Swimnews is reporting that today is the day that all the swimsuit companies get their “15 minutes” to plead their cases to FINA about why their suit should make the final approved list for this long course season. To quote Craig Lord:
“For now, more certain is that there will be some uncomfortable moments in Lausanne today; for FINA, for the independent testing team and for suit makers. Feelings boil down to the question of whether it is fair to have left the Speedo LZR and other 2008-09 non-textile apparel in the water when they clearly enhance performance but then cut out things such as the Jaked01 and arena X-Glide when they also enhance performance, if not in a quantifiable way then surely in a significant and undeniable fashion.”
Yeah, I’d say it will be uncomfortable. I can only hope that John Leonard isn’t the one trying to give the suit companies an explanation for drawing their imaginary line at the LZR. The lawyers will eat him alive. In his interview with Garrett at floswim he danced around the answers to the hard questions better than the zombies in the Thriller video. He is on the FINA suit commission and could not give any clue of the testing procedure that got suits taken off of the unapproved list. He made it clear that he knows nothing about the testing. He didn’t even get the head of the testing team’s name right! What’s worse is that he then went on a spiel about air trapping being an issue since 2000 and pointed at the “silver” sheen when someone jumps in the pool with a dry FS1, which is on the FINA approved list. How can you admit that other suits trap air too, but then give no reason for drawing the line where you did? If permeability is not to be addressed until January, there is no justifiable reason to have made the decisions that were made. The whole point of forming the commission was so that we could have an open scientific process through which to make a fair decision. Way to go, guys.
When the buoyancy and thickness standards were printed, I honestly thought the list was going to allow all current tech… and just like I and so many others predicted, current tech met those standards. When the Arena X-glide debuted, it had not yet been approved by FINA. I could almost hear the defeat in Alan Thompson’s voice when he was quoted as saying this regarding Alain Bernard’s 100m free record set in that unapproved suit: “The procedure has been very open, all the manufacturers know what tests will be done, and I doubt that any major manufacturer would submit a suit that wouldn't get through the process.”
How then, did we get to where we are?
It looks to me like hiring Prof. Manson was just for show. They “carefully” added the word “may” to the required specs for suit companies to follow so that they can take the scientific stats and throw them out the window if needed and disqualify any suits they see fit. How are they gonna explain that to Blueseventy’s lawyers? Hopefully better than John Leonard explained it to us. This meeting is gonna be a zoo.
Only a couple of days after calling Matt Welsh a sissy for being sent to the emergency room by a toddler, I had my own little incident to remind me just how mortal I really am.
Last night I brought my daughters to the pool to play while an officiating clinic was going on. I was still wearing my jammer and drag suit when the clinic ended. I had just gotten out of the pool when four of my swim team parents stopped to chat and say hi to my two year old.
In the middle of our conversation, my daughter decided to grab at me in the worst way possible. She lunged with two hands aiming and ready to clasp at my robin eggs. She grabbed and closed her grip, but luckily my cat-like reflexes took over and I barely escaped certain doom.
We all got to laugh about it, and I actually told my daughter "sweetie, you almost dropped me to the floor and curled me up!"... but I couldn't shake the realization that I could be humiliated or maimed at any time, and that maybe I should start taking a little more stock in the concept of karma. No one wants to get their bits and pieces squeezed in front of an audience. It is even worse when you know that on some level you deserved it.
To make myself feel better, I am posting a video of some poor sucker getting laid out by a kid with a plastic bat. I am personally going to watch this video and think about how NOT funny it is:
first off is Hill Taylor's underwater 50 back. UNREAL. If underwater dolphin kicks are a weapon, this kid is swimming's Chuck Norris. According to the swim time converter on my ipod touch, this converts to a 19.96 in yards for freestyle... and that would be with a dive off the blocks instead of a backstroke start!
and then... one for the comic fans. I have never been that into Green Lantern. I am more of a Marvel guy... but I love fanboy trailers. I imagine if I would have remained a film major in college, I would now be unemployed and nerding it up in my spare time by making cool stuff like this.
Australian Olympic swimmer Matt Welsh recently had to check into the hospital when his eye swelled up "like a tennis ball" after his two year old son Sam accidentally scratched his eye.
I feel for him. I have two toddlers in the house. I don't know how my wife is even still alive. She is with them all day. If I were a stay at home dad I would wear a bike helmet, hockey mask, safety goggles, shin guards and a cup all the time. I could easily become a "funniest home video" star once we get to rasslin.
Playing with my girls is the most fun I have ever had in my life. I would never let anyone else abuse me the way they do. I just don't want to have to explain to all my friends about the eye patch I am wearing because a two year old girl beat me up.
Of course, it would be an eye patch earned out of love.
I just wanted to post a little something about Coach Quick. I don’t really know him, but just like many of us in swimming I feel as though I do from watching his videos and hearing him speak. He gave an amazing presentation on butterfly at a clinic I attended, and during it I couldn’t help but notice that he carried himself in a way that just made you think you could do better. Kind of like the way you wouldn’t misbehave in school when you are with a teacher you like… ya know?
His positive energy was infectious. After his time on stage, he stood out in the hall and took time to speak to anyone who approached him. I caught him to talk about starts for a second. All I can remember was that he took something I said compared it to something he did to help Rowdy Gaines in the early 80’s. I honestly can’t remember the story because the whole time I was thinking, “I can’t believe Richard Quick is taking this much time to talk to little old me.” He spoke to me in a way that was unbelievably comfortable, almost like we were old buddies who had just never had the chance to work together.
Richard Quick was not only an inspiring leader… he was a friend to all who love the sport of swimming.
While there is a lot going on in swimming right now, and I do have a lot to say... I am forced to type one-handed right now as I am giving plasma. The important stuff will have to wait a bit.
It's not too hard to copy and paste with one hand, so this is my chance to embed a couple of brilliant recent vids from The Onion. Enjoy.
Swimnews is reporting that today is the day that all the swimsuit companies get their “15 minutes” to plead their cases to FINA about why their suit should make the final approved list for this long course season. To quote Craig Lord:
