At the Trials!

RE: At the Trials!

knelson — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:55:59 GMT

On a couple of the broadcasts I noticed a lot of people wearing TYR shirts in the seating area directly behind the blocks. Nice marketing strategy by Tyr considering we were otherwise deluged by Speedo logos on 90% of the swimmers.

RE: At the Trials!

Former Member — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:33:17 GMT

The only other comment I can think of is it was either Visa or cash at the concessions....I understand that this was sponsored by Visa....but I heard quite a few people grumbling about that. My son and I were there the first day, prelims and finals.....and I couldn't believe that 2 of the stands were already running out of certain shirts. We were in line making fun of the marketing person that messed that up...there were people walking away disappointed because they couldn't get the shirt they wanted. The swimming was phenominal that first day!!!!!!! I will definitely go again given the chance!!!!

RE: At the Trials!

Former Member — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:43:48 GMT

How about some non-swimming Trials experiences? Were concessions good? What was the crowd like? What color T-shirt did you get? How did you fill non-swimming time? Did you get any autographs? Who'd you see in person? What was for sale in the aqua-what's-it-called? Trading cards? Details, please! And.....next Trials, what would you have done differently/the same? My sister gave me all the details of her trip. Bottom line - she had such a great time she wants to go for the entire event next Trials! The Qwest Center is a new arena, so it has lots of concession stands and lots of bathrooms. I never had to wait in line for anything for more than 1 or 2 minutes, tops. Their concession stands weren't bad. They had the usual arena-run stands, but they also had some that were run by local restaurants. One was a Greek restaurant that had good gyros. The July 4th T-shirts and flags were a nice touch. As we entered the arena they handed us our flags and told us that our shirts would be on the backs of our seats. I sat in a "red" section. We figured out after the first day that it wasn't worth leaving the area between the prelims and finals. Because there were so many restaurants within walking distance, we just walked over, found a restaurant, and had a nice meal. We also found the awesome homemade ice cream place. As Mel said, they really missed out on the opportunity to sell a LOT more merchandise. Kiefer had a stand in the arena itself (not the AquaZone) where they were selling T-shirts. But they ran out of the good T-shirts (the short-sleeved red ones) by mid-week and we never saw any more. They missed out on probably three full days of what could have been good sales, especially because a lot of people attended only on the 3-day holiday weekend. Friday night was our "celebrity spotting" night. We were in an Italian restaurant after the finals session. In walked Bob Costas with a female companion (we assumed it was his wife). They were seated in a corner near us. Pretty soon a large group, including Ryan Lochte's dad, came in and sat at a big table. Not long after that, Michael Phelps's mother came in with another large group. They were seated at a large table near the Lochte table. After a while, in walked Ryan Lochte himself. He was still wearing the same clothes he had worn on the medal stand, but now he had a band-aid on his arm where they had taken blood. Everyone in the restaurant burst out in applause. Ryan looked a little shocked by that!

RE: At the Trials!

