater swimming pool and the Pacific ocean is parked right along side it, I don't think it should count for it is nothing more than a closed off lagoon. [Link]

Coach throws an alligator in the pool to 'encourage' the kids to swim faster

To add irony to the stunt, it takes place in Darwin, Australia.

Yeah, Darwin, is the name of the town! Survival of the "swimest," I suppose.

'Sports Illustrated' has a solid recap of the 'Toyota Grand Prix of Swimming' at the Belmont Plaza

Here are some quotes that stood out:

Michael Phelps on his goggles getting filled with water after a dive: "... "I was struggling to see the walls. You have to deal with trying things that come your way," he said. ..." Of course he won. [I thought I was the only person that happened to; now I there are two of us.]

Amanda Beard being quite gracious about finishing third to a 16-year-0ld, Caitlin Leverenz, and Tara Kirk in the 200 breast: "..."I try to keep quiet about the younger kids because I was 14 once, but I definitely feel older. I look over and the 16-year-olds are going, `Woo!' I got a ways to go," Beard said. "Thank goodness, I'm injury-free. ..."

My favorite quote of all by Tara Kirk: "..."It is different training when you're a 20-something than a teenager," she said. "I like racing against these girls. They bring back why I'm doing this, I love swimming."

And how about that Tara Kirk? A very strong win in the 200 breast with a time of 2:07.94!

Then there is local grrrl, Kaitlin Sandeno, who stormed her fourth title in the 400 IM with a time of 4:05.8.

Again, Sports Illustrated did the heavy lifting on this blog post and you should go read the article. [Link]

I found some Michael Phelps butterfly drills on 'You Tube' this afternoon.

Phelps actually uses a weight belt for one of the drills. Note how flexible his feet are when he does so.

The New York Times - Remedies: Swimmer's Ear Easily Fixed With Right Treatment

New York Times says that you should not use antibiotics to treat ear infections: "...In fact, oral antibiotics are often ineffective and should not be used unless the infection extends beyond the ear canal, the recommendations say.

The guidelines, based on a review of the medical literature, were called the first comprehensive, evidence-based recommendations for doctors treating swimmer's ear, once known as acute otitis externa.

Among the highlights, the guidelines say, the condition should be treated with topical antiseptic and antibiotic drops, which tend to be more effective than oral antibiotics and are not as likely to produce antibiotic-resistant bacteria. [Link]

The "illo" to the right comes from the American Family Physician website. Therein are more treatment options as well. [Link]

Chloroprene swimsuit from 'BlueSeventy' gets FINA approval!

BlueSeventy has created a swim suit made out of chloroprene and FINA has approved it. Obviously it does not assist in flotation or it would be deemed illegal. It is called the pointzero3. The approval letter can be read here: [Link].

Here is a summation of what chloroprene is and used for:

Polychloroprene is the generic name for "neoprene, which a trademark of the Dupont company. chloroprene is used as a puncture resistant material for rubber gloves, condoms, boots, waders, surf and dive suits.

According to this press release snippet FINA has agreed to partner with BlueSeventy for their Open Water Swimming Grand Prix later this month. Here is a snippet from the press release:

"... FINA 10km Marathon Swimming World Cup 2008 New partnership FINA-blueseventy Lausanne (SUI), January 7, 2008 - Blueseventy™, the world's leading open water swim-skin and wetsuit company, will become the official partner of the FINA 10km Marathon Swimming World Cup Series 2008. FINA President Mustapha Larfaoui says the partnership with BlueSeventy is an exciting development for marathon swimming ..."

Here is a link to the actual FINA approval letter: [Link]

Here is a gallery of what the suit looks like: [Link]

I got an email from a person at BlueSeventy who gave me the following information about the swimsuit:

"... What makes out product so different is essentially the fabric the garment is constructed of. We use a three layer construction, the base layer is known as jersey and is basically a nylon/lycra fabric, the middle layer is chloroprene rubber and the top layer is nano scs; (a layer not a coating). The properties ensure the suit is very slippery in the water (the coefficient of friction of the garment is lower than any traditional swim skins currently on the market). ..."

