Sunday, August 21, 2011

Ryan Lochte - A look back 2005/06 (Part IV)

A while ago (May 2010) I wrote some blogs on Ryan's past swimming seasons, starting with his first year of college and leading up through the 2004 Olympics and 2005 World Championships. Here are links for the past installments:




Here's 2006/06 (Part IV):

This season was Ryan's senior year of college and his final appearance at the NCAA Championships. It also represented his transition to professional swimming and an appearance at the 2006 Short Course World Championships in Shanghai and the 2006 Pan Pacs in Canada. This is also the season where Ryan set his first World Records in individual events: three of them in Shanghai.

It's interesting to look back because it shows that Ryan has been swimming very successfully for a long time, but he has also improved tremendously each year.

The season started with the 2005 U.S. Open Championships in Auburn, Alabama, Dec 3-5, 2005. Ryan showed his versatility by winning 4 golds, 1 silver and 1 bronze (plus swimming in two additional "A" finals) - a total of 8 events over 3 days!

100m free - 8th
100m back - 1st
100m fly - 5th
200m back - 1st
200m IM - 1st
4 x 100m medley relay - 3rd (back)
4 x 200m free relay - 1st
4 x 100n free relay - 2nd

Interesting note: Pieter Van Den Hoogenbrand of Holland swam in this meet.
The only video I could find was the 100m free, which was won by Nick Brunelli who beat Van Den Hoogenbrand, the WR holder at the time. Ryan placed 8th.


2006 NCAA Championships - Atlanta, GA

200y back - 1st (won by 2.57 seconds) - NCAA record
200y IM - 1st (won by 3.65 seconds) - NCAA record
400y IM - 1st (won by 1.32 seconds over Ous Mellouli) - NCAA record
4 x 100y free relay - 5th
4 x 200y free relay - 4th
4 x 50y medley relay - 7th (back)
4 x 100y medley relay - 7th (Ryan's 100y back split was 44.60 - NCAA record)

Won high point score (Peter Vanderkaay was 2nd)

2006 Short Course World Championships - Shanghai, China

This meet took place only 2 weeks after the NCAA championships.

200m free - 5th
200m back - 1st - World Record
200m IM - 1st - World Record
400m IM - 1st
4 x 100m free relay - 3rd
4 x 200m free relay 3rd
4 x 100m medley relay - 2nd (Ryan set World Record on backstroke leg)

Ryan set 3 individual World Records, the only individual WRs set at this meet.
Won high point award.

Here is the video of his WR swim in the 100 back

2006 U.S. Nationals - August 1-5, 2006

200m free - 4th
200m back - 3rd
100m fly - 3rd
200m IM - 2nd
400m IM - 2nd




2006 Pan Pacs - Victoria, BC - August 17-20, 2006

100m free - 18th (prelims)
400m free - 7th (prelims)
100m back - 2nd
200m IM - 2nd
4 x 200m free relay - 1st







Monday, August 15, 2011

Chat with Ryan Lochte tomorrow (August 16) on espn.com

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/39787/olympian-ryan-lochte

The chat will take place on August 16 at 2:30 pm ET (which is GMT -5). You can submit questions in advance. Click on the link above.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Very interesting analysis by swimmingscience.net of the 200 IM at Worlds:

http://www.swimmingscience.net/2011/07/stat-sunday-200-im-comparison.html

Stat Sunday: 200 IM Comparison

First off, it was great to see some WR's go down without the high-tech suits! Hopefully this will remove the mental block, allowing athlete's to realize they can go faster than they went with the high-tech suits. I've done a WR analysis: Men's 200 IM and I still feel the 200 IM LCM WR is the most impressive. This analysis will take a short look between Phelps and Lochte.

