SCY Masters Nationals: Rowdy Gaines, Erik Hochstein win their events!

Dan Leonard, featured above from SCY Regionals, sent this note from SCY Masters Nationals in Clovis California:

"... Many, many B-70s. Virtually everybody on SCAQ was in one. Looked really good with the black and yellow SCAQ caps.

Our age group this meet is much faster than, Austin, Texas, last year. Several 50+ went under 1:50 for 200 free. I think Rowdy Gaines won in 1:43 something.

All SCAQ swimmers did well. Erik Hochstein won the 200 free, Jenny Cook won the 200 breast. Our men's 35+ 200 fr relay won with a time of 1:27:00 - that is smokin'.

I went 7 seconds faster than last years nationals: 2:26.67 (PR) and once again placed 11th in the 200 breast ! Our age group is insane.

Saw a few suit malfunctions - one guy's suit spit right up the but crack just as he did his start on a relay - and no modesty suit!

It is very hot, but meet is going very smoothly, with two, eight-lane courses going simultaneously. ..."

You can follow the results here:

[Link]

NICE JOB SCAQ!

'Paramount' picks up the rights to "Swim the Fly" - A young adult novel about swimming

From Reuters: "...The book, the first in a proposed trilogy, is a teen comedy in the "American Pie" mold about three high school friends who make a pact to see a girl naked by summer's end. Candlewick published the novel three weeks ago. ..."

[Link]

Amazon.com review: "... Fifteen-year-old Matt Gratton and his two best friends, Coop and Sean, always set themselves a summertime goal. This year's? To see a real-live naked girl for the first time — quite a challenge, given that none of the guys has the nerve to even ask a girl out on a date. But catching a girl in the buff starts to look easy compared to Matt's other summertime aspiration: to swim the 100-yard butterfly (the hardest stroke known to God or man) as a way to impress Kelly West, the sizzling new star of the swim team. In the spirit of Hollywood’s blockbuster comedies, screenwriter-turned-YA-novelist Don Calame unleashes a true ode to the adolescent male: characters who are side-splittingly funny, sometimes crude, yet always full of heart. ..."

[Link]


Well it certainly sounds more promising than Twilight!

"Oh Noes" - FINA calls for emergency suit meeting, Coach Alan Thompson has been asked to attend!

Is Alan Thompson pro Speedo? These quotes in the The Sydney Morning Herald seemingly declare his allegiance to the suit manufacturer:

"... AUSTRALIAN swimming coach Alan Thompson says there may be swimsuits on the market that will not pass the new guidelines put in place at the weekend by the sport's governing body, but the Speedo LZR Racer won't be among them and his team will be able to wear them at the Rome world championships in July. ..."

"...Asked if he was concerned about his team's suit supplier, Speedo, and the availability of its LZR Racer suit for Rome, Thompson said Speedo had assured him of compliance...."

Regarding Speedo competitors or rival suit manufacturers:

"...I think there is a possibility that some of them won't make the thickness and the buoyancy requirements," he said. "I think that's what we have been wanting, a framework around it just to measure that. People say they are buoyant and all sorts of things. Now you can measure it and there is this framework there so you will know for certain, and if they don't pass the testing, they are out." ..."

[Link]

It is my opinion that the average mouth speaks faster than the average brain's ability to measure the words coming out of it. (I for one am certainly the template for that theory.) Hence, when Coach Alan Thompson quasi-guarantees that the Speedo LZR will be available for Rome but seemingly declares in gleeful tones that some of his competitors won't, not only is that a red flag that the LZR is not as fast as the competitors, but a possible statement of his allegiance to Speedo if I am reading this right? It also has shades of Coach Mark Schubert who is being sued for this sort of stuff by TYR

Now this FOX SPORTS:

He [Coach Alan Thompson] said next week's meeting would focus on the legality of suit designs for the world championships and welcomed the move by FINA to conduct an open forum with national coaches to explain the process around the testing and approval of the suits.

"It is a proactive move and it will clearly spell out what the rules are and what suits athletes can wear, so there is no confusion," Thompson said.

