the17thman

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."

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.

USMS Nationals AllStar Men's 200 Free Relay

At Masters Nationals, here is Nick Brunelli, Josh Schneider, Cullen Jones and Coach David Marsh swimming in the 200 Free Relay

Monday's Swim Report - Some Just Can't Hack'ett

Lane 1 - News Observer posts "Former NCSU swimmer Cullen Jones seeks greater glory in Olympics.  Cullen Jones sometimes keeps his Olympic gold medal in a safety deposit box. Usually, though, he keeps it where he sleeps, tucked underneath his mattress. In recent weeks and months as he has prepared for this summer’s London Olympics, Jones has often held that medal, or looked at it, to draw inspiration from the memory of winning it."

Lane 2 - News posts "Star's big night on grapevine when Grant couldn't Hackett.  SIGNS that Grant Hackett was in for a big night at the Logies were visible long before he was kicked out of the official after-party, TV insiders revealed yesterday.  Hours before the Channel 9 sports commentator was asked by security to leave his employer network's post-ceremony shindig, Hackett was seen inside the Crown Casino palladium causing a "ruckus" during the awards.  Nine's Today aired some short but significant footage of a sweaty Hackett at the party struggling to form a sentence. When asked by a reporter for his favourite song, Hackett stumbles: "I don't know my favourite song 'cos there's are so many favourite songs. 'Cos if I could name one I would."  This isn't Grant's 1st drunken nit as Woman's Day reported in 2011 "The truth about the night Grant snapped.  The alcohol-fuelled moment of madness is said to have left Candice frightened and traumatised. “We heard screaming and raised voices during a long argument from their apartment late on Saturday night,” confirms one neighbour, who did not wish to be named. “It sounded really drunken, and at first we were unsure where it was coming from – I couldn’t really believe it was the Hacketts, because they’re always so polite and nice to each other.”

Lane 3 - Denver Post has "Olympic swimmer Natalie Coughlin thinks college swimming is best bet for Missy Franklin.  Consider Natalie Coughlin and Centennial's Missy Franklin as the bookends of American women's swimming. Coughlin, 29, has been the face of the U.S. team for eight years and is two Olympic medals from becoming the most decorated U.S. female Olympian of all time.  Franklin, 16, is international swimming's new star — a three-time world champion who's seeking her first Olympic team with medal contention on the horizon.  The question hovering over Franklin after this season will be as big as she has ever faced: Does she turn pro and train full time or return to the Regis Jesuit High team for her senior year, then swim in college?  If she asks the matriarch of U.S. swimming, Franklin would get a straight answer."

Lane 4 - Shape Magazine posts "Swimmer Rebecca Soni's Favorite Healthy Breakfasts.  s one of Kellogg's elite athletes, Olympic swimmer Rebecca Soni is happy to emphasize the importance of a healthy breakfast as well.  "Kellogg’s cereals have been at the start of my day since I was a kid and now even as I grow older, breakfast is the most important meal of my day,” Soni says.  In fact, the three-time Olympic medalist loves breakfast so much she has two every day."

Lane 5 - CBS This Morning posts "Shark attack survivor: "No Time for Fear".  Paul de Gelder has turned tragedy into triumph.  In February 2009, de Gelder was with the Australian Navy, part of an elite dive team.  While on a dive to test new counterterrorism hardware in Sydney Harbor, he was suddenly attacked by a bull shark - an attack caught on video."

Lane 6 - The Telegraph posts "Children’s notebook at the swimming-pool.  From towelling robes to flashing goggles - all the essential kit to take to the swimming pool.  Dive in As we brace ourselves for lost kit and verrucas, Marks & Spencer is channelling a far pleasanter version of swimming with children through a new swim and beachwear range out next month."

Lane 7 - Swim News for the 1% via Gizmodo "How Much Money Do You Need to Do Scrooge McDuck’s Money Swim?  Along with making it rain, Scrooge McDuck's money swim is a definite sign of excess in success. The question is though, how much money does one need to pull off the money swim? $486,830! But if you adjust for inflation as Scrooge McDuck was first drawn in 1947 that would mean 5.2 billion dollars in one pile. And if you guesstimate how many pile are in the room, the final tally comes out to 31.2 billion dollars."

Lane 8 - Mercury News posts "U.S. synchronized swim team out of Olympics.  The U.S. synchronized swim team will miss the Summer Olympics for the first time since the event was included in the Games in 1996.  An American team with mostly Bay Area swimmers placed sixth Saturday in a qualifying tournament in London and missed the cut by almost 10 points. Russia won the tournament, followed by Spain and Japan. The three medalists earned Olympic berths."

TOP UNITED STATES OLYMPIC HOPEFULS COMMENT ON 100 DAY COUNDOWN TO LONDON 2012

Returning Olympic Champions Look Towards Adding More Medals In London

In NYC Times Square, the United States Olympic Committee announced the launch of Raise our Flag, an exciting and innovative new program that gives every American the chance to support US Olympic and Paralympic athletes by contributing a stitch to the American flag that will accompany the U.S. Olympic Team to the London 2012 Olympic Games this summer. Olympic champions Carl Lewis, Greg Louganis and Shannon Miller were on stage to welcome in the new program.

Elsewhere, several decorated US Olympian medalists who are preparing to return to Olympic competition in London gave their thoughts on the 100 Day countdown:

Sona Richard Ross (Track & Field)

Cullen Jones (Swimming)

Christie Rampone (US Women's Soccer)

GOLD MEDALIST CULLEN JONES AND OLYMPIC GREATS ANNOUNCE “EVERY STEP OF THE WAY” PROGRAM TO SUPPORT U.S. OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC ATHLETES & HOPEFULS

Citi Announces Innovative Digital 2012 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Program to Support the Next Generation of America's Athletes

Citi launches program with $500,000 donation to U.S. Olympic Committee; Fans direct Citi's donation via activity on Facebook and Twitter

Unique program will fund U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sport Programs in communities across America at citi.com/everystep

New York – To support America's next generation of athletes, Citi announced a $500,000 donation to the U.S. Olympic Committee to launch Every Step of the WaySM, an innovative digital program benefitting U.S. Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls and athletes of all ages in communities across America. For this truly digital Olympic Games, Citi, the official bank sponsor of the 2012 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams, has developed a truly digital program.

"For 200 years, Citi has helped people on their journey from ambition to achievement and has been an important part of the fabric of communities across America," said Citi CEO Vikram Pandit. "We are extremely proud to support Team Citi and to invest in the future of America's best athletes. Making a difference to future Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls is a great way to honor Team USA, give back to our communities and support the Olympic Movement."

"We share in Citi's excitement for its Every Step of the Way program," said Lisa Baird, USOC chief marketing officer. "Citi has created a dynamic program that offers fans of the Olympic and Paralympic Games a meaningful way to connect with athletes. Citi's contribution will leave a lasting impact with the next generation of U.S. hopefuls and athletes across the country."

Already a corporate sponsor of Team USA and the USOC, Citi wanted to do more by creating a way to help fund U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sport Programs that have inspired Citi's team of 13 athletes. Citi also wanted to make it possible for its customers and Olympic fans to get in on the action.

Through the dynamic and interactive Every Step of the Way program, Citi's $500,000 donation is being represented by 50 million ThankYou® Points – the currency of Citi ThankYou® Rewards. This unique program allows the American people to help allocate these ThankYou® Points to Sport Programs through activity on Facebook and Twitter, allowing Team Citi athletes to say "thank you" to the Sport Programs that have inspired them.

"It is truly an honor to be a member of Team Citi with these 12 athletes," said three-time Olympic gold medalist and Team Citi member Rowdy Gaines. "What I like most about what Citi is doing is the fact that they are so creative in trying to do something right for our athletes. To be able to take a $500,000 donation – which translates into 50 million ThankYou Points – to support these Sport Programs is phenomenal. The best part is the ability to connect with fans socially and truly make an impact."

Each member of Team Citi has identified a local Sport Program that inspired his or her journey to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. These U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sport Programs have specific needs that will help a wide range of athletes at different ability levels in communities across the country. The Every Step of the Way program will work to fulfill those needs by allowing individuals to help direct points through every day social media activity to give these programs the resources they need to support the next generation of athletes on their journey from ambition to achievement.

