the17thman

AQUAview - Michael Phelps

Ford McClave-US PRESSWIRE USA Olympic Media Event

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...

Friday's Swim Report - Move Over Angry Birds and Make Room For Angry Swimmer

Lane 1 - News.com posts "Candice Alley says her twins have saved her since split with Hackett.  CANDICE Alley said her twins have saved her as she approaches her first Mother's Day as a single woman after splitting with husband Grant Hackett last week."

Lane 2 - WSJ posts "Trials and Tribulations of the Angry Swimmer.   Disqualified From the Beijing Games, 100-Meter Breaststroke Champion Jessica Hardy Seeks Redemption.  Jessica Hardy is still fuming.  Four years after her energy-drink sponsor allegedly spiked Hardy with a banned substance, disqualifying her from the 2008 Olympics, Hardy is still swimming angry. When others reminisce about medals they won in Beijing, her fury grows."

Lane 3 - UT San Diego posts "OLYMPIC DISTANCE NO PLACE FOR DRAFT DODGERS.  Controversial practice will be part of the action during bike portion of Mission Bay races"

Lane 4 - The Washington Post has "Aussie swimmer ‘Missile’ Magnussen aims to be the Big Kahuna of the Olympic pool.   James Magnussen held the biceps-bulging flex a little longer than he usually would, emphasizing the time he’d swum and how it set him up for the Olympics.He already had the world title in the 100-meter freestyle, and been given “The Missile” nickname to add some zing to his growing profile. But he’d been sick all week and hadn’t even bothered shaving down for his shot at Cesar Cielo’s world record of 46.91 seconds, which most pundits expected to stand for a long time because it was set in one of the now-banned rubberized suits."

Lane 5 - CNN posts (w/video) "Swim lessons help minority children break cycle."

Lane 6 - SI posts "Japan will continue altitude training despite fears."

Lane 7 - Gawker posts (w/video) "Olympic Flame Went Out During the Opening Torch Ceremony; Olympics Are Canceled Now."

Lane 8 - Chicago Tribune posts "Michael Phelps a global icon, proud Baltimore native.  After 14 gold medals, Olympian from Rodgers Forge still cherishes time at home"

USA Swimming - Michael Phelps pre-Charlotte Grand Prix

Michael Phelps and Bob Bowman talk to the media before the Charlotte Grand Prix begins

Thursday's Swim Report - Taking The Pool Party To The Streets

Lane 1 - nine/msn posts "Aussie Olympians to get recovery boost.  Australian athletes are set to reap the benefits of a bigger and better recovery centre for the London Olympics, with hopes it can bridge the all-important gap between silver and gold or making the podium at all."

Lane 2 - Evening Standard posts "Power is my secret weapon for London 2012 Olympics glory, says Fran Halsall.  Swimmer shatters perceptions of the stereotypical athlete but has the talent to be Britain’s golden girl of the Games."

Lane 3 - sport24 posts "Road to London: Chad le Clos.  In the eighth in a series of Q 'n A style interviews with South African sportsmen and women ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Graeme Joffe chats to SA swimming sensation, Chad le Clos."

Lane 4 - Houston News posts "Cancer survivor, Olympic athlete featured speaker at CanCare lunch.  At 24 years old, Eric Shanteau was feeling a bit like Superman.  A swimmer with Olympic aspirations, he was in the best shape of his life and feeling the competitive edge as he faced the 2008 Olympic trials.  Then a six-letter word nearly stopped him in his tracks.  On June 19, 2008, Shanteau was diagnosed with testicular cancer."

Lane 5 - SI posts "Phelps discusses early retirement, training, London Games and more."

Lane 6 - Gay Star News posts "Soho Speedo splash!  Our reporter dons a pair of Speedos and hits the streets of London’s Soho – all for a good cause...This summer my swimming club, Out To Swim, is holding a pool party at the Brockwell Park Lido in South London.  As with any community-based organisation, getting the budget right on something like this is essential – not only do we need to sell enough tickets to cover the costs of the event, but we’re raising money (to provide dedicated swimming lessons for people living with HIV and AIDS), so we also need to sell enough tickets to make it worthwhile."  More info at http://www.eventelephant.com/OTSsummerpoolparty2012 .  The Gay Games Blog posts "London Orcas brave the cold streets of Soho to promote coming pool party.  A message from Gareth Johnson from the Out to Swim London swim club:  Well that was an interesting experience!  As part of our PR drive for the Out To Swim Pool Party 2012, our social rep Ming organised a Soho Speedo Splash!  It was the Sunday evening of the May Bank Holiday weekend, and at 19:00 a hardy group of eight OTS-ers assembled at Rupert Street. In the squad were Ming, Ian E, Gareth W, Andrejus L, Tommy T, Stephen L, Tristan G (our official photographer) and myself. It wasn't really until we were all there that it kind of hit me that it was only Ming and myself who had agreed to strip down to speedos, everyone else was keeping their OTS t-shirts (and jeans) safely on…"

Lane 7 - WTSP posts "SHARK ATTACK: German tourist Karin Ulrike Stei in hospital after Vero Beach attack.  German tourist was bitten by a shark at Humiston Beach.  Vero Beach Police report it happened near at 3000 Ocean Drive. Police identified the victim as Karin Ulrike Stei, 47, of Konstanz, Germany. Her bite wounds go from her thigh to below her knee -- eyewitnesses say the shark attack severed her femoral artery and removed a large portion of her upper thigh."

Lane 8 - SI posts "American Olympic hopeful Jessica Hardy is peerless in the pool."

Hilton HHonors & Michael Phelps

Check out some behind-the-scenes video footage from a shoot we did with HHonors Diamond Member, Michael Phelps. Get to know him better as he takes his journey toward London.

National Water-Safety Month Michael Phelps Foundation PSA

May is National-Water Safety Month, the Michael Phelps Foundation provides water-safety, health and wellness instructions to thousands of kids in need. To find out more information, see pictures and testimonials, visit www.facebook.com/michaelphelpsfoundation. To make a donation, please visit www.michaelphelpsfoundation.org/donate.php. Thank you for your support in helping such an important issue throughout the world!

Sunday's Swim Report - Wrath of the Speedo!

Lane 1 - LA Times posts "Swimmer Jason Lezak goes solo to prepare for Olympic trials.  The 36-year-old, known for being a member of the U.S. relay team that helped Michael Phelps win his eighth gold medal in Beijing, sees no need for a coach as he tries to qualify for his fourth Games."

Lane 2 - "Interview! Michael Phelps at Shogun I in Baltimore, MD.  Mike Van Horn from Shogun get's Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelp's take on the first legally sanctioned MMA event in MD." via youtube

Lane 3 - Richmond Times-Dispatch posts "Virginia Senior Games.  Even at the Virginia Senior Games, Marie Kelleher is in a class by herself.  The 50-and-older athletic challenge has only one swimmer in the 95 to 99 age category. That's Kelleher. Next year, the games may have to include a category for swimmers over 100, since she will celebrate her centennial birthday later this year."

Lane 4 - The Australian posts "No winners in the saga that offers a warning to all young athletes.  LAURIE Lawrence has spent a lifetime turning underdogs into winners, but he is adamant there are no winners in the ongoing Nick D'Arcy-Simon Cowley saga.  It took a new twist on the weekend with allegations by Cowley, the former Australian swimmer king-hit by D'Arcy the night the 2008 Beijing Olympic team was announced, that Swimming Australia cut a secret deal with D'Arcy for him to drop threatened legal action against the organisation before welcoming him back into the Olympic team."

Lane 5 - LA Times posts "Olympic swimmer Eric Shanteau is living with his decisions.  Eric Shanteau, a 2008 Olympian who hopes to compete in the breaststroke this summer in London, has taken some unconventional paths in life, most notably in his battle against testicular cancer."

Lane 6 - USA Today posts "Dana Vollmer healthy, happy with new diet, training.  Dana Vollmer was the youngest swimmer in the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2000, just 12 years old. Three years later, she encountered the first of a series of medical and physical problems that would haunt her career for nearly a decade.  Today Vollmer, 24, is healthy, happy and reigning world champion in the 100-meter butterfly. She is targeting an Olympic berth in that event, the 200 freestyle and the 200 free relay."

Lane 7 - Mashable posts "For Lower-Profile Olympians, Social Media a Key to Branding Success.  Ricky Berens is a world-class athlete, but he’s no Michael Phelps…Berens began boosting his social presence, primarily on Twitter and Facebook, about a year ago with consulting help from the new media marketing company Spiracle Media. Since then, he’s says he’s secured sponsorship deals with BMW, Got Chocolate Milk and TYR. Those deals were made possible by a number of factors, but Berens says he’s sure his social media efforts played a crucial role. "

Lane 8 - The Independent posts "Wrath of the waterboys.  A male synchronised swimming team from London is furious at the Olympic Games' ban on men.  At a central London sports centre, six hairy legs emerge from a swimming pool in time to a beat before coquettishly disappearing again. This is Britain's only men's synchronised swimming team – the Out to Swim Angels – and they want to know why men are barred from the sport at the Olympics."

60 Minutes - Preview: Michael Phelps

The Olympic gold wunderkind is back to a strict training regimen after a lull that included some fun downtime and unimpressive races. He tells Anderson Cooper he's ready for the London Games in a profile on Sunday, May 6 at 7 p.m. ET/PT. Michael Phelps says he's ready for London Games

Michael Phelps Foundation IM Program 2011

Recap of the Michael Phelps Foundation IM Program Impact in 2011. For more information on the Michael Phelps Foundation visit www.facebook.com/MichaelPhelpsFoundation