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
I have no recollection of the "subject study" saying she swam the english channel. Where did she say that on this forum, just for reference?
Yeah, I've crossed that channel a time or two myself. After all, I went to "LSE," right Stud?
But why isn't George Brunstad's name in there?????Soloswims appears to only include swims sanctioned/observed by CSA, George swam under a CS&PF sanction.
From www.channelswimming.net a CS&PF site
Brunstad, George M Solo E/F 15hrs 59mins 08/28/2004
One more page from Swimming World, August 1966, Page 39...
Anna Lea
Great detective work. Now with this there is an established base of times in the events that we have from one year to the next. There did seem to be improvement in the 100 Back because a converted 1:18.2 LCM time is 1:08.3 which is better than the 1965 time at 1:10.7 but the 200 Back LCM time of 2:56.7 converts to a 2:34.0, which is a slight improvement of the 2:34.4 SCY time from 1965.
I recall mention of a state AAU record of 2:48 LC in 200 back. 1965? I still do not recall any english channel mention by Donna. I actually don't remember her saying anything about WRs on the forum either.
I have the page that Skip found, in PDF format. The forum software won't let me attach it because it exceeds the max size (it's 101kb; max size is 97kb). If anyone wants to see it, send me a PM with your e-mail address and I'll send it to you.
Anna Lea
Anna Lea and Kirk:
This was that Top 16 project that USA Swimming was working on. The pdf files from the 1960's are a little hard to read but they have every year in the 1960's complete with all the age groups for SCY and LCM. They even have the events that are not offered anymore like 110 distance and 220 distance and 20 yard course times.
www.usaswimming.org/.../DesktopDefault.aspx
Fortress:
Is there anything else that you have that you can contribute so we can end this. The picture and the time from the Texas State Championships has been very helpful. I assume that its Donna that is standing on the Number 1 platform. I don't really care about the English Channel stuff just the Olympic Trial/Olympics stuff that can prove the swimmer is an Olympian.
Fortress:
Is there anything else that you have that you can contribute so we can end this. The picture and the time from the Texas State Championships has been very helpful. I assume that its Donna that is standing on the Number 1 platform. I don't really care about the English Channel stuff just the Olympic Trial/Olympics stuff that can prove the swimmer is an Olympian.
That was a photo Donna gave me permission to take off from facebook. Donna is on the #1 block, as that was when she set the state record. I have a couple others. One problem is that Donna is in the Honduras, often does not have power, and her personal memorabilia are in storage in Texas. I'm not sure how much or exactly what she has been able to retrieve. Unfortunately, I think she cannot say more on advice of counsel, at this moment. I wish I could be more genuinely helpful. I am obviously not a swimming researcher and I'm not sure how much one can find on the internet.
This is an old saved article from a meet in Mexico City from 1964.
That's kind of sad...but to each their own.
I However tip my hat and to those that have achieved to me what is the one of the greatest accomplishment in sport...those that "show up" at Trials and make Top 2 (4 in relays) are worthy of having an asterick next to theri names (wether they want it or not) for the rest of their lives....and if they are competing in Masters "SWIMMING"...it would be in my opinion disgraceful of us (USMS) not to recognize them.
Paul:
I think what your saying is great and at one time we had a list published on the History and Archives section of this website but had to take it down because of examples of discussions here. I was one of 50 people on the USMS history project when it started about 8 years ago. When it came to this project, we had kind of a laissezaire attitude in the earlier stages of the project. We put anybody's name that came to us and through the course of this found that people did not belong on it. When Gail Roper got involved, it became more formal, meaning lets have proof of this accomplishement.
I made the mistake once and wanted one of my old swim coaches on the list because he was an Olympian and his name was Ron Gora. I heard he swam in the early 1970's but I did not have proof that he swam in any meets and could not find any results that he ever competed in masters even though I was told he did. So he was not included on the list. So that is the opposiite of what is being said here. George gave us 3 examples of this also.
I had the misfortune of this happening 20 years ago and when I told the guy that he was not in any of the documentation at the ISHOF, he got really mad. In fact, he got downright mean and said he was going to sue the AAU because they did not list him in any of the results in there Annual Guides regarding the Olympic Trials.
I think it would be more disgraceful to USMS to recognize somebody that did not achieve one of the greatest accomplishments of the sport than recognize masters swimmers that you are not sure about as a whole group. That is really unfortunate but like you said in your prior posts, this is happening a lot today and the military was a good example of that.
We do however have masters swimmers that are inducted into the ISHOF and I have provide a link to one of the first lists of this. That area there does not seem to have a lot of controversey like the Olympians. Since we have been discussing this, I have had one person approach me and said they had a swimmer that was an alternate on the Olympic team but could not find the name in the Olympic Trial Results. I happen to have those results and next week at a meet I plan on showing them. They do not want to say anything because in situations like this it can be embarrassing for everyone.
www.usms.org/.../honorees.htm