I love to hear what Merritr has to say; she knows the dark arts of Wave drag, pressure drag and friction drag.

I was offered to try one of these suits and give BlueSeventy feedback but I replied that I would have to pay for it first so I could maintain credibility; (I run no advertising and I have no profit interest in this blog), Consequently I didn't hear back.

About.com did all the heavy lifting on this post. Original article can be seen here: [Link]

Toyota Grand Prix of Swimming: Erik Vendt set a new American record in the 1000 yard free! - TYR Tracer Light makes its Southern California debut!

Swimming World is all over this - A new American record in the 100 free! His splits are included too which is a whole post unto itself: [Link] Split times for everybody here (How cool is that?) [Link]

Note Amanda on the left, she is wearing the new TYR Tracer Light. Vendt is too but look a DeScenza, she is wearing an TYR Aquashift but the photo could be old.

Kaitlin Sandeno took first; I knew she would, she loves the pool. I love the pool! They had the SPMA SCM Championships.

USA Swimming has a short article up about Dara Torres

From USA Swimming: If Torres – who swam the fastest times to win the 50 and 100 freestyle events last August at ConocoPhillips USA Swimming Summer Nationals – were to make this year's team headed for Beijing, she would set a few records in the process.

At 41, she would be the oldest Olympic swimmer ever, and she would also be competing in her fifth Olympic games. No other female swimmer has done that. [Link]

Female athlete, Willye White, competed in five Olympic games winning silver in two of them in the track and field events but I don't think there are any male athlete who have competed in five Olympic Games

Also included, she actually has people stretch her body for her three days a week. Isn't that cool? I want that option but I bet it costs a fortune.

The photo to the right was yanked across the network from the USA Swimming website. Hopefully they or WMG ninjas don't ask me to take it down. If they do, Dara, can you send me a picture?

New York Times: The air is never to cold to exercise and that includes swimmers

Anthony and I are going to be competing in the Alcatraz Sharkfest Swim in less than 6 months from now. He insists that I am capable of swimming it without a wetsuit. I say he is full of bologna but this article says he is right.

Snippet: “...The big question was, ‘Is it ever too cold?’” Dr. Castellani said. “The answer is no. People go to the poles, people are out there when it’s minus-50 degrees, people do incredible things, and safely. There really isn’t a point where you can tell people it is not safe anymore.”

Dr. Timothy Noakes, an exercise physiologist at the University of Cape Town in South Africa who was a reviewer of that position paper, even supervised a swimmer, Lewis Gordon Pugh, who swam 1 km or (.62 miles) in 19 minutes at the North Pole last July, in water that was between 29 and 32 degrees. [...]

"... But lungs are not damaged by cold, said Kenneth W. Rundell, the director of respiratory research and the human physiology laboratory at Marywood University in Scranton, Pa. No matter how cold the air is, by the time it reaches your lungs, it is body temperature, he explained. ..."

Exercise induced asthma, which I sometimes suffer, is addressed in this article as well. It's not the temperature of the weather that gives you the exercise induced asthma, it is the lack of humidity that causes exercise induced asthma. A study is explain therein. [Link]

Here is a Sydney Morning Herald link to the Lewis Gordon Pugh expedition swim of a 1000 meters at the North Pole. [Link]

Here is more about that swimmer who spent an hour of his life "DEAD" after "DROWNING!"

Snippet from the Daily Mail: "... "We don't know how long he was in the water but he must have been without a pulse for between 40 and 60 minutes."

Mr Deeks, a South African who lives in Colliers Wood, south London, was put on a ventilator after the accident last Thursday. He was taken off the machine on Saturday and made an immediate recovery. He was released from hospital last night.

Mr Deeks, 35, does not remember what happened but suspects a large wave may have dragged him into a whirlpool. "It's a miracle I survived," he said. ..."

