8

So true about all of us trying to figure out how to exist on the Michael Phelps level. Jeeze, I think the dude is superhuman

o my gosh i dont' even know if this is really you but you and natiley are my idols someday i ant to break your world records and maybe even meet you. you did awsome in the bejing olympics and i think your really cute also well i can't wait till next 4 years and keep on dreaming you'll always acomplish something if you reall belive in it.

Dave - good post - you are correct the journey is what it is all about - the things that are demanded to be successful in our sport creates people of character.

I love the suit comment! I am proud of my swimmers because they have a similar attitude as your swimmers and take pride in what they can do in whatever suit they have rather then what the suit can do for them.

Garrett - I agree people should watch swimming for the right reasons. Having races set up in different ways doesn't need to trivalize the sport (pink hats, horses, etc...).

A few years back in Canada after the World Cup that was held in Edmonton a great "Skins Event" was held in Calgary. I have put a link to an article about it at the time:
http://www.swimnews.com/News/view/32
I know the same was done in Austraila and it was hugely popular and it was just a different way to present racing. It is a different way to keep people interested.
Agree that we should not try to change the sport for people outside the sport.

yeah dave, luke is the man for rocking the aquablade brief at juniors.

Extremely well puy Dave! Why don't you start blogging for Floswimming? I'd read it.

Being old enough to have seen Mark Spitz doing his 7 golds reminded me of the hype created by Mark. Everyone wanted that stars and stripe suit but you had to lay out almost $15 to get one. If I could have grown a mustache I would have done that too. I can't even remember the first time I saw a guy wear a swim cap. I think the shaved head was more "chic" then the swim cap. I still remember those University of Tennessee swimmers with their bald heads and their raccoon skin caps. Definitely old school swimming!! The next big thrill in swimming for me was having an American break 50 seconds in the 100m Free in 1976 in Montreal. Wisconsin's own Jim Montgomery took care of that!. What would 49.99 do today? It would qualify you for our trials but not even make it close to the semi's. Us old school swimmers also had to deal with the factory known as East Germany also. How many medals were we robbed of back then!! New school has everyone wearing a $500 suit which of course only those with means will be able to afford. Speedo of course was very glad to have everyone wear one in Beijing and I could count the number of other brand of suits worn on a couple of my hands. And mainly because TYR and Nike, etc were paying their bills. I can't wait until the 12&under State Championships to see those 10 year olds sporting their Lazers. Many of my swimmers have gone back to the old school suits, wearing the brief! And believe it or not they win State Championships. I still like to think that a lot more of it has to do with the athlete then the suit. I think American swimming will prosper as it always does after an Olympic year. Gymnastics gets the same surge. Michael Phelps did an incredible thing winning 8 golds and doing it with a lot of drama and with a lot of class. I think the support of his American team mates and probably many of his foreign competitors helped him immensely too. I don't see another swimmer able to accomplish this feat unless they can dominate as many races as Michael was able too. Spitz was fortunate that his two doubles in the Fly's and the Free's fit in great. And he got on the 3 relays. Which the USA dominated. Would Mark Spitz have won the 50 Free, if they had it?? I hope in my lifetime that I get a chance to see another swimmer get 9 golds. But I think that the excitement for me is more in watching swimmers like Brendan Hansen, Aaron Piersol, Ian Crocker, Jason Lezak, Natalie Coughlin, Dara Torres, Kara Lynn Joyce, etc, etc, continue to go through the rigors of trying to come back and win Olympic Gold or even an Olympic medal. Michael Phelps will return in 2012 but probably only win 6 or 7 golds. If he chooses to swim that many events. But who else will decide to make the commitment to come back in four years to try to get more Olympic glory is what makes this sport exciting. And then who will also come out of the ranks of our Age Group and College programs and get to the promised land called the USA Olympic Team. It was also exciting watching many of the foreign athletes compete and win Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals. Many of whom have connections to the USA. Great job Cesar Cielo, Mike Cavic, Kirsty Coventry, just to name a few. For our community (The swimming community) the sport will continue to be at the top of all of the Olympic Sports. Our swim clubs will continue to bring in those new 6, 7, & 8 year olds on our teams and hopefully their dreams of someday of being an Olympian will help to fuel them to great success in our sport. I still believe that the process and journey of the development of a young swimmer is as important as the successes that they find in the sport. I hope that many will agree that we are fortunate that most of the young men and women coming up in the ranks of our swim programs are usually great young people with great values, ethics, and most our great in the classroom. I think that those results are what makes our sport what it is. All the Olympians seem like great people very supportive of their team mates and very respectful of their competitors. We get to see all the handshakes and hugs among the middle lane swimmers in the finals and the fast heats. But I would venture to say that that all happens in the other lanes too. It is a great sport that we have and the Olympics showed what those who cream has reached the top represented our sport the way that we expect all swimmers to represent themselves. Great job to all the Olympians both past and present. Let's look forward to 2012 and that next great swimmer to go after 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 or even 9 gold medals. I think that journey to try to achieve the dream is a gold medal itself.