Former Member — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:02:24 GMT

I love this thread. Read it through twice! How about some non-swimming Trials experiences? Were concessions good? What was the crowd like? What color T-shirt did you get? How did you fill non-swimming time? Did you get any autographs? Who'd you see in person? What was for sale in the aqua-what's-it-called? Trading cards? Details, please! And.....next Trials, what would you have done differently/the same? My sister gave me all the details of her trip. Bottom line - she had such a great time she wants to go for the entire event next Trials! Hmmm, let's see Michelle. Well, I was a bit surprised that Speedo was the ONLY shop in the Aquazone. Grace & I shopped there but she wears TYR goggles and couldn't score a set. I also use Keifer optical goggles and there were none even though this was run by Keifer. There were no bargain prices anywhere. No grab bags, no fire sales, nada. They also seemed to have way underestimated how many of the Trials logo-specific T and sweat shirts they would sell. They re-supplied several times but many people still went away empty handed. We got a couple of the good ones on third supply just by being there when the boxes were opened. The crowds were unbelievable, averaging about 20,000 per day and topping out at around 13,700 for one evening session. The poorest attended evening session was on the last day. But, at that point, they passed 160,000 total attendance, a number that was reported in the local papers as the goal attendance and well ahead of previous Trials. As for non-swimming time, we trained at the Council Bluffs Y three times and at the Pinnacle Athletic Club once (swimming and weight lifting). The rest of the time we spent doing a lot of walking (one day over 7 miles) along the Missouri River path and downtown. The old section of downtown was about a 15 minute walk away and we ate in some nice restaurants (one Persian, one Indian and the Upstream Brewery) and sampled some great locally-made ice cream at Ted and Wallys (coincidentally, the names of two of our cats - one recently departed). The Upstream Brewery definitely brews good beer. It looked like there were a number of other restaurants that were worth trying but we just didn't have the time. On a couple of days we ate lunch at the concessions which were pretty good. One served Omaha Steaks cheeseburgers and another served up his own smoked meats. We spent quite a bit of time at the AquaZone but didn't try for any autographs. I did come into hand contact with Gary Hall Sr who was passing out Race Club info. Long lines for autographs and really tired parents trying to keep their kids happy. Several times the lines were so long that some in the queue didn't come away with anything. The swimmers were all pleasant and tireless in this effort. On one day we saw a bunch of teenies hanging around the swimmers entrance. In walks Phelps, slouched over and pretty well covered (we didn't know who it was) but they spotted him right away and snagged an autograph. I can't think of anything we'd do differently if we come back. Maybe just spend more time downtown rather than driving in and out of the parking lots between sessions. We were both in the blue section on July 4 and came away with blue T shirts. Omaha seems like a really nice city with a local population that loves to support amateur athletics. One night a couple came in who didn't know anything about swimming but just came because it was there. They asked us who they should be cheering for and quickly got into the spirit of things. I'm one of those who thinks this might be a good permanent venue for the Trials. Lot's of hotels, not too many time zones to cross, plenty of restaurants nearby and interested locals.

RE: At the Trials!

Former Member — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 10:08:51 GMT

I'm sure they were. I bet Peter Vanderkaay was a little stunned himself. In an interview for floswimming only about a month or two ago he flat out said he wasn't even going to swim the 1500 at Trials! And based on how Vendt has been swimming who would have thought he'd finish fourth? That's as stunning to me as Hansen fading in the 200 ***. Too bad there's not a way of dealing with this for Vendt, having (I think) the second fastest swim in the world this year. I also feel badly for Haley Mcgregory. How can we not have a world-record breaker on the team? There certainly are spaces available since only 43 members were selected. Of course, what would she swim?

RE: At the Trials!

chowmi — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 10:05:44 GMT

Oh that is so great! I bet it was fun to run into other master swimmers at such a large event! And I love love love Nadine Day!!! She is my hero. I totally missed out! My sister says the zoo is actually fantastic! It kills me to think I priced the 1 hr 40 min nonstop flight from Dallas, and it was only $141 a few months ago.... I am surprised at the souvenier shortage - this has happened before! You'd think they would have that part down by now! What an experience, and bonus workouts in, too! Thanks for posting!

RE: At the Trials!

Former Member — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 10:04:50 GMT

I saw Susan and Nadine at the party and I’m happy to report that Susan was a good girl. Nadine, now that’s another story… Thanks for the feedback on Susan, Rob. Guess we'll continue her allowance a while longer. Sorry we didn't see you there but we did watch Noah's swims...

RE: At the Trials!

chowmi — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 06:18:38 GMT

RE: At the Trials!

knelson — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 04:33:27 GMT

The second thing came right after the race. I was sitting next to Nick Graves who finished 14th in the 1500 and he was sent a text message by one of the Wolverine coaches. They were apparently stunned by the result. I'm sure they were. I bet Peter Vanderkaay was a little stunned himself. In an interview for floswimming only about a month or two ago he flat out said he wasn't even going to swim the 1500 at Trials! And based on how Vendt has been swimming who would have thought he'd finish fourth? That's as stunning to me as Hansen fading in the 200 ***.

RE: At the Trials!

