Sports Figures to Watch in 2012
Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps
Phelps vs. Lochte will be the water-cooler debate going into the London Olympics. The world's two best swimmers should go head to head in two events -- the 200-meter freestyle and the 200 individual medley. Phelps is the defending Olympic champion in both, but Lochte won both world titles this year, becoming the alpha male of the pool in the process. Phelps and his coach, Bob Bowman, feed on any form of motivation they can find. You can bet Phelps is reminded daily about those two losses at worlds, where Lochte needed two personal bests to win by a combined half-second. Phelps said he wasn't in peak shape at that meet, but we also don't know if Lochte has reached his limit yet.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/1112/sports-figures-watch-2012/content.1.html#ixzz1hxGtIGkr
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Monday, December 19, 2011
Against the Tide - Ed Moses Documentary Episode 5
This was a really good series. Shows just how difficult this sport is.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Against the Tide - Ed Moses Documentary Episodes 1-4
This is really interesting. Watch Episodes 1-4 below:
Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
New York Times article on Laszlo Cseh and his rivalry with Phelps and Lochte
Laszlo Cseh Uses Silver as a Steppingstone
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/18/sports/laszlo-cseh-uses-silver-as-a-steppingstone-swimming.html
By KAREN CROUSE
ATLANTA — The wake-up call on Laszlo Cseh’s phone will not let him snooze. When he is tired from travel, fatigued from training, or drained from his Sisyphean pursuit of Michael Phelps, he cues a video of the 200-meter butterfly final at the 2008 Olympics, which he downloaded upon returning home from Beijing.
“Sometimes when I go to training in the morning and I get tired or I want to sleep more and I feel I need some boost, I watch it,” Cseh said. He added, “I watch it a lot of times.”
Cseh, of Hungary, finished second in the 200 butterfly and in the 200 and 400 individual medleys at the Beijing Games, touched out each time by Phelps. It was a familiar scene. Since 2003, Cseh has won nine individual world championship medals but only one gold, as Phelps and, more recently, Ryan Lochte have foiled his goal of world domination.
Like tennis players who have come of age in the era of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Cseh has pondered the question of whether it is the worst of timing or the best.
“I think a lot about that,” Cseh said. “Maybe if there is no Phelps, no Lochte, I’m not as good. They make me better and the other swimmers better because of how fast they are swimming.”
Cseh won three events last weekend at the European short-course championships in Poland, then traveled to the United States, motivated by the promise of racing Lochte here on Friday and Saturday at the Duel in the Pool. Cseh was a member of the European contingent, which took on an American squad that was missing Phelps, who skipped the event.
The rivals converged on Georgia Tech Aquatic Center, the site of the 1996 Olympic competition, from different places in their preparation for next summer’s London Olympics. Cseh did not expect to be sharp because he was coming off a week of high-intensity racing. Lochte was dragging because he was in the midst of high-intensity training. He warmed up for his first events Friday with a 6,000-meter workout.
Their showdown in the 400 individual medley on Friday was the swimming equivalent of a first-round knockout, with Cseh falling behind both Lochte and the American Tyler Clary on the butterfly leg on his way to finishing over a body-length behind Lochte (3 minutes 59.52 seconds) and Clary (4:00.35).
At the Beijing Olympics, Cseh swam the freestyle leg of the 400 individual medley two seconds faster than Lochte to pass him in the final 100 meters. After the race, Phelps washed his hands of the grueling event, saying he was through competing in it. Cseh could see the sky clearing, but then a giant cloud rolled in. Lochte medaled in six events at the world championships this July in Shanghai and would appear to be primed for a peak performance in London.
“In Beijing, Phelps said, ‘I quit the 400 I.M.,’ and after he said that, Ryan’s beating everyone in every stroke,” Cseh said. “So it’s going to be really hard. But I think that’s O.K.”
Cseh, 26, is not the first in his family to swim in a superstar’s heavy wake. His father, Laszlo Sr., was a backstroker who competed in the 1968 and 1972 Summer Olympics against Roland Matthes, an East German who did not lose a backstroke race from 1967 to 1974.
“I know about that,” Cseh said, “but I don’t talk about it with my father.”
Matthes’s unbeaten streak was snapped at a duel meet in Northern California by the American John Naber, who also ended Matthes’s two-Olympic reign as the backstroke king at the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal.
Naber’s strategy for dethroning Matthes was to stop chasing him.
“The only way I could imagine beating Roland was to think how fast did I believe he was going to swim and race the clock,” Naber said in a telephone interview. “That way I was just racing an impersonal, dispassionate number and not the Iceman, which is how I considered Roland because he was impenetrable and very resourceful.”
The time Naber set as his goal in the 100 backstroke, he said, was 55.50 seconds. He captured the Olympic gold medal in Montreal with a clocking of 55.49.
In Beijing, Cseh described Phelps as unbeatable and said, “Anytime you think you can get close to Michael Phelps, he jumps to another level.”
Cseh says now that he was not conceding defeat but merely stating the obvious.
“Michael was so great in Beijing,” he said. “I don’t think I lost something there. I feel every race I won the silver.”
When Cseh replays the 200 butterfly final, he sees not only the 0.67-second margin of defeat, but also the gains to be made. He was faster on the third 50 than Phelps, but frittered away too many fractions of a second on the walls. His focus since Beijing, he said, has been on fine-tuning his stroke and his turns.
