Daily Swim Report - Ryan Ain't Buyin' Phelps & Other Swim Bits

Lane 1 - TMZ posts (w/video) "RYAN LOCHTE - MICHAEL PHELPS RETIRED FOR GOOD?... I Ain't Buyin' It."

Lane 2 - Page Six posts "Olympic swimmer recalls near-death drowning experience. When Jones’ mom took him for swimming lessons: “It took five different teachers to get comfortable. I started to learn at the YMCA, then [the Newark Swim Team] really cultivated my swimming skills.”

Lane 3 - Sporting News posts "Michael Phelps struggling to comprehend Olympic success. "Honestly it'll take years before I can fully comprehend everything that has happened in my career," he said Monday night at USA Swimming's Golden Goggles Awards."

Lane 4 - TODAY posts "Joseph Schooling calls for better support for local athletes. “When I race, what’s on my chest? It’s not my name, it’s the Singapore flag. Do you think it’s fair my parents pay all this money and suffer for me to represent my country? That’s their decision to support me, there should be better support if a person is serious and competitive enough to change their lifestyle drastically to try to bring glory and honour to our country."

Cullen Jones on being a role model in the African-American community

Four-time Olympic Medalist, Cullen Jones, discusses what it means being a role model and an Olympic champion in the African-American community despite the misconceptions and stereotypes that swimmers of color face. He shares his thoughts on swimming becoming a more inclusive sport and how he one day will pass on the torch to the younger generation.

Monday's Swim Report - #LA24 & Other Swim Bits

Lane 1 - LA Daily News posts "How would a 2024 Olympics in L.A. differ from 1984? “We’ve made significant progress and are awaiting council approval before taking any next steps,” Jeff Millman, spokesman for LA24, the private nonprofit formed to plan the city’s bid, said Saturday."

Lane 2 - Deadspin posts "An Adult's Guide To Learning To Swim."

Lane 3 - The Detroit News posts "Olympic hopeful makes push for black swimmers. In fact, it wasn’t until the 2000 Sydney Games that Anthony Ervin became the first swimmer of African-American descent to make the U.S. Olympic team, where he won gold in the 50 freestyle and silver in the 400 freestyle relay. Four years later, Maritza Correia became the first African-American woman to make the squad, helping secure the silver medal in the 400 freestyle relay in Athens. By the time the 2012 London Games rolled around, though, only three of the 47 members of the U.S. swim team were African-American."

Lane 4 - The Sydney Morning Herald posts "Aussie Daniel Tranter makes cut for elite squad with Michael Phelps in America. Daniel Tranter, who won the 200-metre individual medley at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, left home in January to train under Phelps' coach Bob Bowman at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club. Bowman, who coached Phelps to 18 Olympic gold medals, relocated to Arizona while Tranter has been back in Australia waiting upon the US government to approve his professional athlete's visa."

Lane 5 - Channel NewsAsia posts (w/video) "'It shows that I’m doing well': Schooling on popularity in Singapore. The 20-year-old swimmer says that he is aiming for a medal at next year's Olympic Games."

Lane 6 - The Root posts "Olympic Gold-Medal Swimmer Who Almost Drowned as a Child Is Devoted to Teaching Kids How to Swim. The USA Swimming Foundation’s Make a Splash initiative is well on its way to teaching 800,000 children to swim by the end of 2015 with the help of Olympian Cullen Jones."

USA Swimming - Race for Gold: Cullen Jones and the Make a Splash Initiative

Olympic gold medalist Cullen Jones shares stories about his work with the USA Swimming Foundation's Make a Splash Initiative.

Sunday's Swim Report - Relive Swimming & Other Swim Bits

Lane 1 - OC Register posts "Can't fill it? Drought is a drain on Orange County swimming pools. The Santa Margarita Water District’s new ordinance to fight drought prohibits the filling of pools."

Lane 2 - Youtube posts "Cullen Jones and Ryan Lochte ALS Ice Bucket Challenge."

Lane 3 - Capitol Hill Seattle Blog posts "Gay Games medalists, casual butterfliers part of Capitol Hill’s Orca Swim Team. Join the Orca Swim Team. The Capitol Hill-based team practices six days a week out of the Connolly Center Pool at Seattle University."

Lane 4 - Nine posts "Aussie swim coaches in stripper scandal. Australian swimming coaches hosted parties involving strippers and binge-drinking during annual bonding sessions at a Gold Coast hotel, according to an official investigation."

Lane 5 - Yonhap posts "Chinese swimmer Sun Yang throws down gauntlet against Park Tae-hwan. China's flamboyant swimming star Sun Yang has publicly thrown down the gauntlet against South Korean Olympic gold medalist Park Tae-hwan at the Asian Games set to start in the South Korean port city of Incheon a week later."