Rob Copeland — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 03:43:51 GMT

Grace and I became Susan von der Lippe's Trial adopted parents yesterday. She was going out to party with Nadine Day last night & we reminded her that we didn't want her out too late. She promised to be a good girl.I saw Susan and Nadine at the party and I’m happy to report that Susan was a good girl. Nadine, now that’s another story… Mel, Thanks for all your on-site posts. You captured a lot of what was the greatest swim meet on US soil (water?). A couple of other things; it was nice to see Rowdy Gaines signing autographs in the AquaZone, wearing a USMS polo shirt and a USMS banner prominently displayed. It was also nice to see a number of athletes tossing their stuffed bears/seals (given to members of the Olympic team) to the kids in the crowd. And for those who attended the ISHOF induction ceremonies: what a great show and a terrific goody bag (much better that what the swimmers got). Note: on the attached photo, I had to crop off the line of 200 hundred or so, lined up for Rowdy’s autograph

RE: At the Trials!

Former Member — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 14:10:05 GMT

Last session was another good one. Another AR for Dara and great swim for Jessica Hardy. I'm wondering if Hardy should just give up BR and concentrate on FR. She's going to be in 5 events in Beijing! There was a very thoughtful column in the local newspaper by a male writer about Dara and the possibility of doping. His point of view was that his ideal image of the clean athlete has been destroyed by what has taken place in the last few years. Now, an older swimmer and mother may be the one to restore his hope. Of course he, like all of us, says there is no way to prove anything about Dara one way or the other but at least he can now hope again. I don't think John Smith has yet reached that point. I think I have. In the 1500 final there were two interesting things that may not have been noted at home (at least one I'm certain of...). A bit after the mid-point of the race (2/3?), Vanderkaay did a look-up to find Jensen. It was obvious to us watching that he knew at that point that he could win the race. It was the fastest time in the world for 2008 to this point. The second thing came right after the race. I was sitting next to Nick Graves who finished 14th in the 1500 and he was sent a text message by one of the Wolverine coaches. They were apparently stunned by the result. This has been great. If the Trials are here again in 2012 I'm coming back (GLW&TCDR...apologies to Hank Williams...).

RE: At the Trials!

Former Member — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 14:05:02 GMT

Thanks Mel for these little reports, it is almost like being there.

RE: At the Trials!

Former Member — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 13:03:20 GMT

Oh my goodness, what a night last night. Fabulous 200 back final by the women. Great to see Hoelzer's swim. I'm predicting that Beisel will go under the world record at Beijing. Possibly the most interesting unreported fact in the trials: at yesterdays final heat in the 1500 prelims, Vendt (at about the 800 m mark give or take) does a triathlon lookup to read the counter board! You remember that FINA won't allow the counters in the water. They are posted at the 50 end by the officials and are completely useless for anyone except someone like me who does open turns. Some officials even put them on the non-breathing side where a swimmer can't look back to find them. Vendt must have lost track and was setting a blistering pace. Also there was an interesting story in the local paper. At the end of the women's 100 free Torres was so surprised that she won the event that she said she wasn't sure she would swim it in Beijing. Apparently her goal was just to make the 4 X 100 relay and overdid it a bit. She said she wanted to see how she did in the 50 before deciding and that she felt pretty trashed. Well, it looks like it was no problem seeing her 50 free semi swim! Phelps continues to be disappointed in his fly swims. I think he really wanted the WR in the 100 last night but was just shaking his head at the end. This one is pretty critical for him in Beijing. It looks like he's relying too much on the strong second half swim and not going out hard enough. But he's not really tapered yet, so there may be a lot in there yet. We'll see. Speaking of not very well tapered, I'm now wondering if Reese didn't taper Hansen or Crocker enough for the Trials. Stovall really wasn't that far behind Crocker in the 100 and that would have shut Ian out of the team. Maybe that was Hansen's problem in the 200 ***. Nice men's 50 free final. Too bad we can't take more than 2! But the French are going to be tough to beat in the 50 and 100. I also have some vague memories about new FINA rules for exiting the pool (from this Forum). Most swimmers are leaving from the side but Hoff, notably, is climbing out at the starting block. Is this going to be a problem? Maybe someone can remind me of this discussion. Grace and I became Susan von der Lippe's Trial adopted parents yesterday. She was going out to party with Nadine Day last night & we reminded her that we didn't want her out too late. She promised to be a good girl.