[Link]

Is FINA actually having a Coach who apparently is looking forward to his swimmers wearing the Speedo LZR in Rome... discussing the approval process to rival suit makers? FINA will explain it, not the FINA Coaches Commission!

My gosh, Could Speedo be driving this secondary approval process in the first place?

Robot jellyfish don't sting!

Doping stories depress me; I post this to lightening things up. Watch it all the the way to the end for he has flying ones too.

The Jessica Hardy ruling is about to become more messy

Phillip Hersh in the L.A. Times:

"... What is the difference between U.S. swimmer Hardy and Chinese swimmers Qu Jing, Liu Bingyao, Zuo Ziqiao, Fu Bo and Hu Shaozi?

And why might that difference factor into Chicago's 2016 Olympic hopes?

First, the facts (with a little interpretation, of course):

* All six swimmers tested positive last year for the anabolic steroid clenbuterol.

* The five Chinese have received two-year suspensions, as mandated by the World Anti-Doping Code, from their national swimming federation.

* Hardy's two-year suspension was cut in half by an American Arbitration Assn. panel that on Monday issued one of the strangest rulings in what long has been an Alice-in-Wonderland world of doping punishments. ..."

He goes on to say that the shortened suspension [flies] in the face of the IOC and WADA ..."

[Link]

Read the article for he goes into specifics.

Next, Ron Judd in Seattle who I think is the finest sports journalist around quoted the following in the Seattle Times:

"... "Every single raw material used in the specific lots consumed by Ms. Hardy [Hardy is the AdvoCare Lawyer] also tested negative (Not Detected) for Clenbuterol."

The test results were certified by NSF International, an independent laboratory licensted to test for controlled substances, the release states. The results also were certified by HFL Sports Science, a World Anti-Doping Association-experienced laboratory that AdvoCare says has analyzed more samples for banned substances than any other lab in the world. ..."

[Link]

My take: I am willing to presume Jessica Hardy is telling the truth because I have a reasonable doubt or more accurately, a bias towards "Nutritional Supplement" salesmen.

I will accept that her intake was accidental but I can't accept that her suspension is allowed to be shortened whereas the other athletes from China are forced to sit out the 2012 games. We either follow international rules or we don't compete.

Jessica Hardy cleared of intentional doping and will sue her former supplement sponsor, "Advocare"

Jessica Hardy was quoted as saying this in the L.A. Times:

"..."I am extremely happy that the arbitration panel was persuaded by my scientific proof of supplement contamination, and that they believed me when I told them that I never have and never would use performance enhancing drugs..."

[Link]

I really should have slept on this before posting but what keeps running through my head is what was Jessica Hardy thinking when she signed on the dotted line with a company whose slogan is: "We build Champions", and according to the OC Register, has several product liability lawsuits filed against them.

TYR has a new speedsuit for triathletes! - Note the marketing angle!

Press Release: TYR Introduces Sayonara™ - First Triathlon Swimskin with Patented Yamamoto Technology

Funny how the marketing strategies used to get a swimmer to separate themselves from their money are far different than the tactics used to separate a triathlete from theirs.

Since Triathletes literally demand warmth on those ultra-looooooong, 400-yard, open water swims, TYR delivers the goods with a Yamamoto Neoprene product and a detailed explanation as to why the athlete will stay warm.

Then, to really resonate this idea for those who don't want to read how it works, they show a triathlete emerging from a lake of lava and lightening looking ready to beat you up with his bike!

Swimmers, are the other hand, are suckers for whoever posted the last WR! The more WRs a suit company has, we drop everything and buy!

Don't believe me? Ask yourself this: is the LZR on anybody's radar anymore?

Laure Manaudou hugs Frederick Bousquet while wearing a shirt that I believe says, "I regret nothing!"

Laure Manaudou's t-shirt read: "Non, rien de rien, non, je ne regrette rien" - I think it translates to "I regret nothing." Even the Alta Vista Babelfish translation is having. Well acording to ParisMatch.com, Fred Bousquet, the fastest 100-free swimmer in the world, is Laure Manadou's boyfriend. I hope he inpsires her to swim again.

