On July 18th 2007 I reported a giant rubber duck sighting in Sao Paoulo - Well the beast went global!

The first image is from Sao Paulo, Brazil. The next from Elst, Gelderland. On July 18th, 2007, I was accused of posting a Photoshopped image but then the beast showed up in Auckland, Hasselt, St. Nazaire, and more. The third photo is my favorite. The ducky made an appearance in Osaka, Japan where the locals took to it very fondly.

The duck traveled to eleven cities total and this page takes you to the Osaka visit with links on the right hand side to several other cities and photo-streams: [Link]

Would you like to see a photo of yourself flying across the SCAQ Blog Masthead?

That is a photo of Trevor flying across the masthead. If you would like to be featured, send me a photo but make sure no body parts are cut out of the frame and be sure the photo is awesome!

The Atlantic magazine - What America Looks Like: Variations on the Swimming Pool

A photo essay with all shapes and sizes from sublime to blight - America loves the swimming pool and soon so will the emerging nations.

I love the photos of the tech suits too. Remember, it is a temporary exile. When swimming starts to fade towards oblivion; and it is especially when you look at both the college and university programs, FINA will be forced to do the right thing and reinstate them thereby bringing some money back into the sport... :-P

Model, Kate Moss, changes her wedding date so it won't conflict with swimmer, Charlene Wittstock's, wedding to the Prince of Monaco!

Kate Moss is about to spend $800k on a wedding. All these pop culture icons were invited but Charlene Wittstock wedding to the Prince of Monaco would have been held on the same day. Now, if you were an established or fading pop star icon, which wedding would you go to? I would choose Monaco.

From the New York Mag:

Apparently the wedding was originally scheduled for July 2, but Kate had to change it because that's when Charlene Wittstock is marrying the Prince of Monaco, in a wedding that will also take three days. They have many overlapping guests, you see, such as Naomi Campbell and Topshop chief Sir Philip Green, who are missing the last two days of Moss's party to go to Charlene's princess wedding.

[Link]

First and foremost, both grooms are really dorky looking and both brides are an amazing contrast when placed side-by-side. Out of the whole bunch, Charlene Wittstock, looks the healthiest and I will leave it at that.

From the Sydney Morning Herald:

As the future princess of Monaco and wife to longtime bachelor Prince Albert II, the Zimbabwe-born, South Africa-raised former Olympic swimmer is to succeed Grace Kelly, whose 1956 wedding to Prince Rainier III is still widely seen as the gold standard for royal nuptials.

And as if the blue-eyed Hollywood beauty-turned-beloved princess didn't cast a long enough shadow, Albert's long-awaited marriage to Wittstock comes on the heels of the royal wedding of the decade, Kate Middleton's union with Britain's Prince William.

[Link]

Monaco can't top the British Royal wedding but the do have the prettier and more accomplished bride.

Memo to men: You too can be short, pudgy, look bad in a suit, and still get the girl of your dreams! All you have to do is either become a rock star or be born into royalty! It works every time especially in Monaco where the former queen was American movie star, Grace Kelly. In fact, it took Hollywood a full generation to find a movie star as beautiful as her.

The Prince of Monaco to marry swimmer, Charlene Wittstock, on July 1st and 2nd.

This swimmer better be fertile or Monaco as a country will be cease to exist. Yes, it will be "game-over" for the principality of Monaco if the couple cannot produce a male heir; (yes, a male heir), for Monaco will revert into French hands. The Guardian.co.uk has the details:

The Grimaldis, who have run the enclave for seven centuries, are the protectors of Monaco's special status. "It's a question of life and death," said Francois Caviglioli, who has covered the principality for decades for Nouvel Observateur. "If there was no prince, and therefore no heir, Monaco would return to France. The stability of the prince's family is crucial for Monaco's numerous banks and its financial sector which craves security, not social unrest. Then there's the image factor and tourism: lots of Europeans deprived of their own monarchies descend on Monaco to see what it's all about."

[Link]

So, since the monarchy must have a male heir, what better mate to select but a swimmer. (We are pretty awesome, huh? ;-) We swimmers do represent the pinnacle of health don't you think and she is definitely not hard to look at either so I think they both made a solid choice. But who is this swimmer, Charlene Wittstock:

From Wikipedia:

Wittstock was a member of the women's 4×100 m medley South African team at the 2000 Summer Olympics, which finished fifth. She finished sixth at the 2002 FINA Short Course World Championships for the 200 m breaststroke. ...

She decided to leave Pretoria in January 2005 and returned to Durban; she then went to the north coast of KwaZulu Natal, where she joined a former Tuks Swimming coach, Brannislav Ivkovic. On 13 April 2007 Wittstock regained her title as South Africa’s 50 m women’s backstroke champion when she completed the 50 m backstroke final at the Telkom SA National Aquatic Championships in 30:16 seconds, to finish third behind Australia’s Sophie Edington and Brazil’s Fabíola Molina.

What has impressed me most about her is that her charity of choice is the Special Olympics:

On Friday, May 27 at an Amber Lounge charity fashion show during the 2011 Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix weekend, Special Olympics announced that Charlene Wittstock has become a global ambassador for the movement, charged with promoting respect and inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities to a worldwide audience. Charlene has said that the Special Olympics movement is close to her heart because as a former athlete she values its role in "using the power of sport to change lives".

[Link]

I like that! It denotes that her "humanity passport" is stamped humble and compassionate and now she will be the Queen of a principality that does not have have a prodigious history of being charitable. Monte Carlo is a principality that was founded by a coup d'état and as of late has suffered embarrassing banking/casino scandal that involved money laundering and a reputation as a tax haven and who refuses to list who has money there. This is all according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). [Link].

Finally, I suspect you won't hear her dropping an R-bomb; or saying someone is a "retard," or something is "retarded" much like Summer Sanders did during her Olympic run, a remark that was socially irresponsible but is quite trendy in American vernacular as of late as is the "N-bomb" or the "F-bomb" for gay people.

Her quote went something like this:

I was lucky. Like, suppose my father had put in a tennis court instead (of a pool). I can't play tennis at all. I'd be in some retarded league right now instead of going to the Olympics.

Newsweek July27, 1992: [Link]

So, this is a good sign that some new blood is coming into this sketchy place, someone with a different perspective that involves charity and kindness. Hopefully these morals wash off on the Prince for politics starts at the top and works its way down.

Postcards from the 'Alcatraz Sharkfest' swim!

Postcards from the Alcatraz Sharkfest swim. The photos above were taken by Scott Belland. Scott is the Mark Savage of outdoor water-sports photography. After posting a photo to this blog Sports Illustrated picked it up for their Beijing Olympic preview magazine.

Since Scott's number one concern were the swimmers as a Kayak support person, he grabbed one of his lesser Nikons and shot some photos as a giant favor to this blog.

The blueseventy reaction wetsuit was my weapon of choice. Both its comfort, shoulder flexibility, and warmth made the last 500-meters of the race as easy as the first 500-meters. I wasn't fighting the wetsuit at all as I use to with my Quintana Roo and it was warm. Taking off the wetsuits was surprisingly lite and this will be the wetsuit brand I use moving forward from now on.

I am so glad I purchased the b70 Reaction instead of the TYR. I did see a TYR Hurricane out there and the suit has stomach panels in it that completely draws your attention to one's core area of the suit like a bulls eye. Aesthetically I would not want that.

Again, the blueseventy Reaction exceeded expectations. I placed 102th overall in the men's wetsuit division, about 123rd overall out of the 700-plus wetsuit participants, 12th in my age group out of probably 45, and I am very pleased.

The water temp was about 58-degrees the conditions were moderated choppy, lots of wind and some fog but the water was a "roasty-toasty" 58-degrees which is a "tropical temp" for that bay

The first photo is me greeting a Kayak support staff person I have know for decades. I hate posting photos of myself but this photo gives an expansive view of Aquatic park, the bay the Sharkfest swimmers end their swim.

The next photo: The person with no wetsuit is my open water partner, Anthony, who placed 4th in his age group for those crazy enough not wearing a wetsuit. That is me with the white cap suggesting as I swim by that we swim to the edge of the corner of Alcatraz for a better starting position. I wore a silicon cap rather than the standard issue latex cap they give you. I hate latex and doing so was sort of a metaphor for this blog. I insist on swimming the way I want to swim.

I included some starting shots and some middle of the bay shot to give the gravity of what it is like being tossed around in the currents while trying to spot a target 1.2-miles away in the light fog.

The final photo is the last of the swimmers heading to the finish. The Kayak support staff has safely escorted everyone to shore and the area with the "green circle" is both Anthony and I cheering the final swimmers in.

Final note: My first year of doing the race, some 7-years ago, I was one of those last swimmers crawling unto the beach, and that gave me the motivation to seriously learn how to swim. Hence, I joined SCAQ Masters Swimming and now I place in the top 20% or so but I always make sure to cheer those last people in. It took me one-hour-and-12-minutes to finish that race 7-years ago but in both choppy and challenging conditions on Jun 12th. 2011, I took 38-minutes,12.3-seconds to accomplish the crossing. Masters swimming is the way to go if you want to be an accomplished swimmer.

Results page for Alcatraz Sharkfest Swim: [Link]

For information on the Alcatraz Sharkfest Swim: [Link]

Ibfo page for the blueseventy Reaction; [Link]

British Gas Great North Swim 2011 - First wave of the 1-mile swim

British Gas Great North Swim 2011 featured various distances from 1-mile and onward. As many as 10,000 swimmers joined the fun the race promoters were obviously forced to stagger over a fast weekend in waves of 300-people every half-hour. 300-people sounds like a good idea but these swimmers should not be starting this race running down a ramp two-by-two in between docked boats and moorings.

Unfortunately one swimmer died and one is seriously ill after participating in this event - the start was not the cause but the start still looks sketchy to me. For more on the tragic death of the swimmer involved in the race, here is a link to the BBC: [Link]

In my opinion this is a poor way to start an open water race. They should have used the dock to the left or better yet, let them start in the water in a big pod like they will at the Alcatraz Sharfest. Swimmers begin in the water, are use to the cold before the horn goes off, and there is plenty of room for everybody to pick a safe line.

Swimming is an extreme sport!

TYR signed French backstroke champion Camille Lacourt -

Press release from TYR:

"... Huntington Beach, Calif. – TYR Sport Inc. is pleased to announce a three-year sponsorship agreement with Camille Lacourt, reigning European Swimmer of the Year. The Narbonne, France native is coming off a tremendous 2010 season where he became European Champion in the 100m backstroke. TYR will be the exclusive sponsor for all of Lacourt’s race-day technical apparel and equipment...."

[Link] Bio: [Link]

Lacourt will most likely be the the "new" Aaron Peirsol. We will see at FINA World Championships won't we?

Have you seen these men? "Alcatraz Sharkfest swim is this weekend!"

Last year the Alcatraz Sharkfest Swim was fogged out. (See the photo above taken by Scott Belland who has had his Alcatraz work featured in Sports Illustrated magazine.) Consequently, we ended up swimming around Aquatic park as a "Plan B" swim and it was quite a fun swim too.

I will be swimming the race in a my new blueseventy wetsuit and will blog a review as to how it fared

Here is a link to the race site: [Link]

The mighty Phelps is up at bat!

I believe that Phelps has to be the favorite in the 100-fly at FINA Worlds but I do not think he can be considered a favorite in the 200-fly. Note, an ill Nick D'Arcy out touched Phelps thereby marking it as Phelps third loss in the event. Thus, we have an official trend. Also, his best time this year in the 200-fly is still more than 1-second slower than Takeshi Matsuda of Japan. If Phelps can find a way to go a second faster, I am sure a healing Takeshi Matsuda can too.

As for the 200-free... The Chinese swimmer Yang Sun is a second faster.

As for the 200 IM... Has he even swam the race this year? Also Tyler Clary is motivated.

Will the "mighty Casey strike out at bat?" I think he may hit a single, maybe a double, but on paper the "mighty Casey" looks like a fading hero.

