High School Senior describes what it is like to swim a lane away from Michael Phelps!

Boulder High School swimmer and senior, Zane Grothe; (Loving that name, sounds like the name of a viking in a Frank Frazetta painting), placed third to Michael Phelps in the 500-free SCY at the Belmont Plaza last weekend. In this Las Vegas Sun article, he talks about what the event was like for him:

From the Las Vegas Sun:

Zane Grothe remembers checking the lane assignments hours before swimming in the 500-freestyle finals Saturday at the Southern California Swimming Grand Prix in Long Beach, Calif.

Grothe, a senior at Boulder City High, spotted his name on the list in lane No. 6. Then, another name immediately popped out — Michael Phelps was assigned to lane No. 4 ..."

[Link]

The 'Daily Mail' interviews Michael Phelps!

You Tube video regarding Michal Phelps' thoughts on the Duel in the Pool Competition.

I love Michael Phelps but I hate his handlers! ...And I hate jammers too.

Dagny Knutson in 'USA Today!'

Dagny Knutson's enthusiasm explains why every four years a kid comes out of nowhere and beats the unbeatable veteran or beaks the unbreakable record. For the kid, it's a quest; for the veteran it is a day job.

From USA Today:

When the Majettes had their streak of 15 straight West Region titles snapped by Williston last weekend, Knutson showed just how important by addressing her teammates.

"I told them we've got to make sure that we work together, whether it's swimming or just cheering each other on," Knutson said. "We have to make sure we do the little things, like cooling down after races, because it helps you recover better.

"We had people getting dressed and going in the stands before the meet was over," she said. "We need to be together as a team."

[...]

The Majettes have won the last six state championships, and Knutson would very much like to finish her high school career by extending that streak to seven.

"I really want to end my high school career on a good note, and I really want to perform well," Knutson said.

[Link]

Now try and remember what Michael Phelps and Ian Thorpe were like at 17-years-old. They were not rich, they had not climbed their personal "Mount Everests" and they couldn't wait to get back into the pool.

Now contrast all of the above to Dara Torres. Dara already had the money, the fame and celebrity status. She is winning because she, like 17-year-old Dagny Knutson, is on a quest and not a grind. Swimming is not a day job for Dara or Dagny.

Torres has recently subjected herself to a severely painful surgery so she could still compete and any meet she swims in, she is there to win. For, Dagny, every meet is an opportunity and that includes a high school meet in a town we have never heard of against a competitor she can lap. Dagny made it an opportunity to set a record or two and made it a point to inspire her teammates.

In the twilight of their careers, Thorpe and perhaps Phelps have lost the enthusiasm that Dagny and Dara still have. When Phelps says he is not in the greatest shape coming into these FINA World Cup events, perhaps swimming is becoming more of a day job with a final curtain just meters away in 2012?

Phelps and Bowman render reasons for a very dissapointing meet!

Amy Shipley of the Washington Post offers fine analysis not just on Phelps but other American competitors who showed up and did well.

When Phelps and Bowman offered an explanation as to his unusually anemic performance, I love the part about "US Officials" - read that as USA Swimming Execs explaining that it was all about the suit choice. I suspect Amy Shipley was holding her nose the whole time when offered that as the reason for his bad showing.

From The Washington Post:

"... He blamed his performance on not being sufficiently fit and failing to adapt to the increased number of turns in short-course meters (25-meter pools instead of 50), events in which he has rarely competed. Bowman acknowledged that Phelps's choice of swimwear -- he wore a textile, waist-to-knee "jammer" rather than a long, high-tech model that will be banned as of Jan. 1 -- likely contributed. U.S. officials who declined to be identified because they did not wish to appear to be poor sports said it was the suit choice, period, that slowed Phelps. ..."

[Link]

Right now a "perfect storm" has hit Speedo. They did lousy at the 2009 FINA World Championships whereas Jaked, Arena and Adidas became the industry standard, they are being sued by TYR, they recently took a several-million-dollar hit with the abolition of their full body suits, and now their best and most expensive swimmer had a terrible showing in their brand new $260 jammer.

