Opinion
The Shameless Plug: Randy Reese and his All-American Invitational
From its 2006 installment to present, Randy Reese and Longhorn Aquatics have turned their “American Short Course Championships” into one of the very few meets across the county each year that rewards the efforts of professional athletes with monetary benefits, as well as providing the opportunity for mid level swimmers to compete alongside of our […]
Mel Stewart Returns to Swimming
Relax Michael Phelps, former 200 fly world record holder Melvin Stewart is not planning on making a push to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games. After retiring in 1996 from a career that brought Olympic gold, excitement and (sometimes) controversy to a sport known for athletes fitting neatly into a cookie cutter mold, Melvin […]
Exclusive: Rowdy Gaines Talks New Project, Auburn…Everything Else You’re Interested in Too
Rowdy Gaines. The name is so engrained in USA Swimming that many people actually forget who the man behind the mic actually is. As a current swimmer and student of this sport Rowdy means more to me than an announcer. Rather, he is someone that helped move swimming further into the limelight and made what I […]
The Next Breaststroke Dolphin Kick Controversy?
If this was a certain Japanese swimmer, there would likely be an entire website dedicated to the issue by now. Threads regarding illegal breaststroke technique often dominate websites and message boards, most recently there was a highly active conversation surrounding a breaststroker not moving his “feet” out - or simply just kicking fly instead of […]
Phelps Went What?!?!
Anyone who knows anything about swimming knows the name Michael Phelps. Hell, most anyone who knows anything about anything at all knows the guy’s name. In this humble writer’s opinion he is the greatest swimmer of all time (I’m telling you there are still plenty of old timers who say that Spitz is still the […]
Top 5 Encore - Wednesday Edition: Thanksgiving Traditions
This week Timed Finals is proud to publish a festival of Top 5’s that will battle each other for Thanksgiving supremacy. It is not easy to do a “Top 5″ week in and week out - trust me. You can tell the pressure it brings to the table is you read the Top 5 Swimming […]
What Is Cheating? - In the Wake of the Elka Graham Debacle
In a follow up to one of the biggest stories of the past week, Swimming Australia has determined that there is likely not much that they, as an organization, are able to do to force Elka Graham to spill the beans regarding who offered her performance enhancing drugs. Swimming Australia’s Glenn Tasker did note […]
Amanda Beard To Be the Newest GoDaddy Girl
Updated: All signs are certainly pointing to yes, except of course, for the fact that there has yet to be any official announcement - which is expected this week. Last Thursday on his blog, the eccentric CEO and founder of Godaddy.com Bob Parsons wrote a post entitled (title truncated) “A Playboy cover girl, world […]
Girls Swims With Hands and Feet Bound - What Should be Allowed?
The media is in a frenzy over a story published by the Associated Press this morning. According to the report, “a father tied his 10-year-old daughter’s hands and feet and watched her swim in a chilly southern China river for three hours in a task he said Thursday would help the girl achieve her dream […]
Swimming Healthy: Water and Pregnancy Do Mix
The topic of swimming and pregnancy has arisen often during the previous few months, mainly due to one specific female — Dara Torres — and her accomplishments in the pool. Torres can be applauded, not just for her victories, but for what she has done for the sport of swimming. Single-handedly she has […]
Science Proves Erik Vendt Cannot Be Good at Swimming
“The physics is so exact that when Dr. Secher tried to predict how fast competitive rowers could go, based only on their sizes and the weights of their boats, he was accurate to within 1 percent.” So says a current article in The New York Times in regard to the role body type plays in […]
What are the Greatest “Beatdowns” in Swimming History?
Recently David Schoenfield busted out a list of “The greatest beatdowns in history,” for ESPN’s Page 2. Schoenfield obviously had it in for Mr. David Cromwell as his list boasted (in his opinion) the Top 100 “beatdowns” in the history of sport - any sport. The best Cromwell has ever been able to […]
What Does a Place on the USA Swimming National Team Get You?
Yesterday USA Swimming announced the roster’s for the men’s and women’s National Teams for 2007-08 (See full rosters here). As I said yesterday there were a number of familiar faces on the list, as well as quite a few new-comers. But what does this mean? Sure it is an honor to essentially be one […]
United Arab Emirates Looks For Better Future in the Pool
As politicians in the United States talk of boycotting the Olympics, the American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Swimming Association (UAESA) have proven that sport can and will rise above politics. The two organizations recently signed an agreement that is scheduled to run through 2014 and will see ASCA […]
High Performance Center Responds: Did Swimming South Africa Overstep Their Authority?
The plight in South Africa, some call it a soap opera (including myself), has been followed intently over the past few months. The battles between heads of the organization and its foreign-based swimmers come and go, almost like high and low tide in the oceans. Recently, Larry Laursen, the Technical and Educational Consultant to […]
Gold Medal Mel Mel Stewart
The Swimmers' Ear Mike Gustafson
Top 5 Tuesday David Cromwell
In My Mind Nathan Jendrick