Check the rankings here at Swim News: [Link]

The 'Musée de la piscine': Once a condemned swimming pool now a successful museum - The pool still remains!

Image Credit Flickr User LeMat

Welcome to the the Musée de la piscine; an art deco swimming pool transformed into a beautiful museum.

The pool had safety issues and was closed down in 1985. Apparently there is a vault under the pool and officials feared a collapsed. Hence, the mayor of Roubaix rezoned the structure as a museum.

A better explanation, summation and a slew of photos can be found at kuriositas:

So, the repair work was undertaken and ten years ago in October a vast crowd attended the re-opening of La Piscine as it is called. The first year exceeded all expectations. Around 80,000 visitors were anticipated but the museum (the La Piscine-Musée d'Art et d'Industrie André Diligent to give the place its proper name) drew over two hundred thousand.

[Link]

New York City swimming pool concept filters the very water it floats upon

Designed for both free swims and swim meets this unique design will float within the New York City river and will filter the very water source it floats upon via membranes within the structures walls. You can help build it too!

From PlusPool.org:

We've come a long way since last June. We're a lot farther with the project than we could have ever imagined and now we need your help to move the pool into the next phase. Since a pool like this has never been done before, it's up to us to prove that this not only works, but that it can be a catalyst for cleaning up the city's waterways.

We're asking for $25,000 to begin physical tests of the filtration materials and methods that we spent the winter studying. Our ultimate goal for this phase is to build a full scale mock-up of the + Pool filtration wall so that we can prove to the city how real this thing actually is. Material testing sure is pricey, but the more money we can raise here, the closer we are to getting + Pool in the water.

[Link]

You know how McDonalds says they have served over 80-McTrillion hamburgers?

This blog has served over 1-million unique individuals since 2007; (This is not a pageview stat which is way times higher), and I will continue to refuse to profit from this blog.

I will say the best articles in here have been the readers comments - even the insults which have often been either witty or shrill and it reminds me how serious we take this awesome sport.

Glass Is Life: Céline Cousteau knows glass loves the sea

Jacques Cousteau's daughter, Céline Cousteau, embraces glass! Our oceans do great things with glass whereas plastic is not so great.

Love the underwater photography too.

The FDA to sunscreen manufacturers: In 2012 you have to start telling the truth!

Apparently sunscreens are not waterproof. I thought they were since the label indicated a bold faced statement promising that they were.

"...Waterproof, "sweatproof" or "sunblock" claims. Manufacturers cannot label sunscreens as "waterproof" or "sweatproof," or identify their products as "sunblocks," because these claims overstate their effectiveness. Sunscreens also cannot claim to provide sun protection for more than 2 hours without reapplication or to provide protection immediately after application (for example-- "instant protection") without submitting data to support these claims and obtaining FDA approval.

No cancer protection below SPF-15? Then why bother?

Sunscreens that pass FDA's broad spectrum test procedure, which measures a product's UVA protection relative to its UVB protection, may be labeled as "Broad Spectrum SPF [value]" on the front label. For Broad Spectrum sunscreens, SPF values also indicate the amount or magnitude of overall protection. Broad Spectrum SPF products with SPF values higher than 15 provide greater protection and may claim additional uses, as described in the next bullet.

Only Broad Spectrum sunscreens with an SPF value of 15 or higher can claim to reduce the risk of skin cancer and early skin aging if used as directed with other sun protection measures. Non-Broad Spectrum sunscreens and Broad Spectrum sunscreens with an SPF value between 2 and 14 can only claim to help prevent sunburn.

And how about those really neat sunscreen sprays? They have no evidence whatsoever in regards to their efficacy:

Currently, the record (data and information) about sunscreens in spray dosage forms is not comparable to that for sunscreens in other dosage forms such as oils, creams, and lotions. The manner of application differs significantly between sprays and these other dosage forms. Therefore, we are requesting additional data to address questions of effectiveness and safety that arise from differences in the manner of application.

What do swimmers and beach goers really need to know about sun protection? Wear clothes, a hat, sunglasses, and don't swim between the hours of 10AM - 2:00 PM - but if you have too mostly naked wear lots of sunscreen that is SPF 15 or higher and put it on a lot:

Spending time in the sun increases a person's risk of skin cancer and early skin aging. To reduce these risks, consumers should regularly use a Broad Spectrum sunscreen with an SPF value of 15 or higher in combination with other protective measures such as:

Limiting time in the sun, especially between the hours of 10 AM and 2 PM when the sun's rays are the strongest.

Wearing clothing to cover skin exposed to the sun (long-sleeved shirts, pants, sunglasses, and broad-brimmed hats).

Using a water resistant sunscreen if swimming or sweating.

Reapplying sunscreen, even if it is labeled as water resistant, at least every 2 hours. (Water resistant sunscreens should be reapplied more often after swimming or sweating, according to the directions on the label.)

Link to the new FDA Guidelines: [Link]

Windermere: 10,000 swimmers of the neoprene nation will descend upon you!

Windermere lake: "...is the largest natural lake in England. It is a ribbon lake formed in a glacial trough after the retreat of ice at the start of the current interglacial. It has been one of the country’s most popular places for holidays and summer homes since 1847..."

10,000 open water swimmers will descend upon the lake in staggered waves of humanity, 300 for each wave, at least 28-waves total. The race starts on Friday afternoon with the final wave on the Sunday.

Someone needs to contact the promoter of this event, have a sit down, and fine out what these guys did right! England is not known for being an "industrial assembly-line" of hyper dedicated swimmers. In fact you can probably count all the 50-meter pools in London on one hand. The fact that thousands have applied and will show up means the promoters got something right for a niche demographic.

The races have been organised as a series of waves of up to a maximum of 300 swimmers each, and amount to a combined mileage of around 10,600 miles – the distance between London and Sydney in Australia.

Things get under way with three two-mile waves on Friday afternoon from 3pm, while there is a single half-mile wave on Sunday morning.

There will be no fewer than 28 one-mile waves from Saturday morning right through until Sunday afternoon.

[Link]

Ed Moses talks comeback with Sports Illustrated! - Masters swimming a safe harbor for Olympic comebacks!

