Updates & Best Posts
Archive for July, 2009
Phelps’s Day of High Drama Ends With Gold
Friday, July 31st, 2009Michael Phelps earned his third world championship gold medal Friday night, but as far as days go, there have been plenty better. Phelps lost a lead-off leg and a world record, and was subjected to an unexpected verbal attack.
Day 12: Hitting the Wall
Friday, July 31st, 2009Post reporter Paul Tenorio’s lack of sleep sleep finally caught up with him. Having slept just three hours the night before, he struggled to get out of bed knowing if he didn’t get up and out he would be late to Redskins Park for training camp, especially if he wanted to train. So, for the first time since the project started, Paul blew off a morning workout.
Rested and Ready, Peirsol Annihilates Own World Record
Friday, July 31st, 2009More rested, more motivated and more focused. Aaron Peirsol figured he might have been all of those for Friday’s 200-meter backstroke final after a miscalculation kept him out of the 100 backstroke earlier this week.
Peirsol didn’t merely go under the world record he set wearing the same swimsuit three weeks ago, he completely demolished it, finishing in 1 minute 51.92 seconds at the swimming world championships.
Cavic: I Will Buy Phelps A Faster High-Tech Suit
Friday, July 31st, 2009Serbian Milorad Cavic, who earlier this week claimed a timing error cost him a victory against Michael Phelps in last year’s photo-finish Olympic 100-meter butterfly, said he would buy Phelps a faster suit for Saturday’s 100 fly final if Phelps couldn’t get one for free.“I think in the media, it’s been portrayed that he has no options,” Cavic said after posting the fastest qualifying time in the 100 fly heats Friday morning. “He does. It’s a complete lie.”
With Phelps Watching, Lochte Steals His WR
Thursday, July 30th, 2009UPDATE: As Michael Phelps watched from the stands, Ryan Lochte got a chance to shine in an event Phelps has dominated. Lochte didn’t merely win the gold in the 200-meter individual medley at the world championships in Rome, he broke Phelps’s world record, touching the wall in 1.54.10. Phelps’s record set at last year’s Olympics was 1:54.23.
Day 11: There’s Nothing Like Competition
Thursday, July 30th, 2009Washington Post reporter Paul Tenorio will train with a swim club over the next few months and chronicle his journey as he attempts to transform from regular guy/sports reporter to competitive swimmer — everything from his waistline to his best times. Today he discusses the thrill of competition and you learn just how much he cut off his original times in the 100- and 50-yard freestyles.
Morning Update: Peirsol Dives Back In
Thursday, July 30th, 2009After failing to qualify for the 100-meter backstroke final, Aaron Peirsol sailed through Thursday’s qualifying round of the 200 backstroke at the swimming world championships. In other news, Amanda Weir broke Natalie Coughlin’s American record in the 100 freestyle, Ariana Kukors swam fast again in the 4×200 relay heats and American Eric Shanteau topped all qualifiers in the 200 breast.
Phelps Forgets Defeat; Sets WR In 200 Fly
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009UPDATE: Michael Phelps rebounded from his shocking defeat in Tuesday’s 200 freestyle by beating his own world record in the 200 butterfly by almost half a second. Phelps touched the wall in 1 minute 51.51 seconds.
Day 10: Warning, May Cause Sullivanophobia
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009Washington Post reporter Paul Tenorio continues his work in the pool with Curl-Burke and talks about his nervousness for tomorrow’s timed swims, his fear of doing so next to All-Met swimmer Pat Sullivan and the importance of goal-setting in swimming.
Phelps Will Swim In ‘Local Meets’
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009Michael Phelps surprised reporters when he said he plans to swim in some local, 25-yard meets this fall and winter, as USA Swimming official said they would consider banning long-length, non-textile suits at national competitions for all ages next year if FINA doesn’t act quickly enough. In other news, the U.S. team won four medals at the world swimming championships Wednesday night, hours after Mary DeScenza stunningly set her first world record.
The Result Suits No One: Phelps Loses 200 Free
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009Perhaps more than anything, German Paul Biedermann’s resounding defeat of Michael Phelps Tuesday in the 200-meter freestyle in 1 minute, 42.00 seconds — 0.89 under Phelps’s world record and 1.22 faster than Phelps — offered evidence that the sport’s controversial high-tech speedsuits haven’t really done anyone, least of all Biedermann, any favors.
