Garrett McCaffrey's Goodbye Letter to FloSwim Fans

If I had written down my ideal first job while growing up, it would've fallen short of the one I actually got.

After graduating with a broadcast journalism degree and 4 years of D1 college swimming, this was my job description: travel around and make videos about the best swimmers and coaches in the world. Here was the objective: do what ever is best for the sport of swimming.

At the time, it was the only job of its kind and it was exactly what our sport needed. Since Floswimming debuted in the fall of 2007, our sport's exposure has increased exponentially. Sure, you can attribute a lot swimming's success to the amazing swimmers and their performances in Beijing, but don't underestimate the value of watching meets like NCSA Junior Nationals or YMCA Nationals on demand. Even meets like Nationals weren't available online before Floswimming. Now, seeing your big meet on the web is more expected than the exception. We are now able to share ideas, personalities, and even practices with a larger audience than we ever imagined. We've come a long way.

For the 2 years I ran Floswimming, I never swayed from the objective. Through blogs, videos, and interviews I tried to make the sport more accessible to the true swimming fan. I don't know that the rest of the world has noticed, but I think we succeeded.

Yet, reality is sometimes a harsh awakening and success on the business side of things isn't always simple. It can make for crappy situations, like the one Floswimming finds itself in on the first day USA's World Championship Trials begin.

As of Monday, July 6th, I no longer work for Floswimming. It's not very easy for me to handle because for 2 years Floswimming has been my life. Disappointment aside, my objective hasn't changed one bit.

I'm writing this blog to you, the swimming fan, to let you know that I still have every intention of putting myself in the best position to help this sport. The last 2 years have been a swimming education that no one could have received through any kind of curriculum. I've seen our sport from all sides and now more than ever it's a burning passion that I can't imagine a living without. I am a swimming enthusiast for life.

Truth be told, I'm still in a state of shock. I have no idea what Floswimming will become now. I don't know what's in store for me. But I do know that swimming is better off today than it was 2 years ago, and I have no regrets for the time I gave over that period.

I guess we're in a place right now where all we can do is keep swimming.

See you on the pool deck...

Congrats to Fellow Bear, Roko Simunic!

Roko Simunic of the Missouri State University Bears just set a national record at the Croatian Championships in the semi-finals of the 50 back!

Congrats! Go Bears!

Break out the Grog!!

Hey, I'm famous! Let's celebrate!

Tony Austin not only wrote nice things about me at the SCAQ blog... he also replaced his SwimNews link with a link to my blogspot. Tony is kind of like the investigative reporter of swimbloggers. Most of my juiciest stuff always somehow ends up linking to his site, as I am usually one step behind. He is quick about posting the latest swim news and he does excellent work. I have had him on my RSS list for a long time and I am flattered that he is a fan.

But, ummm.... should I be worried about repurcussions from across the pond?

Professional Swim League?

Recently, the SCAQ blog has made a couple of posts calling for us to consider pushing for a professional swim league. We are now in the dawn of the professional swimming athlete, tech suits, and more importantly, the age of Michael Phelps. We are getting the press. I feel that we have reached the point where we are getting many of the negatives of being a premier sport, but we haven’t quite capitalized on all of the positives.

Brent Rutemiller at Swimming World recently made the case that there has never been a better time than now to take the plunge. A professional swim league that embraces suit technology could be the perfect way to keep the Olympics and our traditional system intact and pure, while allowing the suit companies to innovate and keep the sport fresh and growing. Who says we can’t have meets that don’t follow FINA rules? The high schools have been operating that way for years. It would not surprise me if the NFHS continued to allow tech even if FINA goes back to permeable with length restrictions.

So what if we were to host a meet where the times wouldn’t count as traditional world records? Why couldn’t we add the 50’s of the strokes and underwater fly kicking as events without pressuring FINA to add it to their meets? This honestly could let FINA off the hook regarding suits, and give us a way to resolve the issues that might come up with the looming decision on whether or not to let records set in technology stand. It would not have to be done with a spirit of defiance… It could be something completely separate from the way we currently do things, but it could be done in the interest of enhancing and promoting our traditional system.