RE: At the Trials!

Former Member — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 05:53:49 GMT

I also have some vague memories about new FINA rules for exiting the pool (from this Forum). Most swimmers are leaving from the side but Hoff, notably, is climbing out at the starting block. Is this going to be a problem? Maybe someone can remind me of this discussion. I found one of the officials at brunch this morning and got the answer to the question. The FINA rules do ask swimmers not to exit at the block but rather at the side. However, no swimmer will be DQ'd for not following that advice. The worst they can expect is to be yelled at and called a swim bumpkin (cousin to a country bumpkin).

RE: At the Trials!

knelson — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 01:59:46 GMT

If anyone should be getting out via the ladder it's Hoff! Conserve your energy a little, girl.

RE: At the Trials!

Former Member — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 14:48:25 GMT

And if you do find him, Mel....tell him I'm STILL kicking myself for not listening to him! Trust me, Coaches know best!!!! And, for the record....yes. UCSB does have a swim program. And yes. Most of what Paul reflects upon his college career IS fabricated.

RE: At the Trials!

Former Member — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 14:22:05 GMT

I forgot that Mel had started this thread. I'm repeating my post from the other thread.... July 4th: Random notes from Trials... ---Dara did it! The crowd went wild. She's been getting big cheers here. ---John Naber interviews each athlete after they receive their medals. His first question to Natalie Coughlin was, "So, how does it feel to get beat by a 41-year-old?" There were gasps from the crowd. ---Ryan Lochte walked into our restaurant tonight after finals. The entire place erupted in applause. ---Bob Costas was in the restaurant, too. He's almost as short as I am... ---Speaking of short, the blond woman who is doing the swimmer interviews on NBC has to stand on a box when she's interviewing the swimmers. ---The event has been extremely well-organized. I heard comments to the effect of, "They should just make this the permanent home of the Trials." ---Dara carried her daughter to the stand for the awards ceremony. She put her medal around her daughter's neck. Her daughter promptly took it off and gave it back to her mom! ---They've had former Olympians on hand to present medals. Today we saw Jenny Thompson, David Berkhoff, Donna DeVarona, and Mark Spitz. July 5th: Uh-oh, it's cloudy and gray out there. We're in trouble if it rains. We've been too cheap to pay for parking at the Qwest Center - we've been parking several blocks away on the street. That could backfire if it rains...

RE: At the Trials!

Former Member — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 12:34:43 GMT

Ho hum, more world records. What a great night last night. Best for me, of course, was seeing an old person win the women's 100 free. Grace and I are looking around for someone swimming to adopt us as surrogate parents and both Dara Torres and Susan von der Lippe are about the right age. We had breakfast with Susan yesterday morning but forgot to ask. Also interesting to hear John Naber interview Jessica Hardy after the 100 free and her possible selection for the 4 X 100 relay. Naber: we don't think of you as a freestyler. Hardy: I don't either but, hey... I was also glad to see Amanda slip into the 200 BR, showing that other parts of her life have not been so much of a distraction as some of might have guessed (and my previous thoughts about always swimming with her elbows out of the water on the recovery). Also hadn't noticed before that Rebecca Soni has the shortest arm stroke of any breaststroker I've ever watched in person. Her pull is not a scull, as far as I can tell, but just a quick downward pull of the forearms and then, boom, recovery. She also stays pretty low in the water. Some of the new (to me) faces and names are remarkable. I'm thinking Elizabeth Beisel is a real superstar. Man can that girl swim. It also looks like Bobby Bollier may do quite a bit of damage in the future. We liked to see hometown 14-year-old Bonnie Brandon from Aurora Colorado (seeded 47th) make it into the semis in the 200 backstroke. Rich Abrahams told me that she has dropped about 5 seconds in the last month. Don't know if viewers at home can tell but the ones getting the biggest applause last night were Dara Torres, Michael Phelps, Aaron Peirsol, Ryan Lochte, Cullen Jones, Gary Hall and Amanda Beard. The crowd really likes the more seasoned veterans. Smith fact of the day: I was always suspicious that Paul Smith fabricated stories about his college swimming. However, I have seen a number of Gaucho swimmers at the meet and have to concede, at least, that there is a swim program at UCSB. Finally, one of the cameramen gave me a copy of the USA Swimming media guides. What a wealth of information! This is what serious swim fans need to have access to at the meet.

