Swimming Blogs - Jeff Grace

I have been thinking about how to attack this for a few days now. After the finish of the men’s 4 x 100 medley relay I didn’t know if it truly was something of incredible importance, but after listening and watching the reaction of the world towards Michael Phelps accomplishments at the Olympics I have come to realize that the subject matter is of great importance. As most sociologists will tell you it is within human nature, especially in our day and age, for the masses to try to bring down those that have separated themselves from the norm, whether… more »

After being inspired by the post of Dave Korst I haved decided to post an article that I use in our team manual, give out to all new parents and have had printed in different papers. What are the things that we would ideally like children to take away form a sporting experience? Fun, accomplishment, work ethic, confidence, self-discipline, and a life-long love of fitness may be just a few. Well, there is a sport that can offer children all of those things wrapped up in one. That sport is competitive swimming! Throughout the years many people in different communities… more »

Wow I don’t have a lot of words at this moment to express what we have just witnessed. Many words will be written about the last week for many years to come. I hate quoting a commercial, but Morgan Freeman said it best in a Visa commercial, “That's well ... we're going to need some new adjectives for whatever that is ...” Brendan Hansen’s statement after the relay says all that may need to be said at this moment. "Every single athlete in the world right now needs to tip their hat to Michael Phelps" Congratulations Michael for accomplishing the… more »

The last week of Olympic competition has show cased many of the great things about swimming that those who are not immersed in it may not realize. The quest for eight gold medals by Phelps has shown just how great an athlete can be; how someone can be a master of all the skills in a chosen discipline, it has shown the world how hard someone has to work to achieve that mastery and it has shown how important and special a relationship between a coach and athlete can be. The men’s 4 x 100 freestyle relay showed how exciting… more »

As I sit here on my couch in Vancouver watching the night’s second telecast of Olympic swimming (yes I know I have now admitted that I have no life) I can’t help but think the North American media has forgotten someone. Just to explain the typical night up here, the CBC (Canadian Broadcast Company) telecast is live (7:00 pm PST), that is unless there are Canadian swimmers in the semi finals than they telecast men’s gymnastics, but they at least they have live streaming of the events on their website. Then about three hours later the NBC telecast comes on.… more »

Wow, we are at the final day of predictions and I am not Michael Phelps and feel fatigue, therefore I am going straight into my picks. Olympic Games – Day 8 – Swimming Women’s 50 Free Libby TrickettCate CampbellMarleen Veldhuis Trickett showed earlier in the meet in the 100 butterfly that she is ready to race and ready to win. She is coming into the games ranked number one in the world in the 50 and she split 52.34 in the 4 x 100 freestyle relay. Campbell is coming into the meet ranked number three in the world and is… more »

We are in the process of deciding how this little contest will be scored, whatever we decide it is close after the first two days. I can’t say enough about what we have seen at the games so far, it is amazing and just when you don’t think anything can top an event all of a sudden some one finds a way to do something amazing! Olympic Games – Day 7 – Swimming Women’s 200 Backstroke 1. Kirsty Coventry 2. Margret Hoelzer 3. Elizabeth Beisel Coventry has surprised me in the last two days. With amazing swims so far in… more »

For a swimming fan the last two days have been heaven. The Olympics has been everything that we could ask for, incredible swims, upsets and the quest for eight gold medals continues. The 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay was certainly the greatest race I have ever watched (and I know from reading responses on this site many agree). I am reminded of great races in the past where athletes and coaches have shown incredible emotion. There are two that come to mind. For me the race that epitomizes this was in 1992 when Mark Tweksbury out touched Jeff Rouse… more »

So I really don’t know if I am writing this at the best time, because I really don’t believe what I am seeing. I mean last night seeing 4:03.84 and then 4:29.45 and not only one, but two girls at 4:29. Than tonight Hoff being touched out be seven one hundredths of a second and Jason Lezak splitting 46.06, not only swimming the greatest 100 of all time, but keeping the Phelps dream alive. Not only that, but my fellow countryman Brent Hayden showing that he is healthy enough to go 47.56 on the lead off!! I am still shaking!!… more »