“I work on improving my underwater kicks,” Cseh said, “and becoming more efficient in my technique so I get less tired.”
Phelps is expected to retire after next year, but Cseh said he had not ruled out swimming through the 2016 Olympics. He has been a fixture on the international scene since he won a silver medal in the 400 I.M. at the 2003 world championships. A year later, Cseh broke his foot during a training camp before the 2004 Olympics and managed a bronze medal in the 400 I.M., behind two Americans: Phelps and Erik Vendt.
The injury seemed unfortunate at the time, but Cseh sees it differently now.
“Maybe if I had the world record in 2003 or 2004 or won the gold medal, I don’t have the feeling that I need to improve myself,” he said. “It has been a long time, but I’m still here. Maybe the training is a little harder, but I feel I’m getting better as I get older.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/18/sports/laszlo-cseh-uses-silver-as-a-steppingstone-swimming.html
By KAREN CROUSE
ATLANTA — The wake-up call on Laszlo Cseh’s phone will not let him snooze. When he is tired from travel, fatigued from training, or drained from his Sisyphean pursuit of Michael Phelps, he cues a video of the 200-meter butterfly final at the 2008 Olympics, which he downloaded upon returning home from Beijing.
“Sometimes when I go to training in the morning and I get tired or I want to sleep more and I feel I need some boost, I watch it,” Cseh said. He added, “I watch it a lot of times.”
Cseh, of Hungary, finished second in the 200 butterfly and in the 200 and 400 individual medleys at the Beijing Games, touched out each time by Phelps. It was a familiar scene. Since 2003, Cseh has won nine individual world championship medals but only one gold, as Phelps and, more recently, Ryan Lochte have foiled his goal of world domination.
Like tennis players who have come of age in the era of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Cseh has pondered the question of whether it is the worst of timing or the best.
“I think a lot about that,” Cseh said. “Maybe if there is no Phelps, no Lochte, I’m not as good. They make me better and the other swimmers better because of how fast they are swimming.”
Cseh won three events last weekend at the European short-course championships in Poland, then traveled to the United States, motivated by the promise of racing Lochte here on Friday and Saturday at the Duel in the Pool. Cseh was a member of the European contingent, which took on an American squad that was missing Phelps, who skipped the event.
The rivals converged on Georgia Tech Aquatic Center, the site of the 1996 Olympic competition, from different places in their preparation for next summer’s London Olympics. Cseh did not expect to be sharp because he was coming off a week of high-intensity racing. Lochte was dragging because he was in the midst of high-intensity training. He warmed up for his first events Friday with a 6,000-meter workout.
Their showdown in the 400 individual medley on Friday was the swimming equivalent of a first-round knockout, with Cseh falling behind both Lochte and the American Tyler Clary on the butterfly leg on his way to finishing over a body-length behind Lochte (3 minutes 59.52 seconds) and Clary (4:00.35).
At the Beijing Olympics, Cseh swam the freestyle leg of the 400 individual medley two seconds faster than Lochte to pass him in the final 100 meters. After the race, Phelps washed his hands of the grueling event, saying he was through competing in it. Cseh could see the sky clearing, but then a giant cloud rolled in. Lochte medaled in six events at the world championships this July in Shanghai and would appear to be primed for a peak performance in London.
“In Beijing, Phelps said, ‘I quit the 400 I.M.,’ and after he said that, Ryan’s beating everyone in every stroke,” Cseh said. “So it’s going to be really hard. But I think that’s O.K.”
Cseh, 26, is not the first in his family to swim in a superstar’s heavy wake. His father, Laszlo Sr., was a backstroker who competed in the 1968 and 1972 Summer Olympics against Roland Matthes, an East German who did not lose a backstroke race from 1967 to 1974.
“I know about that,” Cseh said, “but I don’t talk about it with my father.”
Matthes’s unbeaten streak was snapped at a duel meet in Northern California by the American John Naber, who also ended Matthes’s two-Olympic reign as the backstroke king at the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal.
Naber’s strategy for dethroning Matthes was to stop chasing him.
“The only way I could imagine beating Roland was to think how fast did I believe he was going to swim and race the clock,” Naber said in a telephone interview. “That way I was just racing an impersonal, dispassionate number and not the Iceman, which is how I considered Roland because he was impenetrable and very resourceful.”
The time Naber set as his goal in the 100 backstroke, he said, was 55.50 seconds. He captured the Olympic gold medal in Montreal with a clocking of 55.49.
In Beijing, Cseh described Phelps as unbeatable and said, “Anytime you think you can get close to Michael Phelps, he jumps to another level.”
Cseh says now that he was not conceding defeat but merely stating the obvious.
“Michael was so great in Beijing,” he said. “I don’t think I lost something there. I feel every race I won the silver.”
When Cseh replays the 200 butterfly final, he sees not only the 0.67-second margin of defeat, but also the gains to be made. He was faster on the third 50 than Phelps, but frittered away too many fractions of a second on the walls. His focus since Beijing, he said, has been on fine-tuning his stroke and his turns.
“I work on improving my underwater kicks,” Cseh said, “and becoming more efficient in my technique so I get less tired.”
Phelps is expected to retire after next year, but Cseh said he had not ruled out swimming through the 2016 Olympics. He has been a fixture on the international scene since he won a silver medal in the 400 I.M. at the 2003 world championships. A year later, Cseh broke his foot during a training camp before the 2004 Olympics and managed a bronze medal in the 400 I.M., behind two Americans: Phelps and Erik Vendt.
The injury seemed unfortunate at the time, but Cseh sees it differently now.
“Maybe if I had the world record in 2003 or 2004 or won the gold medal, I don’t have the feeling that I need to improve myself,” he said. “It has been a long time, but I’m still here. Maybe the training is a little harder, but I feel I’m getting better as I get older.”
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Great article about Ryan Lochte by Jan Engel
By Jen Engel
http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/lochte_ready_for_his_own_olympic_glory/8791672?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
No one gets in the face of sports greatness anymore, pokes it in the chest and says "I am coming for you." It's too hard. It's too scary and it is so much easier to say appropriately deferential things before and lose graciously and hug afterward.
Well almost no one, I should say. A few still dare to tug on Superman's cape.
Which is why in December, in the meat of the NFL season, I am in Atlanta. I am here to watch the most interesting man in the swimming world. At least he is to me. This disclaimer is necessary because I am not talking about Michael Phelps, the most accomplished man in swimming, the biggest name and quite possibly still the greatest swimmer going at the moment.
But Phelps is not in Atlanta. There are theories as to why he has been a little reclusive on the pre-2012 London Olympic slate, but really, there's just one reason. And his name is Ryan Lochte. And he is why I am in Atlanta in the middle of football season.
So most of you are having one of these three reactions:
1. Can you believe what Lochte did in Shanghai at the World Championships?
2. Lochte is a swimmer, right?
3. Who in the hell is Ryan Lochte? And why is this chick writing about him during football season?
For those in Groups 2 and 3, Lochte is kind of like Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He is in the midst of this amazing run. Nobody is playing any better, but all anybody can talk about is Tim Tebow. Just sub in swimming for playing and Phelps for Tebow and this is Lochte's life. Nobody is performing any better and still his professional life is in marked by contrasts to his frenemisis.
What if Phelps were here?
Can you beat Phelps?
Phelps, Phelps, Phelps, Phelps, Phelps.
"All I can say is it's my time," Lochte said to a small group of reporters at The Duel in the Pool late Friday.
This says a lot, actually. He is for sure tugging on Superman's cape. Because one theory is Phelps was so annoyed and angry after Lochte kind of, sort of totally kicked his butt and rubbed his face in it in Shanghai that he has sequestered himself at Phelps HQ devising a plan on how to make Lochte pay. In fact, a BBC radio reporter in from London asked this very question. There is something about the British accent, especially on a male, that allows them to say almost anything and it not sound antagonistic. So when he proposed the angry Phelps revenge scenario it brought a smile to Lochte's face.
"I hope so," Lochte said, a little devilishly.
"I know he wasn't happy after Shanghai. So I know he's in the pool training hard and that's a little motivation for me," he continued. "I have to train even harder. I have to find different ways to get faster. I know he's training his butt off and I got to do the same."
My first thought is hell yeah. My second? It's about time.
Four years ago in Beijing, the whole USA Swimming contingent seemed to be a Phelps entourage. This wasn't all their fault. They would get out of the pool, male or female, win or lose, world record or gold medal, it did not matter. We'd ask them about Phelps -- his fatigue level, what he ate for breakfast, what being a part of his Olympics was like. I know. I was there. What he did four years ago in Beijing, winning a record eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympics, is the most amazing sporting achievement I have ever witnessed live. I can still see Jason Lezak coming back in that relay to preserve eight for him.
As good as Phelps is for swimming, the sport needs Lochte.
Beijing was spectacular for this very Hemmingway man-vs.-himself battle that Phelps had going on. The best of sport, though, is when the competition comes from another. And Phelps-Lochte is shaping up to be the best showdown in London. This time around there will be two people in the pool that good, two people with goals.
"There is no way around it. The big talk of 2012 is going to be me and Michael," Lochte said. "I put myself in that kind of position where I've gotten a lot faster since 2008 and I'm able to race the world's greatest swimmer and it's an honor to be racing against him and being on the same team and same pool as him. … Hands down, and I'll say this over and over and over, Michael Phelps is the world's greatest swimmer."
And while Lochte did not go there, saying instead he'd "leave that up to you guys," this adage is most definitely true. If Lochte somehow brings down Phelps in London, he will be the best. He was not ready in Beijing, not really ready. And he might not be this time either. He said he cleaned up stuff in his personal life, some issues that were stressing him. It sounded very much like girl trouble, but it is not really any of our business. What is our business is if he can do what nobody seems to do well in sports anymore -- take on a phenomenon and win.
"A lot of people say that after the last two to three years what I have accomplished ... people say I am the new Michael," Lochte said. "For me, it goes through one ear and out the other.
"For me, as far as I'm concerned, last year never happened. I mean, I'm over it. As far as I'm concerned, I'm at the bottom."
The truth is Lochte probably does not have a good chance now. Phelps is the greatest swimmer ever and now, after Shanghai, he is probably training like Rocky in Rocky 4, in some barn in Russia while running with rocks up a mountain. This is why this idea they are somehow BFFs is preposterous. There is some good sports animosity here. You get in a pool to race at this level without the desire to win crawling under your skin, the thought of finishing second even to a friend churning your insides around. I wouldn't respect either if it was any other way.