Lochte: 24.89 53.48 1:26.51 1:54.00
28.59 33.03 27.49

Phelps: 24.83 53.67 1:26.80 1:54.16
28.84 33.13 27.36

It is easy to look at the race and say Lochte had a better butterfly and breast leg, leading him to victory. However, what was better and faster? My analysis showed a nearly identical race, with Lochte having a slightly better start and first 25, but Phelps building better into the finish. Lochte and Phelps taking the same number of strokes in the butterfly. Off the first wall was Lochte's largest advantage, spending 1.5 seconds longer underwater which allowed him to keep his stroke number equal to Phelps, but use a faster stroke rate. The breast was quite similar, but once again Lochte had a slightly higher stroke rate, helping him slightly extend his lead. On the last 50, Lochte once again gained room off the wall and was out splitting Phelps at the 25, but Lochte's higher stroke rate or longer duration under water potentially lead to him velocity to slow and finish with a long extension.

This is nitpicking differneces, but the Lochte's superior walls and stroke rate allowed him to hold off Phelps', but if Lochte can't rest on this win, Phelps' and Bowman and great strategist who will be ready to duel again next year, luckily Lochte is oblivious to most of society and will be able to stick to his strategy. Can't wait for the next race.

GJohn

Saturday, August 6, 2011

New York Times article about the marketing of Ryan Lochte

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/07/sports/as-lochte-raises-profile-image-makers-dive-in.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all


As Lochte Raises His Profile, Image Makers Dive Right In

STANFORD, Calif. — Ryan Lochte was beat. After finally catchingMichael Phelps, whom he had spent nearly a decade chasing, Lochte traveled through several time zones to compete at the United States swimming championships at Stanford University.

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Ryan Lochte pulled out of the national championships, citing fatigue.

Barbara Walton/European Pressphoto Agency

Ryan Lochte's name is on his shoes and it was all over the scoreboard at the world championships in Shanghai, where he won six medals.

A day after arriving from China, Lochte finished a disappointing third in the 100-meter backstroke, one of seven or eight events he could swim at next year’s London Olympics.

Lochte’s natural drawl was pronounced, as if he were resting on the vowels, when he announced afterward that he was too tired to compete in the final three days of the meet. His decision to even participate in the national championships on the heels of his six-medal star turn at the world championships in Shanghai struck many as madness.

Lochte, though, has never worried about spreading himself too thin, in or out of the water. With his colorful wardrobe and carefree demeanor, he comes across as someone who would be fun to get to know over a pitcher of beer; who, indeed, would happily do the pouring.

His world championships were almost derailed by a motor scooter accident. He has also sustained injuries while break dancing and skateboarding. Gregg Troy, his longtime coach, conceded, “I’m dealing with a 27-year-old man who lives on the edge a little bit.”

In Shanghai, Lochte aced his screen test to be the leading man of the London Games, which means that for the next 11 months, he will be treated like a movie star.

Will the increased attention cramp Lochte’s style? For those in his inner circle, it is no minor worry.

“If you do anything other than allow him to be himself, he’s not going to be the same athlete,” Troy said.

The two people entrusted with guiding Lochte through fame’s minefield look like Olympic gymnasts. Erika Wright and Shawn Zenga are diminutive in stature, but they think big when it comes to marketing their main man.

Lochte’s endorsements include Speedo, Gatorade and Mutual of Omaha, and the list is growing by the day. After the world championships, Wright and Zenga signed him to a deal, not yet announced, to pitch a product once endorsed by Tiger Woods. Also in the works is a fitness video, shot in the weight room, which will introduce unconventional uses for beer kegs and tractor tires. Lochte hopes to do for strength training what Rodney Yee did for yoga. He wants to increase its mass appeal.

Wright and Zenga showed up at one of Lochte’s meets last summer wearing jeans, high heels and black leather jackets with Team Lochte emblazoned on the back. Nobody was going to confuse them with the buttoned-down management at Octagon, which had previously represented Lochte and continues to work with Phelps and other top swimmers, including the 11-time Olympic medalist Natalie Coughlin.