Arena X-Glide Body Suit 1, Michael Phelps 0
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009Sally Jenkins on Michael Phelps vs. Paul Biedermann: Score one for laminates. The human got crushed. The nature of the confrontation was clear: Michael Phelps, the amphibious freak of nature, against the Arena X-Glide body suit, an artificial swim shell with a science fiction title worn by German Paul Biedermann. It was man against thermoplastic, basically a case of Phelps trying to swim faster than a guy wearing the hull of a spacecraft. We all know who won. The Suitmakers, of course.
Suit Ban Might Not Take Effect Until Spring
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009After the world swimming governing body (FINA) said its promised ban on long-length swimsuits beginning in January of next year might not be implemented until April or May, Bob Bowman, Michael Phelps’s coach, said he would advise his star to refuse to swim until the ban is in place. In other news, two American women get medals in the 100 breast at the swimming world championships, and a British backstroker thrives in an old suit.
Day 9: Getting Technical
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009Paul focused on technique throughout his pool workout this morning: breathing, flip turns, head position, and he finished it off with some torture — vertical kicking. But he feels the work he’s put in the past nine days is starting to pay off. Tomorrow he’ll find out as he times himself in the 50 and 100 for the first time since Day 1.
Tuesday Morning Update From Rome
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009Michael Phelps posted the second-best time in the heats of the 200-meter butterfly (1 minute, 54.33 seconds) Tuesday morning, and then immediately turned his attention to that evening’s 200 freestyle final — his first individual final at the swimming world championships.
Miscalculation Dooms Peirsol In 100 Back
Monday, July 27th, 2009A mental error cost U.S. world-record holder Aaron Peirsol a spot in the final of the 100-meter backstroke at the world championships in Rome Monday night; later, Towson’s Elizabeth Pelton faltered after advancing to the semifinals of the women’s 100 back. Little-known U.S. swimmer Ariana Kukors, meantime, continued her incredible run, setting arguably the most remarkable of the five world records posted Monday.
Phelps Starts To Feel The Heat In Rome
Monday, July 27th, 2009With another unfathomable number of world records — five Monday night — falling at the swimming world championships, and surprises lurking in every heat, it was easy to be distracted from one of the most engrossing storylines here, one not to be missed: Michael Phelps is under assault. The man at the sport’s epicenter is feeling the heat from fast-charging men in superfast speedsuits, even in individual events he is accustomed to dominating.
Day 8: Why ‘Baby Beluga’ is My New Theme Song
Monday, July 27th, 2009Washington Post reporter Paul Tenorio will train with a swim club over the next few months and chronicle his journey as he attempts to transform from regular guy/sports reporter to competitive swimmer — everything from his waistline to his best times. Today he updates his weight and body fat percentage, as well as sharing why a Raffi classic applies to him.
Phelps Gives Up Freestyle Stroke Experiment
Monday, July 27th, 2009On Monday morning at the U.S. swimming world championships, Michael Phelps announced he was giving up his experiment with a new freestyle stroke; Towson’s Elizabeth Pelton, 15, set a personal best in the 100 backstroke heats to advance to the semifinals; and another suit malfunction “exposed” backstroker Matt Grevers. But no world records were set. Meantime, Sunday night, Ryan Lochte left Phelps speechless with his choice of words.
Monday Pool
Sunday, July 26th, 2009And thus the summer season ended for thousands of young swimmers across the DC-metropolitan area. Local leagues held their divisional meets Saturday, as teams jostled for next year’s divisional placement and local pride. Records throughout the area fell as swimmers saved their best for last, while fighting it out for first.
One Down, Six To Go; Phelps Gets Surprise Gold
Sunday, July 26th, 2009On a night an astonishing six world records fell at the swimming world championships in Rome — unleashing the now-customary tirades against the high-tech suits believed to be behind them — the only final that did not produce a world record provided the biggest shock. The U.S. 4×100-meter freestyle relay team claimed an unlikely gold medal in 3 minutes, 9.21 seconds, coming from behind to, once again, beat the French.
Records Fall At World