New American Record for Cullen Jones as Jones, Wildman Tobriner and Gary Hall swim the 50m prelim in under :22.00

I can't wait to see that prelim-swim. Especially the part when "old man" Gary Hall pulls up to the blocks in his "mobility scooter" then has his two nurses help him remove his red, white and blue, Everlast hospital gown and help him onto the blocks! (I hope he doesn't read this.)

What an epic prelim that will be watch. Here were the times for the top three finishers:

Cullen Jones: 21.59

Ben Wildman Tobriner: 21.68

Gary Hall: 21.89

Lane 9 News: [Link]

Gary Hall Jr. tacitly endorses the 'blueseventy' speedsuit!

Here is a quote /snippet from Gary that he posted on his Race Club message board:

"... We also need to give credit where credit is due. The suit. I know, I know. I hate to admit it. There is something to the suit. I was training with Mark right before I left for Omaha and he had the new Blue Seventy suits. He was talking about leaving Speedo who he has been with for decades(!) to sign with Blue Seventy. We were testing the suit and there is something there. No question. Could it account for a .16 drop? I think so. ..." ['YouTube' Link to the reaction]

I actually think Gary Hall is a contender this weekend, albeit a dark horse.

Here is a link to thread: [Link]

Cullen Jones, Cesar Cielo, Gary Hall face off this weekend

The 'psyche sheet' for the Ultra Swim USA Swimming meet has beet posted. the meet actually starts tomorrow. Here are top seed times for the 50m free. [Link]

Cesar Cielo probably will feel the least pressure and Cullen Jones will feel the most. That is to say if people feel pressure at that level. I am rooting for the old guy, Gary Hall, but a win by Cielo or Jones will be celebrated.

1  Jones, Cullen A     23 Unattached-NC    21.84  OLYM
2  Cielo, Cesar A      20 Auburn-SE        22.08  OLYM
3  Hall, Gary W        32 Unattached-ZZ    22.40  OLYM
4  Cavic, Mike         23 Unattached-ZZ    22.50  OLYM
5  Targett, Matt S     21 Auburn-SE        22.66  OLYM
6  Andkjaer, Jakob S   22 Auburn-SE        22.77  OLYM
7  Adrian, Nathan G    18 Unattached-ZZ    22.80  OLYM
8  Lundquist, Bryan J  22 Stingrays-GA     22.88  OLYM 

Amanda Weir is going to swim the 100 free, the 400 free and the 50 free. I will be rooting for her as well.

Gary Hall and Amanda Weir are swimming next weekend at the 'Ultra Swim USA Swimming Grand Prix'

It would be so cool if Gary Hall swam a 21.6 for the 50 free. What a statement that would make; a world record in an off meet. I think Gary Hall is the most under rated Olympian ever. He has more medals than Ian Thorpe or any other American Sprinter yet you hear all Popov or Jaeger.

Then there is Amanda Weir who has two silvers from Athens, holds the American record for the 100m free in a time of 53:58. She obtained this record after beating Natalie Coughlin for it by 1/2 a body length at Conoco Phillips Meet. [Link to Google video] She is only 21-years-old too and is another underrated Olympian who will surprise at Nationals.

Here is an article about the event and who is swimming in it: [Link]

Gary Hall Jr. back with Speedo and will donate a portion of his bonuses to juvenile diabetes research

From Lane 9 news over at Swim World:

In an effort to continue his fight against diabetes, an illness Hall was diagnosed with in 1999, Speedo will donate an additional 10 percent of all Speedo performance bonuses earned by Hall to the Gary Hall Jr., Foundation for Diabetes. [Link]

To me this illustrates character, responsibility and empathy. Here is a press release form the International Sports Movement:

LOS ANGELES April 17, 2007) - SPEEDO®, the top-selling swimwear brand in the world, today announced the signing of 32-year-old swim star and Olympic veteran Gary Hall, Jr. to a multi-year contract through 2010. A ten-time Olympic medalist, Hall represented the U.S. in the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games and is projected to be a serious medal contender at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in his specialty, the 50m freestyle. If he wins gold in Beijing, Hall would become the first-ever Olympian to do so in the same event three times. [Link]

Psychology Today: The Art of Trash Talk

At the 2000 Sydney Olympics Gary Hall Jr. proclaimed in a CNNSI blog that the USA relay team was going to, "smash the Australians like guitars." Well, it didn't work out that way. Above is a picture of Gary Hall just before he won a gold medal in Athens.

Here is what Psychology Today says about "trash talk":

"... But does it work? Jonathan Katz, a New York City-based clinical sports psychologist, is doubtful. He believes that thinking up put-downs can actually impair an athlete's performance. "Some players feel they can intimidate other players by getting into their heads," says Katz, who has worked with the New Jersey Nets and several college basketball teams. "But many athletes are putting time and energy into something that distracts them from playing their best. Playing well is the most intimidating factor. ..." [Link]