At work I was asked to help out and learn either French or German since we have Vodafone and a couple of French telecom companies as our accounts. I don't think I have the IQ to learn German since I can barely puncuate in English as it is and since the French have some mighty fast swimmers as of late, Learning French is starting to look pretty good to me.

Jodie Foster/Mark Spitz - Lindsay Lohan/ Michael Phelps

Obviously all of the above individuals displayed remarkable talent at a very young age and each of them leveraged and profited from their talents quite well.

Ironically enough, the Disney movie that proved Jodie Foster was a bankable icon post her nomination for an Academy Award as a 12-year-old hooker in the movie,Taxi Driver, was, Freaky Friday, the very same roll that made Lindsay Lohan an icon and a millionaire as well.

For Phelps and Spitz it was Olympia!

Foster and Phelps were raised by single mothers whereas Lohan and Spitz were raised in a nuclear family. (In Lohan's case that last comment may be a bit of a stretch but that is what it says on paper .)

Jodie Foster educated at Yale, Mark Spitz educated at Indiana, both never arrested and both became very successful parents.

Obviously Foster got the memo when she was about 14-years-old that her private life was non-existent. Mark Spitz got the memo too, cashed his million-dollar check post the '72 Olympics; created his own "medals" poster; bought a Ferrari, and moved on to start a family.

Four talented people a generation apart with the same sublime skills yet this current generation struggles with fame, money and other "vices" whereas the previous generation thrived.

This is not a, "my generation is better than yours," post but rather a "second mouse gets the cheese" post. Learn from their mistakes.

I advise younger talent to find the right mentors and be forewarned that these mentors are not sports agents but rather those people around you who are very good at what they do and have been demonstrably successful in what you want to accomplish. These individuals are the type of people who want you to realize every single one of your goals as their sole source of payment. Listen to those people first and grab onto your wallet when the people you are paying offer their opinions.

'Age of Lonliness' by Enigma - Music video with lots of swimming effects!

In just weeks, Australian has lost five world records to European swimmers!

From Nicole Jeffrey writing for the Australian:

Australia has lost five world records to European athletes in the past two weeks, none of whom was wearing a Speedo suit.

Rapidly evolving swimsuit technology is influencing results so much that sports newspaper L'Equipe listed the French team for the world titles by suit when it was announced this week.

Eleven of the 15 men and 14 of the 20 women in the team wore Jaked suits.

Three of the four men who did not - Bernard (Arena), Hugues Duboscq (Adidas) and Amaury Leveaux (Tyr) - had been pre-selected after winning Olympic medals last year.

In a complete reversal from the Beijing Games, when the Speedo LZR was regarded as the pace-setting suit, only five successful French swimmers wore Speedo.

[Link]

The Australian team is sponsored by Speedo but Australian Swim Team members can wear suits from a competing company as long as these suits are unbranded or do not display a logo or manufacturer name.

With all this in mind, which Australian athletes will be wearing unbranded suits versus the Speedo LZR? The subject of the article, Stephanie Rice, states that she does not have a suit sponsor. Obviously, Rice, was given remarkably good advice from her handlers to keep her suit options open and thereby allow her the opportunity to wear the fastest suit possible at any race she competes in.

Hence, we may see her in a Jaked come the 2009 Fina World Championships in Rome or a blueseventy Nero, or a TYR Titan, or perhaps a LZR in Rome.

Her logic seems so impregnable to me: Her swimming drives her business but her business does not drive, or is allowed to hurt, her swimming performance. This way her suit decisions remain flexible; (or fluid ;-), and she can feel absolutely in control of her suit decisions.

Next week is when the FINA releases their list of approved suits for 2010. With swimmers like, Eamon Sullivan, complaining that the aforementioned suits should be banned, has he not in turn promoted these suits as a superior alternative should they be allowed?

The 'blueseventy Swimskin Buy Back' program is now official!

From the Press release, here is how it works:

"... blueseventy swimskins always have been and always will be FINA compliant. As a company, blueseventy is fully supportive of the effort made by FINA to regulate the effects of technology in the sport The blueseventy Buy Back Program will help consumers buy a new swimskin, when the changes go into effect January 1, 2010.

