"..."The sport's not about swimming anymore." [>.< ]
Most swimwear manufactures aren't necessarily on the same page.
Quietly, out of the spotlight, they've been grumbling. Most are in favor of the hi-tech suits - and their high price-point, which drives revenue. These dollars drive swimwear contracts, and it's clear these contracts will be cut, or significantly reduced, for athletes just out of the medal hunt.
Will the fallout of the 2010 FINA ban on hi-tech suits result in little or no swimwear endorsement dollars for athletes like Tyler McGill?
Others who have voiced the same opinions have been laughed off by a British swim journalist. I think the aftermath alone will illustrate what FINA has done to garment workers, athletes, swimsuit companies and the growth of the sport.
Mel Stewart profiles Peter Marshall, the TYR swimmer who almost quit swimming only to set three world records at the FINA World Cup: "...“Before the World Cup, I’d been out of the water for two months, surfing in Baja, visiting family and friends back in Georgia. In South Africa, my start of the World Cup, I basically got wet with a team just to get a feel for the water. That was it. While I was there, I had other goals: to see and do everything.”
Marshall went on a cageless shark dive, and then a safari for an entire week.
“In Stockholm,” he told me, “the night before competition, I went walking around the city most of the night looking for an old Viking ship. It was cold and rainy, but we were on a mission.”
He was with friends: 2008 Olympian Kara Lynn Joyce, sprint-free aficionado Kicker Vencill and many others. The way Peter described the Viking Ship hunt, it sounded like everyone was lost in the moment. Competing the next day did not seem to be a very high priority. ..." [Link]
The image comes from Yahoo UK/Eurosport where they covered Peter after setting his first WR: [Link]
They have that Swimming Hall of Fame museum in Florida but if they were ever to give out doctoral degrees to coaches and/or swimmers for contributions made to swimming that had never been made before, Mel would deserve one for he created an innovative way to do 'fly. Just watch the video and look at his head position.
Below is Mel Stewart defeating Michael Gross in the 200 fly. To me this victory is more significant than Michael Phelps defeating Milord Cavic for Michael Gross was the 'Michael Phelps' of his day.
And this is why I call Michael Gross the Michael Phelps of his day:
