Polar Bear Swimmers of 2010: Even ice could not stop them!

For him it's a job, for those below, it's a duty! So, are polar bear swims a healthy way to bring in the new year? Syracuse.com has the answers: [Link]


Chicago! Who is crazier, the girl wearing a Santa Claus hat in knee-deep water with snow on the beach or the hundreds of people coming out to a snowy beach to watch her? Chicago Tribune.com gallery: [Link]


Of course the Italians want to add a touch of class as to how one should engage the water for a Polar Bear Swim. This gentleman here is diving into the River Tiber somewhere in Rome! A gallery of other European swimmers can be found here at My Sinchew: [Link]


Boston maniacs storm the harbor! At least one had the sense to wear a furry gorilla suit to keep himself warm! From Boston.com: [Link]


The locals along the banks of the Kaskaskia River in Saint Louis, Missouri, make it look so simple. I for one did not spend my morning jumping into brown barely liquid, water this morning. From Saint Louis Today: [Link]



Sheesh, Only in Green Bay, Wisconsin, It must be the cheese! That is not weather, it is an emergency- An amazingly surreal gallery at Green Bay Press Gazette: [Link]



And craziest of all: These Ontario locals are definitely a couple clowns short of a circus! Don't believe me, look at the fireman-guy next to them in the deep-sea diving gear. From the CBC News: [Link]

G. John Mullen analyzing races better than anybody - Rebeca Soni versus Jessica Hardy!

Coach G. John Mullen over at Swim Science is the future of swim analysis and coaching. He is a doctoral candidate at USC in physical therapy, he coaches weekly and his race analysis and postulates have have lots of math that is both demonstrable and inspiring.

Here is a snippet analysis of Rebeca Soni versus Jessica Hardy:

"... Second 25 meters: Once again, Hardy has a great turn and starts off strong getting to the 15-meter mark .4 seconds faster than Soni, but into the wall she already starts to fade. The last 10-meters into the wall, Hardy's distance per stroke is even with Soni's (1.67 meters/stroke), but her strokes/second (Stroke Rate) begins to fall to .21 strokes/second slower than her first 25 to .89. During this time Soni is steady
sailing continuing her stroke rate around .93 and her distance per stroke at 1.67 meters/stroke.

My overall impression at the first 50 is even though Hardy is ahead by .45 seconds, her slowing speed into the wall is not a good sign for the upcoming 50. ..."

[Link]

I cornered John at Starbucks yesterday we talked about swimming and blogging. Afterward he pin-pointed muscle groups for me that I need to stretch to improve my streamline. Most or all the coaches I asked about it told m to focus on my shoulders when in reality it is my upper back and pectorals that are causing me the most dificulty in executing a more reasonable streamline.

Yahoo Sports '2009 Year in Review' has some scathing words for the "Sports Star Industrial Complex"

Michael Phelps and Tiger Woods are held up as case histories outlining an athletes' seduction into signing a "contract with the devil."

From Yahoo Sports:

"... This was mostly because Phelps had been sold to America as this superhero, super son, boy next door. It wasn’t enough for his agents to have him known as a guy who could swim really fast. The sports star system has to make these men and women into more than they could possibly ever be. It’s a machine. [>.<]

Phelps had never actually displayed any characteristics that he was particularly smart (or dumb), nice (or mean), funny (or boring), interesting (or dull). He was just a great swimmer with a normal guy’s personality. That wasn’t enough, though. With sports marketers, one of us is never enough. The athlete has to be one of a kind, perfect not just in competition, but in life. ..."

[Link]

What Phelps allegedly did does not even compare to the "incineration" of the Woods' family. Getting hammered at a party at age 23 is; I hate to say, standard operating procedure.

As for Woods: Whether it be an illicit affair in Black Oak, Arkansas and the wife is chasing her husband down the driveway with a tire iron or an illicit affair in the "swanky" town of Windermere, Florida and a really pissed-off, super-model, wife is chasing Tiger Woods down the driveway with with a nine-iron: the collateral damage despite your income bracket is catastrophic to families, reputations and worst of all, the back of your skull.

How can one compare that to Michael Phelps and why did it have the same economic consequences?

Age-groupers who read the blog and expect to be famous, take notes and learn, the second mouse gets the cheese!

I found the image on the College Swimming forum: Attribution: M%40rcopako, Creative Commons license.

Frederick Bousquet come from behind victory in the 4x50 SCM Free at European Championships!

Amazing finish - You would almost think they never had a chance!

Maly, our French friend took the time to upload this to her channel at You Tube. [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.

The "polar bears" couldn't wait - The 'Serpentine Swimming Club' has conducted a 100-meter sprint in sub-forty-degree water!