The buy back program is easy:

* Buy a blueseventy “Nero” swimskin, tight or jammer after April 1, 2009

* Enjoy the new found potential of your swimming until December 31, 2009

* Bring your eligible blueseventy product and receipt to a participating dealer in January 2010 and receive a reduction in the retail of your new “Like for Like” Nero product. Rebate amounts vary dependent on product.
o Nero Comp Fullsuit $200 rebate
o Nero Comp Kneeskin $160 rebate
o Nero 10k Fullsuit $160 rebate
o Nero Legskin (Tight) $110 rebate

“We are delighted to be able give something back to the competitive swimmer who we believe right now is caught in the changes taking place,” says Dean Jackson, blueseventy Marketing manager. “For us it is about servicing the swimmer and delivering a program that offers value in a world where the changes are beyond their control, yet they have to meet the consequence” Jackson, adds, “We could not have offered this without the support of our dealers and we thank them for working with us in keeping the category alive throughout the rest of 2009 and offering value into 2010.”

The blueseventy Swimskin Buy Back Program is currently available at U.S. dealers only. The company plans on rolling out the program internationally in the next few weeks. ..."

Here is a fun promo from Universal Sports! - Can't wait to see Phelps' new freestyle!

Charlotte will be streamed live and I am looking forward to seeing Phelps' new freestyle approach; and how about that 50 fly world record by Rafael Munoz Perez set at the Sapinish Championships? Will we have to wait for FINA World Championships to see Phelps' response?

The most informative article I have ever read regarding the Jaked!

The Jaked has been accused by many has being hyper-buoyant but Spaniard Rafael Munoz says it is not:

From the ChinaDaily:

"... Some competitors said the suit had nothing to do with their displays.

Spaniard Rafael Munoz, who broke the 50 butterfly world record wearing a Jaked suit earlier this month and set a 100 butterfly European record on Saturday, said: "My times don't depend on the suit because if you throw it into the water it doesn't move by itself.

"It also has less buoyancy than others. It repels the water and could give some advantage but my times can only be achieved with a lot of work." ..."

[Link]

What also seems quite scandalous is that Bernard was wearing a suit without official FINA approval though Arena, his sponsor, say they submitted the suit well before the suit deadline! What does that mean before the suit deadline? Submission and approval are to different concepts.

Urethane is apparently the "new" Chloroprene; (The Jaked is all polyurethane), but now there is a rule in place for January 1st which states that only 50% of a speedsuit can be covered in polyurethane. The Speedo LZR and the TYR Tracer Rise make use of the urethane plates and they would seemingly be legal whereas the Jaked and others will have to undergo a major design retool.

What a coincidence that the two largest suit manufacturers happen to all ready meet that requirement well before that rule was even suggested in Dubai. (I am being sarcastic.) Could a person assume that both Speedo and TYR used their political leverage to game FINA? I don't know, but they both seemed better prepared design-wise heading into January 1st.

For instance: TYR has a Chloroprene suit; (TYR Titan), a polyurethane paneled suit; (Tracer Rise), and a "nylon" suit; (Tracer Light). They will certainly have one or more legal suits come 2010 whereas Jaked, Blueseventy, Rocket Science, and Arena may have some hefty R&D costs if FINA decides to reject what they have already approved.

As for Speedo, their urethane panels currently meet the 50% rule all ready out of the gate. It almost seems like some "psychic" alerted them to this rule two years in advance since their suit absolutely meets the "letter of the law" so thoroughly. It's almost creepy!

It was Fred Bousquet that set the WR in the 50 LCM Free not the 'Jaked!'

Fina approved the Jaked swimsuit just like they did the Speedo LZR, the Tracer Rise, and the blueseventy Nero. The Jaked appeared in Beijing but it took an incredibly talented swimmer to break that 50 Free WR this week and Fred Bousquet was that person not his suit.

Note that the upper tier swimmers who are criticizing rubberized suits in the press are seemingly sponsored by suit manaufacturers not producing a rubberized suit.

From the Brisbane Times:

The suit wars have led to the atmosphere on the pool deck at the French national titles becoming poisonous with even Bernard's coach Denis Auguin lamenting the situation.

