swimming novel

Some years back I finished a novel about swimming—specifically, about three swimming brothers growing up on the age-group circuit in suburban Pittsburgh of the 60s; actually, kind of a combination swimming / coming-of-age novel. I sent the ms. around to a handful of agents and publishers and got a nibble or two, but shelved it when I felt I had exhausted my legitimate contacts. My lack of persistence was a problem, but another might have been timing: one agent responded that swimming wasn’t the hot sport at the moment; golf (i. e. Tiger Woods) was. I’m hoping that the subject of swimming might be more of a selling point in the wake of Michael Phelps. Without making any claims for the quality of the novel (though ordinarily I’m happy to write my own blurbs), I thought I might enlist the help of my fellow swimmers as I prepare to submit it to the publishing world again. Best case would be to come across an agent or publisher who was also an avid swimmer. But short of that I was wondering if any master swimmer might have any contacts in the publishing world, even a tenuous one, that he or she could put me on to. Sometimes that’s what it takes. Please feel free to write me back with suggestions or questions about the novel.