'Omega' loves swimmers: Phelps, Thorpe, Popov, and now Massimiliano Rosolino

I am both intrigued and impressed by Omega's fascination with swimmers. I wish I could talk to their marketing director and ask them why?

Timepiece makers like Baum and Mercier will go for middle-aged celebrities and Tag Hauer likes Tiger Woods but Omega insists on swimmers and it must be working.

Massimiliano Rosolino is the most successful athlete in the history of Italian swimming has joined the team of Omega Watch spokespersons. This marks another champion from the world of swimming is joining the exclusive team of OMEGA spokespersons, adding his name to others who have made their mark on the history of this sport, such as Michael Phelps, Alexander Popov, and Ian Thorpe.

[Link]

Who is Rosolino? From Wikipedia:

Rosolino represented Italy in all of the four editions of the Olympic Games since 1996. At the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, he became the second Olympic champion ever in the history of Italian swimming as he won the gold medal in the 200 m individual medley (1:58.98, then Olympic and national record). He won two more medals: a silver medal in the 400 m freestyle setting the current European record (3:43.40) behind Ian Thorpe, and a bronze medal in the 200 m freestyle (1:46.65) behind Pieter van den Hoogenband and Ian Thorpe. At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Rosolino won a bronze medal with the Italian team in the 4x200 m freestyle relay.

I am loving that pool behind him too! Would be great for filming a swimmer from above.

Roland Schoeman interview: I believe the [training] philosophy in Europe is ahead of the rest of the world.

Roland Schoeman interviewed by the South African website, IOL.com:

How has your life been since the 2008 Beijing Olympics?

RS: It's been great to be home after 10 years. As much as I love it here I will have to spend six months of the year overseas because I believe the philosophy in Europe is ahead of the rest of the world.

I have spoken to the president and head coach of a swim club in Marseille, France. The one where Freddy Bousquet and Fabian Gilot train and think that I will be joining their programme for six months of the year.

[Link]

France is becoming a "Sprint Tank!"

The Independent: First tech-suit was created by a woman in 1907

Annette Kellerman was the Michael Phelps of her day and I find it ironic that in my blogging searches that all the famous swimmers at the turn of the century were woman. Men only started getting famous when the Duke and Johnny Weismuller showed up.

Annette Kellerman was said to have had a perfect body with measurements comparable to that the Venus De Milo statue. (She lost weight when she appeared in silent films usually playing the role of the mermaid.)

Besides contributing some epic swims for the record books she was appalled about the heavy wool suits woman wore into the ocean and decided to sex them up a bit and make them comparable in efficiency to the men's suit.

Annette Kellerman created the first tech-suit and even got arrested for wearing one. From The Independent:

Men, by contrast, wore one-piece sleeveless bathing suits, which were much more functional, so Kellerman decided to invent her own version, with tights attached. The result was a costume that covered the wearer from neck to toe but was scandalously figure-hugging – and people were duly scandalised. Kellerman was undeterred, and the suit became her trademark. In 1907, she was arrested while strolling along along a Boston beach in a thigh-length creation. [Remember, this is more than a decade before woman had the right to vote]

Women quickly adopted the men's-style suit, particularly for competitive swimming. "She created a new look for women, but she was also making a very strong statement that women could be active and glamorous," says Penny Cuthbert, the co-curator of the exhibition, "Exposed! The story of swimwear", at the Australian National Maritime Museum.

[Link]

History doesn't repeat itself, but it sure does rhyme. -- Mark Twain

New York open water swimmers fined $250 becasue a lifeguard was not on duty!

This is so outrageous that you have to read it to believe it:

From the Gothamist:

Wednesday night a few Russian women were ticketed $250 a piece for swimming past 6 p.m. at Brighton Beach. The Parks security allegedly threatened to jail them and check up on their immigration statuses. While the Parks Dept. told us that "New York State law does not allow you to swim at your own risk," the swimmers (and eyewitnesses) say that the lifeguards never alerted them that the beach was closing, and simply clocked out without getting anyone out of the water.

[Link]

It's not this way in Los Angeles. You can swim anytime you want.

'Eurosport' interview with Aaron Peirsol: "Records will fall despite suits ban!"

From Bill Ireland: [Aaron Piersol] does make some interesting points. Including the one about how feeling what it is like to swim that fast makes a difference. I know that is a reason for fin training also.

From Eurosport:

"..."This sport will learn how to break those records again very, very quickly," Peirsol said on a conference call to discuss his appearance at the World Cup short-course meeting in Singapore from November 21-22.

"People have had a taste of going very fast. They won't forget it. They will get back into the water and think they can go that fast again, and they will.

"I think people will be surprised at how fast they go next year. I do think world records will get broken next year." ..."

[Link]

Thanks Bill, out of all the swimming interviews i link to, Aaron's are always the most informative.

Jason Rance, Vice President of Marketing has granted us an interview - I post it here unedited!

I want to thank Jason Rance very much for taking the time to answer our questions:

Speedo's viewpoint on the recent FINA decision to ban full body suits

The reputation and ongoing success of the sport of swimming is of paramount importance to Speedo and we feel that the introduction of 100% non-permeable buoyant wetsuits cast a shadow over the sport in the run up to the 13th FINA World Championships, putting swimmers in a very compromising situation. Speedo has never sought to compromise the integrity of the sport and has never created a buoyant suit. The Speedo LZR Racer suit was developed after years of intensive research and development in consultation with swimmers, coaches and experts and was fully approved by FINA. The Speedo LZR Racer suit was deliberately designed with 50% exclusive LZR Pulse woven fabric so as to avoid aiding buoyancy in the water. We do have 100% non permeable suits in our collections for triathlon/open water swimming but we believe they do not belong in the pool. Speedo believes a return to textile only body suits as per the Melbourne World Championships 2007 would have dealt with the issue. Despite the decision to return to textile jammers for men and open back knee-skin suits for women, Speedo will continue to work with the world’s leading athletes, coaches and experts to develop the most innovative swimwear and equipment. Speedo accepts FINA’s role in setting and managing the rules and regulations and understands that they had to act to halt the confusion and controversy in the sport of swimming.


The suspicions that Speedo "gamed" FINA into banning speedsuits

Absolutely not. FINA has many partners and sponsors within the sport, Speedo is just one of them. We have consistently followed the rules set out by FINA and have sometimes gone above and beyond these to show our commitment to swimming. There is no truth in the suggestion that Speedo ‘gamed’ FINA into banning speedsuits. The decision taken by FINA with regards to rules and regulations for the sport from 2010 affects all manufacturers including Speedo.


What is Mark Schubert's current relationship with Speedo?

Mark Schubert is one of a number of Speedo Advisory Coaches.


What is Alan Thompson's current relationship with Speedo?

Alan Thompson is the Head Coach for the Australian Swim Team which Speedo sponsors.

Why did Speedo not have an updated suit for World Championships - consequently world records worn in a Speedo have been shredded and may not be recovered for perhaps a generation.

Speedo invests extensive time, resource and money into all its research and development and will not release anything new to the market until it is fully tested and approved to a very high standard. This is a continual process for Speedo with a number of projects running simultaneously at any one time.

Speedo has always felt that the spirit of FINA rules and the intent of coaches is not to allow buoyancy enhancements as part of swimsuit design. We have always felt that fully polyurethane suits or wetsuits that aid buoyancy do not have a place in the sport.

Speedo did not produce a new suit for the 13th FINA World Championships as we firmly believe the Speedo LZR Racer suit was (and is still) the most technically advanced swimsuit that does not aid buoyancy.

Speedo has some very exciting new developments planned to be launched in the very near future within FINA’s latest rules and regulations. We have always worked to produce the most technically advanced swimwear and equipment within the rules of the sport and we will continue to do so


Will Speedo lobby FINA for Masters to retain the right to wear speedsuits?

No. We accept FINA’s decision and Speedo will always operate within the rules of the sport and meet all levels of compliance that is required.