It had to have been the cold water acting as anti-inflammatory thus keeping his brain cells from dying. Nonetheless it was a heck of breath control set. [Link]

The 'Toyota Grand Prix of Swimming' this weekend at the Belmont Plaza

From about.com

World record-holder Michael Phelps (Baltimore, Md.) and Olympic medalists Erik Vendt (North Easton, Mass.), Kaitlin Sandeno (Lake Forest, Calif.) and Jason Lezak (Irvine, Calif.) will swim in their first meet of the new year in preparation for the 2008 Olympic Team Trials - Swimming, June 29 to July 6 in Omaha, Neb. Adding to the stacked field in Long Beach are Olympians Tara Kirk (Bremerton, Wash.), Peter Vanderkaay (Rochester, Mich.), Margaret Hoelzer (Huntsville, Ala.), Klete Keller (Phoenix, Ariz.), Kara Lynn Joyce (Ann Arbor, Mich.) and Larsen Jensen (Bakersfield, Calif.).

Toyota Grand Prix of Swimming: [Link]

The "Canuck Swimmer" continues his circimstanial criticisms regarding Dara Torres

Dara Torres is an extraordinary swimmer. Her accomplishments have never been seen or duplicated before in the sport of swimming. It's the equivalent of George Foreman knocking out Michael Moorer to become the heavyweight champion of the world at age of 45-years-old. If Dara Torres does make the US Team, she will win a gold medal, I know it.

Scott of the CanuckSwimmer feels her accomplishments have to be the result of using Performance enhancing drugs.

Dara Torres may or may not have read Scott's accusations but in defense of her achievements it has been reported that she is taking monthly blood tests to vet her accomplishments as noted in this New York Times article: [Link]

So, why am I posting this? So people can see a name connected to a well reasoned, opposing, viewpoint. Even Swimming World asked her point blank about the accusations of her taking PEDs in which she answered no.

Snippet from the Canuck Swimmer: I know at least some of you out there are reading my blog. In October I wrote “When Less Doesn’t Mean More” about how Dara Torres’ reported training regime didn’t jibe with any recognized training approach for sprinting; observing she was neither spending the hours in the pool typically associated with Olympian-level sprinters nor apparently relying on the innovative theories of Mike Bottom and his “Less is More” training style. Only three weeks later the New York Times came out with the story “Torres is Getting Older, But Swimming Faster”, which addressed almost every one of my questions. I’m sure it was just a coincidence and fortuitous timing on Torres’ part the article came out when it did.

Concept design for a floating hotel yet it looks like a floating "Moby DIck"

Here is a description from local boy, Jamie O'Shea's Super Touch blog

"... Though only in the earliest stages of conception, French designer JEAN-MARIE MASSAUD’s concept for a floating hotel, the glorious whale-shaped “Manned Cloud” promises to be a transcendent thing of beauty should it ever reach the clouds. ..."

Originally spotted at NotCot.org

Swimmers are sexier than rugby players; or so thinks this rugby player's wife!

I just got back from workout and I am to tired to write so I copy/pasted this section from You Tube: "... Perfect Moment is a TV ad featuring Lay's spokesperson and rugby hero, Francois Pienaar, and his wife. As they picnic by the riverside, she indulges in a little fantasy involving Olympic swimmer Ryk Neethling, his six-pack and a bag of irresistibly light and crispy Lay's chips. ..."

This You Tube video showed up in the "Video Bar" to the right of this post. I type in swim-related key words for You Tube and random swim videos show up.

Here is a swim post to 'wash off' the digust you may have with the Marion Jones/Oprah confessional!

Here is the "pool" for an Olympic games that took place between 1910 and 1915. The Library of Congress has released 3000 copyright free images to Flickr.com for distribution. I used the search term: "swim" and these are the images that came up.

Check out that guy with the steam-punk goggles and Hawaiian scarf fashioned into a Speedo: [Link]

Marion Jones confesses her steroid sins to Oprah

I was going to make jokes about how moved I was and how it almost brought me to tears but by the time I got through the article I became utterly convinced she has some sort of egocentric personality disorder.

Snippets: "... I realized that people might not forgive me but that God forgives, and if He can forgive me I can forgive myself and I will be okay," she added. ..."

