The London 2012 50p Aquatics coin or $0.80 USD.

Imagine if Chicago got the 2016 Olympics and the US Treasury created a $1.00 coin to commemorate it? Great Britain is and does that denote how seriously Great Britain is taking these Olympics or is it a covert way to encourage public investment?

You can get a 2012 Olympic 50p coin that represents your favorite sport for £2.99 from the royal mint but ask yourself this, will it be an investment or a souvenir?  - [Link]

Omega watches is offering a 2012 commemorative collection of timepieces of their Seamaster line.  

The Seamaster is quite an accomplished line of watches. I am wearing one now that my grandfather handed down to me which he purchased in 1964 which certainly proves that Omega makes solid timepieces.  I am told that every Omega Commemorative Olympic watch has become a collectors item but I am suspicious of that claim. Though Omega did sell out of its 2008 Olympic Beijing commemorative watch collection, I was able to find a new one selling for sub-retail price.

The 2012 watches will sell for about $3,000-to-$5000. - [Link]

In my humble opinion the only Olympic souvenir worth owning is your personal certification as an Olympian, your ticket stub or a torch that contributed to lighting the the Olympic flame. If you really want a sound investment, invest in yourself first.

London will name subway or 'tube' stops after famous Olympic athletes! - Michael Phelps and Muhammad Ali share a stop!

See the American Athlete "subway stops" at USA Today:

"... There were heated debates and a few late changes of heart, but we are happy with the result: dozens of nations represented, all 2012 Olympic sports accounted for, and Ali and Phelps, two of the greatest Olympians of all time, guarding the Stratford gateways to the games," map designers Alex Trickett and David Brooks said in a joint statement reported by the Associated Press. ..."

[Link]

More Ad'm Dusenbury details: After quitting amid the allegations, Dusenbury was then called back to the Nadadores.

USA Swimming is now on it's own to determine the fate of John Dusenbury. There were no arrests, no legal complaint that I know of but the Orange County Register tells us there is a smoking gun that many people refused to confront; that smoking gun,  a photo of a young girl in her underwear perhaps in Dusenbury's home and a journal entry allegedly in Dusenbury's hand.

From the OC Register:

A DVD provided to Nadadores officials and obtained by the Register contains photos of a 2006 diary in which Dusenbury and the girl purportedly chronicle their relationship, in often intimate detail, including dates and places where sex acts occurred. 

"...The DVD also contains photos of a teenage girl in her underwear in Dusenbury's apartment and seated on his bed. Club officials and Nadadores parents have identified the girl as the former Aliso Niguel student. ..." 

[Link]

Currently Dusenbury is working right alongside his friend and colleague, George Block, who is also the friend and colleague of John Leonard. To rub salt in the wound, the non-profit he now works for is called Voices for the Children.

Mr. Leonard is still featuring Dusenbury as a speaker at an ASCA event in Las Vegas this coming September which is not surprising since he seemingly has a history of protecting his.... (The ellipsis denotes deletion, a hanging thought for people like Susan Woesner and Chuck Wielgus to consider.)

Who really are the individuals a certifying body; (ASCA), should put first? The coaches or the children?  Is USA Swimming ok with this?

From the OC Weekly Blogs:

"... I just wanted to drop you a line to clarify something that was in your recent post about the Mission Viejo Nadadores. In the story Sunday I referred to Rick Brotherton being appalled at the club's reaction to the Dusenbury situation. That was in reference to the club's reaction this past August. Dusenbury resigned, then was allowed to withdraw the resignation and return to the club. Several parents were upset with the decision to call him back from Palo Alto. Coaches and club officials opposed the club firing him yet would not view the material raising the allegations. That is what Mr. Brotherton was upset with and why he left the club. 

[Link]

Now, perhaps if I suggest this one more time: A no one-on-on rule would have prevented this real or imagined situation from ever happening, hmmm?

Perhaps it is an unworkable rule but if I may suggest to all the coaches and parents out there, it is a security measure that should be considered.

Above is Chloe Sutton, A Natadore swimmer.

Mission Viejo Nadadores Coach: Daniel Ad'm Dusenbury Accused of Improper Relationship With Minor!