"I read that (Frenchman) Amaury Leveaux had a suit psychosis panic attack with all the suits before the 100 final with all of these guys wearing all these suits ... it shouldn't be that," Sullivan told AAP.

"Fair enough people get nervous but it should not be because of what someone is wearing.

"I think it is pretty ridiculous that it has got to this point."

[Link]

Oh, by the way, Bernard is sponsored by Arena.

Good guys wear black - Here are some of my teammates simming in the 2009 SPMA SCY Regionals!

Dan Leonard swam so well at Regionals: His most impressive showing as far as I am concerned was a 30.48 in the 50-breast placing second in a field of twelve. I bet he goes a high :29. at Nationals.




Chris Beach's best stroke is anyone he happens to be swimming. These are just some of the times he posted that blew me away:

• 50 SCY Breast - 28.07
• 50 SCY Free - 21.28
• 100 SCY Free - 47.73
• 200 SCY Free - 1:45.59
• 100 SCY IM - 55.72

Daniel needs no "stinkin' speedsuit" when swimming the 50 SCY Butterfly for fun - Time: 28.54!

Ultimately, I swim with giants and it is very inspiring!

The 2012 Olympiad: The Royal Mint has class! - Can you find the swimmer on the back of this coin?

From the Creative Review Blog in the UK : "The coin is the first in a series of four to be launched annually from now until 2012. On the reverse, it features the number three to signify three years until the start of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, alongside images of swimmers racing to the finish line, while the framework border is a reference to the new Olympic stadium as seen from above. [Link]

From Coin News: "... The reverse or tails side of the coin features a running track, symbolizing the Olympic Games, and was created by Royal Mint engraver Thomas T. Docherty. Within the track is the 1908 anniversary date and circling the track itself are the words, "LONDON OLYMPIC CENTENARY".

The coin also has an incuse edge inscription, "THE 4TH OLYMPIAD LONDON". [Link]

The United States could never do something like this. We have some of the best designers in the world but the we have ugliest money in existence. You should see these quarters they have been minting here lately that are suppose to represent what is great about each state. I had this one quarter in my pocket today from Kansas featuring a warthog on the back of it but I wouldn't spend it till I was sure. It turns out it was a buffalo.

SPMA Regionals: No 'Tin' nor Ribbons for 'Tin Medal Tony' but I did set a prsonal best in the 100 free!

Quick observations: The air temps in Mission Viejo, CA, for both Saturday and Sunday were in the low 70's; blue skies, puffy clouds all day long. Southern California really has only two seasons: Summer and January!

Coach Ahelee set two national records.

blueseventy swimskins were everywhere though the cool kids like me wore TYR. I saw an X-terra speedsuit made of Chloroprene and wondered if it was FINA approved?

Masters swimmers like speedsuits and if they are men, they insist upon wearing modesty suits underneath and by modesty suit I mean male briefs, not $350 speedsuts!

There was lots of talk about SCY Nationals in Clovis, CA: Gold Medal Mel, Rowdy Gaines would be going. Lots of excitement and I truly sense that masters swimmers is attracting both new swimmers with non-swimming backgrounds and those swimmers that miss that "esprit de corp" that most individual sports like the triathlon and running lack.

My time in the 100 free was 57.18 besting my previous effort of 57.74 by a half-second. I am going to learn what I am doing wrong, then take my 100-Free time down in the 56's.
Mark Savage took the photos and I am very flattered that he took the time to come out and photograph my teammates.

I want to to thank both the 'French Coach' and 'Maly' for working so hard to bring us the French Championships!

Above Frederick Bousquet is now the world record holder in the 50 free. He is wearing a Speedo cap but a Jaked suit. How is that for a multinational wardrobe?

Maly spent hours of her time uploading these fine Eurosport videos to YouTube.
Here is her YouTube Page: [Link]

The French Coach has been giving me good advice and provides us with this results link and I am very flattered that he did so: [Link]

Maly sends us Alain Bernard's World Record in the 100 Free!

Maly so hooks us up! Uploading stuff to You Tube is not very fun yet she has been so generous with her time in doing so that I can't thank her enough. :-)

Phelps: Back in the lab and will debut his new freestyle technique in May at the Charlotte UltraSwim!

