CNN Money is catching up to us: 'Olympians face financial hardship'

The obvious process is to determine how rough the athletes have it versus how easy the governing bodies have it is to do simple math. First we read all their 501c forms and then consider what to do about it.

To begin here is a link as to what USA Swimming Olympic athletes receive: [Link]

For more of an overview for subjects like health insurance services and grants look at this link: [Link]

Note, per the first link above 26-men and 26-women will make $3,000 a month only if they sign a partner agreement. I suspect this agreement is in regards to USA Swimming utilizing their images and names for licensing. If you don't sign the agreement the athlete makes $21,000.

If USA Swimming receives 100-million a year; (reference CNN money: [Link] ), then why can't USA Swimming pay our athletes $52,000-a-year or 27% of that 100-million as a stipend?

Don't you think that a non-profit should spend at least 51% of it's money on the subject of the non-profit; i.e. growing the sport and fielding a real fine Olympic team?

From CNN Money:

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- American Olympians are just weeks away from representing their country in London, but many will return home -- medals won or lost -- to face significant financial challenges. 

Unlike athletes in many other countries, American Olympians receive no direct support from the federal government.

And the U.S. Olympic Committee, with a $170 million annual operating budget spread across all sports, offers health insurance and stipends to only a limited number of competitors.
Athletes, without government support, are instead forced to cobble together an income made up of prize money, apparel contracts, grants and part-time work.

[Link]

Did Australian swimmers nearly unionize?

Look at that quote from John Coates from the Australian Olympic Committee below. WOW! I wonder what his salary is?

From the Australian: 

SWIMMING Australia has hosed down a pay row with members of its Olympic team, insisting it will not be entering pay negotiations with swimmers before the London games. 

And AOC boss John Coates has suggested the swimmers should think themselves lucky, saying "other athletes would love to be getting the money" the swimmers are paid. [The swimmers get up to $25,000 for competing in the Olympics and a $35,000 bonus if they get a gold medal. Most won't get a gold medal] 

Swimming Australia president David Urquhart told The Australian last night: "The last thing we want is anyone upsetting the athletes at this time going into the Olympics.
"There won't be any discussions until after the Olympics and the Swimmers Association will be advised of that." 

[Link]

That shows them... for now!

"You should be lucky..." Caotes says. My God, doesn't Coates realize that he should consider himself lucky that the Australian swimmers didn't become lawyers, stock brokers or coal miners and make more than double that figure? Imagine what he would get paid if the Australian athletes sucked at what they do?

This I learned while watching WImbledon tennis this past week: If you are a tennis player and you show up at Wimbledon to play in round-one and you lose they still pay you $22,000. They do so because your presence allowed them to have a first round in the first place and your play generated well more than the $22,000 they are paying you.

If you win Wimbledon the athlete makes $1,800,000. In the Australian Olympic payout if you beat the world you make $60,000 or 3% of what Roger Federer made.

American Opening Ceremonies Uniforms for the 2012 Olympics

A throwback outfit reminiscent from the 1930's; these uniforms designed by Ralph Lauren look both sporty in a retro sort of way and quite well mannered.

Hopefully Ralph Lauren inspires a trend in the US that gets we Americans to stopped dressing so sloppy.

Ryan Lochte, to the left and holding the flag looks fantastic. Though I am no fan of white shoes, they really work this uniform in a big way.

We will be the snappiest dressers at the games!


 Here a link to the design gallery of these uniform from USA Today:  [Link]

Two "underdogs" from the same school will share the same "bone" - they are both going to the Olympics!

John sent me this from the New York Times - Another great article by Karen Krouse whereas she profiles two athletes from UC Davis who both upset the favorites in their respective sports and will ultimately made it to the 2012 Olympic games in London.

From the New York Times:

On June 29 in Omaha, Scott Weltz, a former U.C. Davis athlete-turned-volunteer coach, upset the two favorites in the men’s 200-meter breaststroke to win the event at the United States Olympic swimming trials. The night before in Eugene, Ore., Kim Conley, a distance runner who competed and coached at U.C. Davis, erased a 20-meter deficit in the homestretch to claim a spot on the American track team with a third-place finish in the 5,000 meters.

