2009 SPMA SCM Regionals: A thousand world records will descend on you!

The feeling at the Belmont Plaza was that this was the last dance for tech suits and swimmers swam races like it was their "last day" on earth.

I walked into the Belmont Plaza this morning to an overwhelming roar! You not could talk over, nor hear anything but the roar for Alex Kostich's WR in the 800-SCM free. His time was eight-minutes, five-seconds and change. Think Beijing when the Chinese team took to the field.

"How many world records set this morning," I asked. "Just three so far," came the reply, "all 800-free swims."

I have not talk much about it but even SCAQers set several WRs.

The feeling at the Belmont Plaza was extraordinarily exuberant and severely focused. Even I took a simply relay at the end of the day like it was going to be last time I would ever be allowed to have fun in a tech suit.

It was the 200-free relay and I was third position for lift-off. I had just warmed down form the 100 IM, and when I got to the blocks in lane-four, I was both sad and determined to swim as hard as I could and try to enjoy and memorized each second as it happened for this could be my last meet.

My dive went well and the water seemed bluer than usual, Even the highlights on the bubbles seemed brighter. Intrinsically, it's like I could feel all four corners of the pool without looking.

As I chased the competitor down in lane-5, I refused to breathe. I was going to swim one-and-a-half laps with a strict breath-control quota of only one breath for the whole race. My next goal was to kick as hard I could to make them cramp by the time I got to the wall. When I saw the wall approaching I wanted to time my stroke so I landed right on the pad but I had to glide with my head down since I was half a stroke short.

Our relay swam a sub-two-minute race and we place second to our own team relay. I think they set a record. Who wasn't? I think our time was a 1:56.3 or a 1:45 in yards.

They tell me the New England Masters Championships are next week and that will crack the sky in regards to WRs. I bet the competitors swim their races the same way.

A message was sent today to the USMS that suits drove not just the enthusiasm for the meet but the both the participation and the economics of it as well. I kid you not. Jeff Moxie was on the scene observing and I suspect he got an ear-full of pro suit rhetoric, so much so, I am convinced that something is brewing,

Last year this Regional meet had 500 swimmers attend and believe me, Champagne glasses were clinking. This year they had 600-plus. Ultimately, the meet probably grossed roughly $27,000 thereby subsidizing the Long Beach Grunions swim club which was the club that put on the meet in a very healthy way.

I was later told that if the meet got any bigger, say 700-plus, the meet would have to become a four-day meet. That was "very noticed" by Jeff Moxie who was in the audience and he too could hear the roaring of the crowd. To keep this sort of momentum going I think something wonderful is going to happen in regards to SCY races and how thy relate to the FINA governing body's opinion of the tech suit. It has to happen. Masters swimming has never been this big and I am sure the USMS is never going to let it shrink and if suits are the reason for the success, I think tweaking of the suit rules is going to take place. :-P

'The 17th Man' Surveying his realm, and it is good!

Blogger Joel of "The 17th Man" up at the blocks at the Belmont Plaza and ready to swim the 200 fly at the SPMA Short Course Meters Championships. Blogger Joel swam the 200 fly as fast as I can swim a 200 free. Joel makes the 200 fly look like a warm-up swim. he is relaxed and very well paced. Meet results page: [Link]

The meet was hosted by The Long Beach Grunions who are the most cohesive team I have ever seen. They are friendly, organized and enthusiastic but they have a peculiar habit of teasing each other when they are up on the blocks. Nonetheless, I must say that the insults and the witty retorts made for great swim theater as well as Grunion camaraderie. :-)

Dozens of world records were broken there and Swimming World covered it too [Link]

Here is the pool that the World Swimming Championship will be held.

It is a temporary 50 LCM pool built by Astral Pools within the Rod Laver Arena in Australia. Astral Pools built the US Olympic trials pool in the Belmont Plaza parking lot in '04 as well.

Isn't it sad that all these pools are only temporary rather than permanent or even renovated structures?

Here is a video of LMU swimmer, Lauren Mathewson, beating Nan Liu; a nationally ranked swimmer from the Liao Ning Province in China, in the 100 backstroke at the PCSC Championship Meet at the Belmont Plaza.

Note how Lauren uses her turns and underwater work as a lethal weapon. She only broke surface after her competitors were taking their second or third stroke. Just amazing and she never suffered any degradation to her momentum.

To illustrate the gravity of this win, take a look at this snippet from Nan liu's bio: "...represented her province in the National Game and Chinese Championships, where she was a top three finisher in the 50 and 100 butterfly events... Earned the Outstanding Junior Swimmer award by the Chinese Swimming Association and the Most Outstanding Athlete by the Liao Ning Province... ."

Note that at the PCSC Championship Nan Liu also won the two butterfly events setting new meet records and was named along with, Lauren Mathewson, PCSC Swimmer of the Year. I can personally tell you that Head Coach Bonnie Adair and the coaching staff of LMU were euphoric about this meet and Lauren's PCSC Conference record-setting swim.

Chuck Tansuwan shot this video and I thank him for letting me post it.

Toyota Swimming Grand Prix update: Sandeno wins again! Coughlin breaks her own American and U.S. Open record in the 200-yard free and some guy named Phelps won his third event by almost 3 1/2 seconds.

Sandeno dominated the 400 IM SCY in a time of 4:09.74. Here is a quote I stole from Lane 9 News: "I was talking to Natalie this morning, and we were saying it's like you can't come here (to this pool) and not swim fast," Sandeno said. "It really is a fast pool, and I can't think of a meet where I've come here and not swum fast. This pool is just phenomenal."

You know, This Blogger has swam at Belmont [Plaza] and the pool certainly has charisma and a history but in my opinion, LMU and Santa Monica College trump Belmont and are faster pools.

Phelps won the 400 IM SCY in 3:39.61 with a 3 1/2 second lead. His goal for the meet was to best 3:40.

Phelps placed second in the 200 Breaststroke SCY, the first time Phelps has swam the 200 breast SCY in about three years time and he was happy with his time.

Jason Leezak beat Ian Crocker in the 50 Free SCY with what he believes was a lousy start in 19.49. Quote from Lane 9 News: "My start I didn't like tonight," Lezak said. "I had a much cleaner entry this morning, but I'm normally a long course swimmer, so (starts and turns) aren't the things I worry about too much. At a meet like this, it's practice.

Lane 9 News [Link]