January 2012
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The Buzz: 5 Storylines of 2011
Before each major swim meet, I usually anticipate what the 5 major storylines will be. They are predictions, and sometimes, they are very wrong. I remember predicting a race in which one of the swimmers I deemed the “Can’t Miss Race” didn’t even make the championship final heat. That’s swimming for you. But at the end of the year, I like to reflect back and analyze what were the...
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2011 in Review: Stories to Remember
2011 was a year marked with fast swims, emerging superstars, and continuted American dominance in the pool. Here are a few stories to remember as we begin 2012 and the journey to Omaha.
LOCHTE SETS WORLD RECORD IN 200M IM AT WORLDS
Ryan Lochte won a gold medal and set a world record in the men’s 200m IM at the 14th FINA World Championships, turning in a time of 1:54.00. Also winning gold for the...
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December 2011
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I pledge to put my heart and soul into every...
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“People ask me ‘what was going through your mind in the race?’ and I...”
– Ian Thorpe
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Thoughts During Swim Practice
Man it has been so long since I've been in the water! This feels great!
Glub glub! I'm friggin fish!
No! A shark! I'm a friggin' shark!
Oh yeah. Man, I'm doing so good! I'm the king of the pool!
Oh I just can't wait to be king! Nah nah-nah-nah nah-nah-nah-na!
Everybody look left! Every body look right!
Ah! Oh my god! Lane rope! Adjust! Adjust! OH MY GOD ONCOMING SWIMMERS! TOO FAR TOO FAR!
Ok. I'm alive! Ha! I'm alive! Woot! New rule- no more dancing to the song stuck in my head. I should be fine if I just follow that bit of advice....
...
...
I miss my friends from school. I miss them a lot. I need to see their faces. Really bad I need to see their faces.
Siiiiiiigggggghhhhh~
Oh man. That sucked. That turn just totally sucked. And now I just goofed my pull out. Ewwww... my rhythm is all off. Ok. Ok. I can salvage this 100. Just because the 50 sucked doesn't mean the 100 has to. All I have to do is keep moving and it will work itself out. All I have to do is just keep swimming.
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Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, What do we do? We swim, swim, swim! Oh!
I'm gonna be a mighty king, like no one was before!
I've never seen a king before with quite so little hair
I'm gonna be the mane event, so enemies beware!
Oh I just can't wait to be king! Nah-nah-nah!!!!
Everybody look left!
.....
(And this pretty much repeats the entire time I'm in the water.... >.>; )
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xoxoktg asked: On suits - definitely invest in the lzr racer pro kneeskin. Totally worth it and the compression is amazing.
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Wanted to give advice for some 200 fliers.
Hi! I noticed that ask on how to swim a good 200 butterfly and wanted to offer some personal advice. I’ve been swimming since I was about 5 years old, and I trained year-round for my club all the way through high school. The 200 fly was my best event and my coach gave me a lot of specific training on it since I swam it basically every weekend for my club (anytime we had a meet!), as well...
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Backstroke technique set
4x50 side to side rotation -Head back, arms at your side, rotate one side of your body completely out of the water for 3-5 seconds, then quickly switch to the other 100 back
2x50 hand rotation -Swim backstroke, right arm comes out of the water, stops halfway through the stroke, hand pointing at the sky, hold it, quickly drop it back in the water and finish the stroke while raising left arm out...
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blue-devils-swim asked: Hey. I love your blog. It describes my life(: and have you ever swam the 200 fly? I have and I already have regionals and I'm trying to get my state cut and I'm 5.04 seconds off, and I have my LZR fast suit. Any advice would be great!!(:
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jesusexists asked: i don't know if you're still wondering which suit to get, but definitely invest in the lzr racer pro. i have the knee skin and i dropped 12 seconds on my 500 and i pretty much pulled the entire race aha
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salt--water asked: hi there :) I need some advice. so for christmas i'm going to buy a knee suit for racing, but i'm not sure whether i should go for the expensive lzr pro or go with the much less expensive aquablade kneeskin. how much difference do you think the lzr will make in my race compared to the aquablade? because im not sure if i want to make an investment in such an expensive suit yet.
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What are some good gift ideas to give to...
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Ian Thorpe too late for London, says former...
Dec 23 (Reuters) - Comeback kid Ian Thorpe has left his run too late and is unlikely to qualify for next year’s London Olympics, according to the former coach of Australian swimming great Grant Hackett.
Dennis Cotterell, who trained Hackett to Olympic gold in the 1,500 metres at the 2000 Sydney Games and at Athens four years later, said five-times Olympic champion Thorpe had...
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20 Questions with Julia Smit
Julia Smit helped key Stanford’s charge back to the top, and she won Olympic silver in the 4x100 free, and bronze in the 4x200 relay in Beijing. She also set short course records in the 200 IM and 300 IM at the 2009 Mutual of Omaha Duel in the Pool. She talks about her preparation for 2012, and what amazing twists and turns her life has taken over the years, in this week’s 20 Question Tuesday.
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Year of Ed Moses
“Up first on the track, don’t try to copy me / Been in the game many years like Monopoly.” —Ed Moses, 2011. Reflecting on the previous year, two memories stand out as “defining moments.” The first is from the Charlotte UltraSwim Grand Prix, when I scanned the heat sheets and noticed just how ridiculously old the men’s championship finals were. I mean, seriously old. When I was an age...
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I Do Swim, I Don't Swim →
I DO NOT swim to please anyone else. People may enjoy the sight of me in the water or like the way my body looks as a result of my workouts. They may also appreciate the fact that I’m barely clothed in the water almost every chance I get. But my swims are for ME! I can’t even tell you why I love it when a lot of the times I hate it so much. I just do.
I DO swim because it calms me. It makes me...
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12 Days of a Swimmer's Christmas
12 New Caps 11 Fly Sets 10 Long Swims 9 Hours of Sleep 8 Pairs of Goggles 7 Time Trials 6 Abs of Steel 5 Outdoor Swims a 4 Minute Sprint 3 Kick Sets 2 Race Suits
And a spot on the Olympic Team!
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How I feel about swimming... and sports in general...
“When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstance permit. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.”
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TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS: GEOFF MEYER, PART 2
On October 23, 2010, Geoff Meyer’s life changed. A former swimmer for James Madison University, Meyer learned that his best friend, Fran Crippen, died during an open water swimming race. Now, the 29-year-old Meyer is back in the pool. He’s making a comeback with a specific goal in mind: Qualify for the Olympic Trials. By doing so, Geoff will honor Fran’s memory and fulfill his own swimming...
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Recipe from Natalie Coughlin →
Lumpia with Dried Plum Purée
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My typical week:
School, swim practice, eat, homework, sleep, school, swim practice, eat, homework, sleep, school, swim practice, eat, homework, sleep and repeat over and over again.