Asked if she felt she was being made an example of, Jones said "I'm not going to sit here and say I'm happy with the decision and that it's all well and fine. Of course I'm disappointed; (with the jail sentence), but I put myself in a position of having someone else determine my immediate future." I want to use my story to help people," she said.

No! No! No, Marion! First you atone, make monetary amends, and then both you and 'O' can talk about redemption on Oprah's couch. [Link]

Michael Phelps swims about 55 miles a week!

Way to much personal information in a profile piece written by the Colorado Springs Gazette but it does illustrate that even superheroes have problems as well as aspirations.

Here is a snippet: "...“I just don’t want to lose. I just hate to lose,” said Phelps, who will begin competition Friday at the Southern California Grand Prix in Long Beach, Calif. “Your mind controls everything. The more abstract you think, the more out of the box you think, the better person you’re going to be. And it’s going to make me work harder.”

Phelps arrived in Colorado Springs the day after Christmas and has had 70-plus swimming, conditioning and weightlifting workouts in what he called a “fairly brutal” training camp.
The workouts aren’t much different from the ones Phelps does at home in Ann Arbor, Mich., where he swims as many as 55 miles a week. The atmosphere in Colorado Springs is vastly different, as Phelps can go virtually unnoticed. [Link]

'Dead' swimmer recovers in hospital

He stopped breathing for an hour, no remarks about whether he sustained any brain damage. I suspect the water was mighty cold for that not to have happened. The cold slows down everything, bacteria, decay and including death I suppose. Snippet:

"... Deeks had been "very cold" and unconscious when he arrived, according to Sister Wendy Bibly who is in charge of the hospital's ICU.

But she said on Tuesday that Deeks was in a stable condition and had been moved to the general ward. He was due to be discharged on Thursday. ..."

Would have made a great Halloween story! [Link]

An animated fire/water effect I made in 'Adobe After Effects'

I took some 3D stock footage of a drop of water setting off a ripple effect and combined it therein with a fire explosion. This is also a test to see how well I can upload movies directly to blogger without having to embed them from You Tube or other file sharing services. If All goes well I want to do this with WCSN videos. Of course I will ask for permission first. This way they can still keep the embed tags option turned off at their You Tube site yet still allow me to embed them directly once I obtain permission. (So far the upload and processing are going really slow. I am going to hit publish button and hopefully I don't break "innernets.")

Here is a video of me swimming at Santa Monica College last Saturday morning

Yes , I am that slow lately! The yearly pool closures at this time have really hammered me!

'Swim News' has entered the building in a big way

Craig Lord at Swim News is back in the links column. His recent interview with Chuck Wielgus, Executive Director of USA Swimming was epic. He got Mr. Wielgus to admit that USA Swimming is entering into a for-profit model with the Wasserman Media Group despite that USA Swimming is a non-profit governmental body. That Timed Finals has been so bad at crediting sources that they will summarily rebrand the site; or relaunch it with a new name and bring in a new publisher. Also included is info regarding a former marketing chief at USA Swimming but now a "consultant" for the organization is somehow tied to this deal financially.

This interview has brought more to light regarding the USA Swimming/Wasserman Media Group deal than any other article or editorial and I thank Craig Lord for that.

Here is a link to his interview: [Link]

My take: If USA Swimming wants to become a for-profit agency like the NFL; (Mr. Wielgus does site the NFL as a potential model for news and programming), then swimmers connected to the USA Swimming organization should start getting paid and start sharing in the profits much like the NFL players do.

Start dives to get you 'amped up!'

Major League Baseball, the NFL, NBA and NHL will join forces with the United States Olympic Committee to combat doping! - Oh Really?

Well, there went my faith in the USOC as an organization dedicated to rooting out doping! This quote disturbed me most: "... As the initial founding partners, the USOC, USADA, MLB and NFL have collectively committed to contribute $10 million to the project. Each founding partner will have one representative on the board of governors, which will oversee the research. ..." [Link]

Hello? Didn't they try a similar arrangement in Las Vegas during the 1950's when the mafia had at least one representative on the board of governors at each casino so as to keep both the gamblers and the casinos honest?

