I just wanted to start this thread to share different interesting or unusual things you noticed about swimmers during Olympics(technique, swimwear, etc.).Here are some of mine:
1)Andriy Sedinov of Ukraine, bronze in 100m. had the excess strings hanging down from the goggles all the way to his chin. what is up with that?talk about extra drag...well, maybe he did not pack scissors with him to Athens,lol
2)Natalie Coughlin had two swim caps with goggles straps between them - she was probably thinking WORLD RECORD and was concerned the new speed would flush one cap away or something - so she put on two for reassurance, haha.But seriously - does she always do that and what is the purpose of that?
3)Wu Peng of China, 5th in 200m fly had some crazy kicking technique I have never seen before.It looks like he does 3 kicks, there is just CONSTANT kicking there.Take a look if you have a video from Athens, it looks bizarre!
4)Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe, 200m backstroke gold medal and more wore something resembling a World War II helmet rather than a swim cap.I have no clue what on earth that was.Again I suggest you see that.
5)Eva Risztov of Hungary amazed me by "breaking" one of the first rules you learn in backstroke - still head position.Watch her 400 IM final race - her head is jerking all over the place like she is sightseeing or something.I don't know, maybe it doe something beneficial to the flow of her stroke.
6)Stanislava Komarova of Russia, silver in 200m backstroke swims her races with NO goggles.I guess it is not that bad in backstroke, though...
Any other interesting observations?
Bill, having been on the national team and gone on international trips before, I can answer your observation about the media.
When the national team is going to larger meets (Pan Pacs, Pan Ams, Worlds or Olympics), they must spend a day in media training. Must. MUST. MUST! These meets are often swarming with media of all kinds from all over the world asking all sorts of questions. At the Olympics, some, like Phelps, were experienced in getting the usual boring questions. Others, like Lochte, were new to it and still hadn't grasped the concept.
But the media training helps everyone. You are taught to answer with as few "ums" and "uhs" as possible. Try to not breathe heavily into the microphone. Smile even if you got silver. Remember that you are representing the United States of America.
Not everyone remembers the lessons in the heat of the interview minutes after winning gold or losing the gold by hundredths of a second.
Ten years away from my last stint on the national team, and these words still stick with me.
And....
As I mentioned in my previous post, Natalie did not wear the helmet cap. They were just made of a better material than regular caps.
Bill, having been on the national team and gone on international trips before, I can answer your observation about the media.
When the national team is going to larger meets (Pan Pacs, Pan Ams, Worlds or Olympics), they must spend a day in media training. Must. MUST. MUST! These meets are often swarming with media of all kinds from all over the world asking all sorts of questions. At the Olympics, some, like Phelps, were experienced in getting the usual boring questions. Others, like Lochte, were new to it and still hadn't grasped the concept.
But the media training helps everyone. You are taught to answer with as few "ums" and "uhs" as possible. Try to not breathe heavily into the microphone. Smile even if you got silver. Remember that you are representing the United States of America.
Not everyone remembers the lessons in the heat of the interview minutes after winning gold or losing the gold by hundredths of a second.
Ten years away from my last stint on the national team, and these words still stick with me.
And....
As I mentioned in my previous post, Natalie did not wear the helmet cap. They were just made of a better material than regular caps.