The prerequisite to participate in the swim: You have to be a paid member of the Serpentine Swimming Club and more importantly, you have to be summarily insane!

From The Telegraph: [Link]

More details and photos at The Guardian: [Link]

Video of the event from ABC Eyewitness News: [Link]

Santa warming up at LMU before his gig tonight!

These illustrations were built in Bryce 6.1 using simple shapes such as cones, spheres, donuts and cylinders.

If you want to use them in a blog, card or whatever, you can do so but credit me.

Diane de Poitiers: The mistress of France's 16th century King Henry II was a swimmer!

More evidence to validate the Mike Freshley Maxim: "Show me a runner who is 70 and he looks 90. Show me a swimmer who is 70 and he looks like 50!"

Diane de Poitiers at 66-years-old looked as youthful as those in their 30's circa 1600. Keep in mind the average life expectancy in the 1600s was 35-years-old and 67% worked outside all day long on a farm.

From the Telegraph UK:

Experts say she was up to 20 years older than the king but her appearance made them look the same age. One courtier said she was "as fresh and lovable" in her final years as when aged 30 and had skin "of great whiteness".

She was unusually athletic for the time, keeping in shape by horse riding, hunting and going on daily swims in the river next to the chateau d'Anet, in northern France where she lived.

[Link]

Internal gold poisoning killed her; a self inflicted death over time. Amazing what a woman or man can be talked into drinking or taking if it means a youthful appearance or otherwise.

Attention Professional Swimmers: TMZ may have you on their radar!

I kid you not. John Q. sent me an article from the New York Times stating that TMZ may be getting into sports gossip market. Go to the article and see what the hard evidence is.

"... TMZ’s zealous coverage of the salacious Woods story established its desire to pour resources into pursuing the infidelities of a superstar athlete. Woods became part of TMZ’s universe along with Michael Jackson, Alec Baldwin, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and a “real” housewife of Orange County. .."

[Link]

The sports section use to be the most important page in the newspaper for it chronicled the achievements of men and woman rather than their failures and crimes.

Today, the sports page has become all of this: The "police blotter"section or what player has been recently arrested. The "business page" declaring salaries and business deals of sports megastars. Finally it is a gossip rag cataloging all the "movie star hookups" and shamefully who is afraid to come "out of the closet."

There you have it, four tabloids in one: Sports, crime, gossip, business and TMZ may be there to a professional swimmer if opportunity warrants. This, more often than not, will BREAK career potential!

Consider this warning from the Dallas Morning News; what they said about Michael Phelps is anemic compared to what they say about Tiger Woods:

"We tracked Michael Phelps before the Olympics, during the Olympics, after the Olympics and then after bong-gate," Chown says. "We've never seen a celebrity have such a dramatic rise and then a flameout back to reality."

Phelps ranked No. 1 in endorsement value right after his incredible performance in Beijing. Now he languishes at 530th.

[Link]

Fan Video: Michael Phelps in the 100 SCM 'Fly at the '2009 Duel in the Pool'

I think he is built for long course. Count his strokes to see what I mean

Mini review of the new "Swim Network" site!

Great content; I will get to that later, but I am astonished how ugly and how hard the site is to look at. Swim Network would have been better off buying a template for $60 at Template Monster rather than going with the design team they used.

Three major issues I have with the homepage:

1. The background image distracts from the content in the foreground. They should have gone with something more muted or opaque so that the user's eye would not vibrate back and forth while trying to read.
   
2. The italicized headlines in white on top of the splash-images are hard to read and disrupt the composition. They should have used captions
   
3. The content is boxed asymmetrically with no consistency in the sizes or space or width for that matter. They should have used a strict grid system.

The content rocks. For instance: They mentioned Joel of The 17th Man blog and his blueseventy goggle post which was really cool! Don't expect to see me mentioned ;-) but the article by Mike Gustafson is coherent and informative.

The video section is "clunky" but the videos are accessible. The gallery therein features photos from Getty Images which must cost a fortune and they all are very good

As for the media experience and presentation, Universal Sports does it so such better; Swim Network is laughable in comparison. The user experience was so bad for me that I would prefer they go back to the old site design or even reload TimedFinals.

I did not know that Rebecca Soni had heart Surgery in 2006!

At last weekends Duel in the Pool meet, Rebecca Soni broke Leisel Jones' WR in the 200 SCM breaststroke in a time of 2:14.57. The following day she swam a 1:02.70 in the 100SCM breaststroke to bust Leisel Jones' world record swimming a 1:03.00

Compound that with the fact that in 2006 she had heart surgery; well, in my estimation that makes her "double filled" with "Awesomeness and win"

[Link]

Above is a photo of Rebecca Soni that Mark Savage took at the TYR Swim Meet of Champions.

Though Aaron Peirsol is glad that techsuits are leaving us, he did say this!