Got word today from two readers, the first pointed me to this Swimming World article which includes terrible news from the Orange County Register as well as a press release from the Mission Viejo Natadores:

From Swimming World:

The OC Register states that USA Swimming is currently investigating when the Nadadores found out about the alleged misconduct. [...]

The article further states that the Mission Viejo Nadadores are currently in the midst of a rift based on the handling of the investigation into allegations.

"I believe (Dusenbury) did (have an improper relationship) and I didn't agree with the fact that he was still on (the pool) deck," former Nadadores chairman Rick Brotherton told the OC Register. "I thought by my staying there I was making a statement that I felt everything was fine and I didn't believe everything was fine. So we left. I didn't want people thinking 'The Brothertons are still here. It must not be as bad as they're saying it is.' ..." 

[Link]

There is way more in the article which details evidence, history and response but it does get worse? A second reader sent me this

On September 5th, 2012, Daniel Ad'm Dusenbury, is slated to give a "Level Two" stroke class at the American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) World Clinic in Las Vegas. (See ASCA screenshot above).

Either ASCA endorses him or ASCA did not get the memo, (read as the Orange County Register article).

Here is the Link: [Link]

Now waiting for USA Swimming's response...

Australian Swimming Championships: Ian Thorpe swims a 1:49.16 to make the semi-finals in the 200m-free!

He was "storming it" too till the last 50-meters. He just might make London...

From the Chicago Tribune:

"It's a pretty decent time. I'm happy with that swim this morning," the 29-year-old said in a brief poolside interview before heading off to prepare for the semi-finals (0912 GMT) in the evening session at the South Australia Aquatic and Leisure Centre in Adelaide.

Should Thorpe make Saturday evening's final but miss out on a berth for the individual event reserved for the winner and runner-up, a top-six finish will at least ensure he is considered for selection to the four-member freestyle relay team.

[Link]

FINA take note: techsuits for horses! - Was going to wait till "April Pools" to post this but this is for real and too good to pass up.

Now, this was this too good to pass up! Becasue I think the Speedo FASTSKIN3 system costs almost as much.

From Gizmodo:

According to the inventors, the suit “enhances blood flow and oxygen availability to animal’s muscles and speeds up the removal of waste products—like lactic acids and carbon dioxide—for vital blood supplies.” They say that this helps to “recover injuries faster, help prevent injuries by maintaining muscle temperature and it reduces muscle fatigue and by flushing out bad blood it reduces delayed onset muscle soreness.” 

For around £550 each, it sounds good to me, no matter how stupid and freaky it looks. I mean, if you were a horse, would you use this ridiculous suit with a giant poop hole on the back or would you rather get shot in the head and turned into dog food and sausages for French people.

[Link]

If I remember correctly, TYR actually got spanked by FINA; (I won't name which company I feel was responsible for inspiring FINA to make that decision to spank TYR), because of the same promises listed above. Who knew techsuits could do that? TYR did!

Michael Phelps selling his Baltimore condo for seven-figures.

Michael Phelps' water front home came be yours. I am not thrilled about both the kitchen & bathroom design but to be fair that is not his fault.

Where: Baltimore, Maryland.The price listed by Radar.com is between: $1,075,000 to $1,475,000.

Square Footage: A whopping 4,080 square feet which is huge for a condo, it has 3-bedrooms, 3-bathrooms and 2-half-bathrooms.

Five bathrooms is a lot of bathrooms for a 3-bedroom condo don't you think? What was the architect thinking?

Radar Online has photos: [Link]

Japan Tsunami: tens-of-thousands of people both erased and forgotten!

Half-a-century ago Miyako, Japan, was ravaged by a devastating tsunami. Their reaction was to build 30-foot tall tsunami sea walls to protect the city. When "The Tsunami" hit one year ago this past weekend, their 30-foot walls were put to the test against 30-foot high tsunami waves.

Why did the 30-foot walls fail against a 30 foot tall tsunami wave?

The walls obviously lost but not as a result of bad engineering or wall-height. What created the devastation upon the city of Miyako was that their coastline; (read this slowly), their coastline dropped three feet in elevation once the quake finished thus reducing their real relative height down to 27-feet. Thus that 3-feet subtraction was enough to destroy the town. See the video above.