[Link]

Note, towards the end of the first page, one of the athletes mentions something that really makes me both angry and sad:

“...How do you justify calling yourself a professional athlete if you can’t earn a living off it yet?” [Kim] Conley said, adding, “Now I feel like I can justify what I’m doing. ...” 

Yeah, because now she has "Ghetto Pass" as an official Olympian who gets a "stipend" now. Note that this stipend is less than actor would make straight out of drama school who participates in a successful 30-second  Cheetos commercial that goes national.

That is heart wrenching quote especially when you think about all the "non-profit" governing bodies who charge a yearly fee so these athletes can be eligible to compete. We see these governing bodies generate obscene amounts of money for themselves off the fruits of the athletes labor and their love for their country yet they provide so little in return.

Here I go off on another tangent:  I just don't get how a non-profit is allowed to collect money from the subject of their non-profit? If you are helping the poor, you don't charge them a fee for your largess.

If I may set up a "straw man theater" here as an example: Imagine that I have a non-profit and the subject of that non profit is teaching the illiterate how to read. Imagine that I charge these non-reading individuals a $40-fee-per-year which will allow them to compete in very special reading-&-writing competitions for both ribbons and medals. Of course these peopole will need to pay additional fees to enter and don't forget that I will need to certify their teachers for a fee too. Then to ensure the competition is really fair I will certify their competitions for a fee as well.

Oh, I also forgot to mention that their schools will HAVE TO BUY special teaching insurance from the insurance company which I indirectly own as well.

Now, if these kids are the best in the field, the crémé de la crémé, the top-100-out-300,000, I will pay to have them sent to a very special "spelling-bee" which occurs every 4-years whereas they can win a gold-plated medal or two if they win their event or events. This event will be televised which I will also received a fee.

In some cases I pay for their education but only in a rare few, say like less that 1%. In some cases I pay them a living wage, but less then a few-hundred-students-or-so. Now, with all my "students" in place and my operations model made known, am I really a non-profit?

The government says I am and that is why Ikea, USA Swimming,  "...FishScam.com, a site dedicated to informing readers that high mercury levels in fish are not bad for you, as well as SunLightScam.com, which claims that tanning beds pose no health hazards..." and believe it or not all the above are non-profits too. Oh, they were started up by the same rat and guess who his biggest donors were? (These sites have been taken down after being "outed" on MSNBC.)

So perhaps we should encourage the  non-profits to throw these two "underdogs" a "bone?"

Sun Yang's three-breaths and three-strokes off the wall after a flip-turn is vary hard to do

 I tried it during warm-up and when I was fatigued during a set of 150's. I found that after taking the first breath off the wall I could not exhale fast to get a strong second or third breath. I have no idea how he is able to oxygenate and expunged his CO2 in time to make a three breath grab?

Animated 2012 Olympic Games promo from the BBC.

What I found amusing is that they chose Caucasians for swimming, Asian for gymnastics and possibly diving, and an athlete of Africa descent for track & field.

Rowdy Gaines interviewed in the "New York Times."

Karen Krouse poses some thoughtful questions primarily about how Michael Phelps has not only changed the sport but rather owns it. (Imagine what he could have done with all that power?)

This was my favorite question:

[Question:] What was it like to see scalpers on the street selling tickets to a swim meet that you were covering live on prime-time network television? 

[Answer:] Part of me feels a little like Rod Laver, you know? Not that I compare myself to Rod Laver at all, but during his era, tennis wasn’t the same as it is now in terms of popularity. I’d like to think that my era kind of ushered that in. I think L.A. kind of started that going. But I don’t want to sugarcoat it. The guy that did it all was Michael Phelps. We have to thank Michael. I think we undervalue his amazing gift of swimming. It’s because of Michael that you see 14,000 people here. I’m not saying there wouldn’t be 12,000 people here or even 10,000, but I think Michael has transformed this sport. 

 [Link]

 Perfect answer and a snappy dresser too.

Sun Yang has the most symmetrical stroke of all!

Yes, Sun Yang has the most symmetrical stroke in all of swimming. Note the three breaths he takes off the wall and how his glide phase or momentum is not interrupted. He steps up his kick a bit to assist in that momentum and then goes back to a two-beat kick. He also bends his arms at the elbow and look up slightly as he swim rather than looking down.

Fantastic!

Why do women like the Olympics? It only requires a 10-minute commitment!

Hey, I am just the messenger. The original message comes from a recent study conducted by Erin Whiteside of the University of Tennessee & Marie Hardin of Pennsylvania State University. They wrote a paper for Communication, Culture & Critique (CCC) a peer reviewed quarterly academic journal that covers the "communication and cultural criticism which includes media, and cultural studies."

To get my head around who the CCC is I just read an unrelated article from the CCC to see what they do. The article was summarily about process in regards to global media policy. To be fair the CCC is seemingly about process, methods and results rather than the "black arts of spin" though I do suspect PR people, politicians and "spin doctors" subscribe.

From Science Daily:

"... Our research provides some insight into why the Olympics remain popular with women," said Hardin. "It's not just about the types of sports that are featured, although that is certainly a big part of it. It's also about the way in which the Olympics is delivered: in bite-sized chunks that may require just a 10-minute commitment to see an exciting sporting event, during a time of day when women feel they can make that commitment. ..." 

 [Link]

I am surprised swimming did not make the list. A profound majority of USA Swimming's membership is female. Why is that?

Michael Phelps wears an Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean watch

Michael Phelps wears or is paid to wear an Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean watch. This model is beefy in size; the watch casing alone comes in at a whopping 45mm in diameter, so you either have to be big and tall to pull it off, or short and a quite successful.

Omega has been producing the Seamaster line since 1947. I like Omega, I wear an Omega Seamaster Devile Automatic. A gift from my Grandfather which he bought in 1964 and allowed me the opportunity to be it's custodian of in 1983 after I did the Ironman. Hence, I am biased towards the brand and I feel it's a worthy investment. Also note that I am it's custodian, not it's owner. The watch will be passed down. Yeah, Omega products are that classy.

This watch retails between $3,300 and $5,500 depending on the model. It's a self winding watch, meaning the sway of you arm movement captures that energy and self winds the timepiece throughout the day. In other words it has no battery nor is regular winding needed.

Omega has quite a history from the fictional wrist of James Bond to the the real-life Buzz Aldrin who wore his NASA certified Omega Speedmaster on the Moon! Omega has a history with the Olympics too and its "brand ambassadors" like Geroge Clooney, Michael Phelps and the coolest James Bond ever, Daniel Craig, are used as marketing agents to promote the line. Even Nicole Kidman wears one.

Barnd ambassadors are a powerful tool and I wish I knew what Michael Phelps has done with the brand sales wise. A Meg Ryan poster for the watch brand Baume & Mercier convinced me to part with some serious cash one Christmas for a ladies watch and if the dark arts of advertising can sell someone who works in the business, well, Phelps must be effective.

Every self-respecting gentleman who is debt free deserves to wear an historical artifact if he so desires. Since today's technology is tomorrows art, Omega is a worthy brand to have in your collection.

Four Indian nationals logged Olympic qualifying times but FINA selects an Indian national who did have a qualifying time to swim in London...

...And to add insult to injury, they are having this individual swimming in the 1500-free rather than his signature event the 800-free; an event he swam in Shanghai. (Yes, I know there is no mens 800m free in the Olympics. The point here is that he has no qualification time whatsoever.)

Here is how the story goes: FINA has this rule "thingy" called the "universality quota." It means that a national federation or country can enter their team into the Olympics but if some of their swimmers are too slow and don't make an Olympic time standard this swimmer or swimmers can be vetoed by FINA. However, This "universality quota" also allows FINA to choose a team or a swimmer for the respective country if members don't qualify. I am unclear why FINA can veto those who do have qualifying times but in this case they did.