“That’s what I like about them,” Lochte said. “They’re different, like me.”

He was sitting just off the lobby at a hotel near the Stanford campus. His eyes were half-moons and his voice was sleepy. Lochte perked up when he saw a Gatorade commercial in which his name is mentioned on a nearby flat-screen television tuned to ESPN.

Wright and Zenga are part sharks, part bodyguards and part mother figures, the real-life fusion of the fictional characters Ari Gold, Mr. T and Edna Garrett.

When they are not pursuing deals, they are policing fans like the Chinese man in his 20s at the Shanghai airport who hugged Lochte and would not let go. Or they are monitoring Lochte’s Facebook fan page and blocking women who send inappropriate photographs or messages, a full-time job in itself.

“They make my life 10 times easier,” Lochte said of Wright and Zenga.

Wright’s husband, Tony, is a longtime music manager who has worked with the Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears and ’N Sync. Wright, a lawyer, says she sees in Lochte the same ineffable aura that helped make Justin Timberlake a household name.

“I know absolutely nothing about swimming,” Wright said, “but what I could tell from the first time I met Ryan is he’s marketable. He has such an ability to reach people, to touch people, to get into people’s hearts because of his nature.”

Few athletes are more competitive or more compassionate than Lochte, who will undress a rival in the water, then give him the shirt off his back. It is bound to be some gem he found while scavenging on the Internet, like the one he wore Wednesday to collect his bronze medal in the backstroke, which had “Google Me!” stripped across the front. If you do, you will find more than two million results.

Lochte’s father, Steve, said: “A member of United States Swimming said to me this week, ‘Not only is your son the fastest swimmer in the world, he’s the most popular swimmer in the world.’ That’s the thing that made me proudest because it’s not because of his winning, it’s because of who he is: a sensitive, loving, giving young man.”

Lochte was born in upstate New York on the next-to-last day of the swimming competition at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. His mother, Ileana, delivered him shortly before the American Rick Carey came through with the gold in the 100-meter backstroke.

He grew up in Daytona Beach, Fla., where his parents were swim coaches. Ileana Lochte oversaw the development of his textbook strokes before his father molded him into a national-caliber swimmer. Then they sent him to Gainesville, where he became a seven-time N.C.A.A. champion under Troy, who oversees the University of Florida program.

Last year, the marriage of Lochte’s parents fell apart as his training was coming together. Steve Lochte, in what he described as “the lowest point of my life,” was charged with driving under the influence and subsequently lost his coaching job at Daytona State College. Last October, he was fined, ordered to do community service and placed on a year’s probation.

Lochte had a long talk with his father. “He wants for everyone to be happy and to enjoy life,” Steve Lochte said. “That was his biggest concern.”

Lochte also reached out to his mother. “The first thing he did was send me money,” she said in a telephone interview from Florida. “I said, ‘No, I don’t need it.’ ”

Ileana Lochte traveled to the world championships with Lochte’s two younger brothers. (He also has two older sisters.) Steve Lochte attended the national championships. Their divorce became final shortly after last year’s championships, in which Lochte handed Phelps his first loss in the 200 individual medley since 2002, to foreshadow his world championship victories over Phelps this summer in the 200 freestyle and the 200 I.M.

“If I want to accomplish what I want to accomplish in the sport of swimming, I have to be able to separate my swimming life and my family life,” Lochte said. “Sometimes, it’s hard because my family is a big part of me. I’ll do anything for them.”

Lochte’s driven side does not get enough attention. He worships the rapper Lil Wayne but twice turned down opportunities to see him perform — at a pre-Super Bowl party in Miami and at an Orlando concert — because he would have had to miss training.

Lochte turned 27 on Wednesday but felt years older as he made his way gingerly toward the Avery Athletic Center exit, every muscle aching. A group of girls was waiting outside the gate. Some had racing caps for Lochte to sign. Others held handmade signs wishing him a happy birthday or imploring him to follow them on Twitter.

