Triathletes should be certified by the USMS or USA Swimming!

Triathlete death rates during the swim portion surpass those of marathon runners!

60% of triathletes are terrible swimmers. Most need fins and lessons.

My informal statistic reminds me of an eBay joke I once heard: 50% of the the junk on eBay is crap and the other 50% is fake crap!

I don't say that lightly: Their death rates during the swim portion of the triathlon are twice that of marathon runners.

In just three weeks or so we see these news stories:

August 2nd: Reuters: The chief executive officer of Deutsche Telekom Asia, Calvin Lee Wee Sing, died on Sunday after he got into difficulty during the swimming leg of the annual Singapore triathlon.

August 10: (UPI) OSHKOSH, Wis., Aug. 10 -- Police in Winnebago County, Wis., say a 43-year-old woman died while competing in the swim portion of the Oshkosh Triathlon.

July 18: Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal: In the past six weeks, a 54-year-old woman and - last Sunday - a 33-year-old man died during the swim portion of area triathlons, despite near-immediate efforts to rescue them...

Now, is this a red flag or what? From The Independent:

"... Now a study has revealed that the risk of dying in a triathlon, though low, is nearly double the risk of dying in a marathon. A study presented to the American College of Cardiology Conference showed there were 14 deaths among almost one million competitors, a rate of 1.5 per 100,000. A further four deaths occurred among non-officially recognised events.

[Link]

If I want to swim next year in the Pier to Pier race from Hermosa to Manhattan Beach, I have to swim a 500-yard test without a wetsuit for a L.A. County lifeguard to validate that I am qualified to swim with the other 900-racers in the event.

500-yards is probably the average swim distance for a triathlon and if triathletes are dying at such a rate why can't the USTS hold a triathlete to the same standard that the L.A. County Lifeguards do? No one has ever died during the Pier-to-Pier event and it is a 2-mile swim, not a 500-meter warm-up.

The USAT and USMS co-marketing efforts are not enough, insurance companies should mandate that the USMS and/or USA Swimming certify triathletes as knowing how to swim before they race.

This certification can be accomplished by the triathlete competing in a sanction USMS/USA Swimming event and producing the results of their meet as a passport for competing in a triathlon.

Joanne Jackson and Rebecca Adlington interviewed after placing in the 400-free.

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]

Four World records set this weekend so far- Is 'Arena' the new 'Speedo' ?

Maly sent me an update regarding Jessica Hardy's suit of choice.

UPDATE: From AP:

She set the world record in the 50 breaststroke with a split of 29.95 seconds when she time-trialed the 100 breaststroke on Thursday.

Hardy wore a Jaked suit Friday. It and other record-breaking polyurethane bodysuits will be banned by swimming's world governing body on Jan. 1.

[Link]

If Speedsuits are allowed in masters in 2010, I suspect Jaked will be a top seller.

Roland Schoeman in the 50-free SCM, Joanne Jackson in the 400-LCM 400-SCM, Cameron van der Burgh in the 50 and 100 breast SCM. All of these records were NOT set in a Speedo swimsuit.

Joanne Jackson was not wearing a LZR, only Rebecca Adlington was and Adlington was quoted in the Times Online as looking forward to January 1st, 2010 when suits are outlawed. Personally, I think it was the Speedo LZR that put her on the map since she is a 'soft and comfy' and the Speedo delivers amazing body compression with its polyurethane panels.

Getting down to business Speedo has taken a huge hit. Once the world record leader in swimsuit design but now it wouldn't be an understatement to say that for the first time in 40-years of swimming, Speedo is not seen as the number one. They have been replaced by Arena and even the Jaked 01.

We will leave the speedsuit era with Arena and Jaked having the last word for most of the world records in 2009 will have been set in their suits.

How will Speedo convince the swimmer at large that their briefs and jammers will be more, better, or filled with "mad phat win" when compared to Arena or Jaked?

Is this graffiti vandalism?! - What a way to inspire the community to clean up their river!

From the street art website, Wooster Collective. Think what you will about civil disobedience and graffiti. In this case I think this message would deeply inspire the best in the community at large.

[Link]

Ballet dancers film underwater!

The art director in me turned this photo upside down for a quick, emotional, punch. To see it displayed correctly, click the the link below

Bernstein&Andriulli: [Link]

This ticker-tape parade was held for a swimmer named Gertrude Ederle!

August 6th, 1926: was the day that, Gertrude Caroline Ederle, became the first woman to swim across the English Channel in a time of 14-hours, 39-minutes. The fastest time over the previous five men who had swam it.

From Wikipedia:

Gertrude Caroline Ederle (October 23, 1905 – November 30, 2003) was an American competitive swimmer. In 1926, she became the first woman to swim across the English Channel.

She trained at the Women's Swimming Association, which produced such competitors as Eleanor Holm and Esther Williams. She joined the club when she was only thirteen. From this time Gertrude began to break and establish more amateur records than any other woman in the world.