Ed Moses speaks with Sports Illustrated (SI) about what he loves about swimming and his comeback. SI mentions using Moses using United States Masters Swimming (USMS) as a platform for a comeback. Obviously Masters is proving to be a safe harbor for the likes of Janet Evans, Dara Torres, and Ed Moses. This is a clear statement in regards to how professional an organization the USMS is.

Currently I am not a member of the USMS organization but I go to swim workouts 3-4 days a week. I still have a bad taste in my mouth after the USMS banned tech suits for short course yards despite that FINA has no jurisdiction over short course yards whatsoever. It is my opinion that masters swimming should allow competitors to swim SCY events in any suit that want. There are no recognized world records in short course yards. The 1970's want their briefs back; even the age groupers think so!

"... Those coming out of retirement must wait nine months before competing internationally due to drug-testing rules. So Moses is cleaning up on the U.S. Masters circuit, lapping a competitor on his way to sweeping the breaststrokes and shattering age-group records at April's short-course Masters national championships.
His most recent Masters swim was a 1:05.16 in the 100 breast last weekend, four seconds slower than the best overall U.S. time this year. He won't be able to measure himself against the best until August, when his nine-month wait ends and he enters the national championships.."

[Link]

Someone Explain: Is ASCA a union, an association or is it a monopoly?

It all started out so simply: USA Swimming was set up as the "National Governing Body" (NGB) for the sport of swimming by the US Government after the Senate recognized it via an act of congress. This act of congress is known as the Ted Stevens Amateur Sports Act; a federal law that establishes certain basic standards for certifying coaches and governing the sport of swimming.

Here is a USA Swimming link as to how coach certification is done but note you have to go to a second party to get certified. That second party is the American Swimmers Coaching Association (ASCA): [Link]

Note, the link says that if you want to become a coach certified by USA Swimming and you don't have the necessary educational requirements and experience; (i.e. USA Swimming Member, Safety certifications, coached a USA Swimming club before 1998, back ground check et cetera), you are essentially compelled to obtain ASCA certification. Compelled to go to ASCA

Essentially there is four steps:

1. USA Swimming Coach Education Requirement. The coach will need the following texts to pass the first year coaches’ test: Progressions for Athlete and Coach Development, Foundations of Coaching, and the current USA Swimming Rules and Regulations. The revised test for new coaches is available online through USA Swimming.

2. The coach must also have current safety certifications in First Aid, CPR, and Safety Training for Swim Coaches (or Lifeguard Training equivalency)

3. Completion of USA Swimming Background Check Requirement

4. Completion of the American Swim Coaches' Association Level 2 Stroke School, and completion of ASCA Level 3 Physiology School. Level 2 and Level 3 may be waived with three years experience working as an assistant in a USA Swimming member club.

[Link]

Why is it that you have to go to ASCA? Why is it that they get the sole contract with USA Swimming to do this? Did USA Swimming simply offer them a no-bid contract and say "make the coaches pay you too?

Now stay with me and read this really slow: USA Swimming was legally established as a governing body monopoly for the sport of swimming but how did this make it ok for them to create a secondary monopoly beneath them for coaching?

I have not found any other agency or entity aside from ASCA that can provide the “ticket” to USA Swimming recognition as a head coach even though that is USA Swimming's job to certify coaches.

Now, if you go to the job boards for coaches at either USA Swimming, ASCA and other websites seem to confirm that without the ASCA "ticket" or his ASCA's terminally silly Level one-through-five coaching rank you probably need not bother to apply.

Here is how it works: ASCA has these "ninja levels" that rate a coach from Level 1-5. Now these ratings are essentially star ratings that you would see attached to a hotel score or a movie review and I suspect one's income depends on which level they are.

Level one: You have finished a course called the foundations of coaching.

Level two: You learn about swim technique

Level three: Physiology school

Level four : Administration school

Level five: Leadership school

So, send in your money and climb the five rungs of the ASCA ladder and you can command a higher salary. Does this sound like an old fashioned “closed shop” without formal recognition as a union?

Maybe one of you labor lawyers out there can weigh in. And speaking of lawyers – which I am most decidedly not – if an applicant is effectively prevented from securing a higher paying head coaching job without ASCA certification does this constitute a restraint of trade?

In the 2009 lawsuit TYR brought against Speedo and USA Swimming the Court found the “high end competitive swimwear market” to sufficiently define a “relevant market”, which means it satisfied one of the steps in considering whether there was a possible violation of antitrust laws. TYR had proven that the market was big enough and important enough that actual trade issues were a point of law in this lawsuit.

If that is a relevant market for swimwear then the next logical assumption is that it also describes the market for coach training especially for the “high end competitive swimmers in the professional, collegiate, high school and club ranks.”

Since I am not a lawyer – that I am productively employed instead ;-) – I welcome your comments so I can learn if my supposition is “all wet." I don't think it is. I think USA Swimming needs to open up their possibly "closed shop" and actually have qualified institutions bid for this responsibility of training coaches.

In fact, I suspect it is a point of law that they should, but please educate me?

From Olympic grandeur to urban blight - How Olympic stadiums fair post an Olympic games!

The Athens Olympic complex among other Olympic stadiums have no exit strategy and thus urban blight becomes their legacy. Austerity measures in Greece will not help this pool either.
The Chinese had to turn the Water Cube into a water park and the pool therein is now simply a museum relic still in place just to be gawked at.

Plato once said: That which is owned by all is cared for by none. SCAQ once tried to book a swim meet in the Water Cube and the Chinese government just froze up. They had no clue how to leverage the swimming pool for profit and/or to justify it's existence with serious swimmers.

Though the Athens facility has an empty dive pool, broken stadium seats, graffiti on it's walls, the swimming pool is stilled filled and utilized by the community at large and I would love to swim there. In fact, I would love to participate in a swim meet in just about any Olympic stadium: Athens, Beijing, Munich, Los Angeles, and of course London, Tokyo, and Moscow. These pool managers really should consider booking "Swim Tours" or perhaps a aspiring capitalist with travel industry experience should consider this?