John Quinn, my relay teammate sent me this from Yahoo news:

"... When Phelps returns to the pool in May at the Charlotte UltraSwim, he says he plans to debut a new freestyle technique, ..."

"I'm not saying anything until we unveil it. It's a significant change. You'll be able to tell exactly what I did as soon as I take my first stroke.

I'm going to try it this year. If it works, it works. If it doesn't, I'll go back to the old stroke." ..."

[Link]

In you go to Charlotte to see it please upload fan videos!

Maly has been uploading video of the French Championships for all of us at 'You Tube'

Thank you, Maly, it is very nice of you to do that for us.

Watch Munoz! And how about that suit? I could never wear a suit that was "fire engine red" like that!

Maly has uploaded a ton of footage for us at You tube. Here is her channel page: [Link]

THIS IS HUGE: 'blueseventy' to offer $200 rebate off their next generation suit should your 'Nero swimskin' be deemed illegal in 2010!

UPDATE II: Rob, of RobAquatics rocks the Zeitgeist! blueseventy to extend update period to April 1st rather than May 1st due to his comment to this blog and a post he made.

UPDATE: ...We are seeing the testing protocol today and not one specific to blueseventy.

Also we are looking at suits bought May 1st onwards for the buy back program.

The news has not been release yet but you have my permission to go "bang down their door" and ask if it is true. Just so you know, my source is gold and this is what I was told!

This Wednesday, FINA will be conducting revealing their permeability testing protocol in Switzerland on the blueseventy, NERO swimskin. The people at blueseventy are so confident that the NERO will be approved once again for competition in 2010 that they are willing to go "beyond the call of capitalism" and launch a "buy back" program should the NERO not be approved for 2010.

This is how it would work: You own a NERO swimskin and FINA outlaws the suit for 2010, blueseventy will "buy it back from you" by giving you $200 off their next generation, FINA approved speedsuit!

So, if you currently own a NERO swimskin or you were thinking of buying one for USMS Nationals but wondered about FINA suit regulations circa 2010, I say go for it.

[...]

The Joseph B. Gould Foundation has made an amazingly large donation to the the "Make a Splash Foundation"

The Joseph B. Gould Foundation is quite well known in Los Angeles! Childrens Hospital Los Angeles is what it is today because of the contributions and support the foundation has given them.

Now the Make a Splash arm of USA Swimming is on the receiving end of their philanthropic efforts.

From Swimming World:

THE USA Swimming Foundation has received the largest charitable contribution in its history with a $5 million gift from Carolyn Dirks on behalf of the Joseph B. Gould Foundation. The endowment will be used to benefit The USA Swimming Foundation's Make A Splash initiative as well as the Dirks Family Coaches Incentive Program.

[Link]

About the Joseph B. Gould Foundation from Childrens Hospital website:

"... Mr. Gould, who passed away seven years ago, was an investor in oil, gas and real estate. He established the Foundation in 1991. “He was a very giving person who wanted the world to be a better place,” explains Mrs. Dirks, a Bel-Air resident. “He always felt that if you are lucky to have good fortune, you should give back and help others.”

Following the legacy established by its founder, the Foundation supports a broad spectrum of organizations including St. John’s Health Center, and various other medical facilities and museums. They also have been a generous supporter of Stanford University, and the ski and swim teams of the United States Olympics.

“We believe that in order to make the world a better place, you need healthy people. That means your body needs to be healthy, which is why we need great medical facilities, and your mind needs to be healthy through the arts,” says Mrs. Dirks. “We need a well-rounded world.” ..."

[Link]

Here is a link to the Make A Splash web page: [Link]

Marleen Veldhuis suit - It looks like something "Judy Jetson" would wear!

UPDATE: According to the telegraaf.nl "...Marleen Veldhuis zwemt records in het snelle pak van Jaked. ..." In other words, Marleen is wearing a Jaked! If you go the telegraaf.nl and click on the image, you can see a larger image of the suit: [Link]

Is this suit a Jaked! I see no logo so I think it is. Can someone please confirm? Here is a direct link tot he that featured the image, EdeStad.nl: [Link]

'Amsterdam Swim Cup:' Marleen Veldhuis nearly sets a WR in the 100 'fly

Marleen Veldhuis missed Inge De Bruijn's record by 800ths-of-a-second but at the end of the clip you can see how elated she was. she later went on to set records in the 50 free and 50 'fly.