How the Program Works and How to Join the Movement:

Fans can join the movement on Citi's Every Step of the Way Facebook page and at www.citi.com/everystep. For fans who accept the Every Step of the Way Facebook application, the program will match shared profile interests between fans and Team Citi athletes and suggest a member of Team Citi for the fan to follow, or fans can simply choose one they would like to support.

In addition to selecting an athlete to support, fans who participate through Facebook can also help direct how the 50 million ThankYou Points are allocated through their activity on Facebook and Twitter – using a #CitiEveryStep hashtag, replying to a tweet about the campaign with the hashtag or inviting friends to sign up. For each activity, ThankYou Points from Citi's donation will be directed to the U.S. Olympic or Paralympic Sport Program specific to the fan's Team Citi athlete.

The more a fan participates, the more ThankYou Points they can direct to the Sport Program until its goal is reached. At the end of the program, the USOC will use Citi's donation to give the cash equivalent of the ThankYou Points directly to the Sport Program matched with the Team Citi athlete.

'Team Citi' Athletes for London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Citi, an official sponsor of the 2012 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams, today announced its roster of "Team Citi" athletes, comprised of two U.S. Olympic alumni and 11 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic qualifiers and hopefuls.

The "Team Citi" athletes were selected because they exemplify an unwavering commitment to excellence and demonstrate what it is possible to achieve when you reach for a dream. This unique mix of talent was gathered by Citi to support an innovative and engaging program that will debut next month. Among them, they have 21 Olympic and Paralympic medals and represent a range of sports: swimming, soccer, tennis, triathlon, track & field (Olympic/Paralympic), gymnastics, and sitting volleyball. "Team Citi" includes:

Citi, an official sponsor of the 2012 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams, announced its roster of "Team Citi" athletes. Pictured back row (left to right): Dominique Dawes, Gwen Jorgensen, Cullen Jones, Sanya Richards-Ross, Christie Rampone, Bob Bryan, Meb Keflezighi, Mike Bryan, Danell Leyva, Kari Miller and Rowdy Gaines. Front row (left to right): Carlos Leon and Amanda McGrory.

USA swimming standout and 2008 Olympic gold medalist Cullen Jones talks about what it means to be a part of Team Citi and the months ahead as he sets his sights on the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Rowdy Gaines, three-time U.S. Olympic Swimming gold medalist and Team Citi Ambassador, at the Team Citi photo shoot on February 15, 2012.

Thursday's Swim Report - Taking The Money Train Plunge

Lane 1 - ESPN Magazine posts "Taking the plunge.  Backing Olympians is a big risk for sponsors, so why is Ryan Lochte an exception?  Lochte chills with his reps from Speedo. His pre-London portfolio includes four other sponsors, and you can expect more to take the bet that he won't sink this summer."

Lane 2 - NY Times posts "Coach for Two Countries Gives Swimming His Undivided Attention.  he Olympic speech is nearly ready — not the victory speech Denis Cotterell plans to give after the big race in London, but the pep talk he plans to give to Sun Yang before the big race in London…One of Australia’s leading coaches, Cotterell now works with Sun and other Chinese swimmers, as well as the eight Australians on his elite squad."

Lane 3 - Blogging LA posts (w/video) "Theater Review: Three Year Swim Club at East West Players…Like its characters, Three Year Swim Club sets up some ambitious goals for itself, and in my estimation it does a fair job in delivering on those goals. Based on actual people and events, Three Year Swim Club tells the story of a swim coach (who says he’s not much of a swimmer) on rural Maui who begins training underdog swimmers in 1937 in the hopes of competing in the 1940 Olympics."

Lane 4 - The Telegraph posts "No more setbacks for Sullivan.  EAMON Sullivan declared himself fit, healthy and ready to race on to the Olympic swimming team yesterday, but he has revealed he repeatedly thought about quitting the sport in the last three years with TV his saviour.   Sullivan said that when down in the dumps, frustrated by illness or angry at slow post-surgery progress, he had turned on the telly to watch the news and give himself a "reality check".  Sullivan's bad days look to be in the past with the Sydney swimmer buoyant about his form heading into the London Olympics selection event."

Lane 5 - ESPN posts "'Mark the Shark' devours all.  ith British swimmers battling for qualification London 2012 at the British Championships, we look back to 1972 when a man dominated his sport.  Munich - an Olympic Games forever tainted by tragedy. Mere hours before 11 Israeli athletes were massacred by Palestinian terrorists, Mark Spitz swam his way into sport's Hall of Fame by winning an unprecedented seven gold medals."

Lane 6 - Your Houston News posts "Olympic gold medalist Jones visits Houston to advocate water safety.  Olympic swimming gold medalist Cullen Jones asked for a show of hands from students Wednesday at Spring Branch ISD’s Buffalo Creek Elementary School, gauging the responses from a line of true-or-false questions.  “I’m a swimmer,” Jones said. “How many of you guys think that’s true? My job is being a swimmer.  “How many of you think I almost drowned?”  Predictably, significantly fewer hands were raised when Jones asked the second question. As the featured speaker of the 2012 Make a Splash Tour, presented by ConocoPhillips and the USA Swimming Foundation, the world champion freestyle swimmer shared his story of being submerged in a pool at age five at the end of a water park ride and needing to be resuscitated."

Lane 7 - Worcester Telegram & Gazette posts "Coach-parent conflict splits swim team, city.  Year-long conflict between legendary coach and angry family divides team, waterlogs dynasty.  It's a tale of secret and open surveillance that pitted swimmers vs. swimmers, parents vs. parents, and fractured a program that was a major point of pride for a community needing so much to be uplifted in these tough economic times.  Heywood Wakefield … gone. Simplex … gone. Nichols & Stone … gone. But unlike the city's proud industrial past, there was this championship swim team that trained and competed in a crumbling pool built 100 years ago.  Now that, too, appears to be gone — at least as we know it."

Lane 8 - The Courier Mail posts "Geoff Huegill prepares to round out fairytale return to swimming by qualifying for third Olympics.  GEOFF Huegill has finally got to the root of his health complications and is confident he can overcome the young challengers trying to end his fairytale comeback by qualifying for a dream third Olympics.  Huegill's incredible comeback journey from obesity to Commonwealth champion enters its final chapter next week when the Olympic trials begin in Adelaide and the 33-year-old starts as the favourite in the 100m butterfly."

Monday's Swim Report - He's A Dancing Queen In A Speedo. No Not Me.

Lane 1 - The Australian posts "Rice's rivals eye gold target.  OLYMPIC champion Stephanie Rice now knows how fast she will need to swim at the Olympic trials next week to stay on pace with her rivals for the 400m individual medley title at the London Games, following world championship silver medallist Hannah Miley's impressive victory at the British selection trials yesterday."

Lane 2 - The Telegraph posts "Ian Thorpe returns to Australia 10 days before the biggest test of his swimming career.  THE Thorpedo has landed and the countdown has begun to see if he will hit his Olympic target or crash and burn.  Ian Thorpe last night arrived back in Australia, slipping back into the country via Perth with just 10 days to go until the biggest test of his swimming career."

Lane 3 - Reuters posts "Spofforth staves off retirement with London 2012 place.  World record holder Gemma Spofforth staved off retirement by digging deep to win the 100m backstroke final at the British swimming trials and qualify for her home London Olympics on Monday.  The Florida-based swimmer has unfinished business at the Olympics after finishing an agonising fourth four years ago in Beijing by 0.04 of a second.  She still has a reminder of that fourth place on her laptop as a screensaver for motivation."

Lane 4 - Wahoo It's Shark Season.  News4Jax posts "Shark attacks teen.  First attack of the season.  A teenager from Brevard county is recovering after being bitten by a shark.  This was the first reported shark attack of the season in Florida."

Lane 5 - Marketing Week posts "P&G reveals major digital Olympic campaign.  Procter & Gamble is launching a digital campaign in support of its “Thank You Mum” Olympic activity to coincide with Mother’s Day - its first major online campaign since the company revealed it was to shift a large chunk of its marketing activity to lower cost digital channels.  P&G Olympic brand ambassadors such as swimmer Keri-Anne Payne and runner Paula Radcliffe will be seen in an online video sending messages of thanks to their own mums. The video incorporates a heart symbol the athletes form with their hands, which P&G hopes “starts a movement” beyond the online video."

Lane 6 - Deadspin posts (w/video) "The American University Swim Team Went To Miami And Got Their LMFAO On."

Lane 7 - Daily Mail posts "Dancing Queen David! Speedo-wearing Walliams shows off his moves in new Sport Relief film."

Lane 8 - Marketwatch posts "ConocoPhillips and USA Swimming Foundation Bring Olympic Gold Medalist Cullen Jones to New Orleans as Part of Water Safety Tour, Educate Kids About Learning to Swim."

Thursday's Swim Report - Notes From The Rock

Lane 1 - The Canberra Times posts "'Thorpe swimming against the clock'.  World champion James Magnussen is not willing to write off Ian Thorpe but has questioned whether the Olympic great has left himself enough time to make a success of his London comeback bid.  Thorpe, 29, is putting the final touches on his preparations for next month's Olympic trials in Adelaide, where he will attempt to win a spot on his first Games team since Athens 2004."

Lane 2 - The Chicago Tribune posts "Hinsdale home with Batman-themed pool up for sale.  An English-style, east Hinsdale mansion whose 1.67-acre property holds a Batman-themed backyard swimming pool has just been listed for $2.7 million."

Lane 3 - Yahoo posts "Swimmer Brendan Hansen Looking for Redemption at the 2012 London Olympicsports posts.   Brendan Hansen has had quite an impressive swimming career. The erstwhile world record holder in both the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke events, he amassed an enviable list of accomplishments in international swimming between 2001-2008"

Lane 4 - NJ.com posts "Olympic gold medalist Cullen Jones returns to The Connection in Summit.  Swimmers and swim enthusiasts of all ages came by The Connection for Women and Families on Feb. 13 to meet former swim instructor and Olympic gold medalist Cullen Jones."

Lane 5 - Daily Trojan posts "Olympics president talks at USC.  SC’s 258 combined Olympic medals — 122 of which are gold — would rank USC No. 18 among countries if the university competed as a country. Many of those medals have come as a result of the USC men’s and women’s swimming and diving team, coached by Dave Salo.  “It’s unwritten law that [this team is] not just a collegiate program; we’re responsible for training athletes for the Olympic Games,” Salo said."

Lane 6 - Bettor.com posts "Michael Bohl admits Stephanie Rice will not be in full form for Australian Selection Trials.  Michael Bohl, coach of Australia’s one of the greatest female stars, Stephanie Rice, has admitted that his swimmer will not be fully fit for the next month’s Australian Selection Trials for the 2012 London Olympic Games."

Lane 7 - The City Wire posts "Olympic medalist Evans addresses ‘Go Red’ heart crowd.    Olympic distance swimmer Janet Evans takes her health more seriously at 40 than she did when she was winning medals at 20. She took 15 years off from swimming to marry and start a family, then in June of last year, she took a leap of faith — back into the pool."

Lane 8 - The National Enquirer posts "THE TRUTH ABOUT ALCATRAZ.  Another Alcatraz myth is that it was escape-proof, since San Francisco Bay was home to man-eating sharks. In fact, there are no man-eaters in the bay. The main obstacles were the cold temperature (averaging 50-55 degrees) and the strong currents. Although the distance to shore – 1-1/4 miles – was probably too much for the prisoners (who didn’t have exercise time in those days), it’s not an impossible task. Just prior to the institution opening in 1934, a teenage girl swam to the island. Then, in 1974, fitness guru Jack LaLanne, 60 at the time, swam from the island to the shore pulling a boat, and several years ago, two 10-year-old children also made the swim.  There were 14 escape attempts involving 34 inmates and officially, every attempt failed. But Frank Lee Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin – made famous in the 1979 Clint Eastwood meller “Escape from Alcatraz” – are still listed as missing."