There is a new swimmer in town: Ryan Nathan Lezak! - Son of Jason and Danielle Lezak.

Swimming World Magazine posted news of the birth of Ryan Nathan Lezak via a press release and I just saw it today.

SCAQ blog congratulations. Can't wait to see him in at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles?

Caveat: I don't mean to put Olympic pressure on Los Angeles or anything! ;-)

[Link]

Update: I have dear a Jewsish friend and I noted that there were a lot of great American Olympic swimmers who are Jewish: Mark Spitz, Dara Torres, Garret Weber-Gale, Wildman Tobriner, Anthony Ervin, Lenny Krayzelburg and of course Jason Lezak.

He told me it is part of the Torah to teach your kids to swim!

How cool is that? A religion that endorses swimming!

The 'Telegraph': "Black kids can't swim because black parents can't swim."

Cullen Jones may be our most valuable Olympian. He is the one standing next to Oprah and Michael Phelps. (Photo from Wikipedia.)

From the Telegraph. Scroll to the bottom of the page to read the synopsis:

"...In Friday morning’s Black Men Can’t Swim (Radio 4) Matt Blaize, a non-swimming actor and comedian, attempted to find the true reasons for the dearth of elite black swimmers. He interviewed one, Cullen Jones, an American who, after winning a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics last year, is a living affront to the programme’s titular myth. ..."

[...]

"... The pertinent point, Blaize concluded, wasn’t biological; it was cultural. Black parents don’t swim, so black children don’t swim either. ..."

[Link]

Year-after-year I read about horrific drownings while looking for stories for this blog. Sometimes I get so rattled, especially the stories where families lose a child or a child is rendered near brain dead, that I can't think or blog for some minutes.

I am convinced that the ability to swim should be a mandated skill before the first-or second-grade much like vaccinations are mandated when you go to enroll your child in public school.

The United States, or any country for that matter, would be unstoppable in the pool if our less advantaged populations had more aquatic opportunities.

Jason Lezak just misses a Michael Phelps record in the 100-free! - Jason Lezak is relevant, he is in the game, and he is hungry!

From Swimming World:

"... IRVINE, California, May 24. ROSE Bowl Aquatics' Jason Lezak provided some serious fireworks on the final day of the Janet Evans Invitational as he threatened the American record in the men's 100 free over long course meters.

In another head-to-head battle, Lezak smashed California's Nathan Adrian. Lezak took a run at Michael Phelps' American record of 47.51 in the men's 100 free, but settled for a smoking time of 47.80. Adrian could not keep up as he finished second in 49.14. Jason Dunford completed the top three in 50.38.

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Jason Lezak, swimming without a sponsor is currently the fastest, American, 100-free swimmer so far this year; (correct me by sending a comment please if I am mistaken).

He is motivated and winning. Every meet for Lezak is an opportunity.

I will say that I am profoundly disgusted with his talent management. It completely astonishes me that someone as capable as Lezak is not is not sponsored by TYR, blueseventy, Jaked, Mizuno or Arena for that matter. He could have been tearing up Europe at those short-course-meter racers that Peter Marshall was setting WRs at.

Win, place or show is how they bet in horse racing: Do you realize the exposure a suit brand would have garnered at one of those meets if Lezak simply showed up and either won, placed, or showed?

The buzz would have been great for everybody: The meet itself, the suit brand, and the American/European rivalry.

I bet TYR would have sent him, they sent Peter Marshall who I had never heard of for a fast $75,000, AND HE SET WORLD RECORDS!

No "off-meets" for Aaron Peirsol or Jason Lezak either- Every meet demands a win and win they did!

There are no "off-meets" for these two. From Swimming World:

"...In a head-to-head battle between a pair of Olympians, the veteran Jason Lezak challenged the American record in the men's 50 free with a triumph over Nathan Adrian. Lezak, swimming for Rose Bowl Aquatics, won in 21.90. The American record is held by Garrett Weber-Gale with a 21.47 from the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials.