Well it has all started and I can tell because I didn’t get up until about one in the afternoon today because I stayed up until 4:30 am watching swimming and it was worth it. The finals tonight should be unreal (of course I didn’t look at the results to help me with my picks like someone else I know will)! Well I have had about four cups of coffee so hopefully I will be coherent in this piece and have all of my top three picks actually competing in their respective races. Olympic Game - Day 5 - Swimming… more »

Well another day another set of predictions. I have just watched half an hour of the opening ceremonies, I am just not an opening ceremony type of guy, plus it was another beautiful day in Whistler. What I did catch though was the athletes entering the stadium. Now I know in close races DeSantis has been going with the name that would be funniest to hear Rowdy try to pronounce, but after listening to commentators try to pronounce the names of the flag bearers from Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone and Vanuatu I can’t take much more and hope that all… more »

Always good to learn something new every day and yesterday I learned that I know nothing about the origins of mediocre rock bands. Now as I said in my first post I am on holidays and wanting to be refreshed to write this article I went to a lake in Whistler and took some time to relax on the beach while reading some Hunter S Thompson. So if I go on rambling about Nixon and input some Orwell and Huxley references you will know why. Seriously though after taking that time to relax I have come back to my computer… more »

Wow, what does a little Canadian guy got to do to get some love around here! DeSantis has eighteen replies to my six and one of those was to tell me that DeSantis was a legend! As long as the J Wilkinson may be the one and only Julia Wilkinson, who is the only person who can out talk Annamay Pierse and is going to kick some a$$ at the games I am happy (but if not I have to find a way to build my fan base). If I am reading this right Mr DeSantis appears to be playing… more »

A few weeks ago I sat down and planned out my vacation. After coaching for eleven months I had three weeks to relax and not think about swimming. That was of course if I wasn’t a swimming geek. So instead of taking the time to catch up on my reading or simply enjoy the weather and sit on the beach I decided to challenge fellow blogger Chris DeSantis to a battle of the minds; which one of use swimming geeks (sorry Chris making an assumption) could predict the Olympic medalists with the most accuracy? DeSantis accepted the challenge and now… more »

Come home, have a little dinner, relax and go to a couple of my favourite websites to see what is going on in the world today.

ESPN, let’s see – Alex Rodriquez has been seen with Madonna – okay what’s next – Alex Rodriquez’s wife is leaving him and has been seen with Lenny Kravitz – alright, get the point, what’s next – Jaguar’s wide receiver charged with cocaine possession – okay this is boring.

Then to do what every good person in their late twenties to early thirties does (come on give me… more »

Well I am officially old.

You may be asking how did I come to this conclusion? I know it is not rocket science; looking at my birth certificate didn’t convince me though and it wasn’t the gray that seems to be appearing in my hair with more abundance every morning (I give the lighting in my bathroom credit for that). What finally convinced me was watching the Canadian Olympic Trials.

As I watched with great anticipation to see who would wear the maple leaf in Bejing, it hit me like a sledge hammer to… more »

After some time away from coaching, I recently began working with a swim club again. In accepting the job of head coach I was given the responsibility of making the club more competitive. To be able to do this you quite often have to ask people to extend themselves and get outside of their comfort zone.

When I first get to a club or when I start coaching a new athlete, I will often hear the comment from parents, “They are not trying to be an Olympic athlete or anything.”

I often chuckle… more »

The New “F” Word

Running around the school yard as a child there were many words I learned that helped me expand my vocabulary. There was one word I learned though that I did not dare utter it in front of my mother; it was a four letter word that started with the letter “F”.

As a coach dealing with children and parents on a daily basis I have learned there is a new word that starts with the letter “F” that is considered to be almost as negative, except this one has… more »