From the BBC:

Other cities have had much more difficulty putting Olympic buildings to good use – or any use at all. In Athens, host of the 2004 Games, many Olympic venues have been abandoned. Some have even been vandalized. This picture of a graffiti laden swimming pool is part of a Getty Images slide show by photographer Matt Cardy of the Athens Olympic Sports Complex seven years after the Games.

A few host cities have reconstituted Olympic spaces into public works projects. For example, Lake Placid in New York state, host of the 1980 Winter Olympics, turned its Olympic Village into a men’s prison, as explained in Mental Floss Magazine.

[Link]

Ian Thorpe loves swimming and he talks about how thrilled he is to be training! - Thoughts on Phelps at the Rio Games in 2016 as well.

Ian Thorpe thrilled to be back and living the, "La vida agua" - or in English, "the water life." What a contrast to Michael Phelps who seems to mention in every third interview that when he is 30-years-old, or post the London 2012 Olympics. he is DONE!

Ian Thorpe over at AFP:

"It's really nice to be swimming again and to enjoy the life of an athlete. I think I forgot what it's like to do this and I didn't appreciate that so few people get to enjoy this," said Thorpe, attending the final stage of the Mare Nostrum circuit at Monaco as an onlooker rather than a competitor.

"Now I'm back doing this, I'm enjoying the kind of training lifestyle, to be fit and healthy again," said Thorpe, who in February announced that he would seek to qualify for the 2012 Games, focusing on the 100m and 200m freestyle.

[Link]

You know what I think? I think Phelps too will realize that he too can't leave this sport and will be back in 2016 much like Thorpe realized he had to come back post Beijing.

I have no proof or evidence nor can I look deep into Michael Phelps' soul and tell you what his motivations are but throughout my life having been around a lot of artists of note a key aspect of their personalities is their desire to be acknowledged.

I summarily don't think Phelps will be able to find the acknowledgment he craves outside of swimming nor will he he be able to be the "greatest" at something else. Here is a kid that has been famous since he 16-year-old and will "retire" when he is thirty. So, what does Phelps do for a second act? Even James Cagney came out of retirement to make a movie when he was 82-years old called Ragtime by Milos Forman. Now there was a actor that got the Queen of England to stand up and give a standing "O" just for showing up and she even went backstage to visit. (Queens don't do that!) Much like Michael Phelps was the best swimmer of all time in Beijing 2008, Cageny was the best actor of all time, left at the top, but he had to come back despite abject pain and the near end of his life.

I suspect both would like to remain relevant pop culture figures though Thorpe will have an easier time of it; (more established relationships with people of note, a whole country who loves him not to mention commonwealth recognition), and which is why Phelps will have to swim in 2016. What else can he do? Can he become a "super ninja" at poker? Are there any household names who play poker? Can he become a pro golfer? Phelps is tall and and the length of his clubs and arms make him prone to minute control problems and timing errors.

The best just can't leave when they are at the top; they have to be beaten first. Just ask Michael Jordan, Lance Armstrong, Mohamed Ali, Bjorn Borg, Pele, Roger Clemons, George Foreman, et al. ...Oh yeah, and some chic named Dara Torres.

"The Greatest Coaches Clinic On Earth" in Clearwater, FL.

A reader sent me this - Glenn Mills and Eddie Reese are a part of it and that impresses me greatly.

We are pleased to announce that the National Age Group Swimming Association, along with Speedo and All-American Aquatics will be sponsoring "The Greatest Coaches Clinic On Earth", Wednesday through Saturday, August 24-27, 2011 at the Marriott Suites on Sand Key, Clearwater Beach, Florida.

The "The Greatest Coaches Clinic On Earth" will feature some of the top club coaches and swimming experts in history, past and present. Speakers already scheduled include: Randy Reese, Eddie Reese, John Morse, Mike DeBoor, Chris Davis, Tim Bauer, Glenn Mills, Rachel Stratton-Mills, John Ivy, Dick Jochums, Keith Dickson and Debbie Meyer. We have many more that will be announced in the next couple of weeks.

The clinic each coach the opportunity to have fun and learn from the best in an intimate setting at a beautiful venue. Furthermore, the cost of the "The Greatest Coaches Clinic On Earth" is very affordable and the date is very user friendly to coaches that would like to start practice on the last Monday in August or the first week of September.

"The Greatest Coaches Clinic On Earth" topics are applicable to what the majority of age group and high school swimming coaches are looking for by giving them relevant information and tools on how to coach and develop their athletes.

We hope you can join us in Clearwater! [Link]

Click the image above to enlarge.

Which swimmers would make the best secret agents?

This article is meant as a bit of satire with a dash of humor. If I "outed" the cover of any secret agent listed below, then stick to your day job! :-P

10) Larsen Jensen

Our latest navy SEAL: He probably knows 2,000 ways to blow something up and can probably put a bullet through a quarter a mile away. He may not be a secret agent yet but he's qualified now.

9) Janet Evans

Are you seriously buying her housewife cover! Think Angelina Jolie with Brad Pitt in that hit-man movie. She also does some work for FINA which is a very, scarlet, red, flag!

8) Dara Torres

The "6-million dollar woman" - you know those multiple surgeries and her "yoga minions" created a uber-spy of UFO-grade quality!

7) Gary Hall

Double agent: converted by the "good guys" to tell it like it is. Could he have been the first double agent to bring to light how badly paid our USA athletes are? Politically assassinated at the Athens Games missing out on a relay that he should have swam on.

6) Nick Brunelli

He is the diplomat kind of secret agent. Think "Machiavelli" with muscles. Disarms enemies with good vibes and encouragement and then once they are being so very charmed by his "charisma distortion field," they tell him everything that he needs to know just so that can hang out that a little while longer.

5) Alexander Popov

Well, he cruised through the gatekeepers in Lausanne, Switzerland and got a job deep inside the "Castle FINA!" How is that for some weaponized, espionage, credibility?

4) Chloe Sutton

God and country, baby! - Truth Justice and the American way too! Chloe would be the female version of Jack Ryan, the hero from the Tom Clancy novels as portrayed by Harrison Ford in the movies. In fact, if Captain America were a girl she would be it.