Like the Mafia, the NHL, the NFL, and the MLB, they will look out for their interests only and not those who are interested in eliminating doping all together. As board members they will stall, threaten to eliminate funding, and forewarn any and all zillion-dollar athletes who generate kajillion-zillion-dollars for the league that they are suspect.

FACT: The MLB and NFL have had widespread doping for the last half-century and they knew it. NFL doping reference: [Link] MLB doping reference: [Link]

Above is before-and-after photos of Barry Bonds post his Balco make-over

Photorealist, Alyssa Monk, creates painting of people connecting with water

I found Monk's work at NotCot.org. To see a slide-show of her work click here: [Link]

Laure Manaudo has had three coaches in 2007 now she may switch once more!

Laure Manadou has proven that she can swim fast no matter who coaches her. Heck, I could even coach her and she would still win. (Hey Laure, I'm available, call me!)

Lane 9 News reports that Manaudou is: "... in negotiations with the Mulhouse club according to France's Laurent Horter." ... "This newest move would put her under the tutelage of Lionel Horter, who coached Roxana Maracineanu to a world title in the 200 back in 1998. ..." [Link]

APF says: "... The triple world champion was attracted by being able to train regularly in a 50-metre pool alongside top-level swimmers, including Stasiulis, Amaury Leveaux and Aurore Mongel. ..." The inset photo is from AFP of Manaudou and her new boyfriend, Benjamin Stasiulis. (French backstroke swimmer.) [Link]

I think the 400m free in Beijing will be close one between her and Kate Ziegler. I am not convince that Ziegler will lose either. As for the 1500m,800m free; Zeigler will so own that race. (I have made that mistake 3 times - I think in 2012 they will have a 1500m for the women) At FINA Worlds last year Manaudou ultimately conceded it to her; could that happen again?

The octopus who insist on swimming with Mr. Potato Head - He will hurt you if you try to take it away!

This octopus is 6 feet long and turns aggressive if you try and take his toy away. [Link]

Former Olympian, Marion Jones, sentencd to 6 months for lying about her steroid usage!

A former district attorney and now a defense lawyer told me this at the pool: "A fish would never get caught if it didn't open it's mouth." My take is that you either tell the truth or just shut up and let the system work its way through. Just look what happened to Martha Stewart, Bill Clinton, Barry Bonds and now Marion Jones; all of the above got indicted, all were convicted save for Barry Bonds who hasn't gone to trial yet.

Here is a snippet of what the judge told Marion Jones when she begged not to go to jail: "... Before the sentencing, Jones broke down as she asked Karas not to send her to prison. "I plead with you to alleviate the situation by not separating me from my boys, even for a short period of time," she said.

But Karas noted that "athletes in society ... serve as role models to children around the world. When there is a widespread level of cheating, it sends all the wrong messages. ..."
Link to the Marion Jones sentencing at CNN: [Link]

If Marion Jones would never have lied to federal investigators she would not be labeled a "former Olympian" and she would not be going to jail! Olympian, Amy Van Dyken, would certainly understand that for when she was questioned in the Balco scandal she told the Grand Jury everything she knew.

Balco scandal time-line from USA Today and note who is on the list: [Link]

Ad campaign for global warming awareness features a swimmer viewing a metropolitan city underwater

I found this at NotCot.org who originally found it at I-believe-in advertising-dot-com. The campaign as designed by Naga DDB, Malaysia to raise awareness as to how the destruction of rain forest relates to global warming.

Does it work for you? I would have preferred a post apocalyptic version of New York city half underwater as if it were some perversion of the Venice canal system but rendered in complete rust and foreboding.

Manhattan Island did not exist exist 10,000-years-ago; it was covered up by a massive glacier, hence it is not unreasonable to believe that it could be covered up once again but this time with water.

Here is a link to an ice-age map - Note, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Most of England didn't exist as well: [Link]

This is mind blowing! - 'Unfoggd.com' breaks down Michael Phelps' 10,000-calories-a-day requirements into a day at Mcdonalds!

At his imaginary day at McDonalds, Phelps would probably need a shovel! This would be Michael Phelps' after-breakfast snack:

Mid-morning snack:
2 Big Macs
1 Quarter Pounder w/ Cheese
1 Medium Fries

Unfogged.com: [Link]

Leave it to 'Swimming World' to know exactly when the Beijing "Water Cube" would be filled up with water!

I can just see Jason blurry eyed at 1:00 AM his time calling some Chinese aquatics worker who just showed up for work and has just been told it is his job to fill up the pool today. So, there he is standing on deck holding a green garden hose when suddenly his cell phone rings, "Dude, Jason here, did you turn the hose on yet? Hurry up, I want to go to bed and when it's filled I need a link to a photo, okay? Listen, I gotta go, there is sectional meet going off at 9:00 A.M. in Buffalo Breath, Montana and I have to go prepare." ;-)

You have to click on the China.org.cn if you want to see what the pool looks like with water in it.

Here is Swimming World's take: [Link]

Here is my take: The photo above is from anton hazewinkel's Flickr set. I put it up because I thought the bubbles were make of a hard plastic, They appear in this picture to be "giant baggies." I am baffled as to how these plastic baggies work or even stay taut or filled with air? The photo also illustrates the bubbles scale in relation to the human form. Looks insect like.

Beijing 'Water Cube' images unveiled

It's ugly and I know I am a lone voice in the wilderness about that. Here is a link to more photos and an article regarding its unveiling: [Link]

Originally spotted at Swimming World's, Lane 9 News.

Thanks to the 17th Man and the Cannuck Swimmer

Thanks for the info regarding Guidstar. This will allow me to investigate USA Swimming's 501c form and to see how their execs will be compensated as a result of the Wasserman Media Group deal since nobody really knows.

If you want to check two blogs of two really fast masters swimmers click here, The 17th Man Canuckswimmer

'Outside Magazine' profile on Michael Phelps - His caloric intake is about 8k to 10k per day!

Snippet: AQUAMAN IS STRUGGLING with his double chicken enchiladas. This is because on dry land, Aquaman, a.k.a. Michael Phelps, is the self-described "klutziest person on earth." It's late October, and a week ago Phelps tripped while climbing out of a car here in Ann Arbor, Michigan, reached to catch himself, and cracked his scaphoid. He's earned himself a short pin in the wrist, a few days out of the drink, and a club of a cast that's making an awkward affair out of one of his favorite pastimes—hunting down the 8,000 to 10,000 daily calories it takes to fuel the world's most dominant athletic machine. [Link]

Bob Bowman is talked up too.

Have non-profit sports governing bodies been seduced by greed?

I actually had a person call me on the phone some months ago from a swanky sports related marketing firm summarily complimenting the blog; I didn't believe them because I am either overly cynical or that I have self esteem issues. Nonetheless, this person asked me a question about what I thought the Wasserman Media Group wanted to do with USA Swimming and I said, "I don't know, you're the marketing ninja, perhaps WMG wants to use USA Swimming athletes as product endorsers and not have to pay them a fee?" What surprised me is that he agreed!

As outrageous, and improbable or even impossible as that sounds, that is exactly what the NCAA is about to do. Here is a snippet from a NPR Marketplace report outlining how this exploitive use of and athlete's image will be accomplished:

" ...ETHAN LINDSEY: The National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA, has strict bylaws banning a school from profiting off a student-athlete's name or image. That's why you'll never see a current college athlete pitching, say, Gatorade. But those rules would change under a proposal currently being discussed by the NCAA. ..." [Link]

That sent me wondering as to what sort of bonuses or commissions would the officers of USA Swimming receive after brokering a marketing deal with a global marketing group such as WMG? The USA Swimming '501c - form 990' would have to list any such commissions. Does anyone know how to request a 501c - 990 form? I know it has to be made available. I will post the form or forms if you tell me how to find it.

