& USA Swimming Olympians should unionize and demand more money for gold medals earned!

 

From CNBC:

Cash incentives for Hong Kong athletes competing in Paris jumped 20% from the Tokyo Summer Olympics. Gold medalists will receive 6 million Hong Kong dollars ($768,000), Hong Kong’s chief secretary for administration, Chan Kwok-ki, announced in early July. Silver and bronze medalists stand to earn HK$3 million and HK$1.5 million, respectively.

Link: CNBC

Science alert for open water swimmers!

Beware of swimming-induced pulmonary edema, known by the acronym (SIPE). It's preventable and treatable but can be fatal if you ignore the symptoms. "...First reported in 1989, its incidence is likely underreported and has been estimated between 1.1 percent and 1.8 percent."

[One's] age, long swims, cold water, being female, and high blood pressure or heart disease are risk factors. Doctors stress that SIPE often happens to otherwise healthy people, making it hard for swimmers to breathe and depriving them of oxygen. The precise cause of SIPE is not fully understood, but it happens when fluid builds up in the lungs without the person taking in water. The person usually experiences severe shortness of breath, low oxygen levels, and a wet cough. The risk of SIPE while swimming in open water isn't well known either. [Still, it] is likely to be uncommon, report cardiologists from the Royal United Hospitals Bath and the University of Bath, UK, after treating a woman with the condition. For mor info here is the  [LINK]

 

Why did Misty Hyman upset Susie O’Neill in the 200m butterfly at the Sydney Olympics?

I watched the race several times, and what is demonstrably clear is that Misty Hyman had a superior technique. This can be observed by how high her "gluteus maximus," (her butt) muscles exit the water compared to her opponents. Her efficient technique and flexibility allowed her to swim more elevated in the pool than her competitors, but that is not all. Her turns were more innovative and proven by science to be an excellent way to kick underwater. Note how her "walls" devour each contestant on every flip turn. Consequently, it is now a de-facto standard for many swimmers in the butterfly events. Next, she produced more underwater kicks than her competition; as many as seven. But did she dope?

I believe it is highly unlikely due to her soft physique. Those that use Human Growth Hormone, (which has no proof it produces performance-enhancing results; Harvard Med School) or steroids, create obvious and ridiculous changes to a women's body. More importantly, American swimmers at the Sydney Olympics never tested positive for doping. However, suspicions still surround her coach, the late Coach Richard Quick. I never met Coach Quick, and I am glad I didn't. That is all I am going to say on that topic.

So why am I talking about a race that almost 20-years ago?

Susie O’Neill’s Sydney 200 ‘Fly Silver Still Raw by Craig Lord

"...Until this week, Susie O’Neill had never watched the full video of the moment at a home Sydney 2000 Olympic Games when she battled to get back in contention with American Misty Hyman in the 200m butterfly final – and fell shy of her target as a defending champion wanting to keep her crown. 

 Just how much the moment meant to her was obvious when, 19 years on, O’Neill broke down in tears during a live broadcast on her morning radio show after watching the 2000 race video. 

 “I felt like this was my race, home crowd and to come second for me is failure,” says O’Neill, for whom a 19-year gap had been significant once before. ..." 

[Link]

Two-time NCAA champion Abraham DeVine is accusing his former team at Stanford of homophobia...!

The article lacks specific incidents that leave us many questions and no real leads. If Abraham Devine would like to share his opinions or experiences with this blog, I will publish them as well as any opinions from Stanford Swimming.

"...Two-time NCAA champion Abrahm DeVine is accusing his former team at Stanford of homophobia and claiming that he was kicked off the team because he is gay.

“Plain and simple: There are surface-level reasons I was kicked off the Stanford swim team, but I can tell you with certainty that it comes down to the fact that I am gay,” the 2019 graduate of the university wrote in an Instagram post Monday. ..." 

[Link]

Diana Nyad examined: We want to believe our heroes are better than us, more often then not, they fail.

I like Diana Nyad, (she looks good in that Rolex too) I think she produces great sports op-eds. However, she is not immune to scrutiny, and Irv Muchnik and fellow SCAQ swimmer, Daniel Slosberg, have done just that. They scrutinized her accomplishments. Therein, they outline embellishments and de facto lies she has made as a public figure.

When one becomes a public figure, (especially politicians) they mostly sell out and become actors. What do actors do? They recite imaginary lines to tell a story. Examples include Hillary Clinton tall tale of dodging bullets in Bosnia, Brian Williams on the NBC Nightly News broadcast, stating he had "…The great honor of flying into Baghdad with SEAL Team 6." Don't get me started on Donald Trump.

Diana Nyad has now faced that same fact-checking shame. 

From Irv Muchnick on Concussion Inc: 

Nyad’s story is distinct from others’ because her ethos of hype seems fundamental to every angle of her public figure. At his website Diana Nyad Fact Check, Slosberg takes on various keystones of her self-curated biography: not just the state championship meet discrepancy of the Jack Nelson abuse anecdote, but also things like Nyad’s shifting explanations of the illness that is said to have cost her a shot at making an Olympic team. Perhaps most sensationally yet persuasively, Slosberg argues technical irregularities in her epic and celebrated Havana-to-Key West swim. 

