Down ’till 6.4.
Tuesday, March 17th, 2009I’m moving and as usual this sorry sack of potatoes did not do things on time getting his internet service switched. So I’m internet “free” ’till 6.4.
Archive for March, 2009
links for 2009-03-16
Monday, March 16th, 2009-
British swimming boss David Sparkes has insisted Rebecca Adlington's Olympic success has not been devalued by Fina's crackdown on hi-tech swimsuits. "You don't win an Olympic medal unless you are world class," Sparkes told BBC Sport. "It doesn't devalue anything."
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Double Olympic medallist David Davies admits he may retire after London 2012 but insists he will continue to target success both in the pool and in the open water event.
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Rebecca Adlington, the double Olympic champion, is hoping her return to competitive action in Sheffield will lead all the way to the podium at the World Championships in Rome this summer, though she may have to go without her Speedo LZR Racer swimsuit.
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Amid the clutter of Fran Halsall’s cupboards at her new digs in Loughborough, there is a shoe box worth far more than the green-and-silver kitten heels that sprang from it. Along with European relay titles, records and an impressive array of prizes already won, it contains a note that outlines her target for London 2012 and the stepping stones that will take her to it. “No one gets inside that box,” Halsall said through the infectious laughter that is her hallmark.
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Australia will be a team without a male leader when the national championships begin in Sydney on Tuesday. The retirement of captain Grant Hackett late last year, after an illustrious 12-year career, has left a vacuum at the top of the men's team, which must be filled if the Australian team is to maintain its record of success at the world championships in Rome in July. However, such was Hackett's stature within the national team, as both spokesman and spearhead, that he will not be readily replaced by a single man. Swimming Australia is even contemplating abolishing the office of captain in Hackett's wake, but leadership will still be required.
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Schipper plans to trial a series of different swim suits at this week’s Australian titles to avoid a repeat of the "wardrobe malfunction" that hijacked her preparation for the Olympic 100m butterfly final in Beijing.
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Not too long ago, the only dive Geoff Huegill would make was into the pizza box and the only team he would have qualified for was alongside the other beefy contestants on The Biggest Loser
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America's Finest Swimmers and "America's Finest City" are coming together. Members of the USA swimming team, including Michael Phelps were scheduled to arrive in San Diego Sunday for a two week training session.
The team is staying at the Olympic Training Center in San Diego.
Programming note…
Monday, March 16th, 2009Usual rapid firing will continue in the evening with Canada & DIV2 recaps, hope so… ’till then you’d to settle for the links only…
links for 2009-03-15
Sunday, March 15th, 2009-
For some women it's a distraction but Olympic butterfly champion Libby Trickett believes chasing boys could be the key to unlocking even greater performances in the pool.
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They refer to themselves as one big family and walking onto the pool deck of the Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre in Sydney, the father figure chips to one of the group: "I've had enough of you tonight, start doing the right thing or get out of here and go home."
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Alex Rodriguez surely had some about shooting up with steroids, though, curiously enough, he didn't mention them until he was outed for testing positive. His biggest one now seems to be that he got caught for what he wants you to believe was a youthful indiscretion. Michael Phelps has some to, and who can blame him. One picture of him smoking a bong figures to long trump the Sports Illustrated cover of him with eight gold medals around his neck. Like A-Rod, he has an explanation. Does the phrase "immature and stupid" ring a bell?
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National swimmer and record holder Donna-Marie Wickham placed sixth Friday evening in the 100 yard backstroke at the NCAA Division II Swimming Championships in Houston, Texas.
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The venue, which has already been earmarked as a potential training camp for the 2012 Olympics, is the first 50 metre pool in the North East and the only one between Leeds and Edinburgh. With a 10-lane 50-metre main pool, a 25-metre diving pool and seating for 500 spectators the Sunderland Aquatic Centre has the ability to cater for high profile national and regional swimming competitions.