Lochte autographed every item thrust at him, smiled on cue for photographs and made small talk with his admirers, a few of whom were old enough to be his mother.

Matt Grevers, a 2008 Olympian who had just won the 100 backstroke at Lochte’s expense, patted him on the back and continued walking toward the parking lot. Lochte kept signing.

Lochte targets Olynpic success - Viso Sports

Friday, August 5, 2011

Lochte gets better of Phelps in Shanghai

Lochte gets better of Phelps in Shanghai: "Lochte gets better of Phelps in Shanghai"

This video wouldn't embed, but it's pretty good so click on the link if you want to see it.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Article by Mike Gustafson on USASwimming.org - on Ryan's popularity

http://www.usaswimming.org/ViewNewsArticle.aspx?TabId=0&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en&ItemId=3567&mid=9874

BY MIKE GUSTAFSON//CORRESPONDENT

There’s a famous quote that goes like this: “90 percent of success is just showing up.” Variations of the quote differ (Google it) but the idea remains the same: Showing up breeds success. Showing your face, interacting with people, letting people know that you are physically present and “there” is important. According to Woody Allen, the alleged author of the famous quote – a guy who knows something about success -- “showing up” means everything.

Just ask Ryan Lochte. His “just show up” theory to popularity is no more evident than it is this week, at the 2011 ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships. He gets mobbed wherever he goes, mobbed byscreaming throngs of fans, but doesn’t back away. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.

Lochte approaches them.

Since the end of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, sports have dramatically changed – especially our sport of swimming. FINA banned full-body suits. Unparalleled levels of popularity permeated throughout our sport, attracting new fans and participants. But maybe the biggest change has been the explosion of social media. It is a venue that allows fans to “interact directly” with their Olympic superstars – something needed in our world of limited mainstream media coverage.

The social media aspect has been positive for fans and athletes alike. It has allowed people to “get to know” their favorite athlete, see behind-the-scenes looks at their athletes. It’s fun. It’s exciting. It’s up-to-the-minute.

But Ryan Lochte has won his success with being there. Showing up. In person. Interacting, face-to-face.

No other swimmer has seen his celebrity status explode like Ryan Lochte. He’s become infinitely more popular since pre-Beijing. Sure, he’s a phenomenal swimmer. He dominates the pool like an aquatic super hero. Lochte also has the cool, easy-breezy swagger that attracts fans -- the confidence that swimmers are famous for, magnified in the magnetic Lochte.

But Lochte doesn’t really “blog.” He Tweets occasionally, but he certainly isn’t writing any online novellas. He has a fan page, but doesn’t have a billion people managing his “online presence” like other famous athletes. So what gives? How has Ryan Lochte become such a popular swimmer on the pool deck?

Popularity is not a chicken vs. the egg theory. It’s not, “Well if I become a faster swimmer, I’ll become more popular.” It doesn’t always work like that. Not always. Just being fast doesn’t mean you will connect with a potential fan base – to make people actually care about you. But Ryan Lochte’s fans are perhaps the most die-hard passionate street team of fans you’ll ever meet. Why? Because Ryan Lochte has always been one of those guys signing each and every autograph, taking each and every picture, handing and giving away his medals to adoring fans.

In other words, he shows up. He’s there, smiling at you, shaking your hand, telling you “thanks for the support.”

Ryan Lochte understands the value of winning fans over, face-to-face, one fan at a time. He’s done so throughout the 2011 Grand Prix series. He’s doing so now, at the ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships.

It’s a lesson for swimmers hoping to achieve the outside-the-pool success that Lochte has. Sure, Lochte has a great, unusual personality. He has his own suit line. He wears custom-made t-shirts with funny sayings on them. He wears weird, green alien shoes.

And now he’s the most popular swimmer in the world.