(I built the graphic above this morning. I purchased the photo of the swimmer from istockphoto.com and I found the logos and the 100 dollar bill image online.)

Informercial voice: "Lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks or pay me $500!"

Economist Richard B. McKenzie of the Wall Street Journal was so fat, so large, so morbidly obese that moons use to orbit around his belly; but that was the old R.B. McKenzie!

After losing 378 pounds; which is like three Gisele Bündchens' pasted together, he still had 10-pounds to go! 10-pounds he couldn't lose and in his words: "10 pounds for what seemed like a decade."

Here is what he did: "... I contracted with a friend to pay her $500 if I had NOT lost nine pounds at the end of 10 weeks. I and a witness (my friend's husband) signed the pact. My friend similarly obligated herself to take the payment and to spend it on herself. She affirmed her solemn pledge with her signature, witnessed by her husband (with a big grin).

I won't give away if he passed or failed but for a limited time only, I will extend an exclusive offer to all of you who read this blog! If you cannot lose 10-pounds in 10-weeks, you can pay me $500 or a negotiable fee at the end of that 10-week period! But that is not all: as an incentive I will send you a link to your very own customizable, food pyramid, calorie allowance calculator of which food groups you should eat from so as to get you on your way. But wait, there's more! I will include a T-shirt designed by world renown blogger, Tony Austin, FREE for just $20 in shipping and handling fees. And if you still are not satisfied: I will link the R.B. Mckenzie, Dieting for Dollars article at the Wall Street Journal website right now: [Link]

The sculpture to the right is called: The Roman Gladiator by Fernando Botero. The image came from Wikipedia but I cropped and modified it.

Underwater Digital Video & Still Image Camera

It is both a digital video and a still image camera. Wouldn't it be great to film your own races if you could keep it on your face after the start dive? [Link]

Originally found at NotCot.org

'Lane 9 News' article regarding WADA: '2008 Prohibited Substance List'

'Lane 9 News' has a brief overview and a link to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) 2008 Prohibited Substance List. [Link]

I downloaded the WADA PDF and one thing I noticed that was added to the list is Gene Doping defined as "... The non-therapeutic use of cells, genes, genetic elements, or of the modulation of gene expression, having the capacity to enhance athletic performance, is prohibited. ..."

If gene doping is on the list then some athlete or athletes are probably doing it. Most likely using a therapy called, Repoxygen™ by Oxford BioMedica. The Repoxygen™ process alters your body so as to create EPO and therefore combat anemia. It also delivers more oxygen to your heart: [Link]

Wiki article on Gene Doping: [Link]

My top three choices for the 2016 Summer Olympics Games

Tokyo, Japan - Tokyo 2016 Olympic bid
Prague, Czech Republic - Prague 2016 Olympic bid
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic bid

These are my top three choices for the 2016 Olympics Summer Games. Note that Chicago is not on the list. To be fair, I was also relieved that my home town of Los Angeles is not on the list due to its many systemic problems with transit and socio-economic inequalities. (You are either affluent here in Los Angeles or you are struggling. There is no middle-class here. Middle-class people can't afford a $550,000 dollar home, two $15,000 cars, and 2.1 kids.)

Also note that it is not that I have any problem with the city of Chicago but rather that the USA has hosted more Olympiads than any other country.

According to the USOC: "... Including the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, the United States has served as the host country more than any other country -- a total of eight times -- four times each for the winter and summer Olympic Games. St. Louis, Mo., was the first U.S. city to host the modern Olympic Games in 1904. In 1932, the U.S. hosted both the IIIrd Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, N.Y., and the Games of the Xth Olympiad in Los Angeles. Squaw Valley, Calif., and Lake Placid were the host cities for the 1960 and 1980 Olympic Winter Games, respectively, while the 1984 Olympic Games were held in Los Angeles, where a record-setting profit was realized, and the 1996 Olympic Games were held in Atlanta. France and Germany are the only other countries to have ever hosted two Olympic Games in one year. After the USA, France has hosted the most Olympic Games -- five, including the 1992 Olympic Winter Games. [Link]