There is a difference between being a good sport and a good loser.
And there is a difference between being part of the entourage and being the competition.
Because in a parallel universe, Lochte is the guy we are talking about Tebow-style. He is talented, good looking, laid back, a dream pitch man. But much like playing ball in the era of Jordan or excelling in the NFL right now during Tebowmania, it is easy to get lost battling a phenomenon.
And this is why I am in Atlanta, because the most interesting man in swimming is the guy who thinks he can take it on and win.
http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/lochte_ready_for_his_own_olympic_glory/8791672?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
No one gets in the face of sports greatness anymore, pokes it in the chest and says "I am coming for you." It's too hard. It's too scary and it is so much easier to say appropriately deferential things before and lose graciously and hug afterward.
Well almost no one, I should say. A few still dare to tug on Superman's cape.
Which is why in December, in the meat of the NFL season, I am in Atlanta. I am here to watch the most interesting man in the swimming world. At least he is to me. This disclaimer is necessary because I am not talking about Michael Phelps, the most accomplished man in swimming, the biggest name and quite possibly still the greatest swimmer going at the moment.
But Phelps is not in Atlanta. There are theories as to why he has been a little reclusive on the pre-2012 London Olympic slate, but really, there's just one reason. And his name is Ryan Lochte. And he is why I am in Atlanta in the middle of football season.
So most of you are having one of these three reactions:
1. Can you believe what Lochte did in Shanghai at the World Championships?
2. Lochte is a swimmer, right?
3. Who in the hell is Ryan Lochte? And why is this chick writing about him during football season?
For those in Groups 2 and 3, Lochte is kind of like Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He is in the midst of this amazing run. Nobody is playing any better, but all anybody can talk about is Tim Tebow. Just sub in swimming for playing and Phelps for Tebow and this is Lochte's life. Nobody is performing any better and still his professional life is in marked by contrasts to his frenemisis.
What if Phelps were here?
Can you beat Phelps?
Phelps, Phelps, Phelps, Phelps, Phelps.
"All I can say is it's my time," Lochte said to a small group of reporters at The Duel in the Pool late Friday.
This says a lot, actually. He is for sure tugging on Superman's cape. Because one theory is Phelps was so annoyed and angry after Lochte kind of, sort of totally kicked his butt and rubbed his face in it in Shanghai that he has sequestered himself at Phelps HQ devising a plan on how to make Lochte pay. In fact, a BBC radio reporter in from London asked this very question. There is something about the British accent, especially on a male, that allows them to say almost anything and it not sound antagonistic. So when he proposed the angry Phelps revenge scenario it brought a smile to Lochte's face.
"I hope so," Lochte said, a little devilishly.
"I know he wasn't happy after Shanghai. So I know he's in the pool training hard and that's a little motivation for me," he continued. "I have to train even harder. I have to find different ways to get faster. I know he's training his butt off and I got to do the same."
My first thought is hell yeah. My second? It's about time.
Four years ago in Beijing, the whole USA Swimming contingent seemed to be a Phelps entourage. This wasn't all their fault. They would get out of the pool, male or female, win or lose, world record or gold medal, it did not matter. We'd ask them about Phelps -- his fatigue level, what he ate for breakfast, what being a part of his Olympics was like. I know. I was there. What he did four years ago in Beijing, winning a record eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympics, is the most amazing sporting achievement I have ever witnessed live. I can still see Jason Lezak coming back in that relay to preserve eight for him.
As good as Phelps is for swimming, the sport needs Lochte.
Beijing was spectacular for this very Hemmingway man-vs.-himself battle that Phelps had going on. The best of sport, though, is when the competition comes from another. And Phelps-Lochte is shaping up to be the best showdown in London. This time around there will be two people in the pool that good, two people with goals.
"There is no way around it. The big talk of 2012 is going to be me and Michael," Lochte said. "I put myself in that kind of position where I've gotten a lot faster since 2008 and I'm able to race the world's greatest swimmer and it's an honor to be racing against him and being on the same team and same pool as him. … Hands down, and I'll say this over and over and over, Michael Phelps is the world's greatest swimmer."
And while Lochte did not go there, saying instead he'd "leave that up to you guys," this adage is most definitely true. If Lochte somehow brings down Phelps in London, he will be the best. He was not ready in Beijing, not really ready. And he might not be this time either. He said he cleaned up stuff in his personal life, some issues that were stressing him. It sounded very much like girl trouble, but it is not really any of our business. What is our business is if he can do what nobody seems to do well in sports anymore -- take on a phenomenon and win.
"A lot of people say that after the last two to three years what I have accomplished ... people say I am the new Michael," Lochte said. "For me, it goes through one ear and out the other.
"For me, as far as I'm concerned, last year never happened. I mean, I'm over it. As far as I'm concerned, I'm at the bottom."
The truth is Lochte probably does not have a good chance now. Phelps is the greatest swimmer ever and now, after Shanghai, he is probably training like Rocky in Rocky 4, in some barn in Russia while running with rocks up a mountain. This is why this idea they are somehow BFFs is preposterous. There is some good sports animosity here. You get in a pool to race at this level without the desire to win crawling under your skin, the thought of finishing second even to a friend churning your insides around. I wouldn't respect either if it was any other way.
There is a difference between being a good sport and a good loser.
And there is a difference between being part of the entourage and being the competition.
