the17thman

The Aquabats - Pool Party!

Funny Swimming Time!

Sunday's Swim Report - Dip Into The Swim Of Things

Lane 1 - Herald Sun posts "James Magnussen does it his way.  JAMES Magnussen has no clue whether he could have been a rugby league star, but he knows the fickle nature of team sport hurt him so deeply it convinced him to become a swimmer.  The 21-year-old will carry Black Caviar-like favouritism into the men's 100m freestyle in London.  Magnussen remains a fan of the game and has been a member of the Canterbury Bulldogs for years. He cherishes a photo of himself, aged 11, with club legend Terry Lamb.  These days he attends most Bulldogs home matches at ANZ Stadium and is embraced by the players in the dressing-room. But he has no lingering doubts about giving the game up. Not when he is king of the pool."  Another from the Herald Sun "Australian swimmer James Magnussen says he wants to race US star Michael Phelps.  JAMES Magnussen has a vision: US swimmer Michael Phelps, standing on the blocks next to him, both leading off for their respective nations in pursuit of gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay in London."

Lane 2 - The Record posts "Mark Tewksbury takes another dip with Olympic team, this time as Canada’s chef de mission.  Now, the 44-year-old is poised to lead Canadian Olympians into London in the role of the team’s chef de mission. In the volunteer position as official representative and spokesperson, he’ll be the No. 1 cheerleader and head of the group tasked with ensuring the country’s athletes can achieve their best."

Lane 3 - USA Today posts "Swimmer Brendan Hansen has thrown out expectations.  The University of Texas grad, 30, got married during his sabbatical and began training for London in January 2011 with encouragement from his wife, Martha. Hansen, who had stayed in shape with triathlon training, won both of his events at last year's national championships.  "He was probably as ripped as he's ever been," Eddie Reese, his coach, said. "He just picked a way of life that gave him a better chance if he did come back. It may have been in the back of his mind."

Lane 4 - The Telegraph posts "London 2012 Olympics: poster girl Ellen Gandy going for gold in home swimming pool.  Who on Team GB can claim they are part of the reason why the Olympic Games are being hosted in London in the first place? Ellen Gandy, who joins The Telegraph as one of our Olympic columnists, was there right at the beginning. London’s commuters will remember the posters imploring the public to back the bid – perhaps the most memorable was one of young swimmers diving off the Thames barrier. There’s Gandy, front and centre."

Lane 5 - NBC DFW posts (w/video) "Olympic Medalist Promotes Water Safety.  Former Olympic swimmer says swimming is only sport that can save your life.  An Olympic gold medalist promoted water safety on Friday at Lewisville Lake.  Neil Walker, a former Olympic swimmer who now lives in North Texas, joined the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for Water Safety Week.  Walker was a medalist in both the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games, and few people know water like he does."

Lane 6 - Cleveland.com posts "Medina Masters Swim Club competes in Medina Sprint Spectacular."  News Observer posts "Raleigh swimmer Erika Braun, 40, qualifies for U.S. Olympic Trials.  At age 40, Raleigh’s Erika Braun is off to the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials in Omaha, Neb..  But in April, 2011, she entered the U.S. Masters Spring National Championships in Mesa, Ariz., and won four races and placed second in two others.  Other than Braun and Torres, the only competitor older than 40 in the Trials will be Steve West. West, 40, is the oldest man ever to qualify for the Trials."

Lane 7 - MetroWeekly posts "Splash the boys! A Swimsuit Issue Outtake. An outtake from the behind-the-scenes shoot at Metro Weekly's upcoming 2012 swimsuit issue at VIDA's Penthouse Pool Club. The Swimsuit issue hits stands on Thursday, May 24."

Lane 8 - Florida Today posts (w/video) "South Beaches surfer healing after shark attack.  Medical bills total about $8,000 for student who nearly lost pinkie.  Shark bite victim recovering, describes attack: Justin Ellingham won the NSSA college men's surfing title for Florida Tech in April. Four days later, he was chomped by a shark near Melbourne Beach. He has no health insurance."

My Bad Bad Swim Day At Ocala Masters 05/20/2012

It's official, I suck at swimming!  Every time I swim I swim slower!  More so today then ever before.  Mind you I have a million real and another million made up excuses.  Let's see from out of shape, to not swimming enough and then too much wine last night and it all equals a bad day in the pool. 

Woke up at 6 to walk dog then ate a big breakfast.  About 8:30 I arrived at the local pool to warm up a bit.  It's a SCY pool:

Warm Up
200 free
100 kick
6x50's pull
2x100 IM
50 fly
25 easy
25 off blocks

900 total SCY

I didn't really get in the water to about 8:40.  No one was at the pool so I took my time getting in.  Walking down the stairs like I was at a hotel pool.  Then a few of us got together and left at 9:30 to head to Ocala.  The Ocala pool is a LCM pool, yeah!
It's not a bad pool but not a great pool.  But they do have new locker rooms!  So nice!  I warmed up a bit more.  About 400 LCM.  I should have swam more, I know.  I also should have warmed up and down in between events. The best part of this meet is that it starts at 11am and finished at 2pm!

