Libby Trickett has changed her stroke and she will debut next weekend!

I love it when a swimmer makes a declaration about tweaks or changes to their stroke for you can then compare, measure, and learn form their experimentation.

From the Sydney Morning Herald:

"Any differences? You might have to wait and see. There's been a few little changes to my starts and to my stroke and things like that, so it will be good to test those things out under a race situation. And it will be good to get a gauge of where I am at in terms of fitness and strength and endurance."

Selections trials for the Rome world titles will be held in Sydney in March, with Trickett revealing she will swim the 50 and 100 metres freestyle - the two events in which she is the world record holder - and the 50m and 100m butterfly, in which she won her individual gold medal in China.

[Link]

I love that photo above, it is so honest and exuberant.

Eamon Sullivan's coach, Grant Stoelwinder, suggest that the 'Speedo LZR' may not be the fastest suit!

Grant Stoelwinder is the head coach of the West Coast Swimming Club; his most notable accomplishment is sprinter, Eamon Sullivan. He is now working with Libby Trickett. Stoelwinder has placed himself in the "suit burner" camp and he had some very provocative things to say about speedsuits to the Sydney Morning Herald:

"....Grant Stoelwinder believed the controversial Speedo LZR Racer, the suit that ignited the record spree, shaved about 0.3 of a second off times per lap compared to previous suits - an enormous advance in sporting terms.

[...]

"I don't fool myself for one second as a coach and the trouble is as coaches some people think that swimmers are improving and you have to put it at about .3 per 50 with the Speedo suit on and I think some of them are even more. ..."

[Link]

He mentions that if speedsuits are banned, world records may be untouchable for a least a decade or so. Hence, one has to ask if that would benefit swimming in any way?

Australian butterfly champion, Geoff Huegill, is coming out of retirement and he has lost a lot of weight!

One year ago I did a post on Australian butterfly champion, Geoff Huegill, who was ridiculed in the swim press for gaining weight post his 2004 retirement. The Australian press posted a before/after photo of him seen here, and overall treated him severely.

Now he is back in the pool and he looks 5-years younger. From SMH.Com: "... Huegill won a 2000 Olympic bronze medal in the 100m butterfly and retired after a disappointing showing at the 2004 Games. However, he said his motivation was back and he will train alongside stars Eamon Sullivan, Libby Trickett and Andrew Lauterstein at the Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre in inner Sydney.

"I am excited to announce that after my move to Sydney to focus on my swimming and media career, and talking with my partner, my family and my close friends, I have decided to return to professional swimming - I have unfinished business in the pool," Huegill said. ..." [Link]

Photo by Andy Zakeli for the Sydney Morning Herald

Herald Tribune: "Swimmer Libby Trickett breaks with longtime coach"

Wow! Jessicah Schipper and now Libby Trickett! I am noticing that Australian swimmers are more aggressive in demanding results from their coaches than we Americans are. Libby Trickett nearly did not make it in the 100m free Olympic final and only did so when Chinese swimmer Pang was DQed for a false start. Trickett was the world record holder too and had to swim in the gutter against Britta Steffen.

Swimmers her in the US seem to marry their coaches more so than Australians. Cullen Jones seems prone to the Australian mindset whereas, like the Australians, he has made it clear that "he is the CEO of his career" and not his coach.

From the International Herald Tribune: Trickett, 23, told a news conference she was leaving Brisbane coach Stephan Widmer to train in Sydney under Grant Stoelwinder, who coaches world sprint record holder Eamon Sullivan.

"For me to commit to four more years, I needed new challenges and new stimulus and I think that's what this will bring for me," Trickett said. ..." [Link]

From the Sydney Morning Herald: "..."She rang and said, 'It's Libby,' and it took me a few moments - I let the voice play - then I was like, 'Oh, Libby'," Stoelwinder said. "It was a huge compliment. I spoke to Eamon, he's in Geneva, he's been to Oktoberfest and now is on his way to the Canary Islands. He's really excited. I think in Beijing, Libby asked Eamon a few questions about the program, and I think he had probably had some idea Libby was maybe looking at some options after Beijing."" [Link]

More about Kate Campbell owning the 50m free at the Santa Clara meet!

From the Sydney Morning Herald: Australia's Cate Campbell has powered into contention for the 50m freestyle title at the Beijing Olympics with a superb swim at the Santa Clara grand prix meeting in California.