A very honest and insightful profile on Aaron Peirsol. He discusses tech suits, what sort of year 2009 was for him and his take on Tiger Woods. From AP:

"The suits are beautiful things and, whether you like it or not, they do make you swim faster. We were talking about maybe wearing them in practice, just to wear them just to go fast again. They are fun and they added another dynamic to the sport that was never there before. Not everyone hated them."

[Link]

:-D

Universal Sports : Phelps vs. Cavic in Rome voted most dramatic moment for 2009!

I agree with UNI Sports; Phelps dug deep and it was like seeing "Lazarus rise from the dead" in that race as he came from behind to win.

The Universal Sports article explains why this was voted best dramatic moment of 2009 with lots of flourish and details:

"...You can always tell how the race went and how happy I am just after a race just because of my reaction after it," Phelps told Universal Sports recently. "I went absolutely crazy after that race. I've never celebrated like that before. I took six months off, and being able to be the first person to break 50 [seconds], there was a lot of emotion in that race."

[Link]

I love this reaction from Phelps too.

TYR Releases new swimsuit line - Photos to come soon!

Huntington Beach, CA – December 21, 2009 – Entering into a new year of national and international swim competition, TYR Sport, Inc. introduces the newest designs in the Tracer High-Performance line of technical swimsuits-the Tracer B-Series™ and C-Series™. Approved by the international governing body of aquatic sports, FINA, the two additions will be available for retail early in 2010.

“We were happy work very closely with FINA to ensure that the Tracer High-Performance line was compliant within their guidelines while still allowing us to introduce some truly innovative technology,” said Team and Promotions Director Matt Zimmer.

The Tracer High-Performance line, including the Tracer Light™ already on the market, is the company’s premier line of competitive suits for race day. Featuring lightweight, hydrophobic, and quick-drying fabric, the new B-Series™ and C-Series™ present industry-leading designs specific to contours of the body.

“The different suits offered give athletes customized technologies based on their needs,” Zimmer shared. “These technologies are the direct result of tests showing that the right suit is dependent upon the athlete. It is not the suit that makes the swimmer-the swimmer has the option to pick what is right for them.”

The B-Series™ suit provides a fluid, drag reducing fit with flat-bonded seams that require no sewing or threads. Following the natural contours of the human body, the B Series™ design leads the industry with an exclusive muscle-mapping pattern. Minimized seams, ultra-light bonding, and no stitching allows for an incredibly light yet functionally fitting technology.

The C-Series™ suit featured technology includes power-mesh panels that lock the core in with up to a 75% increase in zoned compression vs. a typical Lycra suit. Panels decrease body circumference by up to 10%- increasing the body’s ability to manage position, orientation, and efficient movement of the muscles. Increased efficiency means improved performance. Among the suit’s many features, Range of Motion (ROM) straps make their debut in the Tracer series, allowing fluidity and explosiveness in the stroke cycle without splitting.

Both additions to the Tracer line are offered in a Racer and Jammer for men, and in an Aeroback and Aeroback Shortjohn for females. For more information on the entire TYR line of swimwear and accessories.

The man who beat Phelps in the 200-fly: Michael Rock Profile!

From News of the World:

Rock added: "It was a strange feeling when I looked back and saw him behind me. I didn't expect that.

"The crowd were amazing and the deafening roar got me through those last two lengths.

"This is a a massive boost as I work towards the Commonwealth Games next year and then the Olympics in 2012."

This quote by Phelps really unnerved me:

"It will be more about the sport and not what suit somebody is wearing.

"I'm disappointed but I will take defeats in these meetings. I'd rather lose here than in the World Championships or London 2012, when it matters.

"But I was beaten because he was better prepared than me. I was a little bit off my best time and he was more determined."

[Link]

When it matters? Well, It should always matter. Look at Rebecca Soni; she was prepared, Matt Greevers too.

It's official: 'Duel in the Pool' is a 'USA Swimming' farce for no American records will be accepted despite FINA approved tech suits!

I kid you not; USA Swimming co-organizes a meet yet they won't accept any American records set in tech suits despite that their boss, FINA, has granted them approval.

Snippet from Swimming World. I cannot print the "heart of the article" since the story is only a few paragraphs and I don't want to violate fair use rules but this snippet sums it up:

"... The sport could potentially see some lawsuits from this ruling as swimmers who were competing legally in an event at the time could be denied bonus money with USA Swimming not ratifying a national record. ..."

[Link]

Well, if USA Swimming can do what they want, then so should the USMS. Let's have tech-suits for Short Course Yards Season since FINA does not recognize yards!

'Pool Mate' - A watch that counts laps, strokes, meters, efficiency, speed, calories, and times automatically!

The PoolMate: If this timepiece delivers what it promises, I think this qualifies as "2010 Product of the Year" for both triathletes and swimmers. The fact that it lap counts automatically when you flip-turn, measures your stroke count and can gauge your efficiency, this would be a great tool to measure technique changes and measure your progression or lack thereof.

There are more demos at the PoolMate site.

From the PoolMate Site:

"... Containing accurate motion sensors and our unique software algorithms, the Pool-Mate automatically recognises swim strokes and laps so you don't have to count anymore.

From recreational lap swimmer to professional Olympian, the Pool-Mate can help your training. Leaving the lap counting to the Pool-Mate lets you concentrate on your swimming.

As well as lap counting the Pool-Mate will do much more. It will display and store Session Time, Average Strokes per lap, Speed, Distance, Calories and Efficiency.

In addition to the statistics for the overall session it will record the same data for each individual set so you can see how all these metrics change through a swim session. You can even time your rest periods between sets. All data is stored in a large memory for review during or after a swim session. The Pool-Mate is available in two colour options - grey/blue (as pictured) or black/blue, for just £69.99 plus postage and packing. .."

[Link]

Hail Cesar Cielo - the greatest freestyle sprinter of all time!

In a legal, fully approved, FINA swimsuit, Cesar Cielo, will probably hold the world record title for the 50-meter free for at least another 1/2-century!

Who will dare call him a cheater for wearing a "shiny suit"?

Born in Brazil, trained in Americas; [Plural], Cielo confirmed at the Brazilian Long Course Meters Championship that he is the planet's best 50-meter free swimmer and will be for a very long time.

I am so sorry that the aforementioned statement will hurt Eamon Sullivan, Libby Trickett, Mark Schubert, and Bob Bowman's feelings but that is the way both Arena and Cesar Cielo roll.

From Swimming World:

SAO PAULO, Brazil, December 18. DURING morning finals today at the Brazil Long Course Championships, Cesar Cielo beat the world record in the men's 50 free.

After clocking a 21.02 during prelims last night to put Fred Bousquet's global standard of 20.94 from April on notice, Cielo clipped the record with a blazing fast time of 20.91. Cielo's best time heading into this meet had been a South American record of 21.08 clocked at the World Championships this summer.

Cielo returned in the men's 400 free relay with a leadoff time of 47.29 as Cielo, Andre Daudt, Fernando Da Silva and Gabriel Mangabeira won the race with a meet-record time of 3:16.30.

[Link]

Richard Gasquet - "I kissed a girl who had 'crack' on her lips and that's why I tested positive!"

Jessica Hardy got a 2-year suspension for what was determined to be an inadvertent exposure to a performance enhancing drug used for those who have asthma-related issues. She was given a 2-year suspension reduced to one-year with more ongoing politics to be determined.

Perhaps Hardy should have said her inadvertent drug exposure came from kissing a boy with asthma? Tennis player, Richard Gasquet, said something along those lines.

Tennis player, Gasquet, served a 2-month suspension using the old "I didn't take cocaine, I just kissed that girl who had 'crack' on her lips" defense.

The appeals tribunal agreed and let him take two months off instead of two-years.

ABC News has the details:

[Link]

Ultimately, I guess it all comes down to your definition of cheating or more likely the economic consequences of denying an athlete that makes a governing body "mad" money. When Paul Biedermann spanked Michael Phelps at 2009 FINA World Championships in a fully approved FINA swimsuit, Bob Bowman was disgusted and verbally degraded Biedermann's accomplishment and then threatened FINA like Hollywood movie star agent threatening a major studio. He got his way too.

Amy Shipley quoted Bowman on the Reach for the Wall swim site:

“They can probably expect Michael not to swim until [the rule changes are] implemented,” Bowman said. “I’m done with this. This has to be implemented immediately. The sport is in shambles right now, and they’re going to lose the guy that fills these seats.

“They’ve lost the history of the sport,” Bowman said. “Does a 10-year-old boy in Baltimore want to break Paul Biedermann’s record?”

[Link]

Do you see how special interests and money are involved here? If the athlete can be exploited for major "phat" bank, punishments are mild and passive. Read that as Richard Gasquet, Manny Ramirez of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and many other high profile athletes. However, if they are a "Jessica hardy"type then it becomes a show trial.

I think the thought process goes like this: "Who is Jessica Hardy, will she effect the ratings if we erased her? How about that Michael Phelps, if he keeps losing or refuses to race, will the FINA World Championships have fewer syndication sales?"

Since there is no "prince" or "princess" to ascend the throne once Phelps retires, I predict that is when tech-suits will return and they will return. Cesar Cielo just made that a reality with a 20.91 50-meter free WR. If they don't return, that record is standing for another 1/2 century.

Teammate, John Q !. sent me this story.