RE: At the Trials!

tjrpatt — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 11:40:36 GMT

At UCSB, Eric Fehr is coaching there. We grew up together at Suburban which is where Hansen spent his high school years at. Eric was an amazing swimmer. Good IMer and everything. I haven't seen him since the 90s.

RE: At the Trials!

Paul Smith — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 10:29:39 GMT

Smith fact of the day: I was always suspicious that Paul Smith fabricated stories about his college swimming. However, I have seen a number of Gaucho swimmers at the meet and have to concede, at least, that there is a swim program at UCSB. If you want a good laugh grab Wils (Coach Gregg Wilson) and ask him how hard he tried to talk Laura out of marrying me!

RE: At the Trials!

Former Member — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:02:31 GMT

We're greatly enjoying the trials also; I've attached a copy of the posts I've made to our Oregon discussion site. I can't agree that Brendan Hansen seems "smug," or otherwise deserves anything but compliments on his personal demeanor. See his July 3 interview, and those with Scott Span and Eric Shanteau, under the "videos" tab at flowswimming.com.

RE: At the Trials!

Former Member — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:34:35 GMT

I just don't see why he can't get this problem under control. I would be very nervous about having him on a relay again if I were his team mates. Michael can fix this by beating him in the 100. BTW - Great commentary. They are missing a story on Spann. He has done very well swimming for Bowman (and now for Eddie). He finished 2nd at NCAAs in the 200. Those of us in Austin who have seen him swim for years know how good he is.

RE: At the Trials!

Former Member — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:42:09 GMT

Oh yeah, significant jump/flinch movement. He was in lane 8, so really noticeable. Didn't hear the outcome of the protest. Didn't see any camera flashes or beeping sounds. There are many flashes at the start even though the announcer has requested over and over not to do that. I just don't see why he can't get this problem under control. I would be very nervous about having him on a relay again if I were his team mates.

RE: At the Trials!

Former Member — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:37:48 GMT

Wow. Last night was pretty amazing. I was STUNNED by the men's 200 *** final. John Naber noted before the race that Hansen had said that he thought he should have broken the WR in the semis. But then to finish 4th? It looked to me like he was WAY overconfident, judging from his comments and the smug look on his face all through the meet. Spann really got trashed by the media on this one. Interviewing Hansen but not Spann after the finals was a real poke in the eye. We are sitting among some parents of Trials swimmers and they were furious about this. One of them even yelled at the cameraman right beside us over the incident. Oh well, whatever sells newspapers. Even John Naber brought up the fact that Spann hasn't done particularly well in the past. His answer was that all he needed to do well in was the one that counted! I note also that Spann wore a full-body suit for the swim. Amanda Beard's swim was also surprising to watch. Nice to see her swim so well. However, it looks to me as though she should be DQ'd on every swim because you can clearly see her elbows out of the water on the recovery. Great 100 free finals but, again, John Naber kept telling the crowd that Cullen Jones is the first African-American to have a chance at an Olympic gold swim medal. What happened to Anthony Ervin? Technical point of the day: No official raises a hand for an infraction. Instead they get the eye of the meet referee and report the infraction. One of the officials told me that this was a FINA rule and that the Trials are trying to follow their protocol whenever possible.

RE: At the Trials!

pdjang — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 10:14:27 GMT

Hey Mel, Thanks for the running commentary. I appreciate your insights into the races. Best wishes for the Fourth! Philipp