From Swimming World:

"...After just missing Inge de Bruijn's 100 fly world record, 56.61 to 56.69, earlier in the meet, Veldhuis tore through the women's 50 fly with a scorching time of 25.33. The effort eclipsed Sweden's Therese Alshammar's global standard of 25.46 set in 2007. The swim also crushed Veldhuis' national record of 25.62 set in February of this year. ..."

[Link]

Joeri Verlinden sets a Dutch Record in the 200 'fly swimming a 1.57.45

Fan video of Joeri Verlinden owning the 200 'fly at the Amsterdam Swim Cup. Anytime I watch someone swim a 200 'fly, I become more and more convinced that butterfly swimmers are born and not made.

Stefan Nystrand: Nearly sets a national record at the 'Amsterdam Swim Cup!'

Fan video of Stefan Nystrand's "windmill stroke" winning a 50-free final at the Amsterdam Swim Cup and almost setting a national record.

(Side note: In the 17th century Amsterdam was the both the economical and intellectual "center of universe." They had it all, science, art, publishing, and international shipping all because they allowed people to have an opinion without persecution. - ref: Carl Sagan - Cosmos)

Darwin, Australia: Man killed after trying to swim across a croc infested river!

Any town named Darwin, especially if it is is Australia, is suppose to be warning that there are animals therein that you simply don't touch!

It's like God put all of his practical jokes in Australia: Jellyfish the size of thimbles that can kill you, giant birds with no wings and really bad attitudes, that thing called a platypus which they tell me is deadly, who can forget the koala bears and kangaroos too, and then there is that crazy lizard that runs on two legs like it is pulling a wheelie.

This poor man in DARWIN, Australia, after drinking with his wife and friends decides it would be a really good idea in DARWIN, Australia, to swim across a river in DARWIN, Australia, that is known to be infested with crocodiles. Consequently, a horrible tragedy ensued and this poor man was devoured as his wife watched. :-(

Now, why anybody would even go near a river that is even rumored to have crocodiles in it boggles my mind especially if it is in DARWIN, Australia!

And now, after one crocodile does what crocodiles are suppose to do, all crocs are going to be shot on site at that locale so as to locate the remains of the missing man.

From the Mail Online:

A man's drunken night out led to his death when he decided to swim across a river in the dark - and was attacked by a lurking crocodile.

Witnesses claimed the man's relatives - including his wife - witnessed his death as the party attempted to return home at the end of the evening.

As the search continued for his body today, wildlife rangers have been ordered to shoot every crocodile on sight in case any of them has the man's remains in its stomach.

[Link]

UCLA Masters Meet: Blogger Joel of the '17th man' and I were in the same heat and we did not know it! - At least I beat him off the blocks! :-P

I believe we were swimming the 100-free.

Note how tight my shoulders are; they are irrationally tight and it kills my streamline. They have improved but I have a foot or so in my range-of-motion before I am somewhat normal. (Yes, I do stretch them everyday!)

Fan Video: Amaury Leveaux versus Alain Bernard - 100m Free in Strasbourg France!

Amuary takes the lead as soon as he breaks the surface. Look how sluggish Bernard looks and how much momentum he lost on the turn. His streamline look completely ineffectual when compared to Leveaux.

Though I admire Alain Bernard's technique more than Leveaux, Amaury Leveaux looked more relaxed and put in a seemingly effortless swim.

Swimmers age gracefully! - Dara and Owen Wilson enjoying a tennis game together!

Though these two are close in age, look how much younger Dara looks. I guess Mike Freshley's law applies here: "Show me a runner who is 70 and they look like 90. Show me a swimmer who is 70 and they look like 50."

Swimmers age gracefully!

Found at the Great Tennis Photos Blog: [Link]

Erik Hochstein: Photographed beautifully by Mark Savage!