There is no swimsuit leader. They is no swimsuit you can point to on January 1st 2010 and say that is the best suit around.

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.

'Omega' loves swimmers: Phelps, Thorpe, Popov, and now Massimiliano Rosolino

I am both intrigued and impressed by Omega's fascination with swimmers. I wish I could talk to their marketing director and ask them why?

Timepiece makers like Baum and Mercier will go for middle-aged celebrities and Tag Hauer likes Tiger Woods but Omega insists on swimmers and it must be working.

Massimiliano Rosolino is the most successful athlete in the history of Italian swimming has joined the team of Omega Watch spokespersons. This marks another champion from the world of swimming is joining the exclusive team of OMEGA spokespersons, adding his name to others who have made their mark on the history of this sport, such as Michael Phelps, Alexander Popov, and Ian Thorpe.

[Link]

Who is Rosolino? From Wikipedia:

Rosolino represented Italy in all of the four editions of the Olympic Games since 1996. At the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, he became the second Olympic champion ever in the history of Italian swimming as he won the gold medal in the 200 m individual medley (1:58.98, then Olympic and national record). He won two more medals: a silver medal in the 400 m freestyle setting the current European record (3:43.40) behind Ian Thorpe, and a bronze medal in the 200 m freestyle (1:46.65) behind Pieter van den Hoogenband and Ian Thorpe. At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Rosolino won a bronze medal with the Italian team in the 4x200 m freestyle relay.

I am loving that pool behind him too! Would be great for filming a swimmer from above.

Shaquille O'Neal will race Michael Phelps!

Basketball star, Shaquille O'Neal, will race, Michael Phelps, and participate in a relay against him in his reality TV show called "Shaq Vs."

Shaq recently went into the ring against light middle weight boxer, Oscar De La Hoya, and may have beat him!

Shaq is a 7'1", weighs 325 pounds, and wears a size 23 shoe. That foot size translates to 24-inches or long or more than twice the length of my foot size.

O'Neal said the concept for the program came about during an Olympic-watching party at his house in August 2008. According to O'Neal, someone turned to him while Phelps was winning one of his eight gold medals at the Beijing Games and asked, "Hey, you think you can make it down before he makes it down and up?"

"And I said, 'Yeah, of course I could,'" O'Neal recounted Saturday. "I said, 'Well, hook it up.' And that's how the show started."

For the Sept. 15 episode, he'll take on Phelps at a Baltimore-area pool Sunday, with help from Phelps' own coach, Bob Bowman. The emcee explained that O'Neal will swim 50 meters and Phelps will race a "longer distance, to be revealed" — something O'Neal apparently did when he made reference to having to swim one length of the pool before Phelps can finish two lengths.

They'll also square off in a relay of sorts: O'Neal will have teammates, including medal-winning Olympic swimmers, while Phelps will swim every lap himself.

[Link]

CBS Sports National Columnist, Gregg Doyel, tears into both FINA and Speedo!

First the bloggers, now the press is pointing fingers at Speedo! I guess I am not crazy.

Speedo should really do that interview for us and clarify how they do business. From CBS Sports:

"...Socialism is at work because FINA, the swimming governing body, has bowed to the sponsors who control swimming. Not contribute to swimming. Control it. Some of the equipment companies that make the biggest contributions to swimmers in particular and the sport at large, like Speedo, have had their trunks pulled down by lesser-known companies like Arena and Jaked. The irony is beautiful in that Speedo started this revolution, introducing the LZR that dominated at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, but now Speedo has been passed like its swimmers are wearing concrete flippers. And Speedo doesn't like it. Breaks my heart.

[...]

"... You can almost see Schubert's lower lip quiver. The United States might not have swum as well as usual in Rome, but we pouted our asses off. Bob Bowman, Phelps' coach, threatened to withdraw his swimmer from future international events if the swimsuit controversy wasn't addressed, which is hilarious given -- again -- that Phelps' revolutionary (at the time) LZR swimsuit in Beijing helped him win eight medals and set seven world records. ..."

[Link]

Gregg Doyel does make an error thinking Nike is still in the swimsuit business but overall his arguments are well stated.

"It doesn't matter what suit you wear,'' Phelps said. "It matters how you train.''

WHOA! What a u-turn that is! Can we have our suits back now!

Michael Phelps, in a super-human effort, puts forth a super-human time of 49.82 in the 100-fly, to beat Milorad Cavic who swam a 49.95!

After Phelps was beaten in the 200 free by German swimmer, Paul Biedermann, then after posting a mediocre time in the 4x200 relay, and finally allowing his coach, Bob Bowman, to globalize a middle-school tantrum filled with finger pointing, insults and excuses, I thought Phelps was distracted and quite finished.

So much for "tea leaves."

Phelps one again did the impossible.

Link to Universal Sports coverage of the race: [Link]

Here are two quotes that will outlast this world championships:

Michael Phelps: "It doesn't matter what suit you wear,'' Phelps said. "It matters how you train.''

Bob Bowman: "We've lost all the history of the sport. Does a 10-year-old boy in Baltimore want to break Paul Biedermann's record?" Bowman said. "The sport is in shambles right now and they better do something or they're going to lose their guy who fills these suits." [In reference to Bob Bowman pulling Phelps out of competition]

I respect the spirit and amazing talent of Michael Phelps, but I can't root for him anymore nor support his sponsors.

If someone tells the truth, are they mouthing off? - Milorad Cavic gives his honest assesment of Michael Phelps and Speedo!

These are Cavic's quotes leading up to the 100-fly showdown between he and Phelps tomorow and his opinions are quite compelling!

Also, the article is filled with who and what Mark Schubert is to Speedo and what he tried to do before these Championships.

So, is Cavic mouthing off or is every word he is saying true? From AP:

“If Mike wants an Arena, he just has to say it,” Cavic said. “If he wants a Jaked and they don’t want to give it to him free, I’ll buy it for him. He has options. I think in the media it’s been portrayed that he has no option, he has to swim for (Speedo). It’s a complete lie.”

“I know he’s making a lot of money from Speedo,” Cavic said. “It’s loyalty. But throughout all my experiences, I’ve learned this—free will is a gift with a price tag, and whatever you choose to do you’re going to pay, but how much you’re going to pay is really dependent on you.”

“I think there’s three options for Michael,” Cavic said. “The first option is to use the suit that he’s wearing, the second option is to get one of these (polyurethane) suits, which I guarantee Arena will provide him within the hour, as soon as he wants. The third option would actually be a dream of mine, to have the whole final everybody swimming in briefs. I swear to God, this is it, this is what I want, but this is the most unrealistic of all scenarios.”

“Last year at the height of the suit controversy, Mark Schubert said, ‘Do you want the money or do you want the win?”’ Cavic said. “Michael Phelps has plenty of money. Who knows what it is? I think it’s just loyalty and he’s very gracious for everything Speedo has done for him.”

[Link]

I am rooting for Cavic and his suit comapny!

Bob Bowman makes a grand threat to FINA and greatly embarasses USA Swimming!

Amanda said...

OMG, this is getting even more dramatic.

Michael Phelps' coach has threatened to withhold the swimmer from international meets until FINA bans high-tech bodysuits.

Told of the possible delay, Phelps' coach, Bob Bowman, said FINA better "do something or they're going to lose their guy who fills these seats."

Phelps: "My coach sets my schedule."

NO, Mr. Phelps, you are the CEO of your career - This nonsense confirmed by AP:

ROME — Michael Phelps' coach has threatened to withhold the swimmer from international meets until FINA bans high-tech bodysuits.

Swimming's governing body, FINA, upheld a decision Tuesday to outlaw the suits next year, although the ban might not take effect until April or May — three or four months later than expected.

Told of the possible delay, Phelps' coach, Bob Bowman, said FINA better "do something or they're going to lose their guy who fills these seats."

Boy, is my face red and I am so embarrassed by Bowman's arrogance.

He actually threatened FINA and the health of USA Swimming's international win-column!

Michael Phelps being so ill advised and now American swimming has a new "Ugly American" and his name is Bob Bowman.

