Clay Evan's and Erik Hockstein on Katie Hoff being out-touched in the 400-meter free.

Clay Evans: "... Katie Hoff gave away the 400 free with horrible beginner's finish/ touch. She looped down and up touching with almost a completely flat hand like she did not want to break a nail. Meanwhile the Brit lunged forward plunging in a direct STRAIGHT line to the electronic pad making up at least one foot. It was plain as day in the under water shot. I was dumbfounded at that error.

Erik Hockstein: "... This Katie Hoff finish will be replayed by American coaches for the next decade - yes, even a world-class swimmer can lose a 400 Free on a finish. This type of finish is actually more common than expected - I have seen this quite often at the elite level in the last few years.

--•--
My take: I am seeing people breathing off the walls, looking at each other under water, and people looking up as they glide into the wall for their touch. Is it hubris or coaching issues?

Here is an article from the Baltimore Sun regarding the 400 meter free: [Link]

Illegal turns: I saw three swimmers in the 100 back kick while on their stomachs to the wall during their turn!

I thought you couldn't I checked the FINA rules and you cannot do any forward movement type of work with your legs or arms when making your backstroke turn. If you have a TIVO or a DVR, please review. I have done so 5 times. I saw three swimmers kick into the wall on their stomachs. Is that It is NOT legal? Perisol was one of them. He took two kicks and a dolphin. Seriously!

FINA rule:

SW 6.4: During the turn the shoulders may be turned over the vertical to the breast after which a continuous single arm pull or a continuous simultaneous double arm pull may be used to initiate the turn. Once the body has left the position on the back, any kick or arm pull must be part of the continuous turning action. The swimmer must have returned to the position on the back upon leaving the wall. When executing the turn there must be a touch of the wall with some part of the swimmer’s body. [link]

Rowdy Gaines did not bring this up last night! What sucks is that I just accused the gold medalist of breaking the rules and I can't post a video illustrating it!!! Anybody want to come over to my house and see for themselves on my DVR? ;-)

The New York Times regarding last night's swims:

Less than 10 minutes later, Peirsol threw himself backward in Lane 2, touched the wall on the turn in second place and then took control for good.

His reward for holding off the younger set for another Olympiad was a world record of 52.54 seconds, a significant improvement on the mark he set most recently at the qualifying trials this summer.

Matt Grevers, Peirsol’s towering, 6-foot-8 teammate, took the silver medal in 53.11 seconds: quite an achievement for a man who had had no intention of swimming the 100 backstroke in Beijing when this Olympic season began.

“Hands down the best backstroker ever,” Grevers said of Peirsol, who is just 25 but already in his third Olympics.

“He is a great guy; he gave me some private lessons during our training camp,” Grevers said. “I don’t have the shoulder strength that he does, so I can’t pull the amount of water he does.” [Link]

Rada Owen in a 'McDonalds' commercial

Rada Owen; Screenwriter, Olympian, NCAA champ, featured swimmer in the David Marsh swim video: Swimming Faster: Freestyle. She also holds a management position at SCAQ and now a billion people or so have seen her in this McDonalds commercial.

She is the pretty one with the nice smile and GREAT dive!

Life sucks for her, huh?

Remember the "morning finals scandal" when the Australians and the Europeans were throwing tantrums about them?

Moving forward, maybe all Olympic swim finals should be held in the morning if the men's 4x100 relay is any indication.

"THIS IS SPAAAAAARTA!"

They ought to give Jason Lezak two gold medals, a sword and shield for that effort! What a hero! From Associated Press: "... When his veteran teammate touched the wall, Phelps let out a scream of triumph, punching his arms in the air as teammates Garrett Weber-Gale and Cullen Jones joined him in the celebrations.

"Unbelievable! Jason finished that race way better than we could have even asked for," Phelps said. "For that last 50, I was thinking 'this is going to be one close race'.

"The last 10 to 15 metres were incredible. I lost my voice, and I was definitely pretty emotional after that."

Trailing at the final turn, Lezak relentlessy pursued Bernard, but it wasn't until the final 10 meters that the American was able to pull level and, finally, edge ahead as he touched with an astonishing split of 46.06sec. ..." [Splits at Swimming World]

AP newswire: Cullen Jones will swim the 4x100 relay final with Michael Phelps!

Also, a Freudian slip on the part of the French?: "... The French believe they can ruin Phelps' hopes of going eight-for-eight in a country where eight is considered a lucky number. They've certainly got reason to be confident, putting up the best time of the year until a backup American squad broke the world record in the preliminaries on Sunday night.

The French also went under the old mark — just 13-hundredths off the U.S. time of 3:12.23 — and that was with Bernard and their other top 100 man, Fabien Gilot, resting up in preparation to join Amaury Leveaux and Frederick Bousquet in the final.

"We want to be the best," Bernard said. "It will be one of the toughest races for Michael to win. [That's the Freudian slip because he all ready is the favorite in their minds.] The world record will be in danger." [Link]

Cullen Jones should swim in the relay final, period!

Watching the profile on Cullen Jones and one of his first experiences in a pool was sinking to the bottom with a pint of water in his lungs. He was unconscious, lifeguards administered CPR, and now he one of the fastest swimmers that ever lived.

Whoa! I bet there is an Olympic gold mine worth of swimmers in the inner city. USA Swimming has got to tap that mine.

WR in the 4x100 relay prelim! Was that epic or what?! - "Give them nothing - take from them everything" --Lionidas in the Movie 300!

Dara Torres receiving electronic muscle stimulation?

During the Dara Torres profile I noticed she had Frankenstein-like electrodes attached to her quads and her muscles were twitching at what seemed like 100s-of-times-a-minute via the electronic stimulation. It was during the warm up part of her stretch routine while all of her "yoga ninjas" were walking on her quads, rolling their feet over her shoulders and doing all sorts of "dark arts" stretching stuff to her.

I wish I could afford all that. It would probably add 10-years to your life too. More stretches here [Link]

I wonder what the scientific validity of electronic muscle stimulation is. Does it make her muscles bigger or just warm her up.?

Why these Olympics have been so good for China, the Athletes, and the Olympic ideal!

The Olympic ideal has just received an investment equal to a defense budget of the third largest country on earth thus giving it's mission statement sublime credibility.

Estimates are that China has spent 40-billion-dollars on these Olympics. Now contrast that to the Chinese defense budget which is estimated at 44.7-billion-dollars. (The United States spent 481-billion-dollars on our defense budget.)

Obviously the Chinese felt that the 2008 Beijing Olympics are so important to their nation's image and morale that it was equal in importance to their ability to defend themselves.

Imagine if the United States spent 1/3-of-a-trillion dollars on a summer Olympics? The figure is so large that it is absurd and incomprehensible. Athens and London have and will spend perhaps 10% of what the Chinese paid. Obviously China wants to demonstrate they have arrived on the world stage and want to be considered credible, reliable and innovative. I suspect my feelings are shared by many now. The Chinese are also humble about it by outsourcing this endeavor to western firms.