We now have hubs of post-college excellence in teams like Club Wolverine, North Baltimore, Mecklenburg and the Race Club. Why not have suit company sponsored training sites with sponsored coaches leading them? Team TYR and Team Speedo could have a whole new meaning. They could set up a college-style system of dual meets and a championship, or even a system of invites for pro athletes similar to the Grand Prix series that would not interfere with our current club system. They could keep it light and fun, and give pro athletes a way to take an exciting detour during the season and generate income to keep their traditional swim careers progressing. I would personally buy a ticket to watch Ian Crocker put on a tech suit and put Lochte and Hill Taylor to shame with some serious fly kicking. College or high school format duals would be fun. Eight man 50 free shootouts are a blast. Anything that makes swimming more spectator friendly could be fair game.

Come on, guys. Let’s get creative. Just like butterfly spawned from people innovating their breaststroke technique, a great thing could come out of suit companies innovating their products. Let’s help write a mission statement for this thing and come up with a way to end the fighting over tech. Let’s allow it to bring our sport to a new and exciting place while simultaneously ending the debates over the purity of the sport.

In the comments section below, I want to know what you would like to include in the mission statement, format and rules for a professional league. Let’s bust the door to the house of ideas wide open. We could create a real solution.

I don't think I have ever swam in a OOL.

1 in 5 pee in the pool? That's all? I am pretty sure every team I have ever been on had a better than 20% average. Some teams even took it a little further by peeing on people in the shower when they weren't looking. When you can cut loose during a flip turn, that's how you know you are a swim-pee ninja.

With all the coughing and hacking at the mizzou grand prix last year, the chloramines had to be pretty outrageous. Lots of pee-ninja's in that warm up session fo sho.

Don't we all wish there really was a chemical that could humiliate pool pee'ers with a red cloud when they let it go? I gotta find a way to fake that for a prank some day.

Since someone actually took the time to do a survey on it, I thought we would celebrate by embedding a couple of youtube vids. Enjoy:

Is Cap Really Back?

Hey, we all know that in the world of comics, dead doesn't really mean dead. When people would say that as evidence that comics are dumb, I was one of the geeks who would always chime in that "Bucky Barnes stayed dead."

But then, of course, over 60 years after his death, Bucky Barnes all of a sudden wasn't dead anymore. Just like Earth X, I thought it was going to be one of the dumbest things I ever read, and then it blew my mind with it's awesomeness.

Ed Brubaker was the writer who brought us Bucky Barnes' resurrection as the Winter Soldier. He was also the writer who killed Captain America. I am sure some people will gripe that he might be the writer who brings Steve Rogers, the original Cap, to life again with the biggest story line of the summer.

Marvel is allowing a free preview of the digital version of the prelude of "Captain America: Reborn."

I have to admit... I can't wait.

Congrats to Aschwin Wildeboer...

"Hello, Mr. Wildeboer. My name is Craig Lord. I am a journalist for a highly respected aquatic sports publication called SwimNews. I just wanted to congratulate you on your new world record. You just raced the 100 meter backstroke faster than any human in history! Please allow me to write a one thousand word editorial to tell the world all the reasons you suck.
Oh, don't worry about the negative press. Don't let it stand in the way of your training as it has Ryosuke Irie. I won't be nearly as hard on you as I was on Fred Bousquet, either. The Frenchman finished last in every race he ever swam until he put on a Jaked01. The only reason he even races the 50 meter freestyle is because he does not have the discipline or work ethic to complete any longer distances. I hear that in the French summer leagues they call him Freddy Failure and he is often disqualified for pulling on the lane ropes.
Keep up all the hard work! Maybe some day someone other than your parents will give you a little credit for a lifetime of following the black line. Just remember: you are still a disgusting cheater, even if you are playing by the rules."

Way to go, Mr. Lord. Let's run our best and brightest out of the sport when they haven't really done anything wrong. I am sure glad I have never broken any world records. I don't think my self esteem could handle that kind of success.

If you ever write an article about me I will quit blogging and start my own magazine. I will call it SwimOpinions and I will hire people who actually have something nice to say when a swimmer does something amazing. Maybe I will even include a fashion section with a few articles about how we can all slim up for summer by wearing suits that have better compression, dress more modestly at the beach by covering everything from ankles to wrists, and avoid sunburn with 100% non-permeable fabrics.

How's that sound?