Paging, Katie Hoff, white courtesy telephone please?

Michael Phelps keeps his word - Speedo now needs speedsuits more than ever!

Note to Michael Phelps: I respect you more now than I ever have for you are the greatest pro-swimmer ever. You the greatest not because you lost today, but that you kept your word despite the consequences. Both your moral and ethical integrity were more important than a win and that is commendable. You will own that record once again!

Mr. Paul Biedermann and Ms. Britta Steffen, thank you! You just saved the speedsuit.

From the Baltimore Sun:

Shockingly, it was Olympic swim star Michael Phelps who was left in Biedermann's powerful wake today at the World Championships at the Foro Italico sports complex. Biedermann, of Germany, not only beat Phelps in a convincing manner, but he took away Phelps' world record in the 200-meter freestyle.

Biedermann went 1 minute 42 seconds, and Phelps was second in 1:43.22. Last summer, Phelps won this race in a world-record 1:42.96 at the Olympics in Beijing and Biedermann was sixth in 1:46.

[Link]

Britta Steffen set her world in the 100 free wearing an Adidas Hydrofoil; Paul Biedermann beat our very best, Michael Phelps, wearing an Adidas as well. Dara Torres is now wearing an Adidas and now records are falling further.

Speedo will now be forced to lobby hard to get speedsuits legal again because if speedsuits are indeed outlawed, Speedo may never hold another world record for at least a generation. That's right, 30-years!

How ironic that Speedo will now be the ally of those that want the suits like myself.

Phelps reaction to Biedermann's 200 LCM record in the 'New York Times' does not match his quote in the 'Washington Post!'

My teammate, John Quinn, sent this article which actually states: "... But he is wearing Speedo’s LZR Racer, which some people say is the swimming equivalent of a jockey racing with extra weight. ..."

Bowman includes his own rants and subtly degrades Paul Biedermann's talent by alluding to his suit as a result of his new found talent. At least that is how I read it.

But what caught my attention was this Phelps quote:

“.. What’d he go?” Phelps asked.

A German reporter relayed Biedermann’s time.

“A 1:43?” Phelps asked.

His jaw tightened. In the 200 freestyle final at the Beijing Olympics last year, Phelps lowered his world record to 1:42.96; Biedermann finished fifth in 1:46.00. “He’s dropped a lot of time,” Phelps said edgily. “He’s having a good meet, a good year. Tomorrow’s going to be a good race. ...”

[Link]

In the Washington Post he was quoted as saying:

[...] "What did he go?" Phelps, officially distracted, asked eagerly. "He go 1:43?"

"He just dropped a lot of time," Phelps volunteered, almost talking to himself. "You usually don't see a six-second drop in the 400 free in a year. In the 200 free, he dropped about three seconds in a year. . . . It will get me more excited, more ready for tomorrow. I'm going to have to, I guess, really prepare myself. ..."

[Link]

Why the disparity? We go from "His jaw tightened" to "Phelps, officially distracted, asked eagerly. "He go 1:43?..."

The NY Times adds resentment, the Washington Post adds competitive spirit. Take your pick as to what Michael Phelps really thought.

Michael Phelps scratches in the 100-free!

Michael Phelps scratches in the 100-free and will not swim! Phelps sites a stiff neck he woke up with as the cause.

When asked for comment, Bob Bowman, said: "my bad, I ran out of WD-40!

Speedo athletes continue to hammer FINA over swimsuit technology!

Let me translate for those who can't speak PR:

When Michael Phelps says: "...They are the normal typical suits for me to wear. Speedo is the fastest suit I've ever worn and I'm going to stick with that brand."

What he is really saying: "...I am making mad, phat, bank and there is no way I am going to bite the hand of the guy who signs that check. [I take no responsibility for the mixed metaphor simply because that is the way it translates.]

When Bob Bowman says: "...I would like to see FINA take a step toward getting this thing standardized, I know the people who are setting these records are working very hard. Clearly some things have happened that are out of the range of normal improvement and we need to work on that."