At the 1924 Summer Olympics, she won a gold medal as a part of the US 400-meter freestyle relay team and bronze medals for finishing third in the 100-meter and 400-meter freestyle races.

When Ederle returned home, she was greeted with a ticker-tape parade in New York City. She went on to play herself in a movie (Swim Girl, Swim) and tour the vaudeville circuit, including Billy Rose's Aquacade. She met President Coolidge and had a song and a dance step named for her. Unfortunately, her manager, through a combination of incompetence and duplicity, mishandled her showbiz career and Ederle failed to reap the rewards she deserved. She was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1965.

[Oh, I have to throw this in: Coach Ahelee of Mision Viejo Aquatics swam it too.]

[Link]

After reading the article it seems to me that swimming was once held in higher regard than that of football or basketball during the depression. Coming out of that generation the world embraced Johnnie Weismuller as Tarzan, Esther Williams and her swim movies, and perhaps others.

What changed the Zeitgeist.

CNN compares swimming body types of Olympic sprinters!

CNN sizes up swimmers and concludes size does matter but not so much weight. From CNN:

"... In the data, researchers noted, for example, that Duke Kahanamoku, who had world records for the 100-meter freestyle in 1912 and 1918, weighed 185 pounds and stood 6 feet, 2 inches. In 2008, Alain Bernard broke a record for the same race, weighing 190 pounds and standing about 6 feet, 5 inches.

But not everyone conforms to the pattern of increased height and weight -- at about 172 pounds, swimmer Eamon Sullivan weighed less than both Kahanamoku and Bernard, and also broke records for the same contest in 2008...."

[Link]

I like this kind of stuff. The last paragraph about a sprinter in the Roman Empire who weighed only 70% of what we weigh today was only a second slower in a 100 meter run.

In other words, size begins to hamper. Consider the size of a gymnast as compared to Alain Bernard? In a pound-for-pound ratio of strength, the gymnast may be stronger.

With that info in mind, also consider that a "heavyweight Greco-Roman wrestler" 2,000-years ago only weighed 140 pounds. That is hardly MMA or WWE material. To think that an average "Costco shopper" today would be considered a "bad-ass" both cracks me up and puts me in awe as to how far we have come.

Matt Greevers would indeed be a GOD! Oh well, instead he will just have to settle for being an Olympian!

Also note, the study did not take into account our speedsuits, caps, goggles, lane lines, and chlorine as compared to swimmers from 100-years ago.

Rob of 'RobAquatics' interviews, Glenn Mills, the founder of 'GoSwim.TV'

Rob interviews Glenn Mills of GoSwim.tv - here was my favorite question:

Any waterproof camera recommendations for the aspiring amateur swimming film maker? Personally I really want to know what my stroke looks like underwater!

There are SO many great little underwater cams these days, it’s silly for a coach or serious swimmer not to have one. If you have a digital cam, it should be waterproof. Pentax has the W60 and now W80, which are 10-12 megapixels still, and HD video at either 15 or 30 frames per second. We’re talking just a bit over $200. Olympus has a great digital underwater cam as well as Sharp. Depending on your budget, I’m pretty sure you can grab a digital underwater cam for as low as $150.

[Link]

I am liking those numbers!

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.

Phelps versus Cavic in the 100 meter butterfly!

Calling this race Phelps versus Cavic instead of the 100-meter Butterfly final is like relegating all the other great athletes in this race to being nothing more than "background action" or "movie extras" since the focus was simply on these two.

Phelps turns are simply lethal weapons.

SCAQ is the 2009 SPMA LCM Regional & Zone Champs!

SCAQ dominated the event with 56 swimmers all led by Coach, Erik Hochstein. The event was a huge success for masters swimming in our region with over 400 people competing.

We are thinking of winning the SPMA Short Course Meters Championships at the Belmont Plaza this December as well. Come with us or against us!

Mel Stewart writes a compelling article for Yahoo Sports about speedsuits and Tyler McGill!

Mel Stewart for Yahoo Sports:

"..."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?

[Link]

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.

I just sent an interview request to, Jason Rance, the Vice President of Marketing for 'Speedo'

If Mr. Jason Rance agrees, I would like to submit a series of questions to him form all of you regarding speedsuits and FINA.

Hopefully we can get him to agree to pick which ten questions he would like to answer.

I would demand that the questions not be rhetorical statements which is something I would since I am biased, so keep them professional and specific to the topic.

They got to be serious, no softball questions such as: "Is Michael Phelps a nice guy!" More like, "Will you lobby the USMS to allow speedsuits?" - "Why do you feel swimming needs speedsuits rather than briefs?"

They got to be tough and important; I will let you all know if and when he agrees.

Post your questions to Jason as a comment to this post or send me an email. Anonymous email is okay too.