Campbell clocked the equal third fastest time in history - 24.13 seconds - to win from Americans Kara Lynn Joyce and Natalie Coughlin. ..." [Link]

Steve Munatones on the cause of Grant Hackett's bloating.

Steve Munatones explains what happens to the human body post a 10K race. He poses the most logical reason to date as to why Grant Hackett appeared so plushy. From Lane 9 news: "... All of the causes of Hackett's bloating are common among open water swimmers and are more notable and noticeable based on the water salinity and duration of exposure.

"... As often happens in salt or brackish water, the body naturally swells from the prolonged exposure. This is why many English Channel and marathon swimmers look bloated and "soft" when they exit the water after a long swim. Many swimmers appear out of shape, especially around the stomach, hips and thighs, after long open water swims. ..." [Link]

He includes other reasons and discusses a concept called the "third spacing" effect. Here is a Wikipedia entry on "third spacing." [Link]

The situation is still saturating the Australian press. Before and after photo and article from the Sydney Morning Herald which blames "carbs" rather than the more likely explanation by Munatones: [Link]

2008 FINA World Open Water Championships: Warkentin is going to Beijing, Grant Hackett got hammered and DQed!

The qualifying process for the Beijing open water races is awkward. For instance, according to the Steven Munatone's article at Lane 9 News, Chip Peterson did not finish in the top 10. He came close by placing 13th but that did not guarantee him a spot in Beijing. However, Saleh Mohammed, of Syria who placed 23rd will get to go; (rightfully so), since he has rated as the Asian continent's best finisher.

If Chip Peterson is going to go, he needs to race again on June 1st in Beijing in another qualifier race. If Chip does not qualify there, then the selection will be up to USA Swimming.

Here is a snippet from Steven Munatone's Lane 9 News article: "... SEVILLE, Spain, May 4. SIMILAR to the women's 10K championship yesterday, a British Olympic pool swimmer led the entire way until a savvy Russian surged at the end to claim the gold at the 2008 FINA World Open Water Championships. David Davies dragged the entire lead pack of over 40 men around four loops of the 10K course in Seville. Swimming consistently at 41-43 strokes per minutes, Davies lifted up his head every 20-50 strokes as he led the field. ..." [Link]

Above is how close the Open Water race was: David Davies got out touched by Russia's Vladimir Dyatchin by by an arm length. Photo from the BBC. [Link]

In this article by the Sydney Morning Herald, Australian teammate, Ky Hurst, said: "... A lot of the Europeans were rumoured to have said they would target Grant and they unfortunately did, ..."

"Two things came into play with Grant's swim, one he did not have the experience and two he is Grant Hackett and he was targeted big time. ..."

"They swam over him, bumped into the side of him, Grant has a large stroke and bumping into him every time is going to shorten his stroke up and going to hurt him and they were swimming over his legs,"

"That is what they do here, it is not the easiest sport in the world and unfortunately experience comes into play." [Link]

This article from the International Herald Tribune quotes Grant Hackett as to why is was disqualified: "... There were times when there were bodies everywhere — it was that kind of race," Hackett said. "I'm the first to admit that it was never going to be easy and, with 150 metres to go, another swimmer swam over the top of me and pulled me back and I swam over his legs and that's what I was supposedly disqualified for." [Link]

New Speedo speedsuit makes elite swimmers look like fat and dumpy actors in a bad sci-fi TV show!

This is two hours old delivered to us by the Daily Telegraph. The suit may be fast, faster, or fastest, but look at the above swimmers! Here we have some of the best swimmers evolution has ever produced and this new Speedo makes them look like background extras in a bad sci-fi TV show.

That is Leisel Jones on the right who is both strong and beautiful but look how dumpy it makes her look in the slide show at the Daily Telegraph site: [Link]

UPDATE 1: Phelps looks silly too! Swimming World has an article and several links about the new Speedo: [Link]

UPDATE 2 :Speedo made this claim to the Sydney Morning Herald: "... The company claims swimmers are up to 5 per cent more efficient in their oxygen intake and says the suit has 5 per cent less drag than the previous model. But Speedo, which originated in Australia, is now owned by British firm Pentland Brands and distributed throughout the world, meaning Australia no longer has exclusive access to any of the company's technological breakthroughs. ..." [Link]

My Take: That is an extraordinary claim and it demands extraordinary proof. I don't buy it and I don't appreciate papers making this claim for Speedo without including the evidence to see if it can be reproduced. Same goes for any speed suit manufacturer

UPDATE 3 USA Today raises the bar of 5% less drag made by the Sydney Morning Herald to a whopping "10% less passive drag" then the previous Speedo made in 2004. If this is the case let's see if Michael Phelps posts faster times; i.e. world records at the Missouri Grand Prix meet this weekend. [Link]

New York Times: The air is never to cold to exercise and that includes swimmers

Anthony and I are going to be competing in the Alcatraz Sharkfest Swim in less than 6 months from now. He insists that I am capable of swimming it without a wetsuit. I say he is full of bologna but this article says he is right.

