Dara Torres-Amazing

I say innocent until proven guilty and as a growing admirer of Dara Torres I hope she is never proven guilty. In the Denver Post last week they had an article on her. She says she will take a test anywhere, anytime. So far so clean. Got Boost

Gull revelations you know and I know she is a pretty good swimmer. Why does everyone try to pin something on someone without proof positive? How many others are doing unnatural swimming. I can say one of the best broke the law once he must be juiced. He had 5 great swims he must be juiced. I just believe he is a very good swimmer. Could be a paradigm shift in training, but if so few would have the resources that she does to hire the support staff this method seems to require. For the sake of argument, look at GHJ and Neil Walker. Both are world class sprinters in their 30's, neither of whom have ever retired from the sport. They train in different programs (The Race Club and Longhorn Aquatics). Neither made the Olympic team. And neither swam personal bests or set new ARs at the trials. I believe it is more like that she is 1) an anomaly, or 2) juiced.

If I were a swim coach, I would be BEGGING her for every piece of information about her training that she would share. The reason is because it may well be that she has figured out something of value. Certainly, if she is clean, this is the case - in fact, it may be a paradigm shift and getting on board early would be smart. Could be a paradigm shift in training, but if so few would have the resources that she does to hire the support staff this method seems to require. For the sake of argument, look at GHJ and Neil Walker. Both are world class sprinters in their 30's, neither of whom have ever retired from the sport. They train in different programs (The Race Club and Longhorn Aquatics). Neither made the Olympic team. And neither swam personal bests or set new ARs at the trials. I believe it is more like that she is 1) an anomaly, or 2) juiced.

The only way to have this crowd get behind Torres is to have someone from another country accuse her of blatent doping. Preferably a Frenchman. In a cycling magazine perhaps....

If I were a swim coach, I would be BEGGING her for every piece of information about her training that she would share. The reason is because it may well be that she has figured out something of value. Certainly, if she is clean, this is the case - in fact, it may be a paradigm shift and getting on board early would be smart. Even if dirty (which I doubt), there is some valuable info to be had. At the least, she NEEDS to write/cowrite a training book after the Olympics. In watching the track trials, I noticed that the sprinters seem to be different in terms of technique than they were, say, several years ago. (I've followed the sport for 40 years, so I'm certain of this.) This corresponds to the changes in the focus on training that has hit in the last 10 years for that group. (Yeah, yeah, I know about the dirty ones, but they aren't all dirty.) -LBJ

I still wish someone would tell us what it takes for her to prove her innocence. Maybe we should kick her off the team. After all, I'm just asking the "hard" questions.

Maybe she is juicing,I hope not.That doesn't explain the remarkably poor showing of the other female sprinters.remember second place was a BREASTSTROKER.Only Torres has a chance for a medal of the American women sprinters.I wouldn't be surprised if no US women made finals in the 100 FR.What are the Aussies and Germans doing,that is the real question.

Slipping into semantics Tracy, OK she "owned" the 50 record for 18 months 1983/1985....but what we are saying is that "owning" an event is in the realm of YEARS...Phelps unbeaten in 6 years holding the record that entire time, Carl Lewis in track, Mary T in fly, Janet Evans in her distance events, Lance in the Tour...I would even suggest that Popov's 50 record held for 8 years is "owning" but debatable because as some have pointed out it was done in a time trial. For the record...not to many people holding on to the 50 free world record, and none that came back 18 years after they set it to equal or better (show me this is the case in any other sport?): en.wikipedia.org/.../World_record_progression_50m_freestyle She owned it from Jan to Jul of '83 - then from Aug '83 to Apr '86. Ownership to me means something different.....if I owned the WR even for a day that would be ownership....I understand your thinking of it as domination like Phelps and Evans. And on the last point I would say yes to agreeing to disagree....just because it has never been done doesn't automatically make it suspect.

No wonder some of you over 40 guys can't do it. Too much time on the forum.

Are these not individual? Maybe they are leadoffs on a relay, I don't know. Sourced from Wikipedia. 25.69 Dara Torres January 29, 1983 Amersfoort, Netherlands 25.64 Annemarie Verstappen July 9, 1983 Amersfoort, Netherlands 25.62 Dara Torres August 5, 1983 Clovis, California 25.61 Dara Torres July 21, 1984 Mission Viejo, California So, Paul and John, These three World Records....whether they be relay lead offs or individual does NOT matter.....on those given days and until the next person bettered that mark Dara Torres was the fastest woman on Planet Earth. Would you agree that at that time she owned the event? I personally believe that she owned those events, but then I am also an optimist and believe she is clean.