Garret Clark -

You bring up a good point: it would ruin the sport if swimming becomes gimmicky. But at the same time, I can't see swimming staying in the national spotlight if it does not change. What needs to change, I don't know--it seems to be the toughest question the swim community faces.
Last night there was a poll on espn.com (I quickly looked for a link but was unsuccessful). The questions basically asked: How many nights did you watch swimming? Is Michael Phelps the best athlete in the world? Is 8 golds the most amazing sports accomplishment? All the response were overwhelmingly positive for swimming.
Then the scary question was asked: Will you follow swimming over the next four year? And the response was overwhelmingly "No."
What will it take for these people to follow swimming? Watching some of Garret's (from floswimming) interviews he has asked the same question. It doesn't have to be Phelps vs. a dolphin but "regular" swim meets just won't cut it.
As Jeff Grace mentioned earlier, there was a 50 free showdown and Jager set the world record. Why not do something like that? Get the top 8 fastest 50 freestylers and seed them like March Madness. Have 4 rounds of head-to-head races and whoever is the last man standing wins a huge cash prize.
Something like that could be perfect for TV and it wouldn't compromise the integrity of the sport. Will USA Swimming do this? I honestly don't think they are brave enough to try something like this...
So, sadly, I think swimming is going to go away until 2012 unless something drastic happens.

He came close to cracking Friday. After winning the 200 IM, he had to turn around and swim the semifinals of the 100 butterfly. As Phelps wobbled through the mixed zone in a panting daze, he thought to himself, "Oh my gosh, I'm exhausted."

From Pat Forde on ESPN.com
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer08/columns/story?columni…

Jeff - with the way times are going ...some one might flat start at 46.06 next World champs..

:)

Reswim and Jeff -

You guys talking about those events reminds me of when baseball used to have all those weird events or like in track when a guy races a horse. For me it is just an obvious publicity grab that goes against the true heart of the sport. In Boston we have a term for Redsox fans who couldn't name a player on the team "Pink hats" (named for the pink hats marketed stylishly for casual fans). Those events you guys are alluding to just bring in the "pink hats." People should watch and come to swim meets for the right reasons - the heart and soul that goes into the sport - not for some circus type grab. Swim seems to be going in the right direction now - my opinion is why not let it keep moving. Would you really take track as serious if they started doing wheel barrel races?

Did anyone else notice that during the national anthem, Phelps always was cupping his Pec? I know kinda weird I noticed, but I did, was I the only one?

I would agree that Janet Evans is the queen of distance freestyle but i think her reign has lasted long enough. Adlington is definately next in line.