3) Michael Phelps

Ever seen a Get Smart episode? He's clumsy, always saves the day, utilizes weird gadgets and girls that are way out of his league are attracted to him.

2) Jason Lezak

Two words Mission Impossible: Just a regular guy living in So Cal swims the fastest 100-free ever and defeats several empires in the process. You know he can do a bunch of other stuff better than Tom Cruise!

1) Ian Thorpe

Common wealth breeding, kicks it with royalty, hangs out in New York, West L.A., Japan, yet trains in Switzerland. You know he is hearing secrets and what a great cover he has: Internationally recognized swimmer, ambassador for Omega, plus he is a snappy dresser too.

Toothpaste and swim goggles?

I use hand soap and shampoo to keep my goggles anti-fog worthy but I have to do it before or after each workout for my goggles fog-proof. Here is a tip I just learned this morning:

10 uses for toothpaste:

Number 8: Fog Proof Goggles: Rub some toothpaste on the inside of goggles and then rinse to have fog free goggles for swimming.

[Link]

I haven't tried it yet, have any of you?

Photo courtesy: Flickr user mauren veras. (Creative Commons 2.0 license

The IOC is now willing to take a look at holding an Olympic Games in the USA after receiving a $4.38-billion dollar check from NBC.

Remember the failed Chicago bid for the 2016 Olympics and how the IOC stated that holding the games in the USA was not a good idea because of how bad a neighbor the US has been since 9/11? Well, that excuse was simply rhetorical bologna. The United States failed to get the Olympics because the IOC was seriously pissed-off at the USOC for all the money they make and their desire to profit from a proposed Olympic cable channel they wanted to produce.

Look at how extraordinary these numbers are: NBC will give the IOC $4.38-billion dollars. The IOC would usually get a 20%-cut of that figure and then and additional 12.75% from TV revenues. The IOC doesn't like that. Their excuse is that other countries should get a cut of that money and that the USOC percentage is too damn high, but I do no believe that either, I believe that the IOC simply wants more damn money.

From the Chicago Tribune:

USOC chief executive Scott Blackmun told me Tuesday by telephone from Switzerland the first matter of business between the USOC and IOC is resolving the longstanding dispute over the shares of U.S. television rights (12.75 percent) and the IOC's global sponsorship program (20 percent) that the U.S. currently receives. There is tremendous pressure on the USOC to take a smaller cut.

[Link]

It has been my observation that when both national governing bodies and/or international governing bodies receives millions, or in this case, 100's-of-millions-of dollars, watching them "shovel" some of this money down to the athletes is like watching a farmer "shovel fleas" across a barnyard floor with a "pitchfork." The athletes won't see much but the pigs and the chickens will. ;-)

"The Rime of the Modern Athlete - Money, money everywhere but not a penny to share!"

What if I told you that...

The chief executive officer of the U.S. Olympic Committee netted a base salary last year of $425,995 - [his final total was $638,407] - while his predecessor was paid $135,385 in 2010 for the final chapter of her tumultuous stint and the person who came before her got a $116,252 severance package, according to tax filings released Monday by the Colorado Springs-based organization. ..."

The Colorado Gazette [Link]

Then I told you that this $250-million-a-year organization paid their CEO less than the CEO of USA Swimming, Chuck Wielgus, who runs a $34-million-a-year organization and pulls in a compensation package of $731,500.

Would you think I was both angry and cynical if I said that?

Well, you should because I am! These are non profits and they are summarily enriching themselves rather than the athletes. The average national governing body chief makes $228,000-a-year. Wielgus makes more than triple that. [Link]

As for USA Swimming: The parents and athletes should ask themselves this, are they really getting their money's worth from their USA Swimming CEO because it is their money that is paying him. If not, is there really anything they can do about it?

Back to the USOC: The USOC spends more money on salaries & benefits than they they do on the following deliverables combined: Paralympic programs, anti-doping efforts, broadcast properties, communications, international relations, sports medicine, and sports science and technology. [Link]

The Olympics is apparently a dirty business and what I mean by dirty is that those in the front office make vasts amount of cash off the backs and the talents of the athletes at large while the talent has no recourse or right to profit-share in this patently greedy endeavor whatsoever. Are the Olympics really about togetherness and world harmony? Their mission statement certainly is but perhaps their management has a different goal?

The photo above is of the Berlin Olympic pool. Note that it is half empty or do you see it as half full?

The 'London Aquatics Center' webcam is displaying a facility that is starting to look quite stunning!

The London Aquatics Center is starting to glow. The roof looks finished, The stands are now in place and look at the ambient light! I do believe that this will be a beautiful facility and I hope they make the surrounding environment just as aesthetic.

Here is a link to the London Aquatics Center webcam or just come back to this post: [Link]

What was NBC thinking? Don't they relaize that they lost $233-million off the Vancouver Games alone?

NBC just spent 4.3-billion dollars on securing the next four Olympic games. Fatal financial move in my opinion! Here's why: The Olympic movement is not as significant as it once was. Though I am looking forward to a westernized Olympics in 2012, The World Cup of Soccer will be soon be more popular than either the summer or winter Olympic games come 2016 or sooner. Perhaps it already is? Consequently the Olympics may not be the mecca for advertisers it once was when such companies like CocaCola used the Olympics to globalized it's product with dozens of commercials throughout each Olympic run. Now they have the World Cup and the X-Games.

Other short term problems exist such as the lack of a "Michael Phelps" moment waiting in the wings for the next summer games. i.e. Phelps winning an amazing eight gold medals was both stunning and breathtaking; (Thank you Jason Lezak), but the lack of both emotion and motivation Phelps has displayed in recent months gives the impression that Phelps, if he wins half as many gold medals, would be termed an incredible moment but certainly not a Beijing moment.

The world has caught up and we are not so fast anymore. US citizens love to spend money and the USA is the breadbasket for industrial revenue across the planet. Will Americans want to tune in and see their athletes suddenly average out along with the rest of the world thereby winning some events and then losing and equal amount?