Here is what happened in India - From the Hindu Sport:

"...We had four swimmers who crossed the Olympic Selection Timing. But those who crosses Olympic Qualification Timing gets automatic Olympic berth. Only some of OST standard achievers qualify for Olympics and FINA picks these swimmers at the end of qualification process," Nanavati said. ..."

"Viradhwal, Sandeep, Aaron and Sangvekar were not included in the list of those qualified from among [the Olympic Selection Timing] swimmers. So we requested FINA that India should not go unrepresented in the Olympics and last night I got a letter from the FINA that Gagan has been granted a berth in men's 1500m freestyle under Universality quota," he added.

[Link] 

Note, Gagan's specialty is the 800-m free. He swam it in Shanghai and apparently his attendance there was the sole reason why he was picked. Though he does not have a qualifying time for the 1500-m free FINA has picked him to swim it.

Now the confusing part is though the swimmers mentioned in the above article, Viradhwal, Sandeep, Aaron and Sangvekar, had met the Olympic qualifying standard, why would FINA arbitrarily choose a swimmer who does not own an Olympic qualifying time when four other of his teammates do?

Why does FINA feel that a rule clause within the "universality quota" that a swimmer must have swam at world Championships take precedence over four other Indian swimmers that met the time standards?

It appears India has been forced to accept this decision and the Indian men's team will be a "team of one."

Have you noticed that the governing bodies run their operations like "kingdoms" with absolute authority rather than administrators so that the best man or woman can win? I am astonished that FINA can veto a team.

What science has to say about Michael Phelps' compression jammies (pajamas)

I claimed that wearing compression pajamas was a patently absurd idea in regards to muscle recovery post workout. When I woke up this morning I began to think that maybe I should research it some more. So, will wearing "techsuit jammies" to bed actually help you recover?

A study by Davies V, Thompson KG, Cooper SM. of the Sports Council for Wales, Cardiff, United Kingdom. From the National Institute Library of Medicine is not so sure:

"... Data indicates that [Creatine Kinase] responses and [Perceived Muscle Soreness] might be attenuated by wearing compression tights in some participants after drop-jump training; however, no benefit in performance was observed. ..." 

[Link] 

In a another study for the School of Sport and Exercise, Massey University, New Zealand 2iSPORT Biomechanics, Sydney, Australia, Skins Compression Garments, Sydney, Australia 3Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Oxford Brookes University by Faulkner JA, Gleadon D, McLaren J, Jakeman JR. they came up with the same result:

"... The present study has demonstrated that lower-limb compression garments may lower the effort perception associated with 400 m performance, despite no differences in overall athletic performance. ..." 

[Link]

Next comes a German study of the studies to determine if compression garments assist in recovery. It was conducted for the Department of Sport Science, University of Wuppertal. by Sperlich B, Born DP, Haegele M, Zinner C, Holmberg HC.

"... In competitive sports different types of compression garments (socks, shorts, tights and whole body suits) have become popular. The results of scientific studies regarding their effectiveness, however, are heterogeneous. The aim of this literature review is to (i) survey the scientific data regarding performance enhancing benefits and the support of recovery when applying compression fabrics and (ii) to describe the practical relevance for the application of compression textiles in the competitive sport context. 

METHOD: In order to detect relevant publications for the present review an internet search using the medical databases "Medline" and "PubMed" was performed. Altogether, 37 studies were analysed. All publications were from the years 1987 to 2010.

RESULTS: The literature review showed no general scientific indications regarding the benefit of compression garments in competitive sports.

CONCLUSION:In particular, the different study designs and different clothing styles as well as different pressure gradients gave rise to contradictory data. ..."

[Link]

I did find one study that was positive in regards to compression garments for 40-kilometer time trial cyclists but the study was conducted on just 14-athletes an has some reviews connected to it that were wary of the results.

You mileage may vary.

Here is a rebuttal from Micaela:

Hi Tony, 

I trust my first hand experience for now, psychological or otherwise. If wearing the compression shirt helps to the point that I can avoid the use of anti-inflammatory, analgesic and muscle relaxant drugs, I'll take it. It seems the medical community has embraced it entirely...but is that so far removed from similar benefits to recovery from training? 

