Are you coming to the 2004 Short Course Nationals in Indianapolis?
I will race there.
Also, on the Olympic front the first bang will be this month from the Australian Olympic Trials.
(The U.S. Olympic Trials are this year three weeks before the Olympics because the NCAA coaches who voted for this date are selfish about preserving the NCAA first;
a better timing is in the case of the Australian Trials, held five months before the Olympics.)
Thorpe entered 200, 400 and 100 free.
I wish that Klim would have been healthier and more competitive the past two years, so that he can make the Australian Team and peak in the Olympics.
Parents
Former Member
Ion, you may want to look at the actual data from 1996 and 2000 Trials and Olympics before claiming that a short time between the two meets is absolutely terrible for distance swimmers. Here's a comparison of the 12 US swimmers performance swimming the distance events (400 IM, 400 FR, W 800 FR, M 1500 FR) in these two years.
In 1996, when the Trials were in early March and the Olympics were in late July (about 20 weeks apart), 8 of the US swims were SLOWER in the Olympics than at Trials. There were no American records broken in any of these events at either meet.
In 2000, when the Trials were in early August and Olympics in mid September (just 5 weeks apart), only 4 of the US swims were slower in the Olympics than at Trials. There were 4 swims under the American record at Trials (Dolan in the 400 IM, Keller and Carvin in the 400 FR, and Vendt in the 1500). There were then 3 swims under the American record at the Olympics (Dolan in the 400 IM again - in a WR, Keller in the 400 FR, and Thompson in the 1500 FR).
Looking just at the extreme distance events (800 and 1500), 3 out of 4 were FASTER at the Olympics in 2000, while 3 out of 4 were SLOWER at the Olympics in 1996.
Didn't Phelps also swim WR times in several meets close together last year?
Based on this data, I don't agree with your assertion that it is much better for distance swimmers to hold the Trials months before the Olympics.
Ion, you may want to look at the actual data from 1996 and 2000 Trials and Olympics before claiming that a short time between the two meets is absolutely terrible for distance swimmers. Here's a comparison of the 12 US swimmers performance swimming the distance events (400 IM, 400 FR, W 800 FR, M 1500 FR) in these two years.
In 1996, when the Trials were in early March and the Olympics were in late July (about 20 weeks apart), 8 of the US swims were SLOWER in the Olympics than at Trials. There were no American records broken in any of these events at either meet.
In 2000, when the Trials were in early August and Olympics in mid September (just 5 weeks apart), only 4 of the US swims were slower in the Olympics than at Trials. There were 4 swims under the American record at Trials (Dolan in the 400 IM, Keller and Carvin in the 400 FR, and Vendt in the 1500). There were then 3 swims under the American record at the Olympics (Dolan in the 400 IM again - in a WR, Keller in the 400 FR, and Thompson in the 1500 FR).
Looking just at the extreme distance events (800 and 1500), 3 out of 4 were FASTER at the Olympics in 2000, while 3 out of 4 were SLOWER at the Olympics in 1996.
Didn't Phelps also swim WR times in several meets close together last year?
Based on this data, I don't agree with your assertion that it is much better for distance swimmers to hold the Trials months before the Olympics.