Because in a parallel universe, Lochte is the guy we are talking about Tebow-style. He is talented, good looking, laid back, a dream pitch man. But much like playing ball in the era of Jordan or excelling in the NFL right now during Tebowmania, it is easy to get lost battling a phenomenon.
And this is why I am in Atlanta, because the most interesting man in swimming is the guy who thinks he can take it on and win.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Ryan wins the 400m IM and the 200m back at Duel in the Pool
What an impressive double, especially unrested. Enjoy.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
More Duel in the Pool
From Mike Gustafson at USASwimming.org: http://www.usaswimming.org/ViewNewsArticle.aspx?TabId=0&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en&ItemId=4027&mid=9874
4. Will Ryan Lochte Rest?
If I held a magic 8-ball and asked him this question, my guess is the response would be, “All sources point to no.” Ryan Lochte is the best swimmer in the world, no doubts about it. But a few weeks ago at the AT&T Winter National Championships, Lochte looked awfully tired. You can bet Lochte’s coach Greg Troy is working Lochte like a dog, preparing him for the Olympic Trials. Still, the Duel in the Pool will have some significant media coverage and will be broadcast live on TV. Will Lochte rest? Or even skip a morning workout for a day? Or will he get beat in International competition, and then have to answer a barrage of questions like: “Ryan! Are you worried! Did something happen! Are you hurt!” No. He’s training for the Olympics.
4. Will Ryan Lochte Rest?
If I held a magic 8-ball and asked him this question, my guess is the response would be, “All sources point to no.” Ryan Lochte is the best swimmer in the world, no doubts about it. But a few weeks ago at the AT&T Winter National Championships, Lochte looked awfully tired. You can bet Lochte’s coach Greg Troy is working Lochte like a dog, preparing him for the Olympic Trials. Still, the Duel in the Pool will have some significant media coverage and will be broadcast live on TV. Will Lochte rest? Or even skip a morning workout for a day? Or will he get beat in International competition, and then have to answer a barrage of questions like: “Ryan! Are you worried! Did something happen! Are you hurt!” No. He’s training for the Olympics.
AP/Sports Illustrated Article on Duel in the Pool
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/more/12/15/Duel-in-the-Pool.ap/index.html
ATLANTA (AP) -- Duel in the Pool? More like Slaughter in the Water.
The United States hasn't come close to losing one of these every-other-year dual meets since they were launched in 2003 as a way to build interest in swimming during non-Olympic years.
Even with Michael Phelps back home in Baltimore, focusing on training for next summer's London Games, Brendan Hansen doesn't expect anything to change when the powerful Americans take on a European all-star team Friday and Saturday at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center.
"It's hard for me to believe we can lose the way this team feeds off each other," Hansen said after a practice session Thursday morning at the same pool that hosted the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. "When we start rolling at a meet like this, it's a slippery slope. The meet is over a lot sooner than you think, then we're just racing each other."
USA Swimming has assembled a daunting group that features Ryan Lochte - the star of this year's world championships - along with Olympic gold medalists Hansen, Natalie Coughlin, Rebecca Soni, Dana Vollmer and Amanda Beard. The next wave of American stars is led by 16-year-old Missy Franklin, who captured three golds and five medals overall at worlds.
"You need those people who've been to the Olympics, who've been on the podium," Coughlin said. "But you also need those youngsters, who are so excited just to be there."
The Europeans faced a challenge assembling a competitive team, given all the politics and differing objectives of the various national federations. Germany and Russia contributed only one swimmer apiece, and the powerhouse French squad isn't participating at all.
Still, there's quite a mix - 41 swimmers from 18 nations, including world champions Daniel Gyurta of Hungary and Lotte Friis and Jeanette Ottesen of Denmark.
"Try having a team meeting," quipped Markus Rogan, a two-time Olympian from Austria. "It's very interesting, communications-wise."
The Americans easily beat Australia at the first three duels, then routed a European team 185-78 two years ago.
"Even though we don't even know everybody's name, we all have a common goal," Rogan said. "Everybody wants to beat the Americans."
British star Gemma Spofforth predicts the score will be a lot tighter than past years, since so many of her teammates are coming off the European short-course championships. The same format will be used at Georgia Tech, where a giant grandstand has been erected over the half of the full-length pool that won't be used.
"It looks like a lot of the Europeans are in top shape and ready to go fast," she said. "I think it's going to be very, very close. Someone who finishes third or fourth could make the difference."
By comparison, most of the Americans are in the midst of rigorous training regimens, so they won't be in their best racing form. Lochte swam a staggering 6,000 meters during his practice session Thursday - a routine that is geared toward having him in top form for London, not Atlanta.
"I don't know what to expect," he said. "But it's a great opportunity to race, no matter what condition I'm in."
Phelps passed on the chance to race in Atlanta. His coach, Bob Bowman, said the 14-time Olympic gold medalist was best served finishing out the year training at home and taking part in one local meet, given a busy fall schedule that included two European meets and high-altitude training in Colorado.
At worlds, Lochte surpassed Phelps as the world's most dominant swimmer, beating his fellow American in their two head-to-head races. But, much like any golf tournament that doesn't include Tiger Woods, the absence of Phelps takes some of the luster off this meet.
"I would like for him to be here, to be with the team," Hansen said. "There's a lot of things he can do to help the team. I'm not talking about when he's on the blocks, but the things he can do just being part of a dual meet. He didn't go to college. I would think he would want to be part of as many dual meets as he could."