Was Michael Phelps obligated to wear a Speedo Suit at Worlds - could he have worn a different suit covering the name of the different company?

Michael Phelps chose to wear the Speedo LZR Racer at the 13th FINA World Championships. Michael became the most decorated Olympian of all time in Beijing wearing the Speedo LZR Racer and it’s the suit he feels most comfortable in. He is a fantastic ambassador for Speedo and for the sport of swimming and we will continue to work with him on new developments in Speedo swimwear in the future.

Ryan Lochte (amongst other athletes) also chose to wear the Speedo LZR Racer suit and broke a world record in the 200m Medley.


Overall - looking at the last 10 years of having Speedsuits - what has been the impact for Speedo?

The impact for Speedo has been tremendously positive. As innovators within the sport and as a brand that has pioneered throughout the last 80 years Speedo believes technology within sport can only be positive. All competitive sports, from track and field to tennis football and Formula One, have benefited from scientific and technological advancements, and swimming is no different. There’s no doubt that since 2000 when Speedo launched Fastskin for the Sydney Olympics we have seen a tremendous impact from both a brand visibility and financial perspective.


Do they actually have any influence over FINA?

No. As we have said before FINA has many partners and sponsors within the sport and Speedo is just one of them. We welcome transparency within the sport and will continue to share information and best practice at the regular FINA manufacturer meetings which are open to all involved in the industry

'Speedo Underbody' previewed on an Australian morning show

In a previous post I mentioned that Speedo is launching an underwear line for both men and women. A sampling of the product can be seen in this Australian morning show program.

Knowing a thing or two about branding I can tell you definitively that business diversification can dilute or even kill a brand if not done correctly.

Coca-cola gets away with it since who really knows that they own Vitamin Water, Dasani, A&W, DR Pepper, Canada Dry, Squirt and dozens upon dozens of other brands not branded with the Coca-Cola name.

From music to phones to airplanes and video games, The Virgin Group is a strong brand globally but it does command a number one position in any of the businesses it is in? The answer is no!

Nike does dominate the shoe business but failed in the swimsuit arena. They could grab the number one position now that Speedo has been spanked but can they? They do have TYR and blueseventy to compete with.

I think this is a bad idea for Speedo to get into the underwear business and they would have been better served buying an existing brand and building both the business and that new brand concurrently much like Coca Cola has.

Swimsuit companies are in disarray right now for the FINA rule changes have hit swimsuit companies hard. Suit manufacturers went to the expense of "toolin-up" for 2009, and now they are forced to "tool-down" for 2010. People are losing their jobs as a result.

Is diversification Speedo's solution to this mess?

2009 Alcatraz Sharkfest Photos!

My best friend, Scott Belland, took these photos. I have known him since I was 6-years-old and we have never gone more than month without talking to each other.

He was on the rescue kayak staff at the Alcatraz Sharkfest that day and snapped some great photos as witnessed above.

Most of my friends are creative types and it comes in handy when they are photographers. Scott will have a website soon and you will be able to see all his wonderful surf and nature photography. Last year he had an open water shot appear in Sports Illustrated in their Olympic preview addition.

The first photo is what the last 400-meters looks like: the water is choppy and it's the entrance to Aquatic Park, the place where the sprint begins and people are willing to swim on top of each other to get to those orange balls off in the distance.

The second photo illustrates how the swimmers exit the boat, two-by-two, and in very much of a hurry.

I posted the third one reluctantly of me only to show how wide and dispersed the start is. I think the Alcatraz Sharkfest Swim is one of the safest open water starts of any race I have ever swam. The unloading of the second boat is not in the frame.

The fourth photo illustrates the chop and please believe when I say that this swim is a lot harder than it looks. It is the hardest race you will ever do under 2-miles.

The lingerie model on the circular billboard is Eva Mendes wearing a Calvin Klein tech-suit. The ad is roughly 10-feet-tall and you will never see an ad like this run in a Los Angeles bus shelter for there would be glass all over the streets.

When Michael Jordon did that Bugs Bunny movie last decade hundreds of bus shelter windows were destroyed so as to get that poster. Little did the thieves know you could get for free once the contract was up.

After I did the race, Scott and I went to the Fisherman's Wharf Aquarium and since Scott knew I am fascinated by jelly fish, he shot these photos for me.

BTW, I am now using cloth bags when I go to the grocery store after visiting this aquarium. I learned that plastic litter bags our oceans and sea turtles and birds are dying en masse as a result mistaking the plastic bags as jellyfish. By using cloth bags, less plastic makes it wat to the ocean.

I really like San Francisco and I admire the culture and the sense of community there. There is a radio station I found that plays lots of techno-club music called Energy 92.7. It's a nice station, great for getting amped-up for a race.

Speedo to start an underwear line!

Speedo wants to start an underwear line and they actually have people on their payroll that suggested this would be a really good idea!

From News.com.au:

WAG, model and all round fashion plate Lara Bingle joined the ranks of lingerie model with the launch of Speedo's first underwear line, Speedo Underbody, which she spruiked with swim star Andrew Lauterstein yesterday.

[Link]

In the "Boys Gone Wild" photo above, Andrew Lauterstein is featured on the right and Nick D'Arcy is featured on the left.

The image was yanked from the CourierMail who yanked it from Nick D'Arcy's Facebook page.

In just 9-days the "Alcatraz Sharkfest Swim" slated for June 6, 2010 is all ready 25%-full!

Less than ten-days ago I competed in the 17th annual Alcatraz Sharkfest Swim; an event that Envirosports hosts yearly.

800-swimmers-plus compete for a really cheesy plaque and t-shirt and for the past six-of-those-years I have been one of them.

Next year the race will be held on June 6th., and I will once again be swimming it.

If you are thinking of swimming it, sign-up soon, last year the race sold out in three months. Currently it is 25% filled! Yikes!

I don't know why I keep swimming it? I just want to get it right and each and every year I swim that race it is like fighting a different dragon each time which is unlike any open water race I have ever done.

Race info [Link]

FIINA moves one year forward but swimsuits move one decade back!

Above are screen shots from TYR, Speedo and the Nike websites. Welcome to 2010, these are our swimsuit selections!

Looks like Nike is back in the swimsuit business! I guess Nike smelled blood in the water and has posted this revamped Nike Swim site in response to Speedo's epic FAIL at 2009 Worlds:

Nike Swim [Link]

I suspect Nike has a shot at becoming the number one suit brand since Speedo has apparently loss it's "street-cred" after Jaked and Arena knocked it off it's pedestal!

It took Speedo 40-years to place their brand on that pedestal too.

New SCAQ Masthead for this week!

I am running out of photos of SCAQ swimmers. Paging Mark Savage of Mark Savage Photography - I need more meet photos please!

The United States Olympic Committee was about to launch a television network till NBC and the IOC voiced their displeasure!

When the NBC TV network, a subsideary of defense contractor General Electric and the IOC voice "displeasure" over an USOC Olympic channel, I suspect that "voiced displeasure" is a euphemism for the threat of a lawsuit and/or forget holding an Olympics in Chicago if you do go live with that cable channel!

From IndyStar.com:

It's uncertain when -- or if -- the U.S. Olympic Committee's proposed new television network will launch. But by postponing the network, the USOC is trying to avoid any harm to Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympics.

Bringing the games to Chicago is being viewed as a near-necessity to maintain U.S. interest in the Olympics. "..."

The USOC's original move brought sharp reaction from the IOC and TV partner NBC. After meeting with IOC president Jacques Rogge on Sunday, USOC chairman Larry Probst announced the network startup would be delayed.

[Link]

I personally do not want Chicago to get the Olympics for evey thing I have read from the USOC, they want to do it on the cheap. i.e. a temporary pool,

From the USOC:

"...Chicago 2016 organizers unveiled on Friday several venue changes they say will benefit athletes and the community, and make their bid more attractive. In addition to moving the aquatic center and making the swimming pool a temporary facility, the sailing, canoe/kayaking, track cycling and BMX cycling venues all will be moved under Chicago's retooled bid plan.

