Off the Deck

I have a lot of unanswered questions right now.

Foremost, what happens now? Is a resolution, backed by research and evidence, even possible prior to the Olympics? Will Jessica swim in Beijing simply because legal procedures could drag the case on for months, even years?

How do you get a negative-positive-negative result over a consecutive six-day span? Is that in itself a red flag that the second sample might have been compromised in some way?

I’d also like to know to what degree the middle test was positive — just a trace, which means there is some grey area, or was there tons of clenbuterol in her system, leaving no doubt of misconduct?

How is Jessica’s training going right now? It’s got to be incredibly tough to remain foucsed when your status concerning the biggest meet of your life is up in the air.

What is Tara Kirk, who touched the wall in third place in the 100m breast by just one-one hundredth of a second, thinking right now? Especially since even if Jessica is removed from the team, it’s too late to add runner-up Tara to the roster.

The saddest part of this fiasco is the damage it’s going to inflict on both Jessica and swimming. In terms of Jessica, even if she is innocent, without a decisive and rational explanation for test failure, clearing her to the satisfaction of all minds will be tough. And, clouds of suspicion have been known to linger. More important though, if she has taken something on a regular basis, the potential payback in the future can far outweigh a moment of youthful glory. (i.e. check out the health problems the steroid-riddled female East Germans from the 70s are facing today.)

As for swimming, even the hint of doping in one person, whether proven or not, encourages people to assume that others do it too. Outstanding performances, world records and upsets at Beijing will now be viewed with perhaps just a little less awe now that spectators are thinking, “well, maybe they take something…”

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist

p.s. now that I have had time to watch the Trials a second time, here are some more random thoughts:

–Does Brendan Hanson have a sports psychologist? Not only does he have trouble closing the deal during Olympic events, he looks defeated before he even gets on the block.

–Did Dara’s loved ones choose to sit in the rafters? Surely a four-time Olympian vying for a fifth trip (and one who has thrown down “I’m a serious contender” times in the past year) rates cushy seats for her loved ones amongst the other swim families.

–Thank god LZR suits are so tight. Many of the men are wearing the “legging” style so low that I was afraid we’d see more of swimmers than we’d want want to otherwise.

–As a non-sprinting-sluggish-turn swimmer, I am in awe of the difference some of the turns made in races.

–I also have even more respect for swimmers who know how to finish — Dara Torres, Michael Phelps, Aaron Perisol — they have the best final 5 meters out there, every time.

“Get along to go along” is the assumed masters code. This code embraces the essence of masters: Choose your own intervals! Wear fins the entire time! Substitute backstroke for breaststroke in practice! Skip practice!

But the code also reflects reality for many masters teams — swimmers must be flexible when pursuing workouts because these teams often have the fewest designated lanes and minutes in the pool. Translation? Lane assignments aren’t permanent. On any given day a masters swimmer should expect to move up or down lanes to make space, find the right pace, do a modified workout, etc.

Most days, the unwritten code prevails on my team. Yet, turf wars still break out occasionally. Such was the case last week when Zola,* a lane 3 swimmer, was joined by Floyd,* a lane 1 swimmer.

Zola assumes Floyd moved down because her lane was the least crowded that morning. Although Lane 1 and 3 intervals are separated by at least 15-20 seconds, Floyd “led” lane 3 by following lane 1 intervals. After being lapped every repeat during the first set, Zola lost her temper and told Floyd off.

Temper aside, Zola was right. Floyd broke a tacit rule of lane jumping — when you join a lane you agree to swim at that lane’s pace. The only exception to this rule is if, and only if, everyone in the lane is asked and agrees to an interval change, sans badgering.

Don’t get me wrong — lane jumping isn’t wrong; it’s necessary at times. But there are ways to do it to ensure that 1) everyone remains calm, and 2) everyone gets in a good workout. For example, a faster swimmer who moves down could swim stroke during a free workout. Or, a swimmer who moves up a lane could use fins or paddles to stay on interval during a free set.

Of course, swimmers with coaches on deck can also ask for their help with lane arrangements. After all, delivering workouts to meet the training needs and abilities of their swimmers is a coach’s job.

Until next,
Rebecca, swim evangelist

*names have been changed to protect swimmer identities

UPDATE:
Since last week’s post, I have heard that the Del Mar outdoor 50m pool has been saved for at least a few more years — hooray!!!

