'Times Online' Satire? - "Michael Phelps to face his tormentors..."

I think the article is a bit of satire? From Owen Slot in the Times Online: "... One suggestion that followed the “bong” story was that Phelps was having second thoughts about his future because he was not entirely sure that he wanted to go and compete in the London Olympics, in the land of his tormentors. It would be reasonable to assume that something similar will have registered again...."

Then there is this one:

"... Would you believe it that the media in the United States seem more interested in the fact that their boy is making a competitive comeback to the pool this weekend? They actually prize his swimming abilities above those of his love-making. ..."

[Link]

FINA is requesting 8 new events for the 2012 Olymics!

FINA is requesting 8 new events for 2012. Two which would include adding an 800m free for men and then a 1500m free for woman. However, the Times Online accuses an "American led lobby" of wanting to screw that up and drop the 800m free altogether and just add a 1500m free for the women.

Personally, I think they should let NBC decide and I am sure they would want as much swimming as they could film. Heck, they are paying for it.

The Times Online article is not very fleshed out but this would certainly effect Rebecca Adlington who is quoted in the article.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is considering a request by FINA, swimming’s governing body, to add eight new events in time for 2012. They include a 1500m freestyle race for women and an 800m race for men.

Sources say the IOC, which is keen to limit expansion, is unlikely to grant such a request and could instead opt for a compromise favoured by the American-led equality lobby that would see Adlington’s strongest event dropped and allow women to step up to 1500m for the first time. The IOC’s executive board will decide on the matter later this year.

[Link]

Times Online: "Strokes of genius that changed the world for Rebecca Adlington"

The Times Online has a great overview regarding Rebecca Adlington's training for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Shades of Michael Phelps here: Technology and a plan allowed Adlington to reverse split in the 400-meter free earning herself a solid gold medal in Beijing by 700-of-a-second:

"...To swim faster, most swimmers increase the stroke rate, but with the aquapacer, Miley took Adlington through a session where they slowed her stroke rate down and found she was able to maintain the same high speed. In other words, the length of her stroke was her asset. “Rebecca is one of the rare swimmers where this is the case,” Miley said. “She was moving with such efficiency, it may have felt like she was swimming downhill....”

Adlington also worked on the finer points of her swim such as her turns. I like the innovative way they addressed filming them:

"... Once back in the pool, Adlington was able to fine-tune the weaker part of her game: her tumble turn. This involved linking up again with Jodi Cossor, the biomechanist at British Swimming, who, over the course of the previous year, had worked with her in the pool at Loughborough, videoing her turns from above and below. ..."

Then there was her finish, the one side-by-side with Katie Hoff. The one where I quoted Clay Evans angrily saying this about Katie Hoff: "it looked like she didn't want to break a nail. ..."

"... The finish itself was programmed into Adlington, too. “Rebecca knows exactly how many strokes per length so she is coached to finish at the end of a stroke,” Furniss said. “It's been drilled into her. And that is what she did.”

Hoff, however, finished with her arm not straight, her wrist cocked and her hand flat. No one can be sure how much time that final error cost her but for that last five metres took Adlington 2.69sec, Hoff 2.89. ..."

The photo comes from RobH3's photostream at Flickr.com.

Here is a direct link to the photo: [Link]

The 'Times Online' prints a horribly biased and hyperbolic article about speedsuits!

The Times Online presents a poorly researched speedsuit article that is full of speculation, exaggeration and hyperbole. On face value if you don't believe the Times Online could write a biased article, check out this paragraph:

"...That, says the whisper filtering out from the scientific community, is just the start. Fabric engineering already used in the military field will soon make headlines for all the right reasons: it can cure the sick, relieve pain for the terminally ill, provide speedy rehabilitation for crash victims, improve the lives of millions. But how long before the technology reaches the world of sport?..."

And this paragraph too:

"... As one leading light in the sport put it: “If we don’t stop the suits now, our sport will be destroyed by this and future developments. The last thing we need is to become the ‘testing ground’ for companies that want to do medical experiments on humans to promote their new products. The Roman Circus is here. ...” [Link]

If you step back and do a Google search with the text string: 'smart fabrics' or 'MIT Military Fabrics' to see if these grandiose predictions are valid, the materials suggested are a bit more involved then the Times Online presents.

For instance, the fabrics that can "heal you" according to MedicalNewsToday will work something like this:

"...Intelligent use of microelectronics allows scientists and engineers to extract useful data from very simple inputs. For example, the WEALTHY project integrated temperature sensors in the armpit and shoulder of their garment to register core and skin temperature. ..." [Link]

Note the word 'sensors' and realize that a electrical current would be running through the fabric and connected to a computer to collect the data. The material does not magically "heal you." However, the military wanted something that would.

As for the super human stuff the Times Online suggested: In 2002 The military gave the Massachusetts Institute of Technology 50-million dollars for a five-year contract to create a uniform that would make soldiers invisible, be able to jump over 20-foot walls, and deflect bullets too. If the Iraq war is any indication, I don't think they delivered! It was suppose to be a 5-year plan and here we are six-and-a-half years later and we have witnessed horribly wounded soldiers who barely had effective armor on their vehicles let alone a fabric that could heal them or make them bullet proof. From 2002 CNET article:

"...Researchers also hope to develop a kind of molecular chain mail that can deflect bullets.

In addition to protecting soldiers, these radically different materials will have uses in offensive tactics, at least psychologically.

"Imagine the psychological impact upon a foe when encountering squads of seemingly invincible warriors protected by armor and endowed with superhuman capabilities, such as the ability to leap over 20-foot walls," ISN director Ned Thomas said in a release. ..." [Link]

Speedsuits are not hurting swimming in any way. They are making it more fun especially for masters swimmers and overweight swimmers.

I smell manufactured consent on the part of USA Swimming's PR department in conjunction with the media to move public opinion towards their point of view. It's a sloppy article and presents no counter opinion.