Lane 6 - LA Times posts "Doctor's weight-loss order pushed her into the pool; now she's a champ. Her doctor's words shook her like an earthquake: "If you don't lose weight, you won't get to your 60th birthday." Vivian Stancil, a retired Long Beach schoolteacher, was 50. She stood 5 feet tall and weighed 319 pounds. Nearly two decades later, at 67, Stancil not only lived but became one of the country's most honored age-group Senior Olympics swimmers, with 176 medals. In June, 1976 Olympic gold-medal swimmer John Naber presented her with the prestigious Personal Best Award, given once a year to the senior athlete who best helps to spread the word about health and wellness."

Lane 7 - USA Swimming posts "Swim 1922 Fashion Show 2014. "Stomp the Runway" was an event done in conjunction with the Swim 1922 Partnership between USA Swimming and historically black sorority, Sigma Gamma Rho. Over a thousand people were in attendance during the Sigma Gamma Rho 55th Annual Conference to see looks provided by USA Swimming sponsors, TYR, ARENA, and SPEEDO."

Lane 8 -  Olympic posts (w/video) "Relive Munich 1972 with swimming superstar Shane Gould. More than 40 years have elapsed since Australia’s Shane Gould lit up the pool at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, winning five medals – three of them gold - before deciding to quit swimming shortly afterwards. In the latest of our “Words of Olympians” series, she looks back on her fleeting but hugely successful Olympic career."

Wednesday's Swim Report - Amazement Awaits & Other Swim Bits

Lane 1 - PR Web posts "The Race Club Announces Open Enrollment for Their Summer Camp. From June 19th through July 3rd, swimmers from all over can come to the Race Club to work on their technique. The superior swim club allows campers to choose their own workout schedule and enjoy the Florida Keys."

Lane 2 - Go Swim posts "Turns - Air Control Flip Turn. Many swimmers, especially ones still learning, can tend to allow too much air to escape during the flip turn. This is done to make sure no water goes UP the nose, but it also has a detrimental effect on your pushoff."

Lane 3 - NBC Sports posts "Tyler Clary eyes NASCAR after swimming at Rio Olympics. “I’m one of those guys who has a screw loose,” Clary said with a smile, according to the AP. “I’d rather go out with a big, fiery crash than slowly dying in my bed as an old guy.”

Lane 4 - Daily Telegraph posts "I thought Kieren was too good, says Perkins’ fiancee Karen Davis. KIEREN Perkins’ fiancee has spoken for the first time about her love for the former Olympic swimmer, saying she felt unworthy of his ­affections. “Kieren proposed in Hobart and my first reaction is, ‘Are you sure?’” Karen Davis said."

Lane 5 - Nottingham Post has "Becky's lesson for 'teacher'. OLYMPIC swimmer Rebecca Adlington has been putting Waterloo Road star Jason Done through his paces in preparation for a charity swim."

Lane 6 - LA Wave posts "Swimming lessons. Olympic swimmer Cullen Jones teaches kids about water safety in the USA Swimming Foundation's highly touted Make a Spalsh program."

Lane 7 - Team USA posts "Amazement Awaits - Dr. Maya Angelou. In 2008, Dr. Maya Angelou was inspired to write the poem "Amazement Awaits" in honor of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The poem reflects the unity of the human experience and triumph over strife and doubt that brings all athletes together at the Olympic Games."

Lane 8 - News13 posts "Preventing child drownings. Studies show drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children ages 1 through 4, while minority children are three times more likely to drown. So what can parents do to protect children and prevent drowning when near the water? We asked former U.S. Olympic swimmer and three-time gold medalist Rowdy Gaines how to stay safe in the water."

Saturday's Swim Report - Nathan Adrian, Cullen Jones, Eddie Moses, Natalie Coughlin, Jessica Hardy & More Swim Bits

Lane 1 - Columbia Daily Tribune posts "Q&A with six-time Olympic medalist Rebecca Soni. I had the chance to sit down with Rebecca Soni for an interview Thursday morning before Soni spoke at the Women’s Intersport Network for Columbia awards luncheon at Columbia College."

Lane 2 - Swimming Australia posts "Trials SwimFan Skill Session Saturday - Canberra."

Lane 3 - Daily Mail posts "Oh jeah! Ryan Lochte displays his impressive six pack as he poses in just a tiny pair of Speedos. Dream team: Ryan joined fellow swimmers Nathan Adrian, Cullen Jones, Eddie Moses, Natalie Coughlin, and Jessica Hardy on the shoot for Speedo."