Lochte, too, wishes Phelps had decided to compete in Atlanta. Even though they would've been racing for the same team, it would've been another chance to set the table for their expected Olympic showdown in London, likely to be one of the biggest story lines of the 2012 Games.
But Lochte can't concern himself with Phelps' schedule. There's plenty of work to do between now and the Olympics.
"Obviously, I hope everyone will start talking about me," Lochte said. "But it's too early to tell. We've still got six or seven months until the games."
Spofforth, who trains with Lochte, predicts he'll be the biggest swimming star in London - not just because of his steely focus in the water, but the carefree way he carries himself on dry land.
"Everyone wants to be like Ryan," Spofforth said. "I believe he's got that edge. And there's just something about him that makes everyone like him."
ATLANTA (AP) -- Duel in the Pool? More like Slaughter in the Water.
The United States hasn't come close to losing one of these every-other-year dual meets since they were launched in 2003 as a way to build interest in swimming during non-Olympic years.
Even with Michael Phelps back home in Baltimore, focusing on training for next summer's London Games, Brendan Hansen doesn't expect anything to change when the powerful Americans take on a European all-star team Friday and Saturday at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center.
"It's hard for me to believe we can lose the way this team feeds off each other," Hansen said after a practice session Thursday morning at the same pool that hosted the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. "When we start rolling at a meet like this, it's a slippery slope. The meet is over a lot sooner than you think, then we're just racing each other."
USA Swimming has assembled a daunting group that features Ryan Lochte - the star of this year's world championships - along with Olympic gold medalists Hansen, Natalie Coughlin, Rebecca Soni, Dana Vollmer and Amanda Beard. The next wave of American stars is led by 16-year-old Missy Franklin, who captured three golds and five medals overall at worlds.
"You need those people who've been to the Olympics, who've been on the podium," Coughlin said. "But you also need those youngsters, who are so excited just to be there."
The Europeans faced a challenge assembling a competitive team, given all the politics and differing objectives of the various national federations. Germany and Russia contributed only one swimmer apiece, and the powerhouse French squad isn't participating at all.
Still, there's quite a mix - 41 swimmers from 18 nations, including world champions Daniel Gyurta of Hungary and Lotte Friis and Jeanette Ottesen of Denmark.
"Try having a team meeting," quipped Markus Rogan, a two-time Olympian from Austria. "It's very interesting, communications-wise."
The Americans easily beat Australia at the first three duels, then routed a European team 185-78 two years ago.
"Even though we don't even know everybody's name, we all have a common goal," Rogan said. "Everybody wants to beat the Americans."
British star Gemma Spofforth predicts the score will be a lot tighter than past years, since so many of her teammates are coming off the European short-course championships. The same format will be used at Georgia Tech, where a giant grandstand has been erected over the half of the full-length pool that won't be used.
"It looks like a lot of the Europeans are in top shape and ready to go fast," she said. "I think it's going to be very, very close. Someone who finishes third or fourth could make the difference."
By comparison, most of the Americans are in the midst of rigorous training regimens, so they won't be in their best racing form. Lochte swam a staggering 6,000 meters during his practice session Thursday - a routine that is geared toward having him in top form for London, not Atlanta.
"I don't know what to expect," he said. "But it's a great opportunity to race, no matter what condition I'm in."
Phelps passed on the chance to race in Atlanta. His coach, Bob Bowman, said the 14-time Olympic gold medalist was best served finishing out the year training at home and taking part in one local meet, given a busy fall schedule that included two European meets and high-altitude training in Colorado.
At worlds, Lochte surpassed Phelps as the world's most dominant swimmer, beating his fellow American in their two head-to-head races. But, much like any golf tournament that doesn't include Tiger Woods, the absence of Phelps takes some of the luster off this meet.
"I would like for him to be here, to be with the team," Hansen said. "There's a lot of things he can do to help the team. I'm not talking about when he's on the blocks, but the things he can do just being part of a dual meet. He didn't go to college. I would think he would want to be part of as many dual meets as he could."
Lochte, too, wishes Phelps had decided to compete in Atlanta. Even though they would've been racing for the same team, it would've been another chance to set the table for their expected Olympic showdown in London, likely to be one of the biggest story lines of the 2012 Games.
But Lochte can't concern himself with Phelps' schedule. There's plenty of work to do between now and the Olympics.
"Obviously, I hope everyone will start talking about me," Lochte said. "But it's too early to tell. We've still got six or seven months until the games."
Spofforth, who trains with Lochte, predicts he'll be the biggest swimming star in London - not just because of his steely focus in the water, but the carefree way he carries himself on dry land.
"Everyone wants to be like Ryan," Spofforth said. "I believe he's got that edge. And there's just something about him that makes everyone like him."
Duel in the Pool - Friday & Saturday December 16-17
Duel in the Pool starts tomorrow night. It's a short course meters meet with the US all-stars against European all-stars, including my favorite European swimmer, Lazslo Cseh! I love SC meters because it is so fast and different and rarely swum in the U.S. It should be a very exciting and fan-friendly format. In the U.S., you can watch live on Universal Sports on Friday night and on NBC on Saturday. I'll post links tomorrow.
