Once again: These projections will obviously draw quite heavily from the just-concluded World Championships, and the FINA site’s “rankings” page that generates the best times in any given time period — in this case, since the really fast high-tech suits were banned (1/1/2010).
This post includes projections for synchronized swimming. And with that, we will be done with every single Olympic event.
The USA-Australia rivalry has given way to the Phelps-Lochte rivalry. That’s not to say the USA is poised to add to their already-substantial medal counts — the contenders are simply spread out among the rest of the world. China had a fantastic World Championship at home, and the USA still lacks dominant swimmers at breaststroke and long-distance freestyle.
These projections will obviously draw quite heavily from the just-concluded World Championships, but the FINA site has a neat feature worth checking out as well — a “rankings” page that generates the best times in any given time period. So if you want to know the fastest times since the really fast high-tech suits were banned (1/1/2010), knock yourself out. Yes, I did that.
The Pan-Pacific championships are as good as it gets for swimming in the middle of an Olympic cycle. It’s not the Olympics or the world championships, but it’s a chance to see a U.S. national team in action.
And because we’re living in the Michael Phelps era, it’s also a chance to see him in action. Sort of.
It’s a relief in these budget-strapped times that the Pan Pacs drew an actual media presence, calling attention to the feats of Ryan Lochte, Dana Vollmer et al. But Phelps, whose out-of-pool life has been in the news in the past, will always be under scrutiny.
So it’s no surprise that The Washington Post‘s Amy Shipley went into great detail about Phelps’ wayward practice habits. Basically, he’s not showing up all the time.
Thankfully, Shipley put Phelps’ efforts in perspective, noting that several swimmers take extended breaks. (Are we sure Gary Hall Jr. didn’t hibernate between Olympics?)
My longtime USA TODAY colleague Vicki Michaelis says Phelps is leaving the Pan Pacs with a heightened awareness of what he needs to do.
But he has plenty of time. The “off” year in the Olympic/world championship cycle is really “off” — moreso than in winter sports, track and field or other Olympic endeavors. Phelps’ next big test starts 11 months from now — July 16-31 in Shanghai for the world championships.
“Let’s be honest,” said Nathan Adrian, whose ascendancy continued over the weekend. “It’s just the Pan Pacs.”
Corporate siblings ESPN and ABC are investigating cases of sexual misconduct among U.S. swimming coaches, with each network releasing some of its work tonight.
The ABC version, at least in the online form, looks a little sensationalized and allows a few unrealistic statements about USA Swimming to go unchecked. Bob Allard, a lawyer for families now suing USA Swimming, calls the organization’s background-check system “willfully incomplete.” That seems harsh given the realities of national sports federations’ budgets.
That said, the report raises a few questions of how some coaches were able to move from place to place just as parents and police were asking questions.
The ESPN piece, which won’t air in full until May 2 on Outside the Lines, seems more promising, delving into the questions of how this could happen without the assumption that it must all be USA Swimming’s fault.
Clearly, the organization isn’t set up to police 12,000 swim coaches. It never could be. But shedding some light on the problem should help to change the culture and make parents and swimmers feel more empowered to report abuses. The news reports will be just the start of that process.
Duresport.com 