I so wasn't ready for my first event the 200 IM.  For this meet I entered knowing that I've been out of the water.  I picked a few events I've never done before including the 200 IM.  Wanted to get a time for the hell of it.  Even being my one and only time that is one damn slow time.  Let's just say I should have swam the 100 fly and 200 fly today.  My 50 fly in the 200 IM felt horrible.  I was stiff and just didn't get any movement.  I didn't feel my pull at all and never mind my kick.  I felt better for the last 10 meters.  My backstroke wasn't much better.  In face I was brushing the left lane line for the last 25 meters.  Ouchie!  Now breaststroke wasn't so bad.  WTF?  My weak stroke if you can call my breaststroke a stroke at all.  Now I looked up at the last 5 meteres and noticed a ref had his hand raised.  I so thought I did something to earn a DQ!  But I still poured it on a bit for the free.  When I finished I looked up and saw two officials.  Fuck!  Turns out I wasn't DQ'ed but they wanted to ask me if I'd be okay swimming with the women for the 400 IM since I was the only male.  I said yes!  The guy two lanes over got DQ'ed.  He didn't touch with both hands in his fly.  Phew!  In the picture above is Ellen Brown who is 87 years old.  She is my hero!  She swims and swims and swims!

Next up the 50 back.  Now I've swum this event once before.  Last year at this meet and did a 35.45.  Not great but it's a time.  So I just wanted to swim that time again.  This year we started at the end of the pool without the time pads.  So it was feet on wall.  I was so nervouse I'd slip down in my start.  Kinda didn't get a good start.  But did a 35.40  Hey that's faster.  Not by much but still.  I'm old and out of shape.

Now I started to feel a cramp in my left leg.  Really really bad.  It was right before the 400 IM so I went and scratched.  Figured I didn't want to push it.  I had the 400 Free and figured if my leg acted up I could just pull myself.  So no 400 IM!

Then came the horrible 400 free.  My leg was still cramping and I tried to mask it with some biofreezze which really didn't do much.  I just swam the 400 but it was horrible.  Really bad.  My turns were the best ever in a distance event for me.  They weren't perfect but for me I was impressed.  I just didn't have anything in the tank.  Really tried to pull myself towards the end.  For some reason the website doesn't have my splits.  In fact it's odd cuz' my time is dead on.
5:10.0!  Which is 9 seconds slower then last year.  9 F'in seconds.  Holy Crap I'm slow!  Damn!  Damn!  I wish the had consolidated the heats differently.  I was swimming with the slower girls and guys.  The previous heat had two fast girls who did a 5:01.  Maybe that would have pushed me to go faster.  Oh well!  I finished!  Something to build on.  
So overall if I was to grade my day I'd give myself a D-.  Should be an F but the 50 Back wasn't a disaster.  I got to July 14th to improve.  I'm either going down to St Petes or Ocala for a LCM meet on the 14th.  On the positive side I did see some nice eye candy for a change of pace.  Oh and swimming today helped push my Go The Distance a bit... I'll be back in the water Tuesday.  Tomorrow I have my long day at work!  Hopefully the sunburn on my back won't hurt too much tomorrow!

Duck!

I so want this!  My morning swim mates gave me a Rubber Ducky that lights up to scare away the ducks who like to swim in my lane in the morning.  But this is great!

ISHOF - tian liang induction video

Panasonic Viera TV Spot - Olympic

es collection 2012 - ibiza beach

Simone Nobili in Dolce & Gabbana 2012 Swim Wear

via swide

Thirty Minute Swim Workout: Get Wet, Get Warm, Get Out!

Well since I didn't swim on Friday as planned I decided to go for an easy afternoon swim.  So I headed to the pool for a lap swim.  I hate going swimming with lap swimmers.  Luckily it wasn't busy but I get distracted watching them and feel so unmotivated to swim or work hard.  As for my workout I took a short 30 minute workout I did a few weeks ago and adjusted it to break the boredom.

200 Swim

200 Pull

200 Kick

4x50's Swim on 45

So a broken 800 warm up.  The rest of the workout was stretched out.  It was about 85F and the water temp was just about the same.  Ugh!

4x100's Pulling w/padles on 1:30 (400/1200)

rest 30 seconds

3x100's IM on 1:45 (300/1500)

rest 30 seconds

4x50's Back on 55 (200/1700)

And that was it.  An easy 1,700 yards in about 30 minutes.  I felt pretty good in the IM and backstroke.  Thinking this workout modified down a bit might be a good warm up for tomorrows meet.  Although I'm already thinking of what events to scratch!  That is if my entry got in on time.  I mailed it close to the deadline and this is a rather small meet that is very tech-less.  So no online entry or meet info.  I'll just go hoping to swim something.  Even if it's just the warm up in the long course pool!  I haven't been in a long course pool in a year!  This team and pool is about 30 minutes away and I gotta admit I was thinking today I should join in the summer just so I can get long course swim in and swim with a team!  Something to think about.
Every swim brings me closer to 100 Miles!  Only 9,625 yards to go!  With work I can swim Tuesday, Thursday and Friday of this week.  Next week only Sunday!  OY!  So 9625 / 4 = 2406 yards per workout.  Well plus I'll add Sunday warm up and swim meet yards/meters.  It's doable!

Swimming star Mark Foster urges children to learn how to swim

Olympic swimming star Mark Foster spoke at the launch of the new swimming and leisure center in Hengrove, Bristol.

Mark Foster and Natalie Lowe at the opening of Hengrove Leisure Centre in Bristol. The Strictly stars performed a sway dance during the opening of the multimillion pound leisure complex in Hengrove.

Real life 'Little Mermaid'

Meet the Aussie model turned professional mermaid making a splash overseas.

Speedo USA - Introducing Goal Mapper - Speedo Pace Club

For more information visit http://paceclub.speedousa.com/

Saturday's Swim Report - Setting Targets & Aiming For Gold

Lane 1 - Daily Telegraph posts "James Magnussen has Michael Phelps on his radar.  JAMES Magnussen can already see him: Michael Phelps, standing on the blocks next to him, both leading off for their respective nations in pursuit of 4x100m freestyle relay gold in London."