Austrian swimmer Markus Rogan could use some advice!"

From USA Today:

Rogan, 27, told the Austria Press Agency that four bouncers beat him up Saturday night as he attempted to re-enter a discotheque in Ostia, on the seaside near Rome, after being ordered to leave "for no apparent reason." The night club said that the swimmer was ordered to leave for security reasons that included dancing drunk with a broken bottle in his hands. The club said that Rogan also fell as he attempted to get back inside the club.

[Link]

From the Globe and Mail:

“When I stepped back inside again, four bouncers jumped me,” he said.

Fabio Balini, an executive with the Shilling club, said that the swimmer was with his teammates when he was asked to leave by the club's personnel as part of standard security procedures. Balini said Rogan could be a danger to himself or others because he was drunk.

Balini said he had interviewed witnesses and reviewed security tapes and that there was no evidence that the personnel had acted improperly.

[Link]

If he does have issues, then get the guy the help he needs.

Top 5 moments both positive and negative for the 2009 FINA World Championships!

This is written from my point of view, your point of view may vary and I hope it does.

Top Moments:

1) Michael Phelps beating Milorad Cavic in the 100 buterfly.

Michael Phelps dug down deep and set a WR in an epic swim where "trash-talk" got swimming talked about all over creation. It was the UFC version of Brock Lesnar versus Fedor Emelianenko and the "good guy", Michael Phelps, won. (I was rooting for Cavic.)

Both swam under world record time and both put the race onto the international radar! There must be something to making a race into a soap opera.

2) Aaron Piersol setting a WR in the 200 back.

Aaron Peirsol, after failing to qualify in the 100 back, bounces back and sets a WR in the 200 backstroke making it clear he is the best ever.

Per his interviews he seemingly let go of his loss like it was "water under a bridge" and he moved on to become the champion that he really is. How existential is that?

3) Britta Steffen definitively proving she is the greatest female sprinter on earth. None of the greats could touch her.

Britta Steffen is German Swimming and she is expected to win or the German press will tear her apart. Again, despite this pressure she steps up and spanks the best and those swimmers include, Dara Torres, Therese Alshammar, and Libby Trickett who really wanted to beat her.

4) Therese Alshammar placing second to Britta Steffen!

Alshammar who is better known as a short course meters sprinter finishing second to, Britta Stefen, in an amazing 50-free. She just gets younger-and-younger, faster-and-faster.

5) We saw the greatest Italian athlete ever, Federica Pellegrini, breaking the four minute barrier in the 400 free.

On the covers of Italian national magazines and well clothed in Armani, she exudes style, class, charisma, a sketchy tattoo that crawls up her neck, and completes this package with abject swimming confidence.

She is the perfect "leading lady" for our sport. Swimming has never had someone this classy or this sexy. (Can you tell I am part Italian?)

Top 5 low points:

1) Bob Bowman's rant and rationalization for Michael Phelps' loss in the 200-free to Paul Biedermann.

Bowman was the "Ugly American" in hi-def ranting pathetically about speedsuits and FINA. His grand threat to pull Michael Phelps out of international competition if his demands were not met greatly soured me on Michael Phelps. I am sure others feel the same way.

2) FINA returning men to briefs and Jammers come January 1, 2010.

FINA responding in less than 24-hours to Bowman's tantrum and thereby restricting the use of speedsuit way ahead of schedule confirmed in my mind that the organization is in Speedo's pocket.

If you look at the biggest mouths yelling for a return to briefs, they are generally form National Governing Bodies with huge Speedo interests. This is my opinion.

3) Speedo Commonwealth swimmers; Period!

4) That British swim journalist guy!

World records are over, swim and swimmer sponsorships just lost 75% of their funding.

5) FINA open water officials waiting a day to award Fran Crippen a bronze medal.

Imagine going back to the hotel not knowing how you finished? This is about your life's work, your employment, your income.

Open water is evolving and this has to be fixed. I recommend "photo finish video."

The photo above comes from the The Big Picture gallery at Boston.com. [Link]

According to Australian announcers in Rome, all FINA World Champiohships must now be held in indoor pools!

So this years 2009 World Championship will be the last dance for outdoor pools, speedsuits and world records! What is next, mandated suit brands and eye color? Way to go FINA!

Someone in the media; and Ted Baker, contacted me and said that heat was a problem for the media in Rome and that they would not want to wait if an event got canceled due to weather. Hence, the controlled environment of an indoor pool.

New SCAQ Masthead for this week!

This is the new masthead for the week. The shot was taken by Corbis celebrity photographer, Mark Savage, and his non-swim related work can be viewed here: [Link]

"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.

"Just Dive In" - From the 'Big Picture' at 'Boston.com'

The The Big Picture gallery has 35 images of all sorts of diving circumstances from competition diving, competitive swimming and even a polar bear. [Link]