for those who love swimming
enjoy
The Mutual of Omaha Duel in the Pool is Tuesday
In just its second year, the Mutual of Omaha Duel in the Pool – held this year in Irvine, Calif., on Aug. 2 – will be a coming out party for some young stars, a chance for established stars to continue their domination and a chance for standouts entering their final quadrennial to further cement their legacies.
http://www.duelinthepool.com/
you'll find results at
http://www.omegatiming.com/
Former Member
Any predictions? I am keeping my fingers crossed that Phelps, Hansen, Crocker, Peirsol, Coughlin, Hoff, and Sandeno put up a good fight and take another victory for the US. I don't want to have people over to watch the US lose this weekend you know!
I was off about Ian going for his record, but not about Liesel. Boy, was she close!
Can't wait to see Brendan's 100 ***. Ever since 2003 Worlds, I've been anxious to see a sub-1:00 *** race. Hope they don't show the last 5 meters like they did at Trials.
This happened in 1988, when the US was riding on the shoulders of Janet Evans and Matt Biondi. Does anyone really remember anyone else (besides maybe Jager)? David Berkoff didn't perform as well as we hoped, distance free was laughable, and Mike Barrowman was just coming out of his shell.
Then 1992 came around and everything was getting better.
Everything happens in cycles. I expect 2008 to be USA Swimming's last great year until some other phenom comes along. It'll be the last hurrah for Phelps, Hoff and Katie Ziegler.
Seemed like a relatively uneventful meet to me. A couple of good swims, but for the most part there were some really off times.
If you take Thorpe and Hackett out of the Aussie line up, they have very little left. I think Australia better get their feeder programs going because when those two retire, they're virtually sunk.
Then again, the US swimming age group enrollment for boys is hurtin' pretty bad as well. Phelps is not a reflection of the general popularity and sucess of the sport here in the US. He is a lucky anomolly. We've got problems when it comes to increasing male enrollment and future success as well.
John Smith
I agree about age group participation for boys. At USA swimming meets in our area, we typically have more than 2x the number of girls' heats compared to boys' heats. High school swimming is still somewhat popular, but unfortunately many of those participants aren't year-round swimmers.
Strange that our men's team is so strong despite this problem. It seems like right now we're riding the strength of Phelps and the Texas boys. Hopefully, we're not headed for a downturn when those guys retire.
there's no need to worry
there will always be new crops of amazing elite swimmers
here's a few names to watch in the future
Taylor Smith 16, from California went 4:28 in the 500 free and swims just like Klete Keller.
Shane Fleming 13, from California went 24.7 recently in the 50 LCM free and as a 12 year old shane went 1:58 in the 200 y back. He's a scrawny 6'4" but still growing. his dad is 6'10"
Circle C may have a few phenoms emerge like Scott Spann
As a high school Junior I think he went 1:56 in the 200 ***
don't fret
there will be more
ande
Phelps is already talking 2012 ... Ziegler and Hoff will only be like 20 and 19 ... Hoff will be finishing her freshman or sophomore year?
I'd be more worried about Coughlin, Sandeno, Beard, Joyce, Weir, etc. on the women's side and imagine losing Peirsol, Hansen, Crocker, Hall (perhaps officially), and a zillion others all at the same time ... yikes ... of course that is all assumption ...
Well, hopefully 2008 is a good year but the Chinese women maybe up to their own tricks of steriods since the olympics is in China. The Aussies have the best group of women swimmers for them, I think that good motviation for our women.
We just need to repackage our sport to teenage boys. What other boy's sport do you go to practice and get a chance to look at girls in bathing suits or even get to see girls for that matter. This is no small matter for teenage boys. I still remember signing up for home-economics to meet girls in high school. All of my moron friends thought I was a fruit cake until they saw that I was one of two guys in a class full of girls (many of them cheerleaders - as a senior you could pick the time slot that you wanted). I can still remember their laughs turn into silence as I told them who else had signed up for the class.
Hook'em
Blue