Lane 2 - The Canberra Times posts "Rocket seeking missile.  HIS SWIM times say it even if he's not prepared to yet – James 'The Rocket' Roberts is gunning for James 'The Missile' Magnussen in what shapes as an historic Australian medal shoot-out in the 100 metres freestyle at the London Olympics.  Having blown AIS coaches away with his raw power as an unheralded teenager, Roberts has slashed almost three seconds off his 100m time since coming to Canberra to train two years ago."

Lane 3 - M Go Blue posts "Five Questions: Mike Bottom.  Michigan men's swimming head coach Mike Bottom will accompany a large contingent of former and current Wolverines to the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, scheduled for June 25-July 2 in Omaha, Neb. A veteran coach of international swimming, Bottom has coached at each of the last four Olympic Games, and from the 1996-2004 Olympiads, he guided his athletes to nine of the 18 medals awarded in the 50- and 100-meter freestyle events. In the 2012 London Games, Bottom will serve as the head coach of the Serbian Olympic team."

Lane 4 - Times Union posts "Ervin, swimming's mystery man, returns to the pool.  Anthony Ervin has never been one to swim with the flow.  A dozen years ago, while still just a teenager, he seemingly came out of nowhere to make the U.S. Olympic team, then topped that by winning gold and silver medals at the Sydney Games. He had the world in his grasp, a dashing young star who was more at home in the pool than he was on land.  At age 22, he walked away from the sport, dropping out of the limelight for eight long years to search for a deeper purpose to life. He sold his Olympic gold to aid victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami, lost his silver medal during his various travels, and became a huge enigma to those who wondered how someone with so much talent, so much promise, could give it all up."

Lane 5 - Herald Sun posts "Curry speaks up for D'Arcy.  CONTROVERSIAL swimmer Nick D'Arcy has a supporter in Lisa Curry. Despite his much-talked-about assault of swimmer Simon Cowley and his bankruptcy declaration after being sued by the swimmer, Curry believes we all now should be getting behind D'Arcy leading into the London Olympics.  "Nick is a good kid and he always has been a good kid," she said.  "He's a guy who made a mistake and he had to pay for it.  "For some reason all the criticism is still going on and on and on, but I just think it should be left alone now.  "He's made a mistake and he's done his time."

Lane 6 - NBC Miami posts (w/video) "Ryan Lochte Says No Matter Who Wins In London, He'll Be Friends With Michael Phelps.  Ryan Lochte has changed his diet in the lead-up to the games.  Former Gator, Ryan Lochte may be one of this Summer Olympics' biggest stars…Lochte, who is half Cuban, swam in Phelps's shadow in Athens and Beijing but in 2012, he's primed for a breakout."

Lane 7 - Gay Games Blog posts "Video portrait of Gay Games Ambassador Bruce Hayes.  A video profile of Gay Games Ambassador Bruce Hayes, featuring friend of the Gay Games Jack Mackenroth"

Lane 8 - The Westside Gazette posts "ISHOF honors Swimmers of African decent.  In celebration of the accomplishments that swimmers of African descent have made in the sport and other water related activities, The International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) chose several venues to celebrate these accomplishments during last week.  People of African decent have shown their athletic greatness in the world of sports, but there comes lately questions to their abilities to swim."

Battle of the Network Stars Swimming Relay May 1981 TOM SELLECK SCOTT BAIO

Make Off Philadelphia - Cozinha Terapia com Cesar Cielo

Make Off do comercial Cozinha Terapia Philadelphia com Cesar Cielo feito pela produtora de vídeo TRATOR FILMES (www.tratorfilmes.com.br).
Vídeo publicado para ser incluído no site oficial do nadador

Ryan Lochte - Gillette "Mind Games"

Get Started. Watch our new ad featuring 3x Olympic Gold Medalist Ryan Lochte.

Aqua Sphere - 4 Crossings - Philippe Croizon and Arnaud Chassery

Two swimmers, one able-bodied and the other a quadruple amputee, join forces and courage to meet an incredible challenge: connecting 5 continents with 4 swims.
An athletic tour de force and extraordinary human adventure, a genuine ode to surpassing one's limits, solidarity and the equality of all human beings.

Bennett Clark - Using Avidasports to help with technique

Behind The Shoot: Ryan Lochte & Vogue

"In celebration of U.S. Vogue's Olympic-themed June cover, the magazine has released a behind-the-scenes video showing the elaborate sets that were used to make photographer Annie Leibovitz's vision come to life.

Swimmer Ryan Lochte is captured swimming on a sheet of plastic, while soccer star Hope Solo and tennis champion Serena Williams giggle as they stride down a Miami beach." - via dailymail

Sprite | Sprite Shower

"A giant Sprite dispenser placed in one of the most crowded beaches in Brazil, where people could have a cold refreshing shower during Brazilian summer, where temperatures reach close to 40ºc. With more then 1,500 showers everyday, together with a sampling strategy around the machine. Sprite Shower was able to leverage the brand above all others in the field and consumers more than merely hearing about Sprite’s refreshing power, felt it directly all over their bodies."

Early registration for Gay Games 9 now open!

COUNT ME IN!

Early registration has arrived!

Get your foot in the door and register for Gay Games 9 Cleveland+Akron.

Note that currently only the base registration is open. Registration for specific sport and cultural events will be phased in progressively over the coming weeks, starting with Aquatics. You can always come back to complete your sport or culture registration, so don't wait to register at gaymes.info/gg9register !

Armani ea7 #senseofbeing

In conjunction with the video manifesto for the new EA7 Campaign, the site thesenseofbeing.com is now live -- a visit is highly recommended! The line's core values shine through: endeavor, courage, teamwork and drive. The manifesto is a veritable ode to sport and performance, coupled with a passion for excellence and determination.

The video's interplay of powerful imagery and inspiring messages resonate strongly. The actions speak for themselves. Each video frame zeroes in on a specific discipline, creating a crescendo of movements that culminate in a general message: being there is what matters most.

Taking part is more important than winning, and in order to partake one must give one's all, bringing their own set of values to the field.

That is The Sense of Being. What's yours? #senseofbeing

Luca Dotto EA7 Emporio Armani is the official outfitter for Italy’s 2012 London squad

Now Casting: Be Like Ryan Workout Video?

via erika wright "Wright Entertainment & Sports: Management, Event Planning, & Legal Representation for Music and Sports CONTACT: info@wrighteas.com"

To which @daratorres responds
have you seen Dara's abs?

The Longest Swim - Interview of Ben Lecomte with FYI Fort Worth

http://www.facebook.com/thelongestswim Local news FYI Fort Worth interviews Ben Lecomte who is preparing to swim across the Pacific Ocean.

Thursday's Swim Report - Botox Makes You Swim Faster!

Lane 1 - PR Web posts "Men do, however, fret a lot more about the pain. "They get so jacked up worrying that it will hurt," says Botox enthusiast and nine-time Olympic gold medalist Mark Spitz. "Maybe that's why women have babies and we don't."  When 1970s Olympic heroes--and mustachioed ones at that--get work done, it would seem to mark social acceptability among guys. Spitz, though, is a spokesman for Allergan, the company that makes Botox and markets directly to men via its website. Sure, Spitz first considered getting the world's most common cosmetic procedure after a friend, former Olympic gymnast Nadia Comaneci, told him that the wrinkles between his eyes made him look old and overly serious, but he got a whole lot more interested when Allergan started paying him."

Lane 2 - WaPo has (w/gallery) "For Torres, no drag getting old.  Dara Torres competes with swimmers half her age by understanding the reasons why getting old slows us down — and working around them."

Lane 3 - Brisbane Times posts "Slowdown hits Olympic hopefuls. THE market for sponsoring Olympic athletes has been slowly dropping since the Games in Australia in 2000, with brands also leaving it later to sign up individual athletes before London.  The Australian Olympic Committee secures sponsors for the Olympic team but individual athletes make their own deals. Athletes attracting the most lucrative sponsorships for the 2012 Games include Eamon Sullivan (swimming), Stephanie Rice (swimming), James Magnussen (swimming), Cadel Evans (cycling) and Sally Pearson (hurdles)."

Lane 4 - AUS Olympic Team posts "2012 Australian Olympic Team Farewell Dinner.  Olympians past and present gathered at the Sydney Convention Centre on 17 May, 2012 to farewell the 2012 Australian Olympic Team. Athlete Liaison Officers Layne Beachley and Steve Waugh inspired the audience with their pearls of wisdom." via youtube

Lane 5 - This is Bath posts "Swimmer Mark Foster's sculpture to be unveiled.  A twice-life sized stone sculpture of Olympic swimmer Mark Foster's torso is due to be unveiled in Bath next week.  Artist Ben Dearnley has created the piece from a 2.69 tonne block of Bath stone, donated by the Bath Stone Group, as part of the Art at the Edge public art exhibition."

Lane 6 - South Florida Times posts "Gadson sculpture spotlights black swimmers.  On Friday, May 11 at the International Swimming Hall of Fame in Fort Lauderdale, George Gadson, world-renown sculptor from Fort Lauderdale, unveiled a unique work combining historical imagery from pre-colonial Africa through modern Olympic achievements by swimmers of African descent.  The images appear under the image of a Sankofa Bird, a West African symbol, in the sculpture that will be housed at the ISHOF."

Lane 7 - Tom Daley posts "The Pool Training and Tricks.  Tom gives us an inside view on his Daley training regime. This week, Tom gets in the pool and shows us just how strong he is." via youtube

Lane 8 - Omaha.com posts "Swim Trial pools will both be built at once.  Myrtha Pools USA impressed Omahans and visitors in 2008 when it planted a 50-meter pool inside the CenturyLink Center and somehow made it look as if it had been there all along.  For its next trick, Myrtha will construct two pools at once and complete the work in less time than it took four years ago when the U.S. Olympic Trials first came to Omaha.  The project is scheduled to start at 6 a.m. next Wednesday, mere hours after Nickelback performs in the final non-swimming function at the CenturyLink Center until mid-July."

Counting Down To 100 Miles!

Trying to be good this week.  Getting up and swimming, working myself hard and at the same time go to bed without any wine and getting a good night sleep.  And even with doing all that I'm feeling pretty damn crappy in the water right now.  But I have two things to motivate me in the water.  One is the fact I spent $40 on a meet entry for Sunday and secondly is that I just gotta swim 14,025 yards to go to 100 MILES for the YTD. 

But even with motivation I had a hard time getting up and ready.  Really sluggish out of bed.  Once at the pool I knew I didn't have much time to chit chat as it's Thursday and we get booted out at 7:50 if not earlier by the aqua-"fit" folks.  How fit can they be when all the day is splash water side to side?