 Here is another interesting link -[Link] 

Micaela

"DEWEY BEATS PHELPS!"

A letter came in today from Liliana and it read:

"... I read this on Lochte's official site:

"On day 2, Lochte was at it again, beating Phelps in the 200m freestyle, showing the world a piece of what he plans on bringing to the London Olympics.The talented swimmer is definitely impressing millions of people, exceeding even his own expectations so far in the trials. Read more [...]"

Someone should inform them Lochte lost that race, or, they deliberately lie to their naive fans...."

YEAH, Let's inform them! :-D - As for the photo above -it's explained here: [Link]

Whoops, there is more:

 Liliana has left a new comment on your post "A contrarian's view on the Olympic trials!":

There is more of that..this is from "Lochte unfazed by challenge of tackling Phelps" article:

"Lochte beat Phelps in the 200 metres individual medley at the 2009 world championships in Rome then did it again at last year's world championships in Shanghai, and beat him in the 200m freestyle as well."

We all know Phelps didn't even swim 200 IM in Rome...

Here are the offending articles:  

1. Lochte unfazed by challenge of tackling Phelps - [Link]
2. Ryan Lochte: A new legacy  -  [Link]

Michael Phelps wears an "Under Armour" tech-suit to bed?

C-Net reports that Michael Phelps wears high compression pajamas to bed.

From C-Net:

"...The Recharge Energy Suit is a full-body suit designed to help the body recover from fatigue after training...." 

[...]

"...Under Armour claims the super tight compression fit pushes out the water damaged muscle fibers take on when sore, leading to a faster recovery. This is also probably as close as you'll get to knowing what it feels like to be swallowed by a snake. ..." 

[Link]

I find this product patently absurd but I bet Speedo jumps in if there is a market.

A contrarian's view on the Olympic trials!

The best moments for me at Olympic trials was both Jason Lezak and Allison Schmitt.

I love Allison Schmitt's "all-or-nothing, go-big-or-go home," and of course her "turn-and-burn-and-go-ballistic," approach to swimming. It's refreshing to see someone completely unmeasured and primal in regards to how they approach the pool.  Will Rebecca Adlington or Federica Pellegrini chase her or will they swim a metronomic pace ignoring the turbulence well off in the distance?

The Italian in me says Pellegrini will say "game on" and we will be treated to the best race of the Olympics.

Jason Lezak finds out the next day he's an Olympian. The emotional bell-curve on that one was extraordinary for me that day. I admire his fortitude, his ability to shake off rejection, to stay focused and deliver. His work ethic and what he has contributed to American prestige within the Olympic movement will be talked about for decades.

Michael Phelps: It's official: I completely underestimated his greatness. I just thought he was simply just the "greatest swimmer ever" rather than an adjective that transcends that overused phrase called "greatness." We may never see a swimmer like Phelps evermore.

I am in awe as to how a person can spend 1/4-of-the-time preparing himself for the Olympics when compared to the time his noble competitors spent and still be able to "hand most of them their bums" when the horn goes off! That is just jaw dropping.

I was "schooled" in a hour long conversation about Phelps by an Olympian... Actually it was only 6-minutes worth but he went over the same 6-minutes ten-times in a row....  (Silver medalist, Montreal in an IM relay.)

Then Mark Savage spoke to me about what Phelps possibly had to give up to be the best. It was actually very depressing. When you break down, it probably works out to be most of best experiences one can have in life. For instance, I went to my first dance when I was in the sixth-grade. I kissed my first girl when I was 15. Perhaps experiences like that or the social equivalent were largely postponed, delayed or never happened for him? Maybe that is why he wants out? 

If Phelps wins a "mere" three-or-four gold medals in London... Well, the city of Baltimore should erect a larger than life bronze sculpture; (say like 15-feet tall), and create a square around it for people to mingle. Call it the Michael Phelps Square as a reminder that a regular guy from Baltimore, albeit overactive, possibly socially awkward too, can rise up and do something nobody else will ever be able to do after following through on a decision he made as an 11-year-old child. 