The experience these 2008 athletes will have will be perhaps never be surpassed. For instance, If Michael Phelps blasts 8-golds, these Olympics will be the IOC's finest 16 days in the history of the movement. i.e. The great achievement of any Olympic athlete, the most medals garnered by an Olympian and the biggest, "swankiest," Olympics ever.

As for human rights, pollution and political rights: I know nothing about political science but perhaps these are the growing pains that a totalitarian society goes through as it makes its transitional to a democracy?

I am not happy about their environmental and human rights havoc but I am not happy about the United States environmental and human rights havoc as of late either.

Edited to fix grammar and add the last sentence: [8/18/09]

USA defense budge reference: US Dept. of Defense [Link]
China defense budget reference: Info-Wars: [Link]

Mark Spitz's on Speedsuits

On Friday's; I swim with Dean, he is a writer for Reuters. Dean is witty, charming, a snappy dresser and has a commonwealth accent I can never place. He has a good breaststroke too but he won't race. I may try and rope him into a relay.

Recently he did a very thorough interview with Mark Spitz for 'Reuters' and he is letting me post it.

Snippet from Dean's MySpace page:

DEAN: WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE SPEEDO LZR BODYSUIT THAT'S BREAKING ALL THESE WORLD RECORDS?

Mark Spitz: I had long hair, I didn't wear goggles, I had a little suit that was nylon that wasn't even clingy and yet I broke world records. If you really thought that that swimsuit really made you faster then I'm buying Tiger Woods' golf clubs because I think I can be competitive.

The reality is, it's not the swimsuit that's taking the swimmer across the pool fast, it's the guy in the swimsuit stroking that suit fast. What they don't tell you is that you need to go about 6 miles per hour to break the actual drag co-efficient and that means you have to swim a 50 freestyle. Those are the only people that can actually swim fast enough to get anything out of that suit. Any thing more than that in distance, the suit starts to become smaller. If you look at Michael Phelps when he swam the 400 individual medley, he basically wore a suit from his waist to his knees. So he's not wearing that full-length bodysuit in some of those events because of the drag factor.

So it's a marketing tool. At about $700 a copy -- and they basically give them away and they only last for about 2 hours and I think you rip about one out of every 4 you're trying to get on -- it's not something that I think an age group swimmer's parents are going to be too happy about buying ... It's a psych. If everybody was wearing those suits, I'd want one too ... It's all psychological at that point. ..."

(And I just made a promise this morning I would leave the subject of speedsuits alone too. Sigh! Note that the above is Mark Spitz's opinion so don't shoot the messenger.)

Bob Bowman describes each of Michael Phelps Strokes

Snippet from ESPN: "... Breaststroke: This is the closest thing Phelps has to a chink in his individual medley armor. It's the only stroke he's not capable of dominating, but he's hardly bad at it.

"It's so much better in every way," Bowman said. "What we worked on is coordinating his arms and his kick, and activating his core muscles in every way."

The breaststroke is all about timing and rhythm, keeping the pull and kick working in synch. And Phelps' dry-land weight training, which he'd never done prior to last year, has enhanced his core strength. ..." [Link]

16 screws and two plates later, Emily Silver will be swimming in these Olympics!!!

Emily Silver will be swimming in these Olympics!!! From SeattlePi.com: "... BEIJING Forty-eight hours before the first official race, the U.S. swim team kicked off its Olympic meet with an impromptu event Thursday night.

Emily Silver versus the clock.

Coming back from surgery after breaking her right hand during the U.S. trials, the Bainbridge Island resident did her own time trial at the end of a training session to show the coaches she was fit enough to swim on a relay team.

The stands at the massive Water Cube were largely empty, but more than two dozen of Silver's teammates lined the pool to cheer her on, including Kara Lynn Joyce, who stood to claim Silver's spot on the 400-meter freestyle relay if she didn't recover in time.

Silver was told by the coaching staff that she needed to swim down and back in no more than 55 seconds to keep her relay spot. She was timed with a hand-held clock at 54.8. ..." [Link]

'Coca-Cola' creates Beijing Olympic Stadium or "Bird Nest" commercial!

Homage to the Beijing Olympic stadium. Originally found at Not.cot who found it at Shape and Color.

"Do you have hot water in America?"

Cultural differences and misunderstandings about mustaches in Beijing. From the Telegraph: "... It was a chance to mix and meet Michael and Ian Croker; great rivals for the 100m butterfly title. Both were sporting moustaches but admitted they would be shaved off before competition.

One of the Chinese journalists could not understand why they grew them and then shaved them off. Ian sounding serious said they were a fashion status and didn't she like them. He then realized she was taking him seriously so quickly admitted he would not race with it and that swimmers were pretty lazy people (meaning they didn't shave). She misunderstood him and he quickly butted in "no, no, we are clean people and we do wash" which drew a laugh. ..." [Link]

Here is to Michael Phelps and his COPS episode mustache.

Asia is getting amped-up on Swimming and 'Swimming World Magazine' will now have issues in Korean!

Asia is the "new Australia" for swimming pop-culture. With the rise of Park, Kitajima and a bunch of other swimmers whose names I can't spell, they all are truly electrifying the continent. I promise you that Amanda Beard and Michael Phelps will be doing commercials all over Asia real soon which will be amazing for our sport in so many ways.

So, seeing around corners which Swimming World has been known to do, Korea is about to be introduced to Swimming World magazine.

Kara Lynn Joyce describes the emotional transition from devasted to euphoric!

Kara Lynn Joyce is one of the swimmers replacing Jessica Hardy. She placed third in the 100 free behind Dara Torres and Hardy and here she describes what it felt like to not make the team and then in a flash, be included. From the MLive.com: "... She was going to Beijing.

"...I just started crying on the plane,'' Joyce said, laughing at herself. "He just gave me the best news of my life. I think people on the plane thought I was really weird or something tragic had happened, but I couldn't pull it together.

"All my bags and luggage went to Atlanta, and I flew to Palo Alto in the morning. I was living in the same clothes for two days, but I didn't care. I would live in those clothes all summer if I had to.' ...'

Here is a video of her in Go Swim Freestyle with Kara Lynn Joyce. Also, I recommend this Go Swim DVD!

Shout out to Tara Kirk: I support your continued ligitigation against USA Swimming!

Clay Evans wrote me an email today asking, "Why is the blog so grumpy lately?" He also spent a full paragraph defending Amanda Beard and telling me to lighten up, but enough about his problems. ;-)

Here is an article from Lane 9 News regarding the "kangaroo arbitration hearing" that Tara Kirk suffered through so as to get herself rightfully placed on the Olympic team after Jessica Hardy tested positive for a banned substance. This whole mess HAS made me grumpy.

If Tara Kirk does possess an email which she suggested clearly states USA swimming knew about the Jessica Hardy's positive test before the FINA deadline to declare a team, then Tara Kirk should litigate with USA Swimming and get her congressman involved as well.

Here is a link to the Lane 9 News article: [Link]

'Reuters' Ken Wills "test dives" the Speedo LZR

Ken Wills was an age group swimmer in his youth and he got to try the LZR on and swim different strokes: "... I did seem to slide through the water further and faster on the dive -- or was I being influenced by the upbeat 30-minute background presentation by Speedo officials?