The Workout
1x500 Loosen (200 swim / 150 pull / 25 fly/25free / 25back/25free / 25breast/25free
3x100's on 1:50 (25 Drill/50Kick/25Swim w/fins) (300/800)

Main Set:
2x300's on 4:30 2nd faster.  Did a 4:17 and 4:03.  I was still stiff and warming up.  My lats were killing me.  So stiff. (600/1400)
4x75's on 1:15 Pace.  I was coming in on the 1:00/1:01 (300/1700)
rested a minute
2x200's on 3:00 2nd one faster.  My first one was horrible!  A 2:37 my 2nd one wasn't much better with a 2:28.  (400/2100)
4x50's on 50 Pace (200/2300)
took 10 seconds extra rest
2x100's on 1:30 2nd one faster.  Forgot the first one but finished with a slow 1:12.  (200/2500)

I then played around and warmed down a 200.  I was killing time to just be in the water till 7:50.  I was trying to be nice and wait for the staff to come to take the lane lines out.  I figured I'd help them so they didn't have to get too wet.  That and I was refusing to get out for the aqua-"fit" folks.

So that makes a 60 minute swim for 2,700 yards.  Woot Woot!  
I do feel I'm back on track yardage wise if not speed wise.  So that is something.  I'm closing the deficit in my Go The Distance pace to complete 300 Miles this year.  I've narrowed the deficit down to 10 miles.  And my closer goal of 100 miles is getting so close I can smell it.  Now I got 11,325 yards to go.  Now I only got 5 more times to get a swim workout in before the end of the month.  Ick!  Damn work!  But I'm swimming about a 1,000 LCM on Sunday.  But for now let's say 11,325 SCY - 1,000 SCY = 10,325 then 10,325/5=2,065.  So I gotta swim my next few workouts at least 2,075 yards.  Now that'll drop a bit when I convert LCM to SCY and add in my Sunday warm up plus that extra 50 back at the meet.  Plus another 11,000 yards will bring me back on track to my monthly average yardage.  Still not close to what I use to swim but it's creeping back up. 

ES Collection Swimwear 2012 MEDITERRANEAN MEMORI•ES•

Bait 3D Official Red Band Trailer #1 (2012) - Shark Movie HD

io9 posts "Watch a man get bitten in half by a giant shark in the Bait redband trailer.  Piranha 3DD seems to have a monopoly on the "fish and tits" subgenre of horror movies for this year — but this indie Australian film, Bait, is making a serious challenge when it comes to the "fish" part. Watch a bunch of people get trapped in a warehouse with a giant shark, after a tidal wave floods their town. Including some pleasingly gruesome dismemberments."

Ricky Berens Stars in an Exclusive Interview with Universal Sports: Road to London

2008 Olympic Gold medalist, Ricky Berens joins Universal Sports in an exclusive interview. Revisiting the moment every athlete dreams of, standing on the podium, Berens talks about the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and his expectations for the 2012 London Olympic Games. Winning a gold with fellow teammates Michael Phelps, Peter Vanderkaay and Ryan Lochte in the 4X200M freestyle in 2008 has inspired Berens' training for the 2012 Games. Training in the 100 and 200 meter freestyle, Berens has high expectations for this year.

Wednesday's Swim Report - It's Time For A Swimcation

Lane 1 - Daily Mail posts "Everyone has their Jaws moment! Brit swimmer Payne reveals perils of open water.  ayne herself has encountered dead dogs in China and jellyfish off Melbourne and poor water conditions as well as a field of ferocious competitors.  The 24-year-old admits the event requires a particular type of character and said: 'I think to be an open water swimmer you have to have a certain amount of 'hard' to you. You just have to expect it.  'So many things are thrown at us on so many occasions, you just have to kind of get on with it."

Lane 2 - ninemsn posts (w/video) "Hackett catches up with Olympic stars.  Grant Hackett catches up with a number of Olympic stars, including basketballer Liz Cambage, tennis player Lleyton Hewitt and long-jumper Mitchell Watt."

Lane 3 - Vancouver Sun posts "Swimmer hardwired to win.  Top of the podium is the spot Ryan Cochrane is aiming for at the Summer Olympics."

Lane 4 - NPR posts "She's 100 (Almost) And Still Swimming: Another Centenarian To Admire…Marie Kelleher in Virginia, who at the age of 99 is still setting swimming age-group records. Counted as being 100 because United States Masters Swimming rules "use the swimmer's age as of December 31 for competitions held in 25-meter courses," according to Virginia Masters Swimming, she just became "the oldest known American woman to have competed at a USMS-recognized meet."

Lane 5 - ninemsn posts (w/video) "Going for gold.  Four years ago our synchronised swimming team finished 7th at the Beijing Olympics. When the ladies line up in London, they're hoping for a medal and as TODAY reporter Alison Ariotti discovered they're putting in long days to make it happen."

Lane 6 - Guardian UK posts "Top 10 swimming holidays.  Long-distance outdoor swimming was once the preserve of elite athletes or eccentrics such as 'Big River Man' Martin Strel, but a growing number of us are making swimming the focus of a holiday, be it by joining a boat-supported tour of lakes and coasts, or entering a race abroad. Here's our pick of swim trips to suit all levels."

Lane 7 - All Africa posts "Virgin Active Joins Forces With Ryk Neethling and Chad Le Clos to Develop Virgin Active Swim. Virgin Active launched its latest training innovation - SWIM. Developed by Olympic Gold medalist Ryk Neethling and endorsed by Commonwealth Games and world champion Chad le Clos, SWIM is a coaching programme designed for just about every one - young, old, fit or unfit."

Lane 8 - London24 posts "Leading swimwear brand Speedo announces its Forman’s Fish Island base during Olympics.  Speedo has booked two adjoining suites at the entertainment venue, overlooking the Olympic Stadium, to cater for its corporate guests and swimming stars."