Slosberg says, “Nyad is not so much a cautionary tale as she is a compulsive liar/con artist/sociopath for whom alleging sexual abuse is just one more way to get attention.” One of the motivations for his project is that he believes the Nyad industry deflects credit and honor from other marathon swimmers he knows, such as Penny Dean and Cindy Cleveland, who are far more accomplished than Nyad and far more generous to other athletes, but suffer from self-effacement. Sarah Thomas swam a legitimate 67-hour current-neutral 104 miles in 2017. In her motivational speaking, Nyad denigrates the great Dutch swimmer Judith de Nijs, a far more accomplished athlete. Australian Chloë McCardel crossed the English Channel 29 times; Britain’s Alison Street, 43 times. By falsely claiming to be the first swimmer to complete the loop around Manhattan Island, Nyad attempts to erase from history the six women who preceded her. 

[Link]

Michael Phelps gives strange criticism over Olympics adding 3 new swimming events!

Meant to blog this 2-plus years ago.

Business Insider:

"... "What else are we going to add? Are we going to do, like, 75-meter frees? How many other events are we going to add? It's just like what we had in 2009, after world championships, having those high-tech suits [that were banned in 2010]. It's not swimming anymore. We've had this event schedule for so long, and now we're just going to pick and choose what events we want? I could go into more detail, but I'm really not going to. It's a touchy subject. I hope swimming takes the turn for the right direction, and we continue to grow. ..."

[Link] 

Not to cynical...ahhh, why not! — The more events there are the more chances to win more than 8-medals in an Olympic Games —Perhaps Missy could have in London if these event were added?

Michael Phelps on water conservation...

"Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting." — Mark Twain

At least somebody is talking about this. Right now China, India and Pakistan may go to war over a river called the Yarlung Tsangpo due to China's desire to divert and the river and dam it which would ostensibly cut off both India and Pakistan.

I could go on, water is that politically volatile.  The site is amazing and I hope the campaign wins  a Cleo award.

From WTOP in Baltimore: 

"WASHINGTON — Olympic gold medalist and Baltimore native Michael Phelps knows his way around water, and he’s helping Colgate get out the word to stop wasting it.

For the second year in a row, Phelps has signed on as Colgate’s global ambassador for its water conservation campaign aimed at encouraging people to turn off the faucet.

Colgate says 42 percent of Americans leave the water running while they brush their teeth and it has a number of initiatives to get us all to stop doing that. ..." 

[Link]

James Ian McGlothlin, 41 — A swim instructor and child pornography sentence to 18-years and lifetime supervision!

Another monster caught and placed in a cage. Not only a child pornographer but an abuser whose victims were infants, toddlers, and disabled children. I have no idea how human beings become this broken and this cruel but apparently complete isolation from society is the only answer thus far. What is frustrating about this is that it costs an "upper middle class" per year to warehouse these monsters and and pay no restitution. 

The article is quite lurid and reminder that custodians of our children must have custodians themselves. Much like a Fortune 500 company that has one accounting firm to do the accounting and another/others to make sure the accounting was done correctly.

 From CBS KOIN 6 in Oregon: 

James Ian McGlothlin, 41, was first arrested in February, 2016, after federal agents served a search warrant at his home where investigators found "thousands of files containing child pornography, including videos and images McGlothlin created himself," the release said. Billy J. Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, said in the release that producing child pornography is "an appalling crime." 

 “It is unthinkable that someone would prey upon infants, toddlers, and disabled children, yet that is exactly what James McGlothlin did," Williams said. "He was supposed to be safeguarding his victims, but he took advantage of them instead for his own sexual gratification.”

[Link]

Postscript: We like to think that evil people have horns, froth at the mouth, yell a lot and have evil laughs. Even I wish to believe that when I see images of some political leaders. However, case in point, Hitler cried like a baby when his mom died, a sign he was NOT an unfeeling psychopath. He loved animals so much he would not eat meat. He was an artist, well mannered, and well groomed and he had clothing designer, Hugo Boss, design all the NAZI uniforms. What made him so evil is that he believed everything rounding up "...Jews, Slavs, Roma, political opponents, communists, homosexuals, Jehova Witnesses..." was totally ok and the right thing to do.

So how we defend ourselves? Perhaps solid accountability policies and gender segregation within instructional settings when it comes to teaching children, teens and the disabled?

Swim illustrations I created that look great on a smartphone

I would be most flattered if you put these on your phone, Enjoy!

The most amazing aquatics 'playground' is about to built in Copenhagen...

Titled: the "Water Culture House" serious swimmers will have access to the open water of the Copenhagen harbor, which boasts having one of the best water quality grades in Europe, and less ambitious or younger swimmers can explore and swim through a 'castle' like structure for play.

From Deezen:

Kengo Kuma's office won a competition to design Water Culture House. It forms part of COBE's regeneration of Chistriansholm – an artificial landmass also known as Paper Island, as it was once used by the Danish press to store their reams of newsprint. 

The glazed base of the 5,000-square-metre building will afford indoor bathers panoramic views out to the harbour, while a series of tapered brick forms above will partially protect smaller pools from the elements. The building will also include a gym and facilities for sports associations.

[Link]

Bar opening up in Montreal with pool theme circa 1935 — An odd mix!

I don't get this at all save for the fact that swimmers generally like alcohol.

Club Pelicano is its name, and it should be opening in the next few weeks with a focus on natural wine, local beers, and bar snacks from two excellent Montreal chefs, Marcel Larrea (who spearheads the upstairs kitchen at Tiradito), and Fabrizia Rollo, of Mile End Italian counter Fabrizia. 

Managing partner David Schmidt tells Eater that while the history of Pelicano’s basement space is unknown, it has a distinctive lowered concrete rectangle that suggests it could have once been a swimming pool. 

“We decided that we would do an ode to the Montreal bathhouses that are turned into cultural centres.”

[Link] 

Momma don't let your babies grow up to be Olympians!

Malcolm Gladwell: Journalist, best selling author,TED speaker stated that it takes 10,000 hours to master a subject. Many have disagreed with Gladwell's ten-thousand hour assessment. One of whom is, Josh Kaufman, another best selling author claiming that it only takes 20-hours or so to get good at most chosen subjects. The difference between mastering a subject and becoming great at it is extraordinarily minute. In fact, statistically speaking, there is not much difference at all...

Mastering a subject means you are an expert and retain complete control and produce consistent effects. Caeleb Dressel swam a 18.39 for a 50-yard free at the 2016 Southeastern Conference Championships. An amazing swim never accomplished before. With that accomplishment in mind how many Americans can swim 50-yards straight which includes a flip-turn at the wall in under a minute? Probably only 15%.

The Red Cross had this to say in a recent swim study:

"... [The Red Cross] found that while 80 percent of Americans said they could swim, only 56 percent of the self-described swimmers can perform all five of the basic skills that could save their life in the water. ..." 

These critical water safety skills, also known as “water competency” are the ability to:

1. Step or jump into the water over your head
2. Return to the surface and float or tread water for one minute
3. Turn around in a full circle and find an exit; swim 25 yards to the exit
4. Exit from the water. (If in a pool, you must be able to exit without using the ladder.)

[Link]

The average triathlete who may take 45-minutes to swim a mile may be considered a "great" swimmer by the average person walking down the street. We all know that the average person at large cannot swim all four strokes, nor do a flip turn, nor swim more than one lap in a 50-meter pool without the real possibility of cramping up or drowning. Swimming all four strokes is beyond an art form to these people,  in reality it's more like a "super power" straight out of a comic book. Thus,  revel in your glory if you have ever swam an IM for time. You are an elite individual within the population but what about Olympians? What are they to us, to society and to themselves?

Here are some names, Allison Schmidt, Michael Phelps, Missy Franklin, Ryan Lochte? I could name more but it would not be polite. Here we have of the greatest swimmers of their day and what they have in common is not the medals they shared or the memories of Beijing and London but rather severe depression, anxiety and other mental health challenges. Why is this?

An Olympian works full-time for perhaps a dozen years or so at just one thing so as to be the best. After suffering a gauntlet of competitions proving again and again that they are in that one-billionth percentile of excellence they receive a medal, a wreath and their name possibly craved in marble. All this accomplished without adequate compensation, appreciation and/or real love. Once their times get slower and their teammates get younger they are summarily told to go home or perhaps make a lower middle class income passing on their knowledge to another Olympic hopeful but most likely never an Olympian like themselves. 

I want to get back to how long it takes to master a subject for therein may lie the key to avoiding depression and low self esteem that many Olympians suffer. Self esteem is all about feeling how effectual one can be as a result of past contributions and accomplishments. Self esteem is earned and it is not a individual sport. It's an individual that honor, dignity, and self respect... So how does one become effectual?

Imagine during that dozen years of showing up to practices at 5:30 AM, thereby up taking up six hours or more of their day, our Olympic hopeful took three of those precious hours to master three separate subjects they could never be absolute greatest at but could at least master?

These subjects could include such endeavors such as fine art, music, comedy, writing, filmmaking, acting, journalism, dancing, all those things that involve people by touching lives and inspiring others! — How about that? 15-hours a week away from practice is 780-hours a year. In one year alone our ad hoc Olympic hopeful could master so many things in those 12-years…  Most notably numerous noncompetitive accomplishments that bring happiness and a diversified friendship base in all walks of life and probably great wealth with it.

So, I hope you liked this post. I have been gone a while an accomplished a lot but I am back blogging agsain. How about that illustration?  Gatorade did that for me. A DC artist did the artwork and they published it. Been a long time, huh?