Here is a link to all the posts I made during that that terrible day: [Link]

Refreshing change: Excuses are gone - Phelps is being honest and talking like a champion now!

The Columbus Dispatch has an article with numerous quotes from Michael Phelps regarding his state of mind and his future intentions. It's refreshing to see him admit that he was depressed post Beijing; (probably because the hunt is always better than the kill), and that he has realized that "his moment" has almost expired and subsequently that he should go hard and have some fun.

Yeah, that's the spirit, Michael!

From the Columbus Dispatch:

"For me, right now, there are still things I want to accomplish in the sport. I know that I’m not going to have this opportunity for too much longer. So I might as well give it one more shot, one more go at it, and have fun," he said yesterday in advance of the Columbus Grand Prix event at Ohio State.

[Link]

Federica Pellegrini swims a 4:05.70 in the 400m free - 3-seconds slower than Rebecca Adlington's best

Federica Pellegrini dominated her two events at the Italian National Championships.

In her signature event, the 400m-free, she swam a "good-enough-to-win" time of 4:05.70 and then placed first in the 100m-free swimming a 54.73. (Note: She went out in a 27 for the first 50.)

Days ago Rebecca Adlington swam a 4:02.84, some 3-seconds faster in the event than Pellegrini. This has to give Adlington some confidence especially after she was beaten by Pellegrini at the 2011 Fina World Championships. However, Pellegrini was largely unchallenged in the event swimming by herself for the most part which may have had something to do with a less inspired time.

From Swimming World:

Federica Pellegrini cruised to victory in the women's 400 free with a 4:05.70, moving into the top five in the world with the swim. She swam largely alone as Alessia Filippi placed second in 4:11.67. Alice Nesti snared third overall in 4:11.71.

[Link] 

The Photo above comes from Altri Sport that has more personal details about her love life and her quotes post race.

[Link]

Ken Stopkotte Vindicated: Press release below includes more details and a download link to the evidence that exonerated him!

I was sent a press release, a case summary, spreadsheet evidence, and an affidavit, from Ken Stopkotte which explains why all the charges were dropped. Here is a link to a PDF with all of the above included: [Link]

This guy went 15-months branded as a thief and criminal. He was neither and some suggest this was retaliation for getting child protection into the limelight; see the press release below:

Press Release: For Immediate Release - March 7, 2012 

Indiana Swim Coach Ken Stopkotte Vindicated by the Dismissal of Criminal Charges Indianapolis, IN -- March 7, 2012 -- Hamilton County prosecutors agreed to drop all charges yesterday against former Fishers area swim coach Ken Stopkotte, resulting in Hamilton County Superior Court Judge Gail Bardach dismissing the case (Hamilton County Superior Court Case No.29D06-1011-FD-005906). 

Stopkotte maintained his innocence from the beginning. He refused to accept every single plea bargain offered by prosecutors and was prepared for a jury trial to prove his innocence. 

Statement from former Fishers Area Swimming Tigers swim coach Ken Stopkotte: "The original allegations in the Official Affidavit for Probable Cause as signed by Fishers Police Detective Daniel Nelson led to media insinuations and statements that I "stole", "pocketed rental fees", and was charged with "felony theft". Nowhere in the affidavit did it state that I personally misused or otherwise used the nearly $17,000 in question for my own personal benefit. Rather the document refers to me depositing the money into a "private account" for Swim Club expenses. 

The so-called "private account" was opened under the name of the Fishers Area Swimming Team and was used as an operating account for the swim club that paid for the high school swimming and diving team's pool equipment and to pay for stipends to Fishers High School swimming coaches. There was no theft. There were no pocketed rental fees and there was no stolen money. There was no evidence or even an allegation that I used the money for personal use. I am relieved that my good name has been restored. The financial and emotional damages to my family and I have been devastating. I will not be making any further statements," said Stopkotte. 

Stopkotte is best known for having the bravery to come forward with information to assist sex abuse victims that USA Swimming covered up alleged sexual molestation by USA Swimming coaches. As a result of his outspoken criticism of USA Swimming's leadership, Stopkotte filed a successful complaint with the United States Olympic Committee alleging
retaliation.

Coach Ken Stopkotte has had all charges filed against him DROPPED!

Ken Stoppkotte, per his Facebook page, has had all charges filed against him dropped for lack of evidence.