Breaking News: Sea Monsters Trapped On Land

io9 posts "This sculptor builds incredible dead sea monsters trapped on land.  The artwork of Argentinian sculptor Adrián Villar Rojas evokes such themes as fantastic adventure in the otherwise normal material realm, the passage of time, and the last days of humanity. Perhaps his most striking series of sculptures depict giant dead sea leviathans beached far from any bodies of water."

AQUAview - Michael Phelps

Ford McClave-US PRESSWIRE USA Olympic Media Event

Aquaview - Alex Meyer

Kevin Jairaj/US Presswire,  USA Olympic Media Event

Batman, Supergirl and Wonder Woman One-Piece Swimsuits

via http://www.superherostuff.com/superhero-bikini-swimwear.html

ISHOF - Women's 200 IM 1963 AAU Championships

Donna DeVarona sets a new American record in the 200 individual medley at the 1963 women's national swimming championships from Cleveland, OHio. Jim McKay calls the race for ABC's wide world of sports and Donna is interviewed after the race by Bill Flemming. Of interest is all the girls are young teenagers and Donna tells Bill there is nothing for girls after high school, because there is no collegiate swimming. In fact, there were no high school teams either. Donna was instrumental in the Title IX movement to have equal opportunities in athletics for women

The Powerbreather

I guess it's real since it's not April 1st. 
The Powerbreather is a snorkel made from elastic material. It is ring-shaped, sits around the head and is adjustable to different head sizes and so comfortably fits any head size.

With the Powerbreather, air is inhaled through the upper section behind the head which is equipped with a check valve and is fully exhaled through a check valve located in the mouthpiece.

This valve technology makes it possible for the first time to have no stale air left in the snorkel tube after you exhale, unlike all previous snorkels. Only fresh air is ever inhaled. Fatigue effects from snorkel use are thus avoided. Because of the two interacting valves no water gets into the snorkel when descending. Its design and the elastic material ensure that it fits tightly around the head.

As the swimmer can breathe freely without thinking about water getting in or making fitful breathing movements, he can focus on swimming in a relaxed manner. Children can learn various swimming techniques so much more easily. But even older people, professional swimmers and anyone undertaking swimming training can train with the Powerbreather in a much more relaxed and effective way.
http://www.powerbreather.de

SpeedoUK - Swim workout using the Speedo Biofuse Power Paddles

Swimming workout using the Speedo Biofuse paddles to increase distance per stroke rate and improve technique. Hosted by Ben Titley and Liam Tancock

Tuesday's Swim Report - Who Moved The Laneline & Other Tales Of Swimming Zen

Lane 1 - USA Today posts (w/video) "Freestyler Cullen Jones makes teaching swimming a priority.  Cullen Jones almost became a statistic. Now he's a pioneer.  At age 5, he nearly drowned at a water park when his inner tube flipped over at the bottom of a slide.  Cullen Jones almost became a statistic. Now he's a pioneer.  At age 5, he nearly drowned at a water park when his inner tube flipped over at the bottom of a slide."

Lane 2 - ESPN posts "Hansen taking different approach to Games.  At a time when comebacks appear to be all the rage in swimming and the likes of Janet Evans and Brendan Hansen have returned to the pool in the hopes of returning to Olympic glory, there's one man who has decided to stay home. And there's nothing Hansen or anyone else can do about it."

Lane 3 - ESPN posts "Coughlin's run a bit under radar.  There are mornings when Natalie Coughlin is so jazzed to see what's happened overnight in her garden that she goes outside to inspect it while she is still brushing her teeth.  The 11-time Olympic swimming medalist, Cal-Berkeley graduate and Bay Area resident has one bed for strawberries, one for herbs, one for salad greens and another one she rotates seasonally that currently features tomatoes and summer vegetables. She tends her own mini-orchard of citrus, fig and stonefruit trees, and keeps five chickens, three that lay blue-green eggs and two that produce brown."

Lane 4 - The Miami Herald posts "Age now is just a number for Olympic athletes.  Improvements in sports science, nutrition and financial compensation have led to Olympic athletes extending their careers.  Michael Phelps intends to make the 2012 London Games his third and final Olympics while gymnasts Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson hope to be Olympians for the second time this summer. Shooter Kim Rhode will compete in her fifth dating to 1996.  Athlete longevity in the formerly amateur Olympic sports was a major topic of discussion at the three-day U.S. Olympic Committee Media Summit, which concludes Tuesday.  Even First Lady Michelle Obama, who made a special appearance with some of the 110 athletes in attendance, emphasized the importance of making sports a “lifelong habit.”

Lane 5 - NY Times posts "Reaching for Zen With Each Stroke and Lap…But however many of these tales I can recall, I’m no match for a fellow journalist, Lynn Sherr, author of a new book, “Swim: Why We Love the Water.” Ms. Sherr celebrates the culture, history and physical and mental rewards of this ancient sport, second only to walking as the nation’s most popular recreational activity.  Among Ms. Sherr’s eclectic collection of watery adventures was a four-mile swim at age 69 across the storied Hellespont (now called the Dardanelles), the channel dividing Europe and Asia Minor. She earned a medal for finishing in 1 hour 26 minutes 16 seconds."

Lane 6 - Herald.net posts "50-year-old swimmer Olliges makes quite a splash  50-year-old Lake Stevens swimmer Paul Olliges has set his sights on becoming a national record holder.  Paul Olliges of Lake Stevens, turning 50 was an opportunity.  Olliges, a former elite national swimmer, decided he had better things to do than sit around and mourn his 50th birthday last October. So 18 years after he took up triathlons, and five years after resuming a regular swimming regimen, Olliges set out to become one of the nation's premier masters swimmers."

Lane 7 - The Statesman posts "U.S. breaststroke stars Hansen, Shanteau set to renew rivalry.  The U.S. Olympic swim trials are a little more than a month away, but the two competed in Charlotte this past weekend; Shanteau won both the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststrokes, while Hansen was second in the 200 and third in the 100."

Lane 8 - Orlando Sentinel posts "Foundation backs swimming lessons for Broward kids.  The battle to prevent child drownings in Broward County has received a big boost from a local philanthropist — and continued attention from one of its better-known politicians.  The Harry T. Mangurian Jr. Foundation announced Monday that it will be donating $500,000 toward swimming lessons in Broward County over the next three years, with preference toward children 9 and younger who are on free or reduced-priced school lunch programs."

Annie Leibovitz Takes on Ryan Lochte

source vogue

MSNBC posts "Olympic hopeful Ryan Lochte to Vogue: 'I'm a coach's nightmare'.  Swimmer Ryan Lochte has already brought home 6 Olympic medals (3 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze), and is hoping to aim for even more in London. Don't worry, everyone — his dangerous extracurriculars won't get in the way: “I’m always bruising and scraping things playing basketball and skateboarding,” he told Vogue writer Robert Sullivan. “I’m pretty much a coach’s nightmare.”  Nicknamed “The Lochtenator,” he’s also a fashion industry darling and, according to Vogue, has collected sponsors that range from Speedo to Ralph Lauren “partly because of the number of events in which he is favored, partly because of a penchant for pairing swimsuits with gold bling.”

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Fins

It was Drill & Toy Day at the pool.  Well at least that was the make up of my workout.  Which for me is good and bad.  The good is Paddles!  Wahoo!  The ugly and bad are FINS!  Drowning!

Warm Up

Mixed 500 (swam 200 / pulled 200 / swam 75 back & 25 free

300 Kick w/fins (300/800)

The Meat of the Workout -

400 Fist closed 1 Finger Pull for 1st lap of each 100 (400/1200)

3x200's on 3:00 w/ Paddles breathing every 3 (600/1800)

6x100's Fins.  Fist closed 1 Finger Pull for 1st lap of each 100 on 1:40 (600/2400)

6x50's  ALL IN!  Paddles and Fins!  Easy/Fast on 1:00 (300/2700)

Now even with the toys it was a bit of a challenge.  Tired from work yesterday and working out.  I flounder during the 1 finger pull drill.  But that just reminds me to use my full arm as a paddle.  As I was swiming the 400 I kept thinking I need that arm thingy for this.  I think the actual technical thing via FINIS is "Forearm Fulcrum Sr. - Achieve an Early Vertical Forearm (EVF) and increase stroke efficiency with the Forearm Fulcrum. An EVF position utilizes the entire forearm during the pull, from the fingertips to the elbow."  It seems to do what the coach is trying to get me to do.  It's the whole The whole "Alexander Popov. .... The arm is shaped as if you were reaching over a barrel."  Which I am doing more of but still gotta work on the intial catch.  One thing I did notice while using the paddles I seem to over extend my arm locking my elbow before my catch.  Was feeling some tennis elbow coming on.  But I don't have these toys so it was paddles and my yellow Zoomers.  Now I'm not a big fan of fins.  Not really a kicker.  Fins are like two lead weights attached to my feet.  So I really had to engage the core while swimming with the fins.  Luckily I've been working on my core on dryland and really started to feel the benefits of my core work.  It's getting easier to tuck into a ball at my turns.  My biggest thing that kills me everytime at the wall is the fact that I don't tuck into a ball.  My legs just come flying around and splash down. 

So all in all it was a back to basics let's break out the toys workout.  Something I need.  As the summer months brings warmer pool temps it'll be something that will move into the forefront.  So I might buy some new swim toys.  Now for my Go The Distance I'm slowly coming back.  Only 14,025 yards to go to 100 MILES!  Looking at my work/class agenda I may only swim 6 more times this month.  Not including a small swim meet this Sunday.  I'm swimming 400 IM, 400 Free, 200 IM and 50 Back.  So let's do some math.  14,025-1000=13,025.  13,025/7 = 1,860 yards.  So the next 7 swims I need to swim at least 1,875 yards!  Easy!  IDIOT!  14,025-1000=13,025.  13,025/6= 2,170.   So the next 6 swims I need to swim at least 2,175 yards.  I'm also chipping away at my YTD deficit.  I was behind 25 miles in pace and now only about 19 miles behind.  Not too bad!

Citi’s Every Step of the Way - Team Citi, Including Olympic gold medalist Cullen Jones

Every Step of the Way, a dynamic digital program that allows the American people to allocate Citi’s $500,000 donation to the U.S. Olympic Committee – represented by 50 million ThankYou Points – to Sport Programs that have inspired Citi’s team of 13 athletes to help them say “thank you” while benefitting U.S. Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls and athletes of all ages in communities across America.

The campaign also highlights Citi’s range of innovative mobile products and services, including Mobile Check Deposit, PopMoney and the ThankYou Points sharing app, among others.

· Together, every step of the way. Highlighting Citi's dynamic digital program, the ads feature Team Citi athletes Cullen Jones (swimming), Amanda McGrory (Paralympic track and field), Gwen Jorgensen (triathlon) and Kari Miller (sitting volleyball) and the Sport Programs that have inspired them.

· Rewarding you, every step of the way. Emphasizing the benefits of being a Citi ThankYou member, the ads highlight Citi's rewards program and unique Points Sharing app. One ad features Sanya Richards-Ross (track and field) while a second ad focuses on a couple using their ThankYou Points to travel to the London 2012 Olympic Games to cheer on Team USA.