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Texas Senior Circuit: "...Longhorn's Aaron Peirsol crushed the field in the men's 200 back with a swift time of 1:56.38. [about 2-seconds off his personal best - Tony] Mustang Matt Thompson placed a distant second in 2:01.52 with Timothy Johnson taking third in 2:04.52.

[Link]

I grabbed the photo to the right of Jason Lezak at his website. (Yes, I did alter he photo.)

Can anybody tell me what suit he is wearing? It is kind of snazzy!

FOX News interviews Jason Lezak regarding his lack of sponsors!

Rob from RobAquatics sent this video link to me and I had to upload it to the blog since I couldn't get the embed links to work. Thanks Rob for the tip. :-)

In my opinion this interview was ill advised and if I was his sports agent, I would be humiliated at how ineffectual I was in getting him contracts. The Newsweek article is one thing since it showcase what he has accomplished and where he wants to go rather than how much help he needs. Also, the readership is more suited to that sort of news rather than FOX news.

Fred Bousquet: "I felt like I was stabbed in the back, not by the U.S., but by my federation,"

Above is Fred Bousquet breaking a US Open record in the 50-m free. Bousquet was interviewed at the Austin Grand Prix and was quite candid about his disappointment over the French loss in the 4x100 relay in Beijing. His reasons succinct, logical, and I believe he is correct.

Here is what the American Statesman has quoted him as saying:

"First of all, I would have swam in the middle of my lane," he explained. Drifting to the ropes, and unintentionally aiding Lezak was one of the tactical mistakes the big Frenchman made.

"I also would have saved something for the final 50," Bousquet added

"It's seven months ago and I'm still angry," Bousquet said. "I'll use that for motivation this year. ..."

[Link]

There is more hot rhetoric from the Frenchman and of course Bernard gets misquoted with that "we will smash them" threat which never happened but the article is worth a read.

Finally, Fred Bousquet swims at Auburn; I love that for swimming knows no borders accept when it is race day.

Watch the video above, Gold Medal Mel makes a cameo!

Newsweek: 'America's Unemployed Olympic Hero'

Newsweek has an article on Olympic champion and 4x100 superhero, Jason Lezak. From Newsweek:

It was late morning in Beijing on Aug. 11. In the waiting area before the start of the 4-by-100 freestyle relay, Lezak called a huddle with his young teammates, Cullen Jones, Garrett Weber-Gale and Michael Phelps. Lezak told them he had been a part of this relay in 2000 and had come in second. He was a part of this relay in 2004 and got bronze. The message: enough. They nodded and walked out to the pool.

Newsweek: [Link]

The article goes on to discuss monetary compensation that Lezak is asking for and while reading it the name, Evan Morgenstein, appears. He is the sports agent who refuses to do any work with TYR due to a lawsuit TYR filed against one of his clients, Eric Vendt, for switching suit brands while on the TYR payroll.

My reference is this quote from Morgenstein posted at SwimNews.com:

"...TYR Sport is no longer on our list of active apparel companies with whom we will do business with in the future." However Morgenstein's decision to speak out against their treatment of Vendt will not effect their current TYR sponsored swimmers. ..."

[Link]

According to the Newsweek article, Morgenstein's client list includes Brendan Hanson, and Aaron Peirsol, who both may also be in the same boat as Jason Lezak; that is to say: Unemployed.

It makes me think of Peter Marshall, a guy TYR sent off to Berlin, Germany, to participate in the FINA, Swimming World Cup and he consequently set three world records in the backstroke. He also came away away with $75,000. Not bad for a fast weekend: [Link]

I have to wonder if TYR had those three amazing swimmers in their stable how well would they have done if sent off to Berlin? Sure would have made one hell of IM relay.

Lezak has the talent, but does he have the talent management he needs to be employed?

Voting has begun at 'USA Today' for 'The AAU James E. Sullivan Award!'

USA From Wikipedia: "...The AAU James E. Sullivan Award, known as the Oscarof sports awards, is presented annually in April by the United States Amateur Athletic Union to the most outstanding amateur athlete from any sport in the United States. It was first awarded in 1930, making it older than the Heisman Trophy. The award is named for the AAU's founder and past president, James E. Sullivan.