On November 26, 2010 - I reported that Ken Stoppkotte had been arrested. Here is what I wrote:

"... It was Coach Ken Stopkotte that contacted me months ago about the USA Swimming sex abuse issues once I made a blog post regarding a really scary San Jose coach. He was later seen on ABC News 20/20 laying it out out on the table and making lots of enemies in the swimming community.

This was sent to me as a fast note from an anonymous source regarding the recent charges filed against him. They included the police report in the arrest along with a cryptic comment:

"... Attached is the police report. [Note:] There is no mention whatsoever that Ken used any of the funds for personal gain, no mention that he embezzled money, no mention that the monies in said "private account" which in reality was a FAST account found its way to Ken:  [Link] 

If Coach Stoppkotte has been cleared as mentioned in his declaration below, then all penalties and prejudices  levied against him by the swim community, his employer, or employers should be rescinded and apologized for.

From Ken Stoppkotte's Facebook page: 

Friends, as many of you know the last two years of my life has been a living hell. In November of 2010, I was falsely accused by the Hamilton Southeastern School Corporation in Fishers, Indiana of eight felony counts of theft and arrested (without bail) in Franklin, Tennessee. After spending the first 45 years of my life of trying to be an honest and hardworking citizen and never being accused of a crime worse than a few speeding and parking tickets, I spent seven days in the Williamson County (Tennessee) jail in isolated maximum lockdown (where I was only able to come out of the cell for one hour every two days). From there, I was extradited to Fishers, Indiana in a transport wagon and spent another two days in the Hamilton, County jail awaiting a bail hearing before I was finally released. I missed Thanksgiving Day with my family, my faith was greatly tested and my life changed forever. As the case dragged out, these charges have subsequently hung over my head like a black cloud for sixteen months and the financial and emotional damages to my family and I have been devastating. 

The case never went to trial and the prosecution came to the realization through the depositions and non-existent evidence that they needed to drop the case because of the school district's false and misleading information to the Fishers Police Department. Unfortunately, the collateral damages were significant and it took 15 months out of my life. 

While many of you reached out to me with encouraging emails, notes, texts & phone calls, I apologize if  I didn’t always respond or stay in touch. It was a very depressing, embarrassing and humiliating period of my life and it was extremely difficult and painful for me to interact with people. 

I would like to thank all my friends, former athletes, former co-workers and my family (specifically my sons, Jacob & Noah, Mom, Dad and my sisters, Jill & Chris) for all their support and never giving up on me during this horrible ordeal. 

Ken

The Apple iPad is having a significant impact on swimming!

Glenn Mills was telling me all about these advantages 3-years ago when he made his iPhone app. The rest of the world is catching up:

From PennLive.com

“I’ve had mine for about four or five weeks and I learn more about it every day,” said Susquehanna Twp. coach LuAnn Hetherington.

“The major thing I use it for is in practice. When I see something wrong and I’m looking at somebody swimming something wrong, I immediately grab the iPad and film them.

“Then I pull them out of the water individually and let them watch it.”

The name of the game in coaching is feedback to the athlete.

The iPad allows coaches to give their swimmers immediate visual feedback.

“Anytime you can use video in your coaching, it’s going to help,” Gobrecht said.

“It gives you a chance to look for the little things that swimmers do with turns and kicks.”

At the Mid-Penn Conference Championships on Feb. 11, Northern coaches Scott Zacharda and Bill Resser incorporated the iPad into their postrace chat with each swimmer.

“Scott would debrief all of the swimmers first and then he’d tell them to go over to [me] and [I would] show them what they did,” Resser said.

“You can talk to them after the meet, but with this, it’s immediate. We can show them right away what they need to work on even before their next race.”

With its quick-snap photo capability, easy-to-use video camera and software upgrades, coaches see no end to the possibilities for incorporating the iPad into their routine.

[Link]

Was she wearing two swim caps? - Rebecca Adlington qualifies for the British Olympic team in the 400m Free

I am confident that it is not illegal to wear two swim caps but it is an odd thing to do so I thought I would try it.

Yesterday while at workout I found that by wearing two silicone caps my head floated in a higher position due to the air the caps trap. This could be an de facto aid when sprinting. It is an odd habit and I wonder why most elite swimmers do it?