· Easier banking, every step of the way. Promoting the tools and services that make Citi's retail bank customers' lives easier, new ads feature Meb Keflezighi (marathon) and brothers Bob and Mike Bryan (doubles tennis) using Citi's most competitive banking products - Mobile Check Deposit and Popmoney.

The newly redesigned thankyoucard.citi.com microsite and citibank.com/easierbanking landing page will also have a Team USA theme throughout the London Games.

Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management. *Citi's USOC sponsorship and media rights include U.S. corporate and investment banking, retail banking and commercial banking.

Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com | Twitter: @CitiEveryStep | YouTube: www.youtube.com/citi | Blog: http://new.citi.com | Facebook: www.facebook.com/citi | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/citi

About the USOC:

Founded in 1894 and headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., the U.S. Olympic Committee serves as both the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the United States. As such, the USOC is responsible for the training, entering and funding of U.S. teams for the Olympic, Paralympic, Youth Olympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games, while serving as a steward of the Olympic and Paralympic Movements throughout the country. For more information, visit TeamUSA.org.

Olympic Triathlete Jarrod Shoemaker and U.S. Masters Swimming

Satirical Illustration by Pawel Kuczynski

via bored panda

Swim App - Meet Mobile From Active.com

I love my iPhone apps.  Got an app for just about everything but the one app that I've spent so much time on of late is Meet Mobile from Active.com "Meet Mobile was built specifically for HY-TEK’s MEET MANAGER 4.0, which was released August 1, 2011. If a meet you are looking for is not available in the Meet Mobile application, please have the meet host contact sales@hy-tekltd.com for information on how to upgrade to the latest version."  So basically any meet from age group to masters can be found. 
Once you download and open the app a list of meets by date are listed.  You then click on the meet you want then look by Team or Event.
Then you select a swimmer then event.  And boom!  Ya got the times.  I've spent several hours looking at various Masters Meets to catch up on old swim mates and how they are swimming.  Can't wait to head to a swim meet to check it out in person.  Check it out on iTunes.

Bobby Freeman - C'Mon And Swim (1964)

Monday's Swim Report - The Hardy Boys: The Case of Swimmer & His Secret Events

Lane 1 - ESPN posts "Michael Phelps keeps events secret.  Michael Phelps knows what's on his schedule this summer.  Just don't ask him to share it.  "Can I ask a question? Why is it such a big deal what I'm swimming?" Phelps said Sunday. "You guys ask me every time."

Lane 2 - LA Times posts "Gwen Jorgensen of U.S. Olympic team a convert to the triathlon.  A swimmer and runner while in college, she is headed to 2012 London Olympics in a sport that at first didn't interest her. Now she's on the fast track."

Lane 3 - Voxy posts "Swimming NZ announce London Olympics support staff.  The coaches and support staff for the New Zealand swimming team for the London Olympics has been finalised.  Swimming New Zealand coach Mark Regan will be the team coach and will be joined fellow High Performance Centre coach Scott Talbot and the Wellington Region High Performance Coach Gary Hurring as assistants."

Lane 4 - It Takes A Suit! Washington Post has "After failing to earn a medal in his first 5 events, Lochte sets meet record at 200 IM.  Ryan Lochte tossed aside the swimming brief and got down to business Sunday.  Switching to a regular racing suit for the first time in three days of competition, Lochte salvaged an otherwise underwhelming weekend performance by winning the 200 IM and setting a new meet record at the Charlotte Grand Prix on Sunday."

Lane 5 - STL Today posts "Coughlin ready for another run at Olympics.  The wait is killing Natalie Coughlin.  You'd think that with age comes patience and that a swimmer as successful and seasoned as Coughlin would be in no rush to validate her place in U.S. swimming history. But Coughlin, 29, can't wait until late June, when she gets yet another chance to prove her worth at the Olympic Trials in Omaha, Neb."

Lane 6 - msnbc posts "Underwater volcano erupts in pulses.  One near Tonga collapsed, grew in height by football field in two weeks."

Lane 7 - Daily Star post "SYNCHRONISED SWIMMERS JENNA & ASHA SPARKLE AS THEY PREPARE FOR OLYMPICS.  IT’S the sport where ­competitors wear heavy make-up and sequinned costumes underwater.  But sisters Jenna and Asha Randall say ­synchronised swimming is less a beauty contest and more an ­ underwater ballet.  The sisters, from Ascot, Berkshire, are among nine girls in Britain’s Olympic ­synchronised swimming team.  Jenna, 23, who will compete in the team event and as a pair with partner Olivia ­Federici, 22, said: “People are starting to realise there’s a lot more to it.  “It’s like running a 1,500-metre race while holding your breath on a 100-metre sprint, moving your arms around and making it all look effortless."

Lane 8 - Marketwatch posts "U.S. Olympic Committee and Allstate Unveil U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, Class of 2012 Olympic, Paralympic, Team and Special Inductees to be honored on July 12 in Chicago.  The list of inductees includes Gail Devers (track & field), Jean Driscoll (Paralympic track & field), Gary Hall, Jr. (swimming), Lisa Fernandez (softball), Kristine Lilly (soccer), Dan O'Brien (track & field), Jenny Thompson (swimming), the 2004 U.S. Olympic Women's Softball Team, Ed Temple (coach - track & field), James Connolly (veteran - track & field) and Ted Stevens (special contributor)."  The class of 2012 Olympic Hall of Fame inductees are announced at the 2012 Team USA Media Summit pictured below...