Stroke Kings reality show - Still on, but Ryan is out

This article confirms what we've suspected for a while, that Ryan Lochte has dropped out of Stroke Kings, the reality show that will air on Universal Sports at some point. The show will now concentrate on Ed Moses and his quest to qualify for the 2012 Olympics.

It sounds like a really great show for any swimming fan. I'm going to watch it even though it's a little disappointing that Ryan is no longer involved.

http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/london-calling-2012/201107/fish-out-water-returns-ed-moses-and-his-unlikely-comeback

Stroke Kings, originally conceived to co-star and standout American swimmer Ryan Lochte, was set to debut on Universal Sports in early July. Lochte has since bowed out, pushing the start date back and leaving Ed to anchor a show that, according to the show’s Facebook page, "delves into the rigorous training of Olympic swimmers who struggle to resist being consumed by the seductions of celebrity and overcome personal hurdles."

While he is not at liberty to disclose exactly who will be some of the other swimmers involved in the show, Ed has said that Stroke Kings will feature a host of international athletes that "will really open up the sport of swimming worldwide."

"The whole show started with how I wanted to do this comeback," Ed says. "I wanted people to see what kind of person I am and just show people that I’m no different, that I came up from the same roots that most people did that get into sports,"

Ed believes heightening the entertainment value of swimming is a step in the right direction of expanding the audience of -- and therefore the endorsement opportunities for -- swimmers. "That’s the goal of everything that I’m trying to do with Universal," he says.

Along with Stroke Kings, Ed says he has "several other shows" with swimmers and other athletes that he hopes to get up and running prior to the Olympics next summer.

Swimming World - TV - Interview with Ryan Lochte at 2011 USA Swimming Long Course Nationals

Swimming World - TV - 2011 USA Swimming Long Course Nationals - Ryan Lochte

Article about why Ryan Lochte pulled out of Nationals


Ryan Lochte pulls out of U.S. swimming championships because of fatigue

By Elliott Almond ealmond@mercurynews.com

Apparently swim star Ryan Lochte underestimated his super powers.

After finishing third in the 100-meter backstroke Wednesday at the ConocoPhillips U.S. championships, he declared, "The season is over."

Lochte decided to shut it down on his 27th birthday because of the fatigue of traveling across the world to compete at Stanford. He won five gold medals at the FINA World Championships in China last week to emerge as the swimmer to watch heading to the London Games.

Matt Grevers won the race Wednesday in 53.14 seconds, followed by Nick Thoman (53.57) and then a fading Lochte (53.79). Lochte also finished 22nd in the 100 breaststroke Tuesday.
"Practice starts tomorrow," the Florida swimmer said.

But the night belonged to Lochte, who left the Avery Aquatic Center to celebrate his birthday at the Cheesecake Factory in Palo Alto.

Lochte had planned to swim at least two more events at the championships that end Saturday. But if he had realized the difficulty of racing back-to-back meets thousands of miles apart, "I wouldn't have wasted my time coming here."

It wasn't a waste for those who got to see the biggest star since Michael Phelps, a swimmer expected to electrify London next summer. It wasn't a waste for Grevers, who said, "Any time you can beat Ryan Lochte, it's a great time."

And it was a thrill for the girl who got Lochte's bronze medal after the victory ceremony.
"The only medals I want to keep are Olympic medals," he said. "This isn't something I would put up on a mantel. It means more to the fans who support us."

It's a side of Lochte few know. At the 1992 U.S. Olympic trials, a big-name swimmer refused to give the young Lochte an autograph as they rode an elevator. He told Steve Lochte, "Dad, if I get to be in that position, I'll never do that to somebody," his father recalled this week. "He's sensitive, especially to kids."

Many have heard the stories about the skateboarder/surfer known for loud fashion statements at the pool and multiple motor scooter injuries.

"I'm dealing with a 27-year-old man who lives on the edge a little bit," Lochte's coach Gregg Troy said. "If you do anything other than allow him to be himself, he's not going to be the same athlete."

Peter Vanderkay, who easily won the 200 freestyle in 1:46.45 on Wednesday, has pushed Lochte in the middle distances as his training partner. He also has been influenced by Lochte's relaxed attitude at the pool.

"He's a unique breed," said Vanderkay, who used to train with Phelps at Michigan. "It doesn't consume him."

But Lochte's ascent also means there's more at stake in the coming year. The injuries used to not be a big deal for the swimmer and coach.

"Now it's a profession," Troy said. "The bad part is it does affect his swimming. The good part is they really get him to zero in on his training. Once he gets injured, suddenly every session becomes really important."

It also will be important for Lochte to handle the spotlight being cast on him. Troy, who has built a stable of world-class swimmers in Gainesville, Fla., and is coach of the U.S. Olympic team, hopes Lochte and his agent understand the importance of training as they receive more media demands.

"It's a really fast world out there," Troy said. "I don't think there is any room to back off."

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Thanks to everyone who reads this blog


Ryan has a lot of fans from all around the world. I'm grateful for anyone who takes time out to read this blog, but I know it's because of Ryan that you read it. I'm always amazed at the number of people outside of the US who are interested in Ryan. He has world-wide appeal. I think it's because he sets goals and works so hard to achieve them. His successes are earned, which is such a good message.

Ryan tweeted tonight that his swimming season is done. Not surprising given how he performed at Worlds.

If there's any news on his swimming, I will try to put it in the blog. But for now, Ryan is hopefully taking a deserved rest.

Thanks again for reading.

p.s. can't believe I figured out how to post a tweet.

Ryan placed 3rd in 100m back at Nationals







Ryan's time was 53.79, the 13th fastest time in the world this year and his best time in 2011 (previous best 54.0 in prelims). Matt Grevers won and Nick Thoman placed 2nd.

I can't wait for the day that Ryan breaks 53.0 because I know he can do it. Under the circumstances of last week and all the travel, I understand why it didn't happen today.

Here's Swimmingworld Magazine's report of the race:


PALO ALTO, California, August 3. TUCSON Ford's Matt Grevers made a statement in the men's 100 back with a scorching time at the USA Swimming Long Course Nationals.

Grevers, who did not qualify for Worlds last summer, tapered for this meet with a blazing fast time of 53.14. That swim put him sixth in the world this year, but still behind Nick Thoman (53.01) and David Plummer (53.04) among the Americans.


Thoman, after clocking the 53.04 at Worlds, took second tonight in 53.57, while Ryan Lochte finished third in 53.79. Lochte is coming off a World meet in which he won five gold medals, and is only the fourth man to win at least five at Worlds.

Kyle Owens (54.30), Eugene Godsoe (54.34), David Russell (54.44), Ben Hesen (54.56), Plummer (54.74), Adam Mania (54.98) and Mitchell Friedemann (55.70) rounded out the championship finale.

Ryan with all 5 gold medals & 1 bronze medal won in Shanghai

Ryan qualifies 2nd in the 100m back prelims

Ryan qualified second in this morning's prelims for the 100m back. Here is the list of 10 swimmers who will be in the finals. It should be a great race! Finals tonight at 6 pm PDT. Watch on Universal Sports or USASwimming.org.

1 Grevers, Matthew 53.96
2 Lochte, Ryan 54.00
3 Thoman, Nicholas 54.19
4 Godsoe, Eugene 54.31
5 Owens, Kyle 54.52
6 Russell, David 54.58
7 Hesen, Benedict 54.61
8 Plummer, David 55.02
9 Vyatchanin, Arkady 55.10
10 Friedemann, Mitchell 56.07

Here is an article written about the 100 back before prelims:

http://usaswimming.org/ViewNewsArticle.aspx?TabId=0&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en&ItemId=3543&mid=9874

Can't Miss Race: Men's 100m Back
8/3/2011
By Mike Gustafson//Correspondent

While the rest of the swim nation catches its breath after comeback king Brendan Hansen’s courageous victory yesterday in the 100m breaststroke, we still have other “races to watch” throughout these 2011 ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships.