We no longer dominate in diving, we are about to have our worst Olympic showing in the pool at the 2012 London Games and how will Americans react to that? The French, the Australians, and the Chinese are also a force to be reckoned with while the US is closing many male oriented college sports programs without a peep coming out of USA Swimming or any of the other governing bodies.

Do people here care about track and field anymore? Will the NBA come out and save us on the court? What about sports like ice skating, beach volleyball, gymnastics? Are they gaining in popularity or fading? I think they are all fading.

Finally, there will be no more $45-billion cities designed for the next four Olympic games. 2008 was the pinnacle of infrastructure for the Olympic movement and I doubt we will ever see such a spectacle again.

Sir Richard Branson, Virgin properties mega-boss, will take part in a 56-mile swim relay in the Irish Sea!

I am doing some work for Virgin Mobile in France and I was pleased to hear that Richard Branson will captain a 56-mile relay swim across the Irish Sea to raise money for cancer research. The best part is that you too can do the swim at your local swimming pool. The swim will take place on September 11, 2011.

Here are some details:

1-SWIM, 1-TEAM, £1-MILLION... AND 56-GRUELING-MILES ACROSS THE IRISH SEA.

This September, Sir Richard Branson and Ronan Keating are captaining a relay team to swim the grueling Irish Sea and raise £1million for Cancer Research UK. Calling all swimmers... set yourself a swimming challenge, such as swimming the distance of the Irish Sea in your local swimming pool, and start fundraising for Cancer Research UK.

... please visit The Swim. Don’t want to swim? You can still help us raise £1million for Cancer Research UK’s life-saving work by sponsoring The Swim team. Sponsor the team at: [Link]

The image above comes from the Encyclopedia of Earth: [Link]

An obvious mentally ill man attempts to swim to Liberty Island after a hallucination that god told him too.

The Gothamist has an article about a 29-year-old New Jersey man who after having a hallucinatory conversation with god decides to swim to the Statue of Liberty. Though the distance is only 1,200 meters from New Jersey, the man is caught within the flowing currents and luckily enough for him is rescued before he is drawn out to sea.

It's a "snarky" article that is either one: poking fun at the man's mental illness with a sharpened, poisoned-tipped, pen. Two: using this "swimmer" as a straw man argument at how ridiculous the concept of "God" really is. Finally, three: using this man's obvious metal state to attack both the man and the concept of God some how tying both mental illness and religion into a single package.

I post this to illustrate the overconfidence that people have, either sane or ill, when approaching an open water challenge. Even Fran Crippen and crew, and this includes the execs at FINA to the coaches on the beach, grossly underestimating the severity of the Dubai conditions. Should this fellow be ridiculed for being both ill and doing likewise? The only difference here is that New York city did a better job at preventing the tragedy,

Here is a snippet:

The Lord works in mysterious ways. Sometimes He tells you to kill your son on a mountaintop, other times He commands you to send an army to take out the guy in Iraq who tried to kill your dad. [Read as George Bush - Tony] Yesterday God was busy over in Jersey, where He sent an unidentified man on a mission to swim to Liberty Island. Unfortunately, the federal gov'ment stepped in once again to thwart The Almighty's sovereign will...

[Link]

The "Holy Grail" of swim photos is Gwen Stefani swimming 'fly in high school - I have not found it yet but I did find "Excaliber!"

Who is that age-grouper sitting on the left? LOL. Here is a hint: She has been to five Olympics and is currently shooting for six! She has won twelve Olympic medals or four of each. That's right: Four golds, four silvers, four bronze! How is that for symmetry? She never swam for her supper but swims because she loves it.

Her name: DARA TORRES with her coach, Terry Palma, out of Culver City, California.

SCAQ has had quite a history with Culver City swimming and recently has resurrected the Culver City Swim Club, a club Dara swam with.

Dara’s Culver City team folded around 1988 but when the current pool; (currently christened The Culver City Plunge), was rebuilt on top of the same location as the ancient Culver City pool, SCAQ started a new age group program, the Culver City Swim Club with a grant from a SCAQ executive. That was 1996, the program grew to 80 kids, three of these kids have gone on to college swim teams, graduated and then returned and are swimming SCAQ.

After a two year run SCAQ turned the reins over to another team from a local city but the results were mixed in 2008 SCAQ was back at it again. We stepped in to assist and the CCSC team has grown into a massive program where 300 kids have now swum in a low key novice setting the last three years.

Eighty kids swim one or more workouts per week over the winter and come summer this will most likely balloon to well over a 120-swimmers. This is a novice, introductory swim team, where after a couple years, when the kids get fast enough if we push them into a more elite team that is also swimming at the pool.

By the way: Culver City Swim Club also had another Olympic Gold medalist alumni: Tiffany Cohn, born and she started swimming at Culver City as well. She was a double gold medalist in the 400 and 800 free. Not bad for small Culver City.

UPDATE:

KID’S SWIM TEAM - CCSC – Culver City Swim Club: A novice swim team created and sponsored by the SCAQ masters at the Culver Plunge and is the lowest cost swim team around, starting at $40 a month. If you are interested please email info@culvercityswimclub.com

Swimming orangutans baffle and surprise naturalists

These are crocodile infested waters too and these primates know that.They also fish there and apparently train there as well.

From The Mail Online:

"... In scenes which have left wildlife experts baffled, the 'king of the swimmers' leaps into the muddy water before swimming to the other side in an amazing aquatic display.

And another carefully shimmies down a tree towards the river before plucking a fish straight from the water. ..."

[Link]

30-seconds with Michael Phelps at the 'New York Times'

Phelps is releasing a swimming related video game this Tuesday and he gives an interview with the New York Times regarding Shanghai, the 2012 Olympics, his favorite sports icons; (Michael Jordon and Tiger Woods), and what is on his iPod.

New York TImes:

Q. What is in your iPod?
A. Lil Wayne. (Young) Jeezy. Biggie (Smalls). Same normal crew.

[Link]

Someone Explain: Is ASCA a union, an association or is it a monopoly?

It all started out so simply: USA Swimming was set up as the "National Governing Body" (NGB) for the sport of swimming by the US Government after the Senate recognized it via an act of congress. This act of congress is known as the Ted Stevens Amateur Sports Act; a federal law that establishes certain basic standards for certifying coaches and governing the sport of swimming.

Here is a USA Swimming link as to how coach certification is done but note you have to go to a second party to get ceritfied. hat second party is the American Swimmers Coaching Association (ASCA): [Link]

Note, the link says that if you want to become a coach certified by USA Swimming and you don't have the necessary educational requirements and experience; (i.e. USA Swimming Member, Safety certifications, coached a USA Swimming club before 1998, back ground check et cetera), you are essentially compelled to obtain ASCA certification. Compelled to go to ASCA

Essentially there is four steps:

1. USA Swimming Coach Education Requirement. The coach will need the following texts to pass the first year coaches’ test: Progressions for Athlete and Coach Development, Foundations of Coaching, and the current USA Swimming Rules and Regulations. The revised test for new coaches is available online through USA Swimming.

2. The coach must also have current safety certifications in First Aid, CPR, and Safety Training for Swim Coaches (or Lifeguard Training equivalency)

3. Completion of USA Swimming Background Check Requirement

4. Completion of the American Swim Coaches' Association Level 2 Stroke School, and completion of ASCA Level 3 Physiology School. Level 2 and Level 3 may be waived with three years experience working as an assistant in a USA Swimming member club.

[Link]

Why is it that you have to go to ASCA? Why is it that they get the sole contract with USA Swimming to do this? Did USA Swimming simply offer them a no-bid contract and say "make the coaches pay you too?

Now stay with me and read this really slow:

USA Swimming was legally established as a governing body monopoly for the sport of swimming but how did this make it ok for them to create a secondary monopoly beneath them for coaching?

I have not found any other agency or entity aside from ASCA that can provide the “ticket” to USAS recognition as a head coach even though that is their job.

Now, if you go to the job boards for coaches at either USA Swimming, ASCA and other websites seem to confirm that without the ASCA "ticket" or his ASCA's terminally silly Level one-through-five coaching rank you probably need not bother to apply.

Here is how it works: ASCA has these "ninja levels" that rate a coach from Level 1-5. Now these ratings are essentially star ratings that you would see attached to a hotel score or a movie review and I suspect one's income depends on which level they are.

Level one: You have finished a course called the foundations of coaching.

Level two: You learn about swim technique

Level three: Physiology school

Level four : Administration school

Level five: Leadership school

So, send in your money and climb the five rungs of the ASCA ladder and you can command a higher salary. Does this sound like an old fashioned “closed shop” without formal recognition as a union?

Maybe one of you labor lawyers out there can weigh in. And speaking of lawyers – which I am most decidedly not – if an applicant is effectively prevented from securing a higher paying head coaching job without ASCA certification does this constitute a restraint of trade?

In the 2009 lawsuit TYR brought against Speedo and USA Swimming the Court found the “high end competitive swimwear market” to sufficiently define a “relevant market”, which means it satisfied one of the steps in considering whether there was a possible violation of antitrust laws. TYR had proven that the market was big enough and important enough that actual trade issues were a point of law in this lawsuit.

If that is a relevant market for swimwear then the next logical assumption is that it also describes the market for coaches training especially for the “high end competitive swimmers in the professional, collegiate, high school and club ranks”, who are the target customers for that market.

Since I am not a lawyer – that I am productively employed instead ;-) – I welcome your comments so I can learn if my supposition is “all wet." I don't think it is. I think USA Swimming needs open up their possibly "closed shop" and actually have qualified institutions bid for this responsibility of training coaches.

In fact, I suspect it is a point of law that they should, but please educate me?

New USA Swimming national team coach Frank Busch gives an interview at ESPN.

In the interview, Frank Busch gives what I consider a cold, polite, nod to Mark Schubert. He also dodges the child protection issue a bit by stating that it is "everyone's responsibility".

Yep, I consider that a dodge alright. Here is why: There is a saying by some Greek guy named, Plato, that goes something like this: "That which is owned by all is cared for by none!" Saying it is everyone's responsibility is like saying, that you are just as guilty as us if something goes untoward. I don't buy it. In my opinion he should acknowledged the skills and department of Susan Woessner which he did not do.

In regards to the Fran Crippen death: We do agree on air and water temps but it was a political answer about rules and organizations.

Perhaps I have a bitter taste in my mouth after routing John Leonard's legal threats but Swimming organizations that represent both coaches and swimmers in this country seem to exist in a fog of politics that is so thick and full of foreboding that they have mastered the art of the non-answer.

Snippet from ESPN:

".... Busch: I think it's everyone's responsibility. It's a huge responsibility. I just came from Tucson where the shooting happened with [Congresswoman] Gabby Gifford. As things have unfolded, the emphasis has been put on mental health. Is there a way in which you can identify it at an earlier time and keep an individual from doing what they did? And the answer to that right now is, I'm not sure. I don't want to say no, but the probability is pretty slim, because there's a lot of people who struggle with life out there. I'm sure there are unstable coaches. We're doing background checks and doing [training in] coaches' ethics and making sure we follow that up. I don't know if anyone is ever going to be as tight on this as USA Swimming. ..."

[Link]

Visualize me doing a face palm. You protect kids by getting parents involved, by allowing no one-on-ones, policies about travel accommodations etc. etc. The Boy Scouts of America solved its problems after their lawsuit with sweeping changes, why won't USA Swimming adopt the same plan?

Passing the buck stating you can't look inside the souls of men or women to decide who can coach is a rhetorical device I do not accept. USA Swimming policies should be so rock solid that even if a "freak" did mange to game and/or breech the system and become a coach, there still would be no opportunity for said "freak" to act.

Also policies such as these would protect coaches from fake accusations. Coaches should be demanding policies such as these as well.

UPDATE:

Here is a comment I would like to add within this post from an anonymous poster to this article:

He's a nice guy and a great coach.

That was a bad interview though. He's probably not used to answering the tough questions since he is such a great coach, he doesn't get asked them very often. Give him some time and he will adapt.

Also, send him your thoughts. Although the national team director is focused on winning golds, a former swimmer of his and former Tucson coach just got added to the banned list so maybe it will hit close to home.