Rebecca Adlington wearing two caps and a set of Speedo googles; (they don't look like the FASTSKIN3 goggles), logged a 4:02.35 to set a British record and qualify for the British Olympic team. Last year Federica Pellegrini swam a 4:01.97 edging out Adlinton who swam a 4:02.85 and though Adlington is swimming faster than she did last year but Federica Pellegrini is still the girl to beat. I look forward to seeing what Pellegrini does when she swims at Italian Nationals.

From the BBC:

An emotional Adlington told 5 live sports extra she was nervous before the race, describing the trial as the biggest of her career.
"I wasn't even bothered about the time, I just wanted to get in," said Adlington, who became a household name after winning gold in the 400m and 800m freestyle in Beijing in 2008.
"Four years it has taken to get to this point and you can't imagine how good it feels to get here."

[Link]

Dolphins actually "name themselves" shortly after birth with their own unique whistle!

I think the "best kept secret" in all of science is that most animals and insects have some sense of self and that they too have their own unique "souls" so to speak.

Dolphins apparently create a signature whistle shortly after birth and share that whistle as if it were a name when they meet a new ally or dolphin:

From Discovery Magazine:
"... The signature whistles seem to act like badges of identity. One dolphin can learn information about another by listening to its whistle. But they’re not entirely like human names. For a start, they’re invented, rather than bestowed. They also convey more than just identity – they reveal the caller’s motivation or mood. "It’s a bit like in human language, where you can hear if a person sounds happy or sad, not in the choice of words they make, but in subtle acoustic features in their speech," explains Janik. ... 

[Link]

Ryan Lochte tacitly confirms irresponsible behavior.

On January 14, 2011, I called Ryan Lochte a jackass for posting this on Twitter:

On Wednesday, Lochte posted a tweet saying

"...Just cruisin down the road... Wit my boi @rexgator44 !! Ya dig!! Jeah!!!"

With a photo attached of a speedometer. A zoomed-in portion of that photo can be seen at above right, with the operative number being 166 -- as in 166 mph...

[Link]

At Yahoo Sports today I see the following headline: "Ryan Lochte can’t drive 55, but he can drive 175" - Yahoo sports went on to say:

"175," he finally revealed. He didn't say exactly when or where, just that it came on a highway when he made sure no one was around. 

[Link]

Will we see his face on a Wheaties box?

Photos above all copyright by Mark Savage Photography

Sticker Shock: Techsuits circa 2009 are cheaper than the "Speedo Fastskin3" swimsuit system of today

When considering the FASTSKIN3 Racing System, here are some keywords one should take note of: "Compression garment" - $535.00.

I believe both FINA and USA Swimming raised a fuss over the cost and the compression methods of the techsuits circa 2009 but where is all of that noise today? 

Below the Speedo system suits photo is the Tracer Light techsuit made by TYR - the cost of the Tracer Light is a summarily $215 cheaper than the new FASTSKIN3 Racing System. It has significantly more material, is more modest to wear, and it features a zipper rather than an open back with straps. Other techsuits such as the original blueseventy Nero Comp sold for $350.

Where is the fervor regarding kids being sold suits that they cannot afford today? Someone explain to me why this is good for swimming?

From the Globe and Mail:

The entire FASTSKIN3 Racing System [...] Its space-age design is certainly good news for athletes fighting to gain even a millisecond advantage over the competition. But for mere mortals who buy one of the super-elite systems, which retails for $535, the first wide-eyed moment of wonder will come when they take the suit out of its box and hold it up to their bodies. This is a compression garment like no other.
[Link]

Phelps training at 8,000 feet and using a using hyperbaric chamber to aid recovery

See USA Today:

"...He says the chamber looks like a fish tank around his bed and the only downside is trying to watch TV through its walls."

[Link]

I wonder if this could be considered cheating? This is a medically sanctioned object that most athletes cannot afford?

UPDATE: This is what The World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) has to say about the chambers:

"... In 2006, the World Anti-Doping Agency’s ethics committee ruled that such chambers enhance performance and violate “the spirit of sport,” but the executive committee refrained from adding them to their list of prohibited substances and methods, instead asking for studies to look further into health implications. ..."

[Link]