Any time Ryan Lochte races a 100m backstroke against Matt Grevers, at least to me, it’s the biggest race of the day. To understand why, you have to look back through the shared history between these two mega-Olympians. Namely, how Grevers has been the spoiler throughout Lochte’s sprint backstroking career.

The first big upset came at the 2005 NCAA Championships, when Grevers was just an unheralded sophomore at Northwestern. Ryan Lochte was the favorite, but Grevers just touched him out by a few hundredths of a second.

This “upset” was repeated at the 2008 Olympic Trials, when the stakes were higher. Ryan Lochte came in as the world-record holder in the event. But Grevers stretched his monstrous 6’8’’ frame to the wall before Lochte, and qualified in the event as well as the medley relay.

Now, Lochte wants to get it back. This morning, Lochte scratched out of the 200m freestyle, presumably to concentrate on the 100m backstroke. He wants to see how fast he can go.

Arguably, winning next summer’s Olympic Trials race in this event is the only way Lochte can punch a ticket in that American 4x100 medley relay. He won’t make it in the butterfly or freestyle, and certainly not the breaststroke. Potentially, qualifying in the 100m backstroke next summer means not just one Olympic medal, but two – assuming that Team USA does what it always does, and swims well in the medley relay.

So tonight is big for Lochte. It’s a gauge reading on whether or not he should continue to concentrate in this event. He’s already got the 200 and 400 IMs, the 200 backstroke, and the 200 freestyle. But if he adds the 100m backstroke to his repertoire, arguably, he could sneak in 8 events at London. Remember that number – 8? Remind you of anyone?

Unfortunately for Lochte, the men’s 100m backstroke– despite a lacking of Aaron Peirsol – remains the most competitive event in men’s swimming. First, there’s Matt Grevers. Grevers wants to make a statement, as he was sitting at home during the World Championships, just barely missing qualification last summer. He is rested and wants to prove something. He’s upset Lochte before, and I believe can do it again.

Nick Thoman just tasted what it would be like to lead-off a winning medley relay in a major long course international meet, last week’s World Championships. You think he wants to give up his spot so easily? Nope. Once he’s had that taste, you can bet that he won’t want to relinquish his spot without a fight.

David Plummer is one year removed from his huge upset last summer at the ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships. Can he give a repeat performance? People are well aware of his name now. He’s got some momentum. The Minnetonka swimmer is certainly capable of pulling off something big. A win here would give him much-needed momentum heading into the Olympic year.

David Nolan is the most promising young male swimmer since Michael Phelps. He had the best performance in high school swimming history earlier this winter, and will be heading to college this fall. Will he show up to campus with a national championship under his belt? A Nolan victory would be a shocker – but we’ve seen shockers before. Nolan needs to become more of a long course swimmer to succeed next year. Nolan’s better event is the 200IM, but this event will gauge how well he’s doing so far.

Tom Shields is the defending NCAA Champion. He’s got more potential than people realize, and he’ll be swimming practically in his backyard. He’s rested and comfortable. He could be a major player next summer, as this field gets deeper and deeper.

An X-Factor that I’m excited about is youngster Ryan Murphy. He’s not going to win. He might not even final. But he’s just 16-years-old and shows tons of potential. Watch out to see what he does in this event, an event that is arguably his best.

So grab your popcorn, ladies and gentlemen. Tonight’s 100m backstroke will prove to be one of the more exciting races of the summer, if only because the field is so deep and so proven, anything can happen. Even without the addition of fan-favorite Aaron Peirsol, the men’s 100m backstroke remains the most competitive event in USA swimming, and I believe that tonight, we’ll once again see why.

Ryan in "C" Final for 100m breast at Nationals