Anthony Ervin has an amazing attitude and was quite inspiring: he leaves the sport in 2000, cashes in his medal for $17,101 and gives it to the Tsunami efforts circa 2004. The first word that comes to mind when I think of his approach to life and sport is... Zen.

Yes, he is a swimmer, a rocker, and a humanitarian and I look at him as source of inspiration as well.

Ryan Lochte: He deserves all the success he has garnered. I hope he makes a fortune and I hope he keeps it too. He can put together a solid interview. He is charismatic, charming, and legitimate. He should be selling people in my demographic $5,000 Jaeger LeCoultre timepieces and starring in movies rather than wearing shoes with wings or high-tops made out of "kryptonite". He should forego the "grills" too and concentrate on selling Toyotas and eventually the Lexus brand. He could be formidable personality. (Look up Kathy Ireland; she is worth $350-million dollars now which is more than Martha Stewart and it all started with a line of Kathy Ireland socks.)

Rebecca Soni is a good sport and she looks pretty in pink. Her breaststroke seems effortless but as usual, a craftsman always makes thing look easy. I love it that she goes to USC but I hate it that she loves Ayn Rand. 

Rickey Berens: I was so rooting for him and he made it. Happy guy too. Soni got a good catch!

Melissa Franklin: Wow! Honesty and enthusiasm drips off her like hot fudge off a Sundae. Impressive talent too and the whole package is refreshing to see as well. I thought people like that only existing on TV circa 1964. Her parents did a great job; well done guys!  BUT... here it comes:  it frustrates me how much money people will make off of her goodness, honesty and integrity. I define this as exploitation for the money she is currently raising for a "non-profit" governing body is not a non-profit in my opinion. 

Dara Torres: Dara got more people into Masters Swimming than Michael Phelps. Dara, please reconsider retirement and swim one FINA meet a year - make the finals and inspire middle age women on the shopping network to look as good as you.

Janet Evans: You're heroic, fun and an icon! - I love your book too. Perhaps you and Mark Schubert should start a club?

Amanda Beard & Craig Lord: Thank you both for putting me on the radar! 

Trials recap: This paragraph from Sports Illustrated disturbs me!

Having lost a parent and a few other family members to smoking related illnesses will probably explain my bias when I read about a swimmer and a noted coach who smoked cigars post trials. I am so not impressed. Any tobacco product when used as directed or even rarely will harm you. Remember that kids.

From Sports Illustrated:

"... There was a "Come back! Come back!" Davis Tarwater, who had finished fourth in the 200 fly in the 2004 trials and third in the 2008 trials, left Omaha Monday morning empty-handed again. The 28-year-old had made the finals in each of his three events -- the 200 free, and the 200 and 100 butterfly -- but he had failed to do better than fourth in any of them. On Sunday night, he sat on an Omaha rooftop smoking cigars with his coach, Dave Marsh, and talking about life beyond swimming, from which he had just retired. The next morning he broke his training diet with a slice of airport pizza and boarded his plane for Charlotte. When he landed he heard that Phelps, a former teammate at Club Wolverine in Michigan, had dropped the 200 free, an event Tarwater had finished in seventh, one spot out of the relay pool. Twenty minutes later Marsh called in tears. Phelps' exit had created a space for him on the 4x200 free relay. At long last, Tarwater was an Olympian. ..." 

[Link]

Healthiest beaches to swim at - Worst beaches to swim at!

According to Wikipedia the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) "... is a New York City-based, non-profit, non-partisan international environmental advocacy group, with offices in Washington DC, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Beijing. Founded in 1970, NRDC today has 1.3 million members and online activists nationwide and a staff of more than 300 lawyers, scientists and other policy experts.

Worth Magazine has named NRDC one of America's 100 best charities, Charity Navigator has given NRDC four out of four stars as of 2007, and the Wise Giving Alliance of the Better Business Bureau reports that NRDC meets its highest standards for accountability and use of donor funds..."


Loving that resume and I wish other non-profits followed suit but alas, we live in a country where ethics and morals are selectively used when dollars-and-cents are involved.