What he is really saying: "Their damn suits are faster than ours and these lesser mortals wearing these suits are going to spank us in Rome and London unless we can game FINA politically to ban them!"

When Eamon Sullivan says: "...FINA is hopefully going to finally give a ruling on the thickness of suits, the materials to be used and the buoyancy and from what I have heard so far, the suits have not been approved by FINA..."

What he is really saying: "The fix is in, baby!

When Mary DeScenza says: "...When goggles first came out they were experimental," she said. "It's the sport progressing. It's good for the sport. I think it's good to break records. I think it's good to have the technology.

"It's the athlete that is making the difference. The suit is not breaking the records."

What she is really saying: "I can't believe you guys actually said all that with a straight face! You all are just are a bunch of cry babies!

Man-up!

It must really piss you off that your "fancy-shmancy," LZR, which was designed and welded together by NASA robots, can't compete with what human beings designed and hand sewn. :-P

I hope my translation services helps!

Here is a link to these quotes from AFP: [Link]

Phelps: Back in the lab and will debut his new freestyle technique in May at the Charlotte UltraSwim!

John Quinn, my relay teammate sent me this from Yahoo news:

"... When Phelps returns to the pool in May at the Charlotte UltraSwim, he says he plans to debut a new freestyle technique, ..."

"I'm not saying anything until we unveil it. It's a significant change. You'll be able to tell exactly what I did as soon as I take my first stroke.

I'm going to try it this year. If it works, it works. If it doesn't, I'll go back to the old stroke." ..."

[Link]

In you go to Charlotte to see it please upload fan videos!

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

SCAQ Swimmer, John Quinn, Hangs with Michael Phelps at Adelphi University!

The snappy dresser in the middle of the photo is John Quinn, my 200 SCM relay partner who inspired me to swim a personal best in the 200-free relay at the 2008 SPMA Short Course Meters Championships.

The time I posted was a 28.13 nearly a full second faster than my previous personal best that I set a month earlier at the UCLA meet.

Here is how it went: I was nervous before the race, my pulse rate was 120 BPM just standing by the blocks due to nerves and John, with relaxed confidence, walked up to me and with the same smile he has in the photo above, said, "you are going to swim a 28.00 and we are going to win this relay."

I stated that I have never swam that fast before and that it was nearly a second faster than I have ever swam. He said, "relax, don't worry, you are gonna do it and I am going to come in 27 and you are are going to do 28-flat. It's done!

So without taking a single breath, I practically did just that, I swam a 28.13.

Though I was the slowest swimmer on the relay, we pulled off a blistering 1:49.11 which for me was my first experience ever of winning a 1st place medal at a championship. (It's real brass too!) I was exhilarated over that win for over 2-months!

Obviously that is Michael Phelps standing next to John who had come to Adelphi University to celebrate the launch of his new book, Beneath the Surface, just this past December. Interviewing him there was Olympic Gold Medalist, Donna DeVarona, who was the youngest swimmer to compete at the 1960 Summer Olympics. At the following Olympics in '64, she won gold medals in the 400 meter individual medley and the 400 meter freestyle relay. According to Wikipedia: "...In her career, she set 18 different swimming records but she retired shortly after the 1964 Olympics. ..." Just imagine if she could have gone pro?

In 1965, DeVarona signed a contract with ABC, which made her the first female sportscaster in television history. She served as Late night host of both the 1984 Winter Olympics and the 1984 Summer Olympics.

At the Beneath the Surface launch, John told Michael about our relay and Michael Phelps congratulated me via John on my personal best. How cool is that, a slow-poke like me being congratulated by Michael Phelps?

Here is a link describing the event: [Link]

Either "great minds" think a like or John Feinstein of the 'Washington Post' reads the SCAQ blog!

John Feinstein of the Washington Post

"... an employee of Octagon -- the firm that represents Phelps -- attempted to bribe the newspaper into not running the photo.

The paper, The News of the World, reported that Octagon's Clifford Boxham offered the paper Phelps's services as a columnist for the next three years and as a host at events on behalf of the newspaper and also offered to get some of Phelps's sponsors to buy advertising in the newspaper.

[Link]