Particularly on the butterfly and breast strokes the sensation was, well, buoyant.

But that wasn't really what I was feeling, insisted Jason Rance, worldwide head of Speedo International's Sports Aqualab.

"In terms of buoyancy, we tested it to make sure there is no buoyancy advantage," he said. "The suit's stabilizer helps keep the body position right so you feel you're riding higher in the water." [Link]

- • -
My opinion is that if you feel more buoyant and are riding higher on the water, then you are more buoyant. I think the public relations people don't like that word buoyant even though it is demonstrable that they are. They don't like it because FINA doesn't like it nor want it as an option.

Did you know that if you wear a sppedsuit at the Alcatraz Sharkfest, they put you in the wetsuit division?

Image comes from Science Daily with an article attached about the suit design: [Link]

Five "alternative" ways to watch the Olympics

This blog has a list of sites which may or may not post videos of the Beijing Olympics. From New TeeVee: "... The IOC is aware of this problem and is trying to address it by posting authorized videos on YouTube. Too bad these clips won’t be accessible to folks in the United States. So where will U.S. Olympians go? Hard to say, to be honest. There’s a plethora of options out there, ranging from Chinese P2P services to torrent sites. However, previous sports events, ranging from the recent Euro Cup soccer contest to your regular NBA game, can give us a first idea of what kind of pirate platforms might get the Beijing bump. ..." [Link]

Image above: Creative Commons license. Thanks to Mattias Pettersson at Wikipedia Commons

I question her motives and her perception of taste!

Amanda Beard poses nude again just in time to grab all the attention away from Katie Hoff, Kate Ziegler, Natalie Coughlin, Dara Torres, Kara Lyn Joyce, etc. etc. etc. and become the de facto showgirl for women's swimming.

The Powerade nudity I posted earlier rules for it's all about celebrating the human body in motion. This PSA for PETA has Amanda Beard posing sexy and nude and though it is an anti-fur ad, it apparently is all about Amanda Beard, her nationality and her sexuality.

I was just starting to like her again too. She worked incredibly hard to make the Olympic team which illustrated an incredible work ethic when you compare her times from a year ago. She did a PSA for shark protection awareness and now this silly PSA for a political organization with a spotty record of their own in regards to animals rights abuse. PETA has even been known to use physical intimidation and battery against those that wear or write about fur. [Link] -- (Though this linked site is hyperbolic, it links to source references.)

Another pop-culture, attention-grab by the "Paris Hilton" of Swimming. If you want to read her; what I believe to be a faked quote regarding fur, it's here in the L.A. Times: [Link]

"Bird nest" stadium review with photo gallery!

I think the reviewer opinions here are pompous, but then again so are mine. For instance The reviewer slams the 1936 Olympic stadium as a symbol of fascism which in my opinion the stadium was more an art deco structure rather than a political statement.

If the Chinese Olympic Stadium or the "Bird nest" is a political statement it would probably be that of "globalization is good" since every venue structure they have was outsourced to western firms whereas most countries who host an Olympics use their own designers and architects.

What makes a country great are it's ideas and contributions. All these ideas were outsourced hence the "globaliztion" theme.

Snipet from the New York Times: "...During sports events, it glows with energy: the hue of its translucent skin shifts from game to game with the colors of the teams. Inside, the steep pitch of the seats creates the impression that the 70,000 spectators are coiled tightly around the field. It’s a masterly way to choreograph the focused hysteria of a soccer match.

But in Beijing, the architects were clearly striving for something more heroic. The centerpiece of a vast Olympic park in the northern reaches of Beijing, the stadium is raised on a mound of earth to give it a more monumental presence. Its matrix of crisscrossing columns and beams was conceived as a gargantuan work of public sculpture.

Viewed from a distance, the contrast between its bent steel columns and its bulging elliptical form gives the stadium a surreal, moody appearance, as if it were straining to contain the forces that are pushing and pulling it this way and that. Philosophically, it suggests the tensions just beneath the surface of a society in constant turmoil. ..." [Link]

LOL - Wow! that shows me!!! What do I know about architecture? (Also, you may have to login for this article.)

British athletes pose for Olympic 'Powerade" ads!

From the Mail Online: " The images will be used as part of an advertising campaign for Powerade, the official sports drink of the Beijing Games...." [Link]

Read the article to see who these athletes are.

Bad ventillation in the Water Cube?

The Australian press is using words like "smog on the water" but I think it's humidity and poor ventilation within the Water Cube. It's a vast structure and has to many intricate shapes to allow for easy ventilation. (It was an Australian architect that designed it too.) Here is what the The Sydney Morning Herald said:

While they were gobsmacked by the striking architecture of the venue, they were also left bewildered by a dense haze that hovered over the pool.

Australian head coach Alan Thompson said while many of his team had spent some time taking pictures of the bubble-clad stadium from the outside, the misty conditions inside had been noticed.

"I am trying to find an answer to that question … I did notice the haze," Thompson said. ..." [Link]

Also mentioned in the article is that Michael Phelps isn't talking to the media - he's focused, he's channeling Spitz, he's under lock-down and amping up for his close-up with history!

I found the photo above at the Beijiner: [Link]

Thorpe sues France! - (France as a defendent is easier to spell than the French paper and the journalist that he is actually suing.)

Gosh it's late, and Wendy from www.off-the-deep-end.blogspot.com sent me this link well before anybody had it this morning. Unfortunately, I had to watch this "scoop" mold into yesterday's fish-wrap because my stupid life got in the way.

Thorpe is still pissed-off about French paper named L'Equipe and a writer therein accusing him of an irregular doping test. Thorpe is suing for defamation and more!

Snippet from RTE: "... Thorpe's lawyer Tony O'Reilly had informed the New South Wales Supreme Court of this on Monday and said that the proceedings would include a claim for infringement of privacy, the statement said.

The court proceedings were adjourned until September 22, when it was expected that preparations would be made for a hearing some time next year, the statement said, adding that no further comment would be made...." [Link]

He is suing in an Australian court - How is that going to work?

Beijing "Water cube" or Munich Olympic Pool? - It's glass versus plastic and why is that ironic?

I prefer glass over polychloride, plastic, bubbles. The bubbles are probably made from the same material that our imported Batman action figures are. Contrast this to the tempered glass at the Munich Olympic pool which lets in an amazing amount of light and tone. The Munich glass structure is more organic and suggests transparency rather than a Made by Mattel aesthetic that you see in the Beijing Water Cube.

As far as I am concerned, the western architect of the the "water cube" should have his artistic license revoked. I know I am in a minority here but in 15-years I will have the last laugh. :-P

Now, the architect of the Munich Olympic pool should be given a 1st class plane ticket to Mount Olympus and given a Speedo LZR by Zeus himself that was blessed by Athena and shrouded in olive wreaths and gold! Now there is a pool!

'Tin-Medal-Tony' scores two more tins but this time they are painted silver rather than bronze!

Tastefully painted in silver and garnished in white plastic, this medal can be yours but you got to be fast enough, and you got to win it at a SPMA Regional meet. Remember, if you don't swim, you can't win.

The next SPMA regional meet is in December at short-course-meters championships. Though an authentic, gold-painted, tin, medal still eludes me, I'll be there to try again and you should too because the swim is always better than the win.

50 lcm free: 28.91
200 lcm free: 2:34.16
100 lcm free: 1:06.62 (5th place)

No stage persona here: This is probably the real Gold Medal Mel!

Gold Medal Mel is in Beijing and in this YouTube you can hear a tinge of anxiety in his voice as he foreshadows that he may be covering topics more serious than usual.

I say this because he mentions that he is spending time with corporate types within the USOC as well as USA Swimming staff. When you start speaking to people at that level, your words have to be measured and your facts have to be solid. I find it refreshing.

Is 40 the new 30 for Olympians? - Duh!

From Reuters: "... Americans Richard Johnson, archery, is 52, Libby Callahan, shooting, is 56, and British horseman Nick Skelton is 50.

French cyclist Jeannie Longo is competing in her eighth Games at the age of 49 and it is the second Olympics for Israeli marathon runner Haile Satayin whose passport says he is 53.

Dr. Michael Joyner, an anesthesiologist at the U.S. Mayo Clinic who studies the effects of ageing on athletes, said normal "physiological" ageing starts at 30 but athletes can delay this until their late 30s or 40s with prolonged, intense training.

He said lab data showed that for physiological factors associated with endurance sports the decline is about 10 percent per decade starting at 30 but this can be halved with continued hard training, especially if it remained intense.

"If you look at top performers in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, the volume of training (hours per day) is sometimes down, but they keep the intensity high. They usually also do things to prevent age-associated declines in muscle mass," he said. ..." ...

"All things being equal the person who can put forth a maximum effort and at the same time relax has a real edge. A lot of it is learning how to compete in a relaxed way when the pressure is on," he told Reuters. [Link]

This says to me that after 30, you can slow down one's degrading endurance issues by 50%. Therefore, at age 76-years old, which is the average life expectancy, you would have the oxygen saturation ability of an average 53-year-old. That seems accurate to me.

Oh, and then there is this "chick" named Dar Torres... ;-)

'Speedo' will potentially supply over one-million dollars worth of "LZRs" to the athletes that request them at the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games!

From the Times in South Africa: "... Asked to comment, Speedo International was optimistic that all swimmers would be fitted. “Fina’s guidelines clearly state that suits must be available to all athletes,” the company said in an e-mail.

“In line with these regulations Speedo is endeavouring to make the Speedo LZR Racer available to all at the Games and, indeed, we have committed to supplying over 3000 suits to athletes at the Olympics which we believe clearly demonstrates our commitment to the sport.” [Link]

At $550-a-suit that could be as high as 1.5 million bucks if the athletes all choose full body suits. I mean, wouldn't you?

I saw two 'Nero blueseventy' suit failures today and now what I believe to be the fastest suit in the world, the 'Speedo LZR'

Bob Strand set a world record for his age group in a Nero blueseventy at the SPMA Regional Long Course Championships hosted by Conejo Simi Aquatics at Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, CA. I don't remember his time for I was more interested in what he thought of the suit. Of course he was stoked. Results will be posted soon.

However, I saw two Nero blueseventy suits rip today in the exact same spot, a two inch tear along the seams in the upper thigh area by the gluteus maximus region

By the way, Bob Strand's suit did not fail. I learned today that if you are going to race in a Nero, be sure it is wet; less chance of tearing.

Now, as for the fastest suit in the world: I saw Erik Hockstein set a world record today in the 4x100 LCM free while wearing a Speedo LZR. It was during the opening swim of a relay in a time of 52.20. (Yes, that is blazing fast and it was fun to see.) He later swam in a Nero in the 100 free in a time 52.86.

Now I have to be fair. I did not see a TYR Tracer Light today. I was going to purchase one and wear it but scheduling factors did not permit me to make the 50 mile drive to go buy one. Also, I can't find one online yet. So I am qualifying my experience with speedsuits here. The fastest suit I have ever seen in person is the Speedo LZR. It's faster than Nike Hydra, the Nero blueseventy, former Speedo suits, former TYR speedsuits, Former Arena suits and Diana.

It is a remarkable suit but watching someone put it one on is actually stressful. Especially the zipping up part. It's like setting a mousetrap; you are afraid it will go very wrong and nail your fingers when you go to place it down on the floor.

I am seriously still looking at a TYR Tracer Light or Rise though due to the fact that the LZR has a short shelf life and the Tracer may be the only game in town in terms of quality. Now when I buy a TYR Tracer Light and if it by chance rips or tears, you will hear about it and then we all will be back to square one as to which "dope" is best.

SPMA LCM Regionals being held today and tomorrow - I did a personal best in the 100 LCM free

SPMA Regional Long Course Championships hosted by Conejo Simi Aquatics at Cal Lutheran University are being held today and tomorrow.

In the 100 meter free I put down my personal best as my seed time, a 1:08.23 but I and pulled a Dara Torres and stormed it swimming a 1:06.62.

And speaking of storming it, blogger Joel, the 17th man did a 2:31.67 for the 200 LCM fly and he has never swam long course as a masters swimmer. (SICK! TIME) I am hoping I can somewhat match that time in the 200m free tomorrow.

Jessica Hardy has removed her name from the US Olympic team

Associated Press: "...The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced Hardy's decision Friday, saying she did so "in the best interests of the team. ..." [Link]

Now that she has removed herself from the team and will not appeal her removal, what happens to the alternates? This whole episode has been a definitive fiasco in planning by both US Swimming and the US Olympic committee.

A deal must have been struck. I am NOT saying that Hardy is dirty; that is for WADA and USADA to judge, I just have a strong suspicion that a lot of people really want this to episode to go away and to do so quickly. Now, Jessica Hardy has provided an out.

After reading this from Bloomberg, this sort of smells like the deal to me: "...Hardy didn't contest the laboratory findings and was granted additional time by an American Arbitration Association panel to investigate possible causes of her positive test. While she received a two-year ban from competition, Hardy will be permitted to come back to the AAA panel to present evidence which could reduce her period of ineligibility, USADA said. ..." [Link]

Janet Evans is writing for Yahoo Sports! - You should have told me! >.<

Janet Evans on Dara Torres and the 50 free in Beijing: "... The 50 free could be anyone’s race in Beijing. Australian Lisbeth Trickett (nee Lenton) was the first woman to break 24 seconds with a 23.97 at her country’s long-course championships in March. Dutch sprinter Marleen Veldhuis, who posted a time of 24.09 in March, could be a strong contender in this race as well. And we can’t count out veteran Therese Alshammar of Sweden, whose 2007 posting of 24.13 is the third-fastest time – behind Trickett and Veldhuis – in the history of this event.

With her performances from Omaha and the confidence she has gained in the past few days, Torres’ time from Sunday puts her squarely in the race with the three fastest women in the world – all of whom will be competing in Beijing. Although I do not consider her the favorite to win this race, we can never count out Torres and her incredible will to win, especially because this race could represent the first and only individual gold medal of her Olympic career. ..." [Link]

I love that last sentence! It's both informative and a quasi double entendre. Janet, just get back in the water! I want to see you spank, Manaudou, Ziegler and Hoff in the 1500 in London 2012.

(The girls finally get to swim the 1500 in London, right?)

Swanky hotel pool meets Andy Warhol

Wendy sent us this photo because she knows I like art and swimming. I just wish they would have put the stairs somewhere else so you can lap swim. Here is a link to Wendy's blog, Off the deep end: [Link] and here is a link to the review of the hotel in Men Style: [Link]

Daniel at cruzatte.com is following the Jessica Hardy positive test very closely

Daniel is following the Jessica Hardy positive drug test and fallout very closely. Here is a link to cruzatte.com which has several articles regarding Hardy, AdvoCare, her appeal and more. [Link]

Lego "Watercube" and other Olympic venues

Enormous Olympic city built out of Lego somewhere in Hong Kong. Here is the Flickr.com link
for the website HKLUG: [Link]

Great dive, great start, great turns, wobbly stroke!

First and foremost I cannot do better nor will I ever be able to match Michael Phelps or Peter Vanderkay in technique quality but I do see things that don't look symmetrical to my untrained eye and I like pointing them out for discussion.

Phelps has turned freestyle into a hybrid event. Underwater he's all butterfly. Even during his pull his hands end up crossing under his belly button. On top of the water he is appears wobbly and seemingly not as efficient as Vanderkay. (Too many moving parts in his stroke.)

Vanderkay's turns are too shallow whereas Phelps goes deeper and at an angle so as to not swim against the turbulent water he brought to the wall with him. (Vanderkay should do a technique clinic with Olympian Rada Owen to fix that and I am very serious. Of course you can too if you call the SCAQ office and set up a private.)

What intrigues me is how swimmers at that level do things that we are taught not to. I don't breathe off the walls but a majority of swimmers at Olympic trials did. Why?

We also saw a lot of swimmers not able or even trying to match Phelps in regards to his underwater work. Hmmm? I wonder why as well?

Dara Torres, Jessica Hardy, Lara Jackson in the US Trials 50m free final

Dave Salo weighs in on why Jessica Hardy tested positive!

In my uninformed opinion Dave Salo should have said nothing but instead Coach Salo was quoted in the Orange County Register as saying this: "... Dave Salo, Hardy's coach at the Trojan Swim Club, told the Orange County Register on Thursday he thinks Hardy's positive drug test at the recent U.S. Olympic Trials for the banned stimulant clenbuterol was the result of "inadvertent consumption of a banned substance" possibly through supplements or vitamins. ..." [Link]

He also mentioned that he told Jessica Hardy to have whatever she is taking tested for purity. Though I understand his intention, that too is a bit ill advised for the product here is not regulated whatsoever and the quality and content can and will change from time to time.

These companies that make and distribute supplement products don't actually make these supplement products anyway. They are primarily distribution companies that buy product in bulk form from an original design manufacturers (ODM), slap on an expensive looking logo that says "Bicep-Blaster" or "Power-Butt-Desintegrator" and then they sell it.

They don't know what is in it especially if it is from overseas.

Jessica Hardy was part of that machine and she got hosed. If Dave Salo's speculation is correct, Tara Kirk, Lara Jackson and Amanda Weir belong on that Beijing squad and they were improperly denied.

This waterscape was "painted" on a computer and inspired by Shane Gould's comment about speedsuits!

I bought Corel Painter and a Wacom tablet that lets me use a pen or stylus to draw freehand instead of using a mouse. This is my first ever digital painting and consequently I fully endorse this software since it was so easy to use. I spent about an hour or two on this and if this was an oil painting it would have taken me three times that long.

Once I get use to the "brushes" I am going to start doing paintings of swimming and swimmers. [Link]

Here is what Shane Gould said about speedsuits that gave me the idea to paint lily pads: "What are the protocols? How exactly do they test the suits? What are the specific scientific tests they do to determine whether these suits float or not? I've done tests myself and they float higher than a lily pad. ..." [Link]

Will speedsuits be banned by the NCAA!?!

The NCAA is going to make some big, sweeping, changes in regards to how they conduct swimming. My ears shut off when I heard the phrase "speedsuits banned!" The source is reliable but please file it as a blog rumor for now.

Two Estonian swimmers cross the 40 kilometer Gulf of Finland!

Two Estonians out of 6 swam across the Gulf of Finland today. That's right, a 40k swim open water swim near the top of the world. Click for Google Map milestones here: [Link]

For details of the swim click here: [Link]

Tara Kirk: “I have confirmed that USA Swimming knew about the positive drug test before the deadline to submit the names.”

The New York Times quoted her so it's credible: "...Hardy, 21, was informed of the failed drug test Monday, which was also the deadline for national governing bodies to submit their rosters for the Beijing Games. Kirk, in an exchange of e-mail messages, wrote, “I have confirmed that USA Swimming knew about the positive drug test before the deadline to submit the names.” She declined to say whom she spoke with. ..."

USA Swimming did not submit the names of Kirk and Lara Jackson, who finished third in the 50 freestyle at the trials, as alternates on its roster, to be summoned only if Hardy loses her appeal. ..." [Link]

Memo to USA Swimming: If the above is correct, the perception of ethics and morals within the organization are looking way beyond sketchy at this point. You have an anti-trade lawsuit on the horizon with TYR, you failed to follow your own rules in determining the proper line of succession if a swimmer or swimmers fail a drug test, You have bullied Floswimming which is one of the most popular swim sites on the net and finally for a government sanctioned National Governing Body you are the least transparent non-profit I have ever seen.

How often do non-profit governing bodies get sued anyway? Apparently, Tara Kirk, looks pretty amped up to perhaps make it another lawsuit too. Could this become a class action lawsuit with Kirk, Jackson, and Weir on the list?

All of this nonsense in just the past six months as well. Pathetic!

Shane Gould on Speedsuits: "... I've done tests myself and they float higher than a lily pad!"

eWhat a classic quote in regards to the technological advancement of fabric.

Shane Gould on speedsuits and fairness, From the Sydney Morning Herald Online: "... The FINA Handbook of 2005-2009 states: "No swimmer shall be permitted to use or wear any device that may aid his speed, buoyancy or endurance during a competition."

Gould added: "What are the protocols? How exactly do they test the suits? What are the specific scientific tests they do to determine whether these suits float or not? I've done tests myself and they float higher than a lily pad. ..." [Link]

Shane Gould won 3 golds, a silver and a bronze in the 1972 Munich Olympics. "... She is the only person, male or female, to hold every world freestyle record from 100 m to 1500 m simultaneously, and the first female swimmer ever to win three Olympic gold medals in world record time. ... wikipedia"

Arguably she could be considered the greatest freestyle swimmer ever.

USA Swimming had a two day window after Hardy tested positive to include Kirk, Weir and Jackson to the US Olympic Swim team!