From USA Today:

Men's 4 x100 freestyle relay team, Swimming
The U.S. relay team of Michael Phelps, Garrett Weber-Gale, Cullen Jones and Jason Lezak beat France in the final in a world-record time of 3 minutes, 8.24 seconds. It was the first of Phelps' relay medals in Beijing and his second overall. He would go on to win a record eight gold medals. ..."

[Link]

You can place your vote in the left hand navigation area. I for one voted for the Olympic 4x100 freestyle relay over Dara Torres but I did consider her. :-P

ALain Bernard's turnover in the video below was about 41 strokes on the way back - Jason Lezak took 34 strokes!

I am wondering if a high turnover rate during a long course meter sprint is a good idea? Perhaps in a short course sprint you need the constant acceleration towards the wall after a turn so a high turnover rate works better. Has this subject been discussed anywhere?

The twin Mars Rovers; (Spirit and Opportunity), have been on Mars surface for five years. I am told that students will earn doctorate degrees for years to come based upon the massive amount of data that the probes sent back. I suspect coaches may not earn doctorates from the underwater video of 4x100 free relay but I wonder if stroke design will see further contributions?

"When I got to the 85-metre mark, typically the body shuts down, but I had an extra surge of adrenaline..." - Jason Lezak

Here is an article obviously about Jason Lezak but includes not only his thoughts on the 4x100 relay but how he trains and why.

From the Canadian Jewish News:

“It’s all about the power of the mind. I blocked it out, felt strong and good – it was the Olympic Games,” he said.

“I was breathing to the right side, so every time I took a breath I could see where he was in the water. When I got to the 85-metre mark, typically the body shuts down, but I had an extra surge of adrenaline. I’ve looked at the replays – I did not go faster, but he tightened up and faded, dying like a dog.”

On training he had this to say:

"... Lezak trains using a specific workout plan. “Most people train nine times a week in the pool, but I think they do “garbage yardage,” he said, meaning that with the aim of swimming 6,000 metres, they “throw in a bunch of crap.”

He is a firm believer in quality, not quantity. “You’ve got to make every stroke count,” Lezak said.

It’s not about having a coach poolside to motivate him, either. “I swim because I have goals, not because anyone is telling me,” he said. ..."

[Link]

Jason is currently looking for a sponsor.

'FOX Sports' - Ian O'connor names Jason Lezak as his "Sportsman of the Year"

Ian O'Connor wrote a very fun article about Jason Lezak overcoming significant odds to defeat Alain Bernard in the final leg of the 4x100 relay to make Lezak his "Sportsman of the Year."

On the morning of Aug. 11 in Beijing, Phelps was the wailing baby, a relay journeyman named Jason Lezak was the distraught mother and a French terminator named Alain Bernard was the 2-ton car.

This is the story of how my Sportsman of the Year got those four wheels off the ground.

[Link]

I am loving those mixed metaphors but Terminators come from "Austria-Kaleefornia" not France.

Two other aspects of the article that were missed: The press keeps playing up the Alain Bernard remark that "...We will smash them," but that statement was severely lost in translation and portrayed the French as little "Gary Halls.'"

If an American 4x100 free relay team said to the swim press, "we will beat them." An American or a Brit would read that as "our team is going to win," They would not read it as "we are going to mug them" or "we are going to inflict repeated blows."

There is no translation for the word "beat" in French that morphs the word into "defeat" like we do in English. They use the word smash which has the exact same meaning. English is a very colorful language with lots of nuance; there were translation issues here that portrayed the French incorrectly .

The second thing that bothered me is that they showed a photo of the 4x100 Medley relay team rather than the 4x100 free relay team thereby excluding Cullen Jones along with Garret Weber-Gale who both contributed significant swims to the victory.

Inner city youth gives an enthusiastic play-by-play of Jason Lezak's victory in his 4x100 relay leg!

Amit sent me this You Tube link and I post it to illustrate that Jason's Lezak historic 4x100 relay leg had far reaching consequences including touching the hearts and minds in a community that needs more pools and more swimmers.