Ryan Lochte always does well in short-course meets, but is not rested! I read on this blog that Ryan had a 6,000m practice today! http://www.dailymile.com/people/mikebuteau/entries/11513294
Last year at this time Ryan swam at the Short Course Worlds half rested and set two world records. I don't think we can expect any world records this time with Ryan being unrested, but you never know.
As soon as I find out what events Ryan is swimming I will post them.
Here is an interesting video conversation between Ryan and Michael Phelps discussing the sport of swimming.
Ryan Lochte always does well in short-course meets, but is not rested! I read on this blog that Ryan had a 6,000m practice today! http://www.dailymile.com/people/mikebuteau/entries/11513294
Last year at this time Ryan swam at the Short Course Worlds half rested and set two world records. I don't think we can expect any world records this time with Ryan being unrested, but you never know.
As soon as I find out what events Ryan is swimming I will post them.
Here is an interesting video conversation between Ryan and Michael Phelps discussing the sport of swimming.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Gregg Troy, Teri McKeever on Olympic relays, new suits and more - Nick Zaccardi - SI.com
Gregg Troy, Teri McKeever on Olympic relays, new suits and more - Nick Zaccardi - SI.com
By Nick Zacarrdi
In December 2010, USA Swimming named Gregg Troy and Teri McKeever its national team coaches through the London Olympics. Troy, who coaches the University of Florida and Ryan Lochte, heads the men's team, while McKeever, the coach of the University of California and Natalie Coughlin, leads the women as the organization's first female Olympic head coach. At the USA Swimming Winter Nationals, Troy and McKeever shared their outlook for their teams at the London Games, as well as for their superstar swimmers.
GREGG TROY
Gregg Troy, head coach of the U.S. swimming men's national team, won USA Swimming Coach of the Year in 2010 and 2011.
Kyle Terada/US PRESSWIRE
SI.com: As the head coach, you will be most scrutinized for selecting Olympic relay teams. What considerations will you take into it?
Troy: Fortunately, I'll have four other staff members on the men's side, and actually the goal for the women's and men's staff -- Teri and I have talked a little bit about it -- is to co-mingle. There are a lot of coaches that work with both males and females, so we're going to have some other staff to rely on. We'll certainly look at history and guys that have experience at that level. The fastest person is usually the best way to go. By the same token, there's a context there that none of the relay spots are assured, so we're going to go with the hottest hand. If you get a Michael Phelps who may not have swum the [individual] 100 freestyle, but he's swimming everything else well, you can pretty much rest assured he's one of the best 100 freestylers in the world. I'll look at experience, and at the same time, the hottest guys who are ready to go.
SI.com: You had a tough relay situation this year. In retrospect, should Ryan Lochte have been on the 4x100-meter freestyle relay at this year's world championships [that took bronze without him]?
Troy: I don't know. It's kind of one of those calls. It was the first event of the meet, and he's not classically a 100 freestyler. In retrospect, when you saw the 200 free [where Lochte beat Phelps] and everything else [Lochte's five gold medals and a world record], maybe it was a case that he was a hot-hand guy, but unfortunately he hadn't shown it yet at that point. We've got a lot of things to look at next year.
SI.com: What will go into the process of choosing the events that Lochte swims at June's Olympic trials?
Troy: First off, we want to look at where we feel like he can be most successful. We'll take the events where we feel that he has the greatest opportunity for success, the ones that come comfortable for him, and we'll start there. Then, we'll take a look at the program at the trials and what we feel like we can actually make the team in. From there, you've got to sit down. Even though the trials are the same format as the Olympics, there's more media, the ready room you have to go to, all those timelines are different. Quite frankly, I'm not sure I did a very good job handling that in 2008 [when Lochte won two golds and two bronzes in three individual races and one relay].
SI.com: What about swimming two Olympic finals in one night?
Troy: There's a difference between a hard double and an impossible double. We've never approached anything that's impossible, but some of them might be hard enough that it impacts other events. We're not in a dynamic where we're trying to win X number of medals. We're going to put ourselves in the best position to be as good as we can as often as possible.
SI.com: Phelps made the 2004 Olympic team in the 200 backstroke and opted not to swim the event at the Olympics with his schedule being so busy. Could Ryan do something similar?
Troy: That's a definite possibility if we feel that the trials give us flexibility. In 2008, we swam the 100 freestyle [at trials] and made the final but chose not to swim the final, which probably impacted us [not] being on the relay.
I think the program falls a little bit better for Michael than it does for Ryan. Ryan's doubles are a whole lot [for him to swim]. The 200 IM-200 backstroke double is just extremely tough. The final for each event is the same day, so it's not like you're comparing a final to a semi on the same day, where he can save a little bit of energy. He's going two full-out efforts.
SI.com: Everybody remembers how exciting the 4x100 freestyle relay was in Beijing with Jason Lezak's anchor. How do you see that relay playing out next year?
Troy: There are a lot of countries. [2004 Olympic champion] South Africa can swim a great 4x100 freestyle relay. I think that the Chinese, while it hasn't been good for them in the past, you can see them getting a little bit better. Certainly, the [2011 world champion] Australians have a great group, the [2008 Olympic silver medalists] French are still the same. We've got a great nucleus in the U.S., and that's where that relay selection becomes key. We've got to get four guys on their numbers at the right time, and no one can be off. Any country that has everyone on is in the ballpark.