Swimming World editor, Jason Marstellar, actually took the time to read the FINA rules to find out when the deadline was to declare our US Olympic swim team. The deadline was actually July 23 not the 21st. USA Swimming at the very latest received news of Hardy's positive test on June 21st; (If you believe that this was the date they found out), and USA Swimming consequently had a 48 hour window to select alternates in her place.

From Swimming World: "... However, the drop-dead deadline from FINA to receive entry forms from National Olympic Committees, available on its website here, was July 23 - in Switzerland.

Now, at first blush, someone might say that USA Swimming had plenty of time to pull the trigger and replace Hardy with Tara Kirk in the 100 breast, Lara Jackson in the 50 free, and Amanda Weir in the 400 freestyle relay. Knowing something on July 21, regardless of a self-imposed deadline, should allow someone to make a last-ditch effort before the true final deadline of July 23 in the final stages of the process, wouldn't you think?

There are so many levels involved in this conversation, that I don't believe it can be simplified that much ...." [Link]

Well, I think it can be simplified, boolean and positioned black-and-white terms: Jessica Hardy tested positive so you select the alternates! Period. :-P

If the time frame does not allow for Hardy to make the case that she is innocent, then USA Swimming has to take responsibility for this and fix both the process and the screw-ups.

Here are some simple suggestions:

1. Acknowledge you played havoc with the FINA rules by making up your own silly deadline and state you want to fix it.

2. Move Olympic Trials to sometime in April or May rather than early July thus allowing a 12-week window or more for testing to be completed, appeals to be made, and for USA Swimming's to get their bloody "ducks in a row." Apparently they need that much time.

3. Make good with all those swimmers that were effected by the poor execution and the sloppy handling of the FINA rules by either placing them on the team; (if FINA will allow it now that it is past the deadline), or by compensating them economically for the time, effort and training costs for following the rules and then being denied a legitimate spot that they honestly earned.

Above is a photo of Amanda Weir.

All of the products listed below if used as directed will make you test positive for a stimulant in a drug test

And you can buy some of them online, save for Cortislim which got busted by the FCC for false advertising. Imagine that, being able to purchase a product that contains a stimulant that probably is not listed as an ingredient.

From an NCAA press release: "... Following are products containing synephrine, a stimulant added to many supplements to replace ephedrine, as of January 30, 2006.

Synephrine is an NCAA banned substance that has created a recent rash of positive drug tests for student-athletes.

• Thermolife Injecto Fuel
• Advocare MNS Max Appetite Control
• EAS Piranha Energy Drink
• FSI Nutrition Ultra Figura
• WorldWide Extreme Thermo Rush
• Nutrex Lipo 6
• Universal Nutrition Animal M-Stak
• Twinlab Ripped Fuel Ephedra Free
• Cortislim
• D&E Orange Rush
• ANSI Thermo Hydroxadrine Drinks
• ANSI Xtreme Shock
• S.A.N. Tight
• BSN Thermonex EF
• Primaforce SYNEBURN
• Cytodyne Xenadrine EFX
• German American Technologies Jetfuel
• Universal Nutrition Animal Cuts
• Pharmagenx Ventilean

[Link]

Jessica Hardy, Larsen Jensen and 4 other Olympians have a lot in common!

UPDATE: Orange County does a partial retraction to the Jessica Hardy/AdvoCare story. What is really interesting was what wasn't retracted: [Link]

"What a mess!" is how the email from Daniel ended and what an understatement that was! Daniel emailed me a slew of articles about the Jessica Hardy fallout and all of which clearly illustrate what a tangled web this is going to be. Perhaps even to the level of a Balco if more Olympians test positive?

So, what does Jessica Hardy, Larsen Jensen and four other Olympians have in common? From the OC Register: "... World champion swimmer Jessica Hardy is one of at least six members of the 2008 U.S. Olympic team who are listed as endorsers of a nutritional supplements and sport performance products company whose products have been banned by the NCAA and have been linked to positive drug tests. ..."

"...Hardy has promoted her use of AdvoCare products on both her personal website and company websites. On one AdvoCare site Hardy said she used 12 of the company's products with names like "Muscle Gain," "Muscle Strength," "Catalyst," "Amplify A.T." and "02 Gold. ... " [Link]

Also mentioned in the article is that AdvoCare also has 14 product liability lawsuits filed against it! In a side bar at the OC Register, this is why it si going to get real messy. More from the OC Register: "...But this press release from the NCAA says student athletes are inadvertently testing positive for synephrine, a banned substance, and lists a number of supplements that contain the drug, including one made by AdvoCare. ..."

I suspect that all the athletes connected to this company, Jessica Hardy, Larsen Jensen and the four others are going to be extraordinarily scrutinized at this point.

Jessica Hardy tested positive on July 4th 2008 - Hello? Was anybody home at USA Swimming?

Jessica Hardy tested "barely positive" on July 4th, or two-whole-weeks before USA Swimming had to declare their team to the IOC.

In project management textbooks words and concepts like "deliverables" and "milestones" are defined and are recommended to be acknowledged or signed off in some way.

I don't know for certain but one would think that USADA and USA Swimming were talking to each other once the initial findings were known yet no "Plan B" was in place to replace an athlete if a second test came back positive. Why? Especially if you had a deadline to declare a team to the IOC within two weeks.

Who is the genius that screwed that up?

Perhaps a two week warning notice for USA Swimming was not enough time which then raises the question that perhaps Olympic Trials were held too late in the year. If that is the case, why would they play "chicken" with such a deadline?

Consequently, due to their seemingly incompetent management or their presumption that all USA Swimming athletes would test negative, there are two athletes sitting at home right now, Tara Kirk and Lara Jackson, who legally, honestly and ethically deserved to be in Beijing in two weeks but it is looking like they won't be.

This is a serious screw-up on the part of USA Swimming and they need to take responsibility. How will they rectify this for these two swimmers?

From the New York Times: "... A person close to Hardy, who requested anonymity because he did not have all the details of the results, said he was told that she tested “barely positive” on July 4. That was the night Hardy placed fourth in the 100-meter freestyle to earn a relay spot.

The positive test, the person said, was sandwiched between negative test results on July 1, after Hardy’s victory in the 100 breaststroke, and on July 6, after she finished second in the 50 freestyle behind Dara Torres. [Link]

In my opinion USA Swimming needs some sort of internal audit for it is there responsibility to deliver an effective team to represent the USA in the Olympics and that requires planning, organization and a speedy determination of who is allowed on that team. They apparently were blindsided by a situation way to obvious to not predict.

One has to ask how culpable USADA/USA Swimming are for this Olympic team mess-up!

I spoke with someone close to this situation by email this morning and they filled me into the missed details by the two organizations that are suppose to serve the athletes.

On July 21st the IOC required an Olympic team roster from USA Swimming. Yesterday, three days past that deadline it was leaked that Jessica Hardy had tested positive for a banned substance. (Newsweek reported that it may have been a stimulant which could be as simple as an antihistamine or something more insidious as meth.)

The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) performed the test and obviously notified USA Swimming before the July 21st deadline. One would think that either USA Swimming would have pushed USADA to deliver results well before they had to declare a de facto team or that USA Swimming would have scheduled Olympic Trials earlier enough to ensure that all their athletes rights would be respected.

In project management textbooks they talk of deliverables and milestones that should signed off and closely managed. I didn't see that here.

From USA Swimming's perceived "secret deals" with the Wasserman Media Group (WMG), the accusations from TYR that USA Swimming is engaging in anti-trust tactics with Speedo, and the bullying of Floswimming. One has to wonder who is running the shop there!

Jessica Hardy tested positive! - Both "A" and "B" samples!

When I was at workout tonight, Erik H., told me Jessica Hardy tested positive. As soon I got back I saw a link in my inbox from an anonymous reader linking me to a Swimming World article.

My first reaction was shock/denial, my secondary reaction is that no country has a monopoly on ethics. My third reaction came after I read the Swimming World Piece.

From Swimming World: "...The news comes just a bit too late to be helpful for Lara Jackson, the third-place finisher at Trials in the 50 free, and Tara Kirk, the third-place finisher in the 100 breast. After not making the team originally, the pair would be bypassed for Joyce and Soni. ..."

According to a report at NBCOlympics.com, "both her A and B samples have come back positive." NBCOlympics.com also reports that the tests came from Trials. ..." [Link]

If Jessica Hardy took drugs then the aforementioned swimmers who were clean and honest and who probably worked a major portion of their lives for this goal should be Olympians and sent to Beijing anyway.

Screw this silly rule that they can only pick from available talent. Lara Jackson and Tara Kirk are Olympians and should be sent!

If ever a lawsuit was warranted to get one placed on an Olympic team, this is it!!!

Swimming World's, The Morning show is a hot property at "Blip.TV"

You know how Dick Cheney would sometimes slip off to a secret undisclosed location post 9/11. Well, swim websites such as Swimming World and many others have been quietly hosting their videos at a quasi-undisclosed location called Blip.TV.

They have been doing so for a lot of complicated reasons whcih generally revolve around the more pleasant license agreement and the better video quality than You Tube provides.)

Well, The cat is so out of the bag that Swimming World has been hosting their videos at Blip and the rest of the world noticed too. Here is a press release stating that Blip.TV has named "The Morning Show"as a hot episode to watch: [Link]

Is Grant Hackett still making excuses over not qualifying for the Olympic games open water event?

Our friend Wendy from "Oz" sent us this, snippet from RTE: "...Men's Olympic 1,500 metres champion Grant Hackett tried to qualify at the same event and he appeared to be targeted by his rivals. Hackett was disqualified after he tried to get out of trouble by swimming over another competitor's legs.

'I saw a couple of times people hitting him and swimming over him and obviously hurt him quite badly, and he just didn't have enough in the end,' said compatriot Ky Hurst. ..." [Link]

I don't buy it. I think open water swimming at that level is all about calculated retaliation.

This is an octpus with 96 tentacles...

... And it is alive! I am at work so i got to rush this one. This creature was originally spotted at NotCot.org where I said to myself, "yeah, i am going to share it," and all of the above websites found it at... where else? Pink Tentacle.com

Go to Pink Tentacle and see a photo of it laying eggs. I bet this creature would not have survived in the wild, but since it is both creepy and "cthulhu-like" it's gene pool will live on as we humans make a new race of chimeric octopi simply for our viewing pleasure. [Link]

If you don't believe me, just look at any chihuahua! How did natural selection come up with THAT!

Triathlete dies in New York during the swim portion of the New York City Triathlon

From the New York Times: "... Bill Burke, the race director, said rescuers pulled Neiva from the river about three-quarters of the way through the 1,500-meter swim portion, ...

“Other swimmers noticed the gentleman in the water, and they were actually waving and signaling for the nearby jet boats to come assist them,” Burke said.

He added: “We did have life support on the boats that were monitoring the swim course. There’s medical staff on those boats, so if the guy had a situation in the water, he’s getting the best medical care. ...” [Link]

I noticed that most of the swimmers were wearing wetsuits as well. Isn't the water in the Hudson warm this time of year? A wetsuit in 70 degree water sounds awful. I wonder what happened to this guy?

UPDATE: I am still rattled about this. This is happening more and more and it is distressing. I was a triathlete in my 20's but I never mastered any of the three sports involved. I was always too busy going back and forth from one event to the other, doing "bricks" and ultimately to tired to concentrate on technique for any of the events, etc. etc. Ultimately I was just surviving and consequently I felt rushed and I was injured a lot.

I think if you took a poll among triathletes asking them what is their weakest event, I bet more than two-thirds would say the swim. Hence, if you want to be an effective triathlete, you MUST master your weakest event. In fact you should be in such good shape before an event like this that you would feel the need to swim 500 yards or so before the race.

The 'Surf Bus' takes inner city kids from Los Angeles to the beach so they can learn how to surf and play!

SCAQ swimmer Bill I. sent me this article from Pete Thomas over at the L.A. Times regarding a very nice surfer named, Mary Setterholm, who has started a non profit to help inner city kids who in some cases have never seen the ocean to come out and play in it. Imagine living 10 miles from the sea and never having an opportunity to see or experience the ocean? Mary Setterholm couldn't live with that so she started the "Surf Bus." That is so cool!

Snippet from the article: "... At the South Seas House, about 40 children are kept orderly by activities director Carlton Stubbs. That's a condition they will not violate on this special morning.

Once on the bus, though, they loosen up. Many chatter and smile. A girl in the back hoists a sheet of white notebook paper with a smiling blue stick-figure and the lettering, "We Love Surfing."

Some, however, remain quiet, as if going off to war, so foreign and daunting is the mysterious ocean.

Stubbs, who has been involved with the L.A. Surf Bus for four years, says the program offers obvious physical benefits while enabling the children "to overcome fears of swimming and to discover the calming effects of the ocean. ..." [Link]

This is an amazing idea and an even bigger accomplishment in my opinion. Exposing inner city kids to the beautiful beaches we have here is very important on so many levels. Kids become motivated to swim, to surf, to see and experience beach culture with it's affluence and beauty, and to share it with people with different races and income brackets.

Believe me, it is way "outside their box." 50% of Los Angeles inner city kids will not graduate high school. I am certain that experiencing something this magic will make motivate many to learn how to swim and surf and by exposing them to something better could make a difference in school. It costs a lot of money to live near the beach.

Five ways technology is changing the next Olympics

My favorite tech changing 'gizmo' for the Olympics is the camera that can take 2,000 photos per second. Talk about a photo finish! That 1 second of static motion, if converted to live action footage, would be about 65 seconds of viewing time.

However, this one really stood out. From the Io9 blog : "... China has claimed that they will "attack" and shut down websites that broadcast Olympic events illegally. No one is sure if this means they intend to attack other countries' websites or private sites hosted internationally. If they do, it could be the first case of open international cyber warfare. [Link]

Reductio ad absurdum or imagine this: Floswimming is interviewing Eddie Reese by the side of the pool but accidentally the camera catches a tiny splash of water from a Jamaican swimmer's flipturn while she is warming down in the secondary pool.

Suddenly, the weight of the Chinese military, with NBC and USA Swimming's blessing, let slip the dogs of war and Chinese networking experts attack Floswimming from the other side of the Planet for weeks on end. They use a classic "Denial of Service" (DOS) attack and it brings Floswimming's servers down to their knees. There was no cease and desist or nasty letter from USA Swimming, there was no due process either, just cyber-warfare at the behest of a corporation.

What would Dick Cheney do if that happened?

As silly as that sounds, and it is a silly scenario, but why is it that a corporation's content can suddenly be protected by ordering a military attack without due process or even a cease and desist letter?

Hmm, Perhaps because it's China?

Olympic Medals throughout history

Above are medals from the Antwerp Games from 1920. Here is a link to all all the medals issued at the Olympic Games from 1896 t0 Beijing 2008: [Link]

A party so exclusive that only those from Mount Olympus can attend!

GOLD MEDAL MEL MOVIE is DELETED!

Now here is a party that is so exclusive, so entitled that not even Oprah, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie would be allowed in. People like Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson would be laughed at if they tried. This includes Bono and Bill Gates too, but you know what? Rada Owen is invited! and she sent me this link.

Welcome to the Olympic Team Alumni party that was held at Olympic trials!!!

The guest were all wearing Speedo LZRs so in a way it was formal attire only. ;-)

Here is a link if the video does not load. Swim Network videos are still "mucho buggy!" [Link]

Every Summer Olympics logo since 1896

I am biased towards the Los Angeles 1932 Olympics logo since it is so art deco and the font appears to have done by hand. I also live in Los Angeles.

The 1932 pool is still with us but quite modernized now. I am thinking of putting on a swim meet there next spring. I have to work out the details with SPMA and Clay Evans. Overall I like the Moscow logo a lot though the star should have been yellow to represent the Olympic flame.

As for the 2012 London Olympic logo; what were they thinking?

Found originally at NotCot.org which found them at Ad!vertido: [Link]

Guess what German swimmer Vipa Bernhardt learned while swimming in America?

How to sue!

Vipa Bernhardt, though finishing 3rd at German trials, got an injunction from a state court and now has been added to the German team.

Second place finisher, Anne Poleska, who placed second and qualified for the German national team and also won a bronze in Athens apparently is in legal limbo.

From Reuters: "... Bernhardt's court challenge was based on the fact that the second-placed swimmer, Anne Poleska, had raced for the Coral Springs swimming club in Florida. Bernhardt and Poleska have both lived and trained in the United States.

Poleska won the bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and silver at the 2005 world championships in Montreal.

NOT ALLOWED

German swimming federation rules allow participation in foreign college or school swimming teams but not foreign clubs. According to those rules, Poleska should not have been allowed to swim at the German national championships. ..." [Link]

Cyndi Gallagher knew what it took to get Amanda Beard to her fourth consecutive Olympics!

Remember when I was trash-talking Amanda Beard last year about how slow she was? I predicted she wouldn't make the team; (Remember, I am always wrong too.) She rarely finished in the top two but at trials, she certainly found a way and she credits her coach, Cyndi Gallagher!

A profile on the contributions of female swim coaches in the New York Times: "... Gallagher is nurturing, but without her nudging, Beard is convinced she would not have qualified for her fourth consecutive Olympics. “Cyndi is the whole reason I’m on the team,” said Beard, who placed second in the 200-meter breaststroke at the United States trials in Omaha on July 4. “She’s just a stud.” ..." [Link]

Here is her coaching profile over at UCLA: [Link]

Eric Shanteau photo gallery and news articles

Talk about focus, how about this for a quote: Doctor says, "Hey, you got cancer, Eric's reply, Hey, I got trials!" Inside Bay Area: [Link]

The New York Times: [Lance] Armstrong, who spoke in a telephone interview from San Francisco, said he was aware of the diagnosis because Shanteau’s coach had contacted his agent for the name of a testicular cancer specialist. Armstrong said he passed along the name of Dr. Larry Einhorn, the doctor who had treated him. [Link]

NBC Olympics: "...It bothered him a lot that he didn't make the team," Chris Davis, Shanteau's coach during his teen years, said. "Anywhere else in the world, he not only would have made the Olympic team, he would have won a medal.

"But he never whined. He never said life's not fair. He has that stick-to-it-iveness."

So a cancer diagnosis? "It's not like he called and said, 'Oh, my gosh, why me? Poor me! I was just on the verge! I had worked so hard!' There was never any of that stuff," Davis said. "It was just another bump in the road on the way to making the Olympic team. ..." [Link]

Eric Shanteau gallery at MSNBC: [Link]

Here is a link to some '2008 Alcatraz Sharkfest Swim' photos!

Scott Belland took these photos, he was one of the kayak support staff as well and I think he had 5 rescues too. These photos really capture how formidable the swim from Alcatraz to the mainland is. When you the swimmer are out there in the middle of the bay, you feel like you are the size of "pixel" since at one point in the race you are about 1/2-mile or more from any land mass.

Here is a link to some fast JPGS of the race at Picasa: [Link]

Pamela Barone, NBC Olympics Swim Producer "test drives" a 'TYR Tracer Rise'

Pamela Barone , "Swim Ninja" for NBC Olympics goes for swim in the TYR Tracer Rise. These are her thoughts: "...but even though it felt like my legs were floating, they weren't. They were just higher on the water. There's that muscle-contouring seaming at work, I thought.

I was told that the seams and the different fabrics are arranged in such a way to force you to have better body position. I still don't really understand how, but I now believe that it's true.

And the fabric really is water-repellent. Underwater, the suit appears to glow, because of tiny air bubbles that gather on the surface. When you get out, the water beads right off the suit, and it never feels wet. ..." [Link]

Here is a link to the NBC Olympics Pamela Barone TYR Tracer Rise "test drive" gallery. Be sure to scroll down and see other fantastic galleries of Olympic swimmers: [Link]

Breaking: Eric Shanteau, Olympic qualifier in the 200m Breaststroke, has cancer!!!

From Associated Press: In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Shanteau said he learned just a week before the Olympic trials in Omaha, Neb., that he has testicular cancer. His doctors cleared him to compete in that meet and he surprisingly made the team in the 200-meter breaststroke, finishing second ahead of former world-record holder and heavy favorite Brendan Hansen.

"If I didn't make the team, the decision would have been easy: Go home and have the surgery," Shanteau said. "I made the team, so I had a hard decision. But, by no means am I being stupid about this." [Link]

He is going to compete in the Olympics despite his doctor's advice. If I was 24-years-old I would do the same thing and compete. If I tried now my friends and family would have none of that.

Lot of moral cunundrums here. If you are his coach or USA Swimming do you throw him off the team or is there a professional separation here between USA Swimming and the individual athlete?

Hey London: Fill it and they will come!

A link to several abandoned swimming pools in where else? London, England. I posted some of these last year but they added one or two more.

So, London, Fill your pools damn't! Found at NotCot.org, this is a link to BLDG BLOG who posted the images: [Link]