Anyway im not American but i was wondering from an American point of view did the US swim team (Minus Phelps for obvious reasons) perform poorly. I mean especially the women (soni was incredible and Natalie was good and Beisel did well for being so young) but apart from that the US womens team seemed a bit average. When im writing this the USA overall only have 19 golds. Just curious for an american point of view?

agreed Reswim. At the Oklahoma Pro-Am they have the 50 free shootout. its really fun to watch, especially when you have olympians like crocker, weber-gale, and neil walker. things like that are what needs to be televised in orrder to keep this interest around the sport

Ok I wouldnt say she is the greatest distance swimmer just yet there anonymous coward. I would definitely put Hackett in that category for men and for women Janet Evans

Ehh- Adlingtons 800 free was one of the greatest swims EVER. It wasnt that exciting because no one could get near her including the world record line. Rebecca Adlington the Greatest distnace freestyler ever!

Reswim - very valid points - those events need to be done and the swimming world not just USA swimming needs to explore new possibilities.

You should not get heat over that comment - the prelims of an event is not the most exciting thing in the world and I don't think anyone can debate that.
It is interesting as we have discussed before on this site about other events (athletes of different sports competing against each other) some of these type of events have been tried before, mind you not after having such a spotlight on the sport.
I think it was in the late 80s there was a 50 free show down with a round robin and all and it was where Jager actually set the world record which stood for sooo long I believe it was 21.87 or .76 - it was a great event.
I would like to know what type of ratings these types of events got to see what the actual interest was.

Michael Phelps is definitely in the national spotlight and everyone is talking about him (examples: 1. I watched his 100 fly at a bar and I was wearing a swimming shirt. I had at least a dozen people come up to me and start talking about Phelps. They rattled off all these stats that only a true swimming fan would know--it was crazy. 2. The next morning I went to breakfast and there was a table of four cops sitting next to me. 3 of the 4 were trying to explain how amazing the finish was to the other guy who missed the race. It was pretty amusing watching a cop try and demonstrate Phelps's half-stroke in the air.)...

With that being said, swimming needs A LOT of help to stay in the mainstream. I know I'll get a lot of heat for this comment, but swim meets are boring. The non-swimmer doesn't want to sit through 7 heats of the women's 200 breast or they don't understand the amount of training required to bust out a solid mile. People have short attention spans. They need something quick, fast, and exciting or else they lose interest....
I think USA Swimming needs to be creative and make new events (a tournament style 50 free showdown, Phelps in a 100 fly vs. a two women relay team in a 100 free, Phelps vs. Lochte in a 50m kick) that can be shown on TV and people will watch.... Something needs to be done or else swimming will be off the radar until 2012.

100 fly was awesome! But I am going to put Lezak ahead just because just as much was on the line and I think it will a long time before we see anyone go 46.06 or better.

Anonymous Coward - I don't know if you have followed the games...but after like swim number 8 by Phelps...those were all the swims of the games. Is there any doubt that he would have smashed the World Record in the 100 fly if it wasn't on day 6-7 ? Come on... on those days can you even really call his swims "tapered?"
Congrats to Adlington. Amazing swim but come on...think about it... you are a swimmer...17 races in 8 days with the pressure of the swim world on you, bulleye on your back (hell Cavic dropped the 100 free semis to prepare for the fly) there is no doubt that the 100 fly was the swim of the meet.

I think the only other reasonable inclusion is Jason's relay swim.

someone with michael's talent that's born in a country other than the US would never have the chance to break this record and accomplish this feat. This past week was great for Michael, but what an opportunity to recognize how strong the US Men's team is. Never would have been possible without many great swims from many other great swimmers.

the only reason it was a GOOD swim is because she smacked janet evans' record which was the oldest one. but come on the women's 800 free isnt exactly the most exciting race

yes i think phelps was amazing the whole way through 8 gold medals is insane he is the greatest olympian ever- but the individual swim of the games was Adlingtons 800 free.

Also, look at what will happen in 4 or 8 years when Phelps is still good but a newer, younger swim comes along and tries to dethrone him. That will be quite the storyline. Phelps has given the sport a person to cheer for and possibly in a few years a person to cheer against.

i cannot remember being happier after any sporting event as seeing mp win gold medal number8. The second greatest moment was when my non-swimming friends were telling me about it .the next day. this tells me that it finally might be arriving; michal phelps definitely has, anyway.

I think that this may be what Men's college swimming needs. If we can capitalize on the Phelp's effect, then maybe we can generate enough momentum to reverse the trend (along with ASU) and continue to bring back Men's programs all over the country. Thank-you Michael Phelps!

i think the only swimmers that even caught anyones eyes besides phelps were: dara obviously, lezak for being the sweetest man in the world, bernard and cavic for dissing phelps and not necessarily for their swimming, sure there were a few more but do you think my neighbor will remember who cesar cielo is if i ask her in 6 months? to get swimming put on the map in the states (everything im saying applies to the US) we need to get more excitement around meets like worlds, pan pacs, and pan ams. and the only way that phelps has hurt us is that in the future when he isnt chasing history many other amazing performances will seem lackluster to people who arent accustomed to the sport.

While Phelps grabbed the world's attention, swimmers like Rice, Coventry, Cielo, and Bernard, to name just a few, showcased the level that our sport has reached. In the last 8 days, all but one Olympic record was broken. Finishes that will be remembered forever, like Lezak's and Cavic's, will stick in the minds of the average sports fan along with the tears of Coughlin and Cielo. They came for Phelps but the swimming world put on a show that won't soon be forgotten The sport as a whole is in a pretty good place right now, and although it will take more to make this stick this kind of attention can in no way hurt the sport.

it is mind boggling to think about what Michael has done and it is truelly amazing to have been around swimming during this period to witness it. As many would know about Spitz but were not around to see it and now the oppportunity of greatness came around again in swimming. Which I agree shows one how great swimming can be! And I hope that in the USA especially it (swimming) is given a higher profile and it is appreciated more, (not only every four years) something we dont have a problem with in Australia. I feel previleged to have been able to see a true swimming professional like Phelps compete, as that many events, that stronger field ( which means making a final cannot always be a cruise even if you are the best in the world (just ask libby trickett) to back up each day, swim those times and hit personal best every single final...it's just plain incredible and something I dont think anyone can discount in any way...congratulations to everything Micheal Phelps has done..every reward he gets from this is truelly deserved!!

i think this will die down within this next year. the public liks people that dominate their sports (pga ratings go up when tiger plays etc..) hopefully he stays around long enough for someone else like that to come along, but its hard to see that happening. phelps is freak of nature.

Phelps will forever be remembered for this and no one will dey that. What we have to do as a swimming "family" is make sure people know about this feat, and that through him we can make this sport more popular.

to me what michael has done is obviously cool and all. theres no doubt he should be mentioned with the best athletes of all time. but in the future i feel like anything acheived by swimmers will be overlooked in the public eye because it wont be as cool. such as piersol's dominance, lochte's breakthrough, and even something like kitajima's 58.0 breaststroke split. lets be real, the only reason swimming is this popular right now is because of phelps. what happens in 2012 when people say "well we know phelps wont be trying to get 9 golds, so why watch the boring sport?" i hope thats not the case but swimming just isnt as interesting. and as for swimming becoming more popular in non-olympic years i have trouble seeing that happen. when it comes down to it the same thing will apply, in the end at least to people that are not swimmers themselves, swimming is actually a boring sport to watch when not at the olympics. i hope im wrong on this one and that this obsession with swimming will carry over

look at jeff grace's last blog i wrote on there

Come on floswimming who uses their real names around here ;)

Disagree - It is as Garrett has articulated very well in his last sentence "Now in these next few months we all have to figure out how to exist on this new level you've carried us to..."

Exist may not be the right word, only because it will be up to us in the sport - whether as coaches, writers, athletes, etc.... to find a way that we can help carry the momentum of this moment - all sports have their moments, one may say turning points, this may be ours.
I am not saying we will be the NBA after Jordan or the NFL after Lombardi, but swimming has a chance to make a case for itself because Michael has given us that platform, now we have to find a way to convince the world that swimming is worth watching after this week.

I'd love to hear some justification behind that statement Anonymous Coward... if that is your real name.

he;s hurt swimming.