The NRDC came out with some lists and a report and quite frankly, it's bad; very bad! The site includes names, locations and scores. Be careful when you go for an open water swim.


From the NRDC website:

"... NRDC's annual analysis of water quality and public notification data at coastal U.S. beaches found that the number of beach closing and advisory days in 2011 reached the third-highest level in the 22-year history of our report, totaling 23,481 days (a 3% decrease from 2010). More than two-thirds of closings and advisories were issued because bacteria levels in beachwater exceeded public health standards, indicating the presence of human or animal waste in the water. The portion of all monitoring samples that exceeded national recommended health standards for designated beach areas remained stable at 8% in 2011, compared with 8% in 2010 and 7% for the four previous years. In addition, the number of beaches monitored in 2011 increased slightly (2%) from a five-year low in 2010. The largest known source of pollution was stormwater runoff (47%, compared with 36% last year). The 2011 results confirm that our nation's beaches continue to experience significant water pollution that puts swimmers and local economies at risk. ..." 

[Link]

Anthony Ervin profile at "Bleacher Report" - It's both awesome and win!

Anthony Ervin resents labels, namely that people want to pick some attribute of his identity such as "mixed blood," that he is of African descent, or that one of his parent is Jewish. Ervin prefers to be seen as the composite known as Anthony Ervin rather than a classification or subset of his identity.

What I realized from this profile is that if an Olympian practices a particular religion, is of a particular ethic descent, a particular gender or has a particular sexual preference, people identify that person as "being on their team". To that extent, and I include myself, we all need a tribe I suppose.

From Bleacher Report:

The thing that I wasn’t the most comfortable with is that all of the sudden, I come on the scene, all of these people are putting these labels on me.

They wanted to make me a part of whatever pertained to them. Don’t misunderstand me; I have always known that I am of mixed blood, part African-American and many other things. But I was naive, because I didn’t know that meant anything—or would have the ramifications it did at trials. I’m just me. 

 [Link]

Read the article: Anthony Ervin sold his 2000 Olympic gold medal for $17,101. A cynic at first glance might ask, is he a drug addict, a gambler, perhaps heading into the poorhouse?! ABSOLUTELY NOT! Ervin donated the money to the 2004 tsunami efforts in Indonesia. Apparently we have a member on this USA Olympic team who recognizes swimming as a recreation rather than a national mission.

I like his tattoo sleeve too; a great contrast to Missy Franklin who is genuinely "Got Milk" material versus Anthony Ervin who is more geared toward "The Ramones."

Maybe Jason Lezak didn't make the team?

Karen Krouse writes that the coaches will decides who gets to swim. BOO! HISS!

From the New York Times:

Only Adrian (48.10) and Jones (48.46) posted times faster than Michael Phelps’s 48.49 from earlier in the year. It raises the question: who will represent the United States in the 400 freestyle relay in London?

Lezak, 36, got into the final when Ryan Lochte scratched after clocking a 48.91; Lezak was timed in 48.88 in the final.

[Link]

When a 13-year-old met a would be Olympian inspiration happened!

A 13-year-old girl has a conversation/interview with a swimmer aspiring to become an Olympian. Later in life the 13-year-old becomes a writer for the New York Times. The 20-year sets a world at the Montreal games in the 200-butterfly. Both credit and inspired each other to follow they passions and become successful. Meet Karen Krouse and Mike Bruner:

From the New York Times:

"... [Bill Rose after handing him the interview] made [Bruner] repeat this response to a question on the role of mental attitude in racing: “I’d say that swimming is at least 90 percent mental. You can work harder than anyone but lose a race because you don’t have a positive attitude. The swimmer with the best attitude is the one that will win the race.”

Bruner, in effect, delivered his own pep talk. In the 200 butterfly preliminaries, he and Bill Forrester became the first Americans, and the first swimmers after East Germany’s Roger Pyttel, to break the two-minute barrier. Forrester was timed in 1 minute 59.70 seconds, three-hundredths of a second better than Bruner, who came back that night to outtouch him in the final, 2:00.03 to 2:00.08, to secure his first individual berth to the Montreal Games. ..."

[Link]