Mark Savage is a craftsman when it comes to capturing a great composition on the fly. Pair him him up with another craftsman and these pictures of Erik Hockstein are what we get.

Click on the images to enlarge them. :-)

Here are some more photos of the UCLA Masters Meet!

Erik Hockstein in flight for what I think was the 100 'fly.



The photos above are of blogger Rob of RobAquatics. Check out that wing span; he almost looks like an experimental aircraft.



Blogger Joel of the 17th Man just before the-100 fly. It was a good race between he and Michael Heather; they were head-to-head the whole way. Joel has a video of the race and it is quite fun.




Here is Dan taking it home in the 200 free. A great come-from-behind heat.

Photos from today's 'UCLA Masters Swim Meet' - More to come tomorrow!

More to post tomorrow. Mark Savage took the the two photos of me at the bottom. I was very honored that he photographed me for his list of celebrities and dignitaries he has photographed is impressive. More on that tomorrow after workout. Talk to you soon!

(-; April Pools and Fools! ;-)

It all started out with an a little email from Joel McKenna but Rob called it a "SWIM-spiracy"

MARCH 30: Joel McKenna Writes Recipients:
So, with April Fools Day approaching, I was thinking that one of us swim bloggers should announce that they will begin to train for the 2012 London Olympics and then the other bloggers would post about it. Just to see how much buzz this would all get. I think Tony would make a great Dara Torres!

MARCH 30: Tony Austin Writes Recipients:
I am to slow; it's too unbelievable; it should be you! - I could make a fake Santa Clarita results page with your name on it swimming a :48. in the 50-fly, Scott, the Canuck swimmer could say you're doping and I could say you are going to use your "lotto winnings" to finance it. [Joel has never won the Lotto] Of course Rob could interview you and could break the news.

MARCH 30: Rob of RobAquatics Writes Recipients:
So what's the plan? Who is going to be our future Olympian? We need to start making up a story and falsifying documents and such. I like Tony 2012 for the alliteration, it has a nice ring to it. But in all fairness I think Joel is the fastest of the 3 of us. Decisions decisions. Maybe we can get one of you guys sponsored :) It might reduce [ ... ] to tears on TV though.

I found a leotard at Rivers Edge Dance Wear and used that as our phony speedsuit. [Link]

Then the hoax went into action and latter in the day, this was the icing on the cake! ...

APRIL 1: Eric Writes Recipients:
Here is my contribution: That "Matrix," vinyl-bodysuit, picture still cracks me up haha! http://www.kastawayblog.com/2009/04/splish-suit-uses-plastron-underwater.html

When I woke up this morning and checked my inbox, I cracked up for like 5-minutes. All the comments you all sent me really cheered me up. Socially it was the best thing that happened to me all month! :-D (The personal bests were the second!)

What was so "existential" about doing this blogger farce is that it coincided with a particular swim-journalism scandal that happened at the NCAA races this past month!

The photo above was taken by Tancread at flickr.com. Here is a direct link to the photo: [Link]

More 'Splish' speedsuit details at 'Kast-a-way'

The folks at Kast-A-Way have more details regarding the Splish suit. From the Kast-A-Way blog:

Splish Swimwear will launch a website by the end of the week with more information about the suit (source). It is rumored that Splish Swimwear, makers of the adorable children's "Rainbow Explosion" and "Doodles Blue" suits, sunk hundreds of thousands of dollars into the secret development of the Splish speedsuit.

Because this suit is so new, there's only one swimmer who has worn it in competition. As reported by SCAQ Blog, Joel Mc Kenna of the17thman recently swam a 48.08 in the SCY 100 Fly at a Master's sectional meet at the Buffalo Breath Aquatics Center in Utah. In a recent blog post, Mc Kenna admits to "secretly training with designers and scientists working with Splish Swimwear" in his quest to qualify for the USA Olympic Team in 2012. More information about Mc Kenna's recent swim is still surfacing on the internet.

[Link]

The "Splish" website is now live but no mention of Joel as of yet!

Joel is being interviewed by KTLA at 11:00 AM this morning and he is going to talk about his new sponsor, Splish, and a second sponsor which is rumored to be Sham-Wow!

Here is a link to the new Splish website: [Link]