"... The warm-up pool, a permanent venue, will be adjacent to the temporary competition pool and the two will be separated by a deck, much like they were in Beijing. There also will be a separate diving well and a pool for water polo. All temporary pools will be moved to other Chicago parks after the games. ..."

[Link]

I prefer the games go to Japan - they obviously have more taste than Chicago and will try to out-do Beijing!

We certainly won't be able to throw an awesome Olympics when the USOC is bragging not about the venues but rather how "smart" their budget is!

Shaquille O'Neal will race Michael Phelps!

Basketball star, Shaquille O'Neal, will race, Michael Phelps, and participate in a relay against him in his reality TV show called "Shaq Vs."

Shaq recently went into the ring against light middle weight boxer, Oscar De La Hoya, and may have beat him!

Shaq is a 7'1", weighs 325 pounds, and wears a size 23 shoe. That foot size translates to 24-inches or long or more than twice the length of my foot size.

O'Neal said the concept for the program came about during an Olympic-watching party at his house in August 2008. According to O'Neal, someone turned to him while Phelps was winning one of his eight gold medals at the Beijing Games and asked, "Hey, you think you can make it down before he makes it down and up?"

"And I said, 'Yeah, of course I could,'" O'Neal recounted Saturday. "I said, 'Well, hook it up.' And that's how the show started."

For the Sept. 15 episode, he'll take on Phelps at a Baltimore-area pool Sunday, with help from Phelps' own coach, Bob Bowman. The emcee explained that O'Neal will swim 50 meters and Phelps will race a "longer distance, to be revealed" — something O'Neal apparently did when he made reference to having to swim one length of the pool before Phelps can finish two lengths.

They'll also square off in a relay of sorts: O'Neal will have teammates, including medal-winning Olympic swimmers, while Phelps will swim every lap himself.

[Link]

Katie Hoff on bieng " out-touched" in Beijing against Rebecca Adlington in the 400m Free!

Look at that smile, isn't that smile full of "awesome and win?" Damn straight it is!

Let's go back to August '08 - In a dramatic moment in the 400 meter free at the Beijing Olympic Games, Rebecca Adlington out-touched Katie Hoff at the wall after coming back from a body length deficit in the last 100 meters.

SCAQ coaches and American swimmers were in a state of shock. ;_;

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 Hochstein: "... 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.

I had no opinion at the time but I did feel perplexed after watching most Olympic swimmers avoid such basics like no breathing off the walls, don't look at another swimmer underwater, or even looking up as they glide into wall: (i.e. Milorad Cavic's "FAIL" was a bigger mistake than Hoff's.)

In this Baltimore Sun article Katie Hoff opens up on Bob Bowman coaching style and how someone like Michael Phelps is able to thrive whereas someone like Hoff was like "WTF, dude! This is a swimming pool, not Satan's bladder!" (I made that quote up, I'm serious.)

This is a "home run" as a swimmer profile: [Link]

Better than anyone else, Hoff knows how a swimmer's legacy can be shaped by fractions of a second. In the 400-meter freestyle Olympic final, she led by nearly a body length with 100 meters to go. But at the wall, Great Britain's Rebecca Adlington out-touched her by seven hundredths of a second. Had she held on, she knows it's likely her Olympic experience would have been viewed differently.

"A lot of my struggle was that [race]," Hoff said. "That is something that obviously still bothers me a little bit. But it bothers me a lot to be like, 'Could I have touched differently?' There is nothing more that I could have done. At this point it's like, OK, time to move on and keep going."

"The Art of Swimming" This guy grosses $580,000 a year teaching people how to swim straight-arm freestyle!

This post is primarily for newer swimmers and triathletes.

The author of the Forbes article I point to below gets a private swim lesson from Steven Shaw and describes some marginal improvement. Note: his only swim training was by way of the Red Cross water safety program four-decades ago.

From Forbes Magazine:

In [Steven] Shaw's crawl, the arm remains straight as it pulls out of the water, bending only once it has formed an L shape with the body. "I want your stroke to be effortless, powerful and graceful," he says. "You should swim like an eagle, not like a chicken."

His 13-year-old, $580,000 (revenues) company, Art of Swimming, operates at 26 pools in the U.K., two venues in New York City and one in San Francisco. Fees range from $175 an hour for a private lesson with Shaw himself, to $250 for a six-week one-hour-a-week group course.

Devotees include Irish billionaire Dermot Desmond, 59, and Evangeline Benedetti, a 68-year-old cellist in the New York Philharmonic, who does a session of Shaw strokes before each performance.

[Link]

Are guys like Steven Shaw and others merely selling "instant talent?" (Rhetorical question and it's very "snarky" of me.)

Selling "Instant talent" is a mirage especially when it comes to swimming, it's snake oil, it's a weight-loss product on a cheesy informercial at 3:00 AM.

Glenn Mills has a DVD for about $30 called Go Swim Straight-Arm Freestyle, with Olympian, Scott Tucker. (Scott Tucker's technique appears to be the same forward crawl that Steven Shaw is teaching).

Contrast the prices of Steven Shaw, the "Swim Whisperer," to actual coaching and training through a masters program:

• $50-per-month investment in a masters program for three months.
• $30 DVD Go Swim Straight-Arm Freestyle, with Scott Tucker, or Jason Lezak, Roland Schoeman, Kara Lynn Joyce, or what ever flavor you like
• Go to your swim workout 4-days-a-week or more depending on your team schedule

Total cost: $180 for 50-hours-plus of training & coaching plus a sound video reference as a technique example.

Clever rhetoric like "swim like an eagle not like a chicken" will not make you a decent swimmer but praticing with simultaneous coaching will.

Baltimore Sun: "Hoff 'super-motivated' about leaving Baltimore!"

"Super motivated?" I love that phrase; it's very inspiring. Though she says nice things about Bob Bowman, it's my opinion she fired him due to her unusually poor showings for a swimmer of her sublime talent.

I look forward to her dominating again.

From the Baltimore Sun:

"I think it's time for a fresh start," she said. "Most people, after they're done with high school, they go off to college and they get that kind of change, but I've never really gotten that. I'm looking forward to it."

In California, Hoff will train at Fullerton Aquatics Sports Team, which this week was named by the U.S. Olympic Committee as one of two new professional and postgraduate training sites for elite-level swimmers working toward the 2012 Games.

[Link]

Another triathlon open water death! - The USAT must demand swim time standards for all first time triathletes!

It's imperative that the USAT demand swim time standards for all first time triathletes.

From the Examiner.com:

There has been another death due to triathlon this past Sunday, again during the open water swim portion. A first time triathlete, Kim Schmidt was found dead in Lake Winneconne in Wisconsin on Sunday, the third death this summer during triathlons in Wisconsin alone.

[Link]

Has the USAT; (US Governing body for triathlons), reached a point where a swimming related death occurring once a month or more has become an acceptable casualty?

I stand by my comment that all first time triathletes must meet a set swim-time standard by way of a sanctioned USA Swimming swim meet or a United States Masters Swimming swim meet before competing in a triathlon that contains a swim longer than 500 meters.

I think the end result of the USAT instituting such a rule would not only prevent senseless tragedies and higher insurance rates but would grow each of our sports exponentially.

A triathlete should be a master off all three events before combining them as one. Hence, athletes must master the swimming portion.

'Olympic.org' commercial uses multi-racial giants to bring the world together into one big continent!

250-million years ago when the earth featured one big land mass as a lone, super-continent, plate tectonic scientists named the place Pangaea.

This Olympic.org promo piece uses Pangaea as it's metaphor for unity and I am likin' it!

Originally found at NotCot.org

World Sand Sculpture Festival 2009!

What is open water season without the distraction of a sand castle contest or two. Pink Tentacle has posted a sand castle collection from all over the word. This one is my favorite. It reminds me of the the lost stone castles at Angkor Wat.

Link to Pink Tentacle's sand sculpture collection: [Link]