2008 Predictions for Beijing

You forgot me. DUH! Hardy ain't go nothin' on me! :rofl: I think Jones will be in the 4 x 100 relay...other than that I pretty much agree with you.

Posted in Gary Hall Jr.'s aqua notes Training for the olympic games...not just for trails looks like he started training last summer Warren: Your avatar bias is starting to show again. However, I give Gary Hall Jr. a chance to make it in the 50 Meter Free. In 2004, I saw Gary at the 2004 Short Course Nationals and like everyone else was impressed with the Race Club Team. I remember talking to Gary before the competition and he told me the swimmer to watch at the meet was Sabir Muhammad and that he would break a lot of records and he himself would not and was there to have fun and get himself ready for the 2004 Olympic Trials. Sabir beat him handly in every race they swam. Based on what I saw that weekend at USMS Nationals, I gave him absolutely no chance at making the team let alone on winning the Gold Medal. I was thinking like others here in that he had not performed in any International Meets and I just did not think he had enough to beat the great American sprinters of the day, even though he is extremly talented. I think he surprised everyone the way he swam and what he did. So I would never count him out even though I personally think the 50 Free is a lot more competitive now than it was back in 2004. Plus I think, and I know Mr. Goodsmith disagrees, that there has been a major resurgence in the sprint free and the 400 Free Relay since 2004. There was a dry spell from about 1998 to 2004, when the USA was getting beat at World Championships and Olympics but I think in the last 3 years that has changed. Nobody recently has gone below 3:14.04 and that is a good 1.5 seconds than what the USA has done on 2 occasions. Hall will make it interesting. If he can pull it off and win the Olympic Trials in the 50 Free, he would be the first swimmer ever to win the same event at 4 different Olympic Trials. If he would win the Gold in 2008 in the 50 Free, he would be only the 3rd swimmer in history to pull that off joining Dawn Fraser and Kristini Egerszegi. So thats what's at stake with Hall in the 50 Free. The 50 is so different than the other events with the start, turn, mental/physical things, and different training that anything can happen.

Not at all what I am saying. I simply mean that the dept of talent in the US is so great that no one is guaranteed their spot ... even Phelps, though I can't imagine he'd miss the team in ANY event ... you train to go fast at trials, build up and taper again to fast at the Olympics. You can't hold back at trials or you could miss the team ...

Furthermore, my guess is that all the atletes are training with the goal of Beijing, but realizing they will have to swim fast at trials to get there ...

I don't think Peter Vanderkaay does the mile, I could be wrong, but the top two qualifiers this year were Vendt & Jensen. Vendt swam it in Athens and Sydney (I believe) he is just getting started on his come back, he'll be blazing. The 400IM ... hmm ... I think Vendt having trained with Phelps and having more than a few months under his belt will take this one at trials ... I think Lochte would be the favorite, but I think Vendt will do it. He is one of my all time favorites so I'm biased ... I like Lochte & Vanderkaay a lot, too though ... :dunno:

Gary Hall on the relay? No way. He's done no matter how many people believe he is THE MAN. Phelps will be on all the men's relays. Remember he is the WR holder in the 200. He is no worse than 3rd fastest in LC 100 free. Hall will not train enough to make the team.

this is what he said on the race club board today when asked how training for the olympics was going compared to other years 1995: I was swimming more. Lifting less. Partying more. 1999: In March was diagnosed with diabetes and told by two doctors that my swimming career was over. I wasn't swimming at all until summer. 2003: I was still working and hadn't started training for 2004. 2007: Building aerobic base, including spinnning classes and running. Lifting a lot. Swimming some. Gearing up for Pan Am's in July, but will continue to train through to the Olympic Trials.

50 free- Gary Hall jr. and Cullen Jones I agree with everything else. except gary hall is not going to do that great in the 100 so he wont make the relay team. I'd loved to see Hall make the team again in the 50

Gary Hall on the relay? No way. He's done no matter how many people believe he is THE MAN. Phelps will be on all the men's relays. Remember he is the WR holder in the 200. He is no worse than 3rd fastest in LC 100 free. Hall will not train enough to make the team. are you kidding me? gary hall has a pretty good shot most people think he is done because he is old but you know what lezak is old to and hall is better in the 50 than he is. Then who else is there wildman-torbriner, yeah maybe if the olympics were in yards. then theres Nick Bruneli, and some other people that don't have a chance. I think Jones is a lock so that leaves one spot and hall has a good chance to get that spot.

I think Phelps will be on the relay, I just doubt he'll swim it at Trials, there's a difference. Same with Coughlin & the 200 free/800 free relay. These guys do NOT have to swim the event at trials to make the relay team. My 4 relays picks are just the next 4 qualifiers in the event NOT the team.