Snippet: “...The big question was, ‘Is it ever too cold?’” Dr. Castellani said. “The answer is no. People go to the poles, people are out there when it’s minus-50 degrees, people do incredible things, and safely. There really isn’t a point where you can tell people it is not safe anymore.”

Dr. Timothy Noakes, an exercise physiologist at the University of Cape Town in South Africa who was a reviewer of that position paper, even supervised a swimmer, Lewis Gordon Pugh, who swam 1 km or (.62 miles) in 19 minutes at the North Pole last July, in water that was between 29 and 32 degrees. [...]

"... But lungs are not damaged by cold, said Kenneth W. Rundell, the director of respiratory research and the human physiology laboratory at Marywood University in Scranton, Pa. No matter how cold the air is, by the time it reaches your lungs, it is body temperature, he explained. ..."

Exercise induced asthma, which I sometimes suffer, is addressed in this article as well. It's not the temperature of the weather that gives you the exercise induced asthma, it is the lack of humidity that causes exercise induced asthma. A study is explain therein. [Link]

Here is a Sydney Morning Herald link to the Lewis Gordon Pugh expedition swim of a 1000 meters at the North Pole. [Link]

East German athlete study: Children of 69 doped athletes have special needs

Above is a before/after picture of East German heptathlete Birgit Dressel. More on what happened to her below. Very sad!

It's been a depressing week despite all the great swims by Natalie, Libby, Roland etc. . (Ahh, maybe it is just me!!! I have been sick and have not been in the water. I may miss a meet this weekend as a result too!)

The title of this Australian article from the Sydney Morning Herald borders on offensive but that is the hyperbolic nature of the Australian press. Here is the title: 'Children of doping athletes deformed.'

Well, not all of them. Of the 69 athletes; (Oops), children followed, four had mental delays and/or handicaps; (it is not specified what types of mental issues such as ADD or autism), and seven had physical deformities. (Again not specified to what extent.) The remaining 50-or-so had allergies or asthma higher than the general population. The article title makes it sounds as if all 69 were deformed in some freakish way which is wholly not accurate.

Every solution has a consequence albeit aspirin, alcohol, or steroids. To bad these individuals were either not informed or unable to predict these consequences. [Link]

Check out this hideous doping result from the Globe and Mail. The article is full of these sorts of tragic events:

"... Twenty years ago, East West German heptathlete Birgit Dressel died from a toxic-allergic shock. When she died on April 10 1987, there were more than 100 different medications in her body. Her internal organs simply shut down in chemical confusion. ..." [Link]

"Duel in the Pool" - Hello Europe, Goodbye Australia.

From the Sydney Morning Herald: "A proposed swimming competition between the United States and Europe is set to sound the death knell on the Australia-USA Duel in the Pool meets. ..." [Link]

What is really cool is that they would use the London 2012 pool.

Australia would like to be invited but it is coyly suggested that Europe is not so keen on English speaking countries handing them their bum in each event.

I would love to see Laure Manaudou and Kate Ziegler have an excuse to race each other; or Natalie Coughlin against Laure Manaudou in the 200 back. Then there is Filippo Magnini, Cullen Jones, Brent Hayden*, and Alain Bernard in the 100 free. (Phelps can go race the fishes in the Mariana Trench)

(*We secretly let Canada come too.)

Online video of the 2007 FINA World Swimming Championship

WCSN.com is streaming video, "Live and On-Demand," of the 2007 World Swimming Championship for a small fee of just $4.95 for the month. How cool is that! So, I am signing up and you should too so as to make swimming a profit center for those that televise it.

You will be able to watch some really innovative swimming at you work or at home. sign up here: [Link]

The lovely picture up above comes from the Sydney Morning Herald. Here is article about how well the opening ceremonies went as well as a visit from Ian Thorpe who gave the event his blessings: [link]