So, visualize Jason Lezak touching the wall as you hear this quote by our friend, ninjawarriordex4, at YouTube say: "Hasta Lasagna, I got my Eyes on YA!!"

The Jason Lezak Celebration went very well!

The Jason Lezak Celebration went very well! Thank you to all those that donated or attended the event!

Jason Leezak fundraiser - Help get Jason to London in 2012!

Admit it, the 4x100 freestyle was the greatest Olympic moment in the entire 2008 Beijing Olympics. It was better than seeing Dara place second or Phelps out-touch Cavic. It was like witnessing "divine intervention." If you want to contribute and/or witness the possibility of seeing lightening strike twice, check out this fundraiser.

Swim Coach Ahelee sent me this tidbit regarding the fundraiser: There will be an auction of various Olympic items, and one of the items is the LZR Racer suit that contributed to the 46.06 split during 4x100 free relay.

Click on the image to see a larger size.

Lezak, Lezak, LEZAK!

They keep pimping Phelps "50.something" but underplay that Lezak again held off one of the fastest swimmers in the world.

The 'New York Times': How The USA won the 4 x 100 relay!

Jason Lezak - "Most valuable player" on the United States Olympic Swim Team!

From the New York Times: “...I think it had a lot to do with why we did so good,” Walters said Tuesday night after the Americans broke an Olympic record in the relay preliminaries, delivering Lane 4 to Phelps and Company for Wednesday’s final. “That really was the race of the century.”

It was as if the American men’s upset victory over France — and Lezak’s blistering anchor leg of the freestyle relay that made sure it happened — started an outbreak of endorphins on the United States team.

“We gained a lot of momentum,” Natalie Coughlin said after winning her second consecutive gold medal in the women’s 100 backstroke. “It was probably the most amazing swim I’ve ever seen. It got a lot of us pumped up for the rest of the meet.”

Matt Grevers, who placed second behind his teammate Aaron Peirsol in the 100 backstroke, said, “The way Lezak finished that race, it really moved me. ...” [Link]

"THIS IS SPAAAAAARTA!"

They ought to give Jason Lezak two gold medals, a sword and shield for that effort! What a hero! From Associated Press: "... When his veteran teammate touched the wall, Phelps let out a scream of triumph, punching his arms in the air as teammates Garrett Weber-Gale and Cullen Jones joined him in the celebrations.

"Unbelievable! Jason finished that race way better than we could have even asked for," Phelps said. "For that last 50, I was thinking 'this is going to be one close race'.

"The last 10 to 15 metres were incredible. I lost my voice, and I was definitely pretty emotional after that."

Trailing at the final turn, Lezak relentlessy pursued Bernard, but it wasn't until the final 10 meters that the American was able to pull level and, finally, edge ahead as he touched with an astonishing split of 46.06sec. ..." [Splits at Swimming World]

"The Magnificent 13" will compete in the 41st Toyota Santa Clara International Grand Prix, starting Thursday in Santa Clara

Bumped into this by accident and I am glad I did. From the Mercury News: "... U.S. national teams members expected to compete include Olympians Kaitlin Sandeno, Erik Vendt, Kara Lynn Joyce, Amanda Beard, Jason Lezak, Peter Vanderkaay and Margaret Hoelzer, USA Swimming announced today. The field also includes Kim Vandenberg of Moraga and world record-holder Kate Ziegler. ..." [Link]

Available Cowboys and Cowgirl include: Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, and Natalie Coughlin.

On April 4-6 at Ohio State university - "The Empire Strikes Back!"

We witnessed some great swims from the Europeans and the Australians this week but on April 4th - 6th, Michael Phelps, Katie Hoff, Brendan Hansen, Aaron Peirsol, Neil Walker, along and local girl, Kaitlin Sandeno, will be showing what the "empire" can dish.

Not to be upstage, patron saint of this blog, Natalie Coughlin, will be on the other side of our continent at Stanford sharing the stage with elite stormtroopers: Kim Vandenberg, Tara Kirk, Jason Lezak and Klete Keller. [Link]

If you are going to any of these meets, please post videos to "You Tube!"