Lane 4 - WDEL 1150AM posts (w/video) "Olympic Gold Medalist speaks to Wilm. youth.  Kids in the Walnut Street YMCA's Water Wise program got to hold a real Olympic Gold Medal as part of a special presentation. Eric Shanteau was part of the winning 4 by 100 relay swim team in London two years ago, and while the kids' eyes lit up at the sight and feel of a surprisingly heavy gold medal, Shanteau was also looking to pass along the importance of being safe near the water."

Lane 5 - - Alijazeera America posts "Meet the Syrian Olympian paying his own way to Rio. The headline still upsets the California lifeguard with the giant hands. “Azad al-Barazi: Swimming for Assad.” In the weeks before the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Azad al-Barazi, a Saudi-born, California-raised Olympic swimmer of Syrian descent, was labeled as something else: The Olympian competing for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Usually patient and steadfast, the line tweaked the apolitical al-Barazi. Assad is not – and never has been – motivation for al-Barazi, now 26. In fact, he doesn’t even like him. “I can say this to you right now, because I live in the U.S.: I’m not with [Assad] at all,” he said. “We don’t like him at all. It’s nice being in the U.S. and being able to say that.” He pauses before finishing his thought: “In Syria, I’d be killed.”

Lane 6 - USC Trojans posts "USC Holds Grand Opening For Uytengsu Aquatics Center. Trojans then host first ever meet at new facility against Utah. Less than a year and half after its groundbreaking, USC held the grand opening of the Uytengsu Aquatics Center on Friday (Feb. 21) and celebrated the historic day with the first competition at the new facility, a six-event abbreviated meet against Utah to be followed by a full schedule Saturday at noon. Making up the close to 1,000 in attendance were many former swimmers, divers and water polo players, including former NCAA title winners and Olympic gold medalists Rebecca Soni, Kaitlin Sandeno and Lenny Krayzelburg."

Lane 7 - Go Swim posts "Breaststroke - Sweep In to Air. This week's drill is really about a question, do you go to air in breaststroke when the hands are sweeping out, or when the hands are sweeping in?"

Lane 8 - The Guardian posts "Charlotte Dawson found dead in her inner-Sydney home. Police say there are no suspicious circumstances around the death of the former judge of Australia’s Next Top Model. She had been married to the former Olympic swimmer Scott Miller."

BONUS:

Sunday's Swim Report - 100x100 Reasons To Swim & Other Swim Bits

Lane 1 - Belfast Telegraph posts "Charity swim smashes world record.  Olympic medal-winning swimmers Becky Adlington and Michael Jamieson battled their way to a Guinness World Record 100 x 100m swimming relay title to raise tens of thousands of pounds for cancer research."

Lane 2 - Sportsgrid posts "Which Is More Ridiculous: This Mexican Skier’s Uniform, Or Singapore Water Polo’s Speedos?"

Lane 3 - The West Australian posts "Swim team out to prove its quality.  Disharmony in the Australian camp seemed a distant memory as the nation's best swimmers arrived in Perth for the BHP Billiton Aquatic Super Series at Challenge Stadium, starting tonight."

Lane 4 - News.com posts "Australian swimmers will shine at Rio Olympics in 2016 says head coach Jacco Verhaeren.  HEAD coach Jacco Verhaeren has predicted an immediate Olympic bounce back by Australia at Rio in 2016 with the new team boss impressed by the existing stars and emerging teenage talent in the pool."

Lane 5 - MIT News posts "Olympian Cullen Jones spends day with MIT's Amphibious Achievement.  Gold medalist makes a splash with high school swimmers at the Zesiger Center Pool."

Lane 6 - The Telegraph posts "Ian Thorpe is preparing to flee Australia to escape public scrutiny over his health. His mother Margaret Thorpe said her son was now considering cutting short his visit to Sydney and returning to his home in Switzerland.  "That's why he loves living in Switzerland - he's left alone," Ms Thorpe said.  She was speaking after Thorpe was visited by fitness guru and long-time friend Christian Miranda at her home in Panania, in Sydney's southwest, where he has been staying since being released from Bankstown Hospital."

Lane 7 - Go Swim posts " Breaststroke - Kick with a Board.  We love using a board when kicking breaststroke, but using proper form matters even when doing this standard part of workout."

Lane 8 - The Independent posts "Do Olympic or competitive swimmers ever pee in the pool?  Nearly 100 per cent of elite competitive swimmers pee in the pool. Regularly. Some deny it, some proudly embrace it, but everyone does it."

Friday's Swim Report - Make A Splash in 2014 & Other Swim Bits

Lane 1 - Lancaster Guardian posts "Olympic gold medallist Rebecca Adlington takes New Year dip at Carnforth pool."

Lane 2 - TRX Training posts "Make A Splash In 2014.  Natalie Coughlin shares her tips on time management to help you make 2014 awesome. Get more healthy tips for the new year from Natalie and TRX at www.facebook.com/trxtraining."

Lane 3 - TribLIVE posts "Greensburg's Kuzmkowski logs more than 2,000 miles in pool.  John Kuzmkowski has accomplished something he does not expect to repeat as a member of the U.S. Masters Swimming Go the Distance program at the Greensburg YMCA.  Kuzmkowski, 59, logged 2,215.63 miles in 2013, the most of all participants reported nationwide so far."

Lane 4 - WSAV posts "Chatham Aquatic Center Finalist to Win Visit from Olympic Swimmer Cullen Jones.  Here's your chance to help the Chatham County Aquatic Center make a splash of Olympic proportions. All you have to do is like the facility's picture on the USA Swimming Foundation Facebook page. The foundation recently released its 5 finalists for its "Win a Visit from Cullen Jones Contest" and Chatham County is on the list."

Lane 5 - Trinidad Express posts "George Bovell Clinic set for next week.  World Championship bronze medallist George Bovell is keen to give back to young swimmers and impart key competition skills, and will be doing so with three swim clinics and a coaches symposium, free of charge from January 9-11.   The title of the event is the George Bovell Dive In Free Swim Clinic."

Lane 6 - Daily Express posts "The waterbike workout: Can hydro-spinning tone my thighs?  WITH Pippa Middleton giving the 'waterbike' a whirl, our intrepid reporter tries out Hydrofit, the exercise routine that feels like cycling in the bath."

Lane 7 - Team USA posts "Michael Phelps | Great Moments In Team USA History.  Relive the six medals won at the 2012 London Olympic Games that made Michael Phelps the most decorated Olympian of all time with a total of 22 medals."

Lane 8 - US Masters Swimming posts "Mighty Monofin.  Training with a monofin can propel you to greater strength and speed.  FINIS Founder and CEO, John Mix has been a fan of the monofin for quite some time. Mix had been a professional water polo player and he'd first encountered the monofin in Europe. Upon his return to the U.S., he launched FINIS and made the monofin its first product."

Thursday's Swim Report - Best Stroke Forward & Other Swim Bits

Lane 1 - The Press-Enterprise posts "Couple invents swim aid to save lives.  Their new swim aid is such a simple device that its creators wonder why no one had invented it before.  Called the Rip Rescue, the name packs a triple punch. It utilizes a rip cord to take the R.I.P. out of rip tides. These powerful, channeled rip currents flowing away from shore cause more than 100 deaths a year, according to the United States Lifesaving Association."

Lane 2 - Speedo UK posts "Speedo Advisors | Improving the strength of your lungs and breath control by Karen Pickering. How to improve the strength of your lungs and breath control whilst swimming.  Swimming advice and tips from our expert advisor Karen Pickering, Swim Fitness Coach."

Lane 3 - Haute Living posts "Olympic Swimmers Ryan Lochte, Cullen Moses and Ed Moses Celebrate the New Year at SHe by Morton’s."

Lane 4 - Trinidad Express posts "BOVELL’S BEST STROKE.  George Bovell is the Express Individual of the Year 2013.  Bovell believes 2013 has been his “greatest year ever in swimming”, despite having represented Trinidad and Tobago in four consecu­tive Olympic Games, including winning this country’s first ever medal for swimming at that level."

Lane 5 - The Telegraph posts "Former Olympic swimmer Grant Hackett putting a devastating few years behind him.  AFTER a devastating couple of years on the home front, retired Olympic swimmer Grant Hackett looks to be finally putting an ugly marriage breakup behind him and moving on.  The former 1500m freestyle champion was spotted enjoying a rare Christmas visit with his two children on the Gold Coast last week."

Lane 6 - The Westmorland Gazette posts "Olympic gold medallist swimmer Rebecca Adlington visits Kendal pool.   AN Olympic gold medallist surprised a pool full of swimmers when she called into Kendal’s Lakes Leisure centre for a dip.  Rebecca Adlington, who won two Olympic golds during her career, posed for photos, and chatted with youngsters, after popping into the Burton Road centre on Monday."

Lane 7 - ISHOF posts "more missy franklin.  One of the most frequently asked questions at the Hall of Fame are why aren't Missy and Michael in the Hall of Fame. The easy answer is that our rules require them to be retired for five years from international/national competition. But these two are the faces of swimming and ISHOF will endeavor to add more exhibits about these two living legends in the coming months."

Lane 8 - WSJ posts "An Ironman Who Wasn't Fit Enough.  How CEO of Skullcandy Became a CrossFit Convert.  When Hoby Darling, the CEO of Skullcandy Inc., SKUL +0.14% was training for the Ironman 70.3 Hawaii, he thought he was the epitome of fitness. But after the 2009 race, which consisted of a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride, and a 13.1-mile run, Mr. Darling realized being fit for endurance races wasn't the same as being fit overall."