SI.com: What were the positives and negatives coming out of the year before the Olympics? Many are concerned about the breaststroke, where no man medaled at the world championships.
Troy: We're a little bit long in the tooth [in the breaststroke]. They're a little bit older [Brendan Hansen, 30, and Mark Gangloff, 29, among others], but they're also very experienced. So we have to get better there. The 4x100 freestyle relay, I think we've got to get all the guys firing on the same cylinders.
The best thing I saw last summer is it seems that Michael is back on track, really interested and hungry. When Michael is hungry and on top of it, he's the best. Ryan's an extremely good athlete, but there are also other guys that are stepping up the whole way around.
TERI MCKEEVER
Teri McKeever, head coach of Cal-Berkeley's women's program, won Pac-10 Coach of the Year for the fourth time in 2011.
Phil Carter/US PRESSWIRE
SI.com: There will be pressure to pick out the right athletes for the women's relays at the Olympics. What is your philosophy?
McKeever: You want to go with the hot hand. Obviously, with our trials leading up to it, we have a good indication of where people are. If a tough decision has to be made, I've been fortunate enough in the last 10 years to be on various national team staffs. You rely on your past experience and your assistant coaches to make the best decision possible ... and then deal with the consequences (laughs).
SI.com: The women's duels have been primarily the U.S. against Australia at the last few Olympics. Do you see that changing?
McKeever: That is the natural rivalry, especially when you combine men and women. But I think you've got to look at what the Chinese are doing on the women's side [second to the U.S. with nine medals at 2011 worlds]. I think the Dutch have had amazing sprinters and are doing a great job in that. The Italians, the French. The world is bigger. It's not just us and Australia anymore.
SI.com: The Lochte-Phelps dynamic is big, but the women may have a deeper team. Which storylines should everybody be watching?
McKeever: I think everybody likes the young darling, and what Missy Franklin is doing [five world championship medals, 2011 FINA World Swimmer of the Year at age 16] is obviously exceptional and drawing a lot of attention. I think she's a young woman that's going to play an integral part in the team performance. I think Natalie's veteran leadership and what she's been able to do at the last two Olympic Games [11 combined medals] are invaluable. Someone like Amanda Beard, what she's done, and this would be her fifth Olympics. I think [2011 Swimming World Swimmer of the Year] Rebecca Soni is an awesome story, came into Beijing and really dominated and has dominated the world stage in breaststroke [sweeping the 100 and 200 at 2011 worlds]. And I think Dara Torres [trying to make her sixth Olympic team at age 45] entails a whole other audience. You've got a little bit of everything. We're going to hit all the demographics.
SI.com: Hypothetical situation -- Say Dara Torres only swims the 50 free at trials. Would she still have a shot at being on your 4x100 freestyle relay team in London?
McKeever: I think everyone on the Olympic team has a shot, but I think there would have to be some assurances, a pretty good idea of what she could do in the 100. We know what she did four years ago [anchoring the Olympic relay to silver], but that was a long time ago. Where are the other women that have qualified for that relay? Are they all really close, or is there a big drop off and we need something special? There are a lot of different scenarios, but you definitely would have to consider it. I think a good coaching staff is going to consider all your options.
SI.com: What is your reaction to Speedo's new suits, caps and goggles?
McKeever: There are some people that have said the suits aren't going to be an issue. I think the suits are always going to be an issue from here on out. This was going to happen again. New people are going to come out with new things. Technology is a part of our sport now, and it will be interesting to see how FINA legislates some of it. That [Speedo] suit system is going to aid performance, and that's what their job is, to create a product that is going to help us swim faster within the current rules. I think the whole cap-and-goggles thing [new designs also expected to shave precious fractions of a second] totally makes sense to me. It's showing our sport is gaining notoriety and exposure, and people are spending money on research to figure out the subtleties of where we might be able to take time off. When I swam 30, 40 years ago, it was like, you shave and you're going to be faster. That seems so elementary compared to what we're doing now.
SI.com: Now a veteran, how is Natalie Coughlin preparing differently for her third Games?
McKeever: She's been swimming for 23, 24 years. Your body's different. You're in a different place mentally, emotionally. She's married now. My job as her coach is to keep growing and changing her program with where she is in her life.
I know this is going to sound crazy to people, but it's not like we have a time goal or a medal goal or whatever, it's just about how do we keep helping Natalie be better than Natalie's ever been. That's what we focus on every day. Where that leads us is hopefully the right place. That said, she's won more [combined] Olympic medals and world championship medals than any other female. She's right there with number of Olympic medals with Jenny Thompson and Dara [who both hold the U.S. record for women Olympians with 12, while Coughlin has 11]. Those things I think are important from a legacy perspective, and probably, candidly, from a marketing perspective.
SI.com: What is the nightmare scenario for a national team coach at the Olympics?
McKeever: The worst thing would probably be filling out the relay card wrong, and they get disqualified after they've won the gold medal and broken the world record. That would be pretty bad. I'd go down in history (laughs).
Saturday, December 3, 2011
AT&T Winter Nationals - Days 1 and 2
Here are Ryan's results from Days 1 and 2 of Winter Nationals:
Day 1
400m free - 4:03.87 (45th place)
200m IM - 2:01.42 (6th place - A final)
Day 2
400m IM - 4:20.05 (5th place - A final)
100m back - 56.21 (4th place - B final)
Last day of the meet today!
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