I was introduced to swimming early via lessons at age three. Unlike many children who dabble in several sports before finding the one they want to pursue seriously, I immediately fell in the love with the water and grew up never wanting to do anything else.

This past week though, due to the fallout of a seriously troubled economy, I’ve been wondering if things wouldn’t be just a little bit easier if my passion was running.

Like many Americans, I’m frustrated by rising oil and thus “everything else, like strawberries” prices. I thought however, that I was doing a reasonable job of keeping my chin up until I realized last weekend that the economy is affecting pool availability.

On the hunt for another pool since my home team pool was hosting a championship meet for age-groupers, I assumed I’d have some options. After all, while 50m outdoor pools aren’t dime-a-dozen, there are a few in the area.

That’s when I found out that many pools are closed on weekends this year because of budget cuts. Pool closures on weekends? When everyone has the most time to swim? This was seriously alarming!

Luckily, I found a masters team practice on Saturday morning. I was in heaven — 90-minutes in an outdoor 50m pool. Who cared if it had funky wide gutters, jumbo-end lanes to accomodate a slide and walk-in steps, as well as a 3′ shallow end that made 5′ 2″ me feel like a giant? Rather, all these features brought back fond memories of childhood pool time.

But the bubble quickly burst after learning that the center is closing for good after this season, sans plans for a replacement outdoor aquatic facility.

It was then, panicking on the way home over the loss of another 50m outdoor pool, that I indugled in maudlin feelings and “I should have been a runner!” thoughts. My sister, who runs marathons, would surely counterargue that I’m simplifying, but running sure does seem less stressful (and cheaper) to pursue: Compared to swimming, you can run just about anywhere at any time and wear almost whatever you want as long as you have decent sneakers.

But then I think of my runner friends with their bad knees, backs, hips and feet, many of whom are seeking other forms of exercise as they age because their bodies can’t take the pounding any more. And then “teach a child to swim and give them a sport for life” surfaces in my mind, followed by images of me happily swimming away, each day of my life until I die. And I know I never could do anything else, so I’d better suck it up and just find pool time.

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist

Whew, what a week of swimming! The 2008 Olympic Trials had everything a good Trials should — spectacular racing, a smattering of new records, solid results from “ones to watch,” amazing comebacks, retirement annoucements, upsets, and more.

Here’s a recap of some the things I thought about while watching this past week:

–I love the side-grip (vs parallel) backstroke starting block bars. Without even trying one, this starting position seems to be so much more shoulder-friendly and thus efficient.

–”Media 101″ must be part of every Trials swimmers’ prep work. Certainly, the Michael Phelps and Natalie Coughlins of the world are very practiced at on-camera interviews, but even the young up-starts were very poised and generous on camera. Each took time to state admiration for their fellow competitors as well as thank them for providing wonderful racing conditions.

–I know many people find Gary Hall Jr. obnoxious, but I always look forward to his “show.” In my book, his proven track record of success earns him the right to be outspoken and mess around with a cape and sharp shooting behind the blocks if he chooses. And, I can’t help but be impressed by the level of athleticism he maintains as a diabetic.

–Speaking of swimmers who do it “their way,” two of my favorite things about Dara Tores are her old-school 80s goggles (did she stockpile them or are they on the market beyond eBay?) and how she pops up after turns, shunning the underwater dolfining. And she still wins.

–I don’t know how people like Ian Crocker can handle training for and racing just one event in the biggest meet in the past four years. Sure, he has a shot at the fly leg on the medley relay, but still. I’d want to do at least one other event “just for fun” to loosen up, get rid of some nerves and get used to the pool.

–Is it just me or was Michael Phelps’ practice suit the coolest combo of colors ever? It was tough to see the actual pattern, but the background was white with hot shades of orange, purple, pink, etc.

–My pet peeve is the same from Trials to Trials: quit cutting to commercials during the distance events. The 800 is 9 minutes max. We can’t have straight programming for just 9 minutes?!? I realize many non-swimming viewers don’t care if they see an entire distance event, but by the time we “come back” to the 800 or the 1500, the race has changed dramatically. I for one, would like to see how the swimmers’ strategies play out, lap per lap.

–The best part of Trials? Seeing nearly full capacity each night, a crowd that got on their feet and cheered every close call and world-record pace chase to their conclusion. It’s the enthusiasm world-class swimming deserves.

Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist