I am looking for a list of Olympian Masters and what Olympics and events they particpated in. If you have such a list or know where one is, please let me know. Individual anecdotes are OK too.
Background:
I want to write to "Splash" magazine and ask them to feature some of the people on such a list when they write about great swimmers. I'm tired of reading (and having my kids read) about so-and-so great swimmer, who got to the Olympics, did great, and now swimming is behind them (i.e. they don't swim anymore). On the "mission statement" of Splash, they give lip service to a lifelong involvement with swimming, but they never seem to come up with an example of such a person.
wiredknight
David:
It does not work that way. You must qualify to swim the Olympic Trials. Once you qualify, then you swim them and must place in the final heat to have a chance to make the Olympic team. In 1968, you had to place in the top 3 to make the team and be somewhere between 4th an 6th to become an alternate. If other swimmers placed ahead of you and made it in other events, you would move up a slot.
In the last 2 days, information and evidence has been provided that says that the swimmer did not make the Olympic team. These are the reasons.
1. No proof of making the 1968 qualifing time standards for the 100 meter Back.
2. No record of any swim in the 100 meter Back in the results of the 1968 Olympic Trials.
3. No record of the swimmer on any Olympic roster by the USOC, USOA, AAU, USA Swimming, Swimming World Magazine, and the ISHOF.
4. No record in the Swimming results of the 1968 Olympics.
With these 4 points, its worthless to get any affidavit from a teammate or coach, because it has already been pointed out and impossible to dispute the 4 points I made. Perhaps Jane Swagerty Hill, Kaye Hall, Kendis Moore, Pokey Watson, and Susie Atwood can be contacted to see if they can dispute this next year at the reunion. Gail will probably talk to those people if they are there at the 2008 Olympics and see if they remember this swimmer. But with the evidence provided here, its very hard to dispute and make a claim that the swimmer was a member of the 1968 Olympic team as an alternate.
Perhaps Don Easterling and Doug Russell can be contacted about this because they know the swimmer and would be able to give us feedback on this situation. She might have been a spectator at the Olympics but not as a member of the 1968 Olympic team.
David:
It does not work that way. You must qualify to swim the Olympic Trials. Once you qualify, then you swim them and must place in the final heat to have a chance to make the Olympic team. In 1968, you had to place in the top 3 to make the team and be somewhere between 4th an 6th to become an alternate. If other swimmers placed ahead of you and made it in other events, you would move up a slot.
In the last 2 days, information and evidence has been provided that says that the swimmer did not make the Olympic team. These are the reasons.
1. No proof of making the 1968 qualifing time standards for the 100 meter Back.
2. No record of any swim in the 100 meter Back in the results of the 1968 Olympic Trials.
3. No record of the swimmer on any Olympic roster by the USOC, USOA, AAU, USA Swimming, Swimming World Magazine, and the ISHOF.
4. No record in the Swimming results of the 1968 Olympics.
With these 4 points, its worthless to get any affidavit from a teammate or coach, because it has already been pointed out and impossible to dispute the 4 points I made. Perhaps Jane Swagerty Hill, Kaye Hall, Kendis Moore, Pokey Watson, and Susie Atwood can be contacted to see if they can dispute this next year at the reunion. Gail will probably talk to those people if they are there at the 2008 Olympics and see if they remember this swimmer. But with the evidence provided here, its very hard to dispute and make a claim that the swimmer was a member of the 1968 Olympic team as an alternate.
Perhaps Don Easterling and Doug Russell can be contacted about this because they know the swimmer and would be able to give us feedback on this situation. She might have been a spectator at the Olympics but not as a member of the 1968 Olympic team.
