New SCAQ Masthead and this week Chris Beach is featured!

Chris is the other "Michael Jordon" on our team; He swims a low :21 for the 50-free.

The photo, once again, was taken by Mark Savage. In fact I understand that a photo that Aaron Peirsol is using on one of his sites was taken by Mark in the studio somewhere.

Here is one of Mark's photography sites: [Link]

Rebecca Soni takes flight, then storms, than graciously wins the 100 breast at the TYR Swim Meet of Champions

I attended to the TYR Swim Meet of Champions yesterday and I was really pleased with what I saw. There is a lot of talent here on the west coast and I will I will post more images throughout the day. For now here are some fantastic images that my SCAQ friend Mark Savage took for us.

Above are three photos of world record holder Rebecca Soni at the 2009 TYR Swim Meet of Championsin. Note that Rebecca Soni is the World Record holder in the 200 breast and in these photos you can see her take flight, storm and glow after winning the 100 breast.

If Rebecca Soni is in your town for a swim meet, it's worth the long drive to go see her swim. (Glenn Mills, we need a video.)

The way she approaches the breaststroke is very unique. She has a very fast turnover, she stays very close to the surface, and I see no undulation whatsoever. Almost an old school style of breaststroke

She was a very gracious winner; on the podium she looked to her left telling the swimmer that she did a good, then to the right doing like wise but when she was handed her yellow roses, she started to glow. Just look at that smile. :-D

Mark Savage took the photos above and I thank him very much. If you want to to post these photos on your blog, you may on the condition that you link to his sites:

[Link] MarkSavage.com

[Link] 95dollarheadshots.com

Craig Lord has revised his article, '...Elite or Master' providing more clarification regarding our use of speedsuits!

The revisions definitely clarify his points and assertions much better and as a result the article clearly illustrates how he arrived at his conclusions and brings us closer to what sort of suits Masters swimmers can wear.

He also addresses the quote "cut the cancer out:"

UPDATE: Correspondence received by SwimNews suggests that some doubt that the story below carries official weight and is somehow made up, just as some suggested that when the director of FINA said that the "cancer" would be cut out of the pool SwimNews somehow misquoted him. Let's make it clear: I have the reference to cancer on a tape in three places (yes, three), the quote was reported by three national news organisations present on the day. As for masters and suits, here is the first line of an e-mail response from FINA:

[Link]

You got to go to the link to find out the answer he received but I will give a hint: I am not complaining!

Apparently FINA threw him "under the bus" with their quote "clarification" and the way they have been runnibg the show lately, you know that is something they would do.

Above is Chris B. about to swim the 100 IM and the photo was taken by Mark Savage.

SPMA Regionals: No 'Tin' nor Ribbons for 'Tin Medal Tony' but I did set a prsonal best in the 100 free!

Quick observations: The air temps in Mission Viejo, CA, for both Saturday and Sunday were in the low 70's; blue skies, puffy clouds all day long. Southern California really has only two seasons: Summer and January!

Coach Ahelee set two national records.

blueseventy swimskins were everywhere though the cool kids like me wore TYR. I saw an X-terra speedsuit made of Chloroprene and wondered if it was FINA approved?

Masters swimmers like speedsuits and if they are men, they insist upon wearing modesty suits underneath and by modesty suit I mean male briefs, not $350 speedsuts!

There was lots of talk about SCY Nationals in Clovis, CA: Gold Medal Mel, Rowdy Gaines would be going. Lots of excitement and I truly sense that masters swimmers is attracting both new swimmers with non-swimming backgrounds and those swimmers that miss that "esprit de corp" that most individual sports like the triathlon and running lack.

My time in the 100 free was 57.18 besting my previous effort of 57.74 by a half-second. I am going to learn what I am doing wrong, then take my 100-Free time down in the 56's.
Mark Savage took the photos and I am very flattered that he took the time to come out and photograph my teammates.

Erik Hochstein: Photographed beautifully by Mark Savage!

Mark Savage is a craftsman when it comes to capturing a great composition on the fly. Pair him him up with another craftsman and these pictures of Erik Hockstein are what we get.

Click on the images to enlarge them. :-)

Mark Savage, SCAQ swimmer and photgrapher shoots everything!

Mark occasionally misses a workout or two because his swanky publisher Corbis sends him out on the town to chronicle the ridiculous celebrity industrial complex we have out here. One day he got this idea to just set up a tripod with a point-and-shoot video camera on in it and film how silly red carpets shoots are no matter who walks across them. He put the videos on You Tube last week and they are being well received. Something like 1000 hits or more in some cases. What is so fun about his videos is that they reduce these people into looking like dolled up individuals you may see in a super market or at the race track or just like you or me. They are dorky, nervous, and vulnerable all at the same time.

The Paris Hilton one is my favorite. watch her make $50k by just pretending to be Paris Hilton as she stops and poses for about 15 seconds. [Link]

Mark has many websites for he shoots anybody and everything. Weddings, Celebrities, even me when I broke a minute in the 100 SCY free at Mission Viejo :-D

In this particular case this website features poets of Los Angeles: [Link]