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Trickett will race in this week's world titles trials at Homebush with the view that her toughest opponent is … herself. Trickett (nee Lenton), 24, acknowledged she'd face tough challenges from her opponents when the trials start on Tuesday, but confessed winning Olympic gold at Beijing last year had helped to redefine her mindset.
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Less than six months after swimming one of the most electrifying laps in the history of his sport—the greatest 46 seconds of his life, witnessed by billions of people—Jason Lezak is sitting in an anonymous hotel conference room in Phoenix trying to save his career.
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Double Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington is looking forward to returning to the demands of competition at the British Gas Swimming Championships in Sheffield next week.
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Uganda Swimming Federation (USF) will soon launch a programme for the 2012 London Olympics. The programme will start with selection of four swimmers who will be exposed to training sessions abroad.
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Memorable Olympic gold in 2004 was result of expert advice, writes David Isaacson. The best example of science in South African sport is probably the 4x100m freestyle relay team that won the Olympic gold medal in Athens 2004. The selectors were against sending the relay squad to the Olympics, believing they would not be competitive. O n the advice of sports scientist Kim Swanwick, who tested the swimmers, they changed their minds.
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Nick D'Arcy's coach has revealed his swimmer is struggling to cope with a potential jail sentence hanging over his head as he prepares for a shot at redemption.
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World swimming governing body Fina has moved to limit the impact of the controversial hi-tech swimsuits.
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Need a successful swimming program in an instant? Just add water. That's what has happened in Hamilton. The school's pool was constructed eight years ago and the varsity has existed for only four years, but the Hawkeyes are challenging for a state title.
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FINIS underwater pace clock, video
Annamay Pierse has a blog.
Sunday, March 15th, 2009Annamay Pierse has a blog, read it children…
Scarcella continues her fast swims.
Sunday, March 15th, 2009Italian, 1993 born, Ilaria Scarcella already went fast 100 breast (SCM) in 106ish. Now it was time to swim 200 and miss national record by a fraction.
Ilaria clocked 2.23.92 (32.49, 1:08.52 1:46.08), ending up second fastest in the all-time list. And just missed Chiara Boggiatto’s 2.23.40, current Italian record time.
Icelandic LCM Championships 2009
Sunday, March 15th, 2009Íslandsmót í 50m laug
Icelandic Championships LC
19.3.2009 to 22.3.2009
Information
Participants (.pdf)
(h/t Jussi K.)
New world record for Annamay Pierse.
Sunday, March 15th, 2009
Annamay Pierse broke the world record (SCM) in 200 breast Saturday at the 2009 Spring Nationals. Pierse clocked 2:17.50 to beat the previous world mark 2:17.75, set by Australian Leisel Jones in November 2003. Pierse also eclipsed her Canadian record of 2:18.59 set last month at the CIS Championships.
links for 2009-03-14
Saturday, March 14th, 2009-
Think big and build big is the premise behind the tourist revolution of Crystal Lagoons, which recently announced the creation of the world's largest pool, in the middle of the Egyptian desert.
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The British swimming team can narrow the gap on the US and Australia in the coming years, new head coach Dennis Pursley said on Thursday.
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Michael Phelps is set to be at the London Games after ontemplating his participation following his recent drugs furore.
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Coach Chris Davis of SwimAtlanta has shed some light on what makes 2004 Olympian Amanda Weir so fast. The top sprinter actually trains more like a middle-distance to distance swimmer, a strategy that Davis credits for giving her a fifth gear.
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Emma Igelström är det inte…
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Olympic swimmer Moss Burmester will trade the pool for the ocean this weekend as he competes in the Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour at Whangamata.
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Running the State administration for aquatics alone has not been the main objective of the Karnataka Swimming Association. The State Association, following growing concerns over mishaps and even fatalities in some cases which occurred in privately run pools in Bangalore, organised a water safety course for all those who are involved in the sport.
Ilaria Scarcella speeds 1:06.47 in 100 breast.
Friday, March 13th, 2009Second fastest all time in 100 breast in Italy for 1993 born Ilaria Scarcella with 1:06.47.
