This "petition" (if you can call it that) is to get your people (OK, you) talking to Michael's people (I imagine he has some) to encourage him to chart his re-debut into the world of 'elite' swimming via USMS (e.g., much like Dara and Janet before him). To ensure maximum exposure in the major media and swimming markets, might I propose this schedule of events:
SPMA SCM Championships -- 1st week in December
What better place to start on the road back than in the commercial shadows of LA-LA land?
Add a fundraiser to help support the quicker re-opening of Belmont Pool
New England SCM Championships -- 2nd week in December
Michael can quell fears right off the bat that he’s in shape to take on the grueling schedule of the world cup meets with this back-to-back, bi-coastal meet the following weekend
Ford Masters Polar Bear Meet -- late January, Tucson
Lest we deny him pleasure, Michael can add this meet onto his likely planned attendance at the Phoenix Open golf tournament around the same time
As an added bonus and to ensure the media comes to this admittedly small market, ensure Michael has some real competition by making sure Matt Grevers and the Ford men are registered with USMS and ready to race
In February, we’ll have to be a bit more creative, but let’s use that creativity to show off USMS by arranging some head to head handicapped competitions (with betting) between Michael and some of the Masters greats by putting on a meet near your HQ in Sarasota. Here’s what I’m thinking:
“Battle of the Ages” – Michael gets on the blocks to race the 100 free versus Rowdy and Rich Abrahams; each of Rich and Rowdy get an appropriate head-start (based upon a formula TBD) to try to ensure a photo finish
Gambling proceeds split between USMS charity and USA swimming charity that Rowdy promotes
“Mike Likes Breasts” – similar format, though Michael might need a headstart, when we pit him against Steve West, Jeff Commings and David Guthrie in the 100 ***
Betting on this race with part of the proceeds benefiting some *** cancer foundation
“Stoke the rumors” that Michael has not given up racing the Greatest Event of All Time where we put up a Masters 4 x 100 medley relay against Michael doing a straight 400 IM
Bonus media coverage if you can convince Ryan Lochte to trek over from Gainesville to do a head-to-head
Global coverage will ensue if you can get Chad Le Clos to pop in to go head-to-head
I haven’t figured out how we’d select our Masters team, but there would need to be some cash changing hands, again to support some charity TBD
By March, we’ll need to get Michael to the Lone Star state to swim at the Texas Swim Center –
Time this to coincide with Men’s NCAA championships (before as a ‘warmup’ event) = earn brownie points with NCAAs for USMS by getting more swimfans into the stands
Get Ande Rassmussen to work on Whitney Hedgepath for a Masters meet there on Tuesday night before NCAAs – thinking along the lines of a college dual meet format with something like an east vs west (we’ll need to bring Aaron Piersol out of retirement to be the ‘ringer’ on the west team)
But, since we’re all about maximizing media coverage and nothing stokes the media like controversy, we arrange an UNSANCTIONED ‘celebrity pro-am’ Olympic distance triathlon on Wednesday before NCAAs as a fundraiser for whatever foundation it is that USMS has. Here’s the idea:
Three triathlon teams will be fielded with one ‘pro’ on each team
Team Michael will, of course, feature Michael as the swimmer
Team Lance will, naturally, feature Lance on the bike
Team FAST RUNNER TBD will feature some guy who’s a famous fast runner and a media draw (I’d like it to be Usain, but doubt he can handle the distance)
Charity funds will be raised by pairs of people vying to be teammates for each of these teams
There will be a fourth ‘ALL-AM’ team in the competition comprised of Masters athletes
This, too, will be a fundraiser, though we’ll encourage ‘all star Masters’ teams to engage in Kickstarter campaigns to be selected
We’ll give Michael the month of April off from competition so that he can be tapered and ready to roll, using Masters Nationals in one of his favorite pools (and a great swimming-media market) as the final leg of his Masters comeback
Bonus coverage for USMS if you can convince Cal and Stanford Olympians to skip a day or two of classes (we all know those schools are ‘fluff’ anyway) to race and do ‘welcome back Michael’ interviews
Oh yeah, and he gets to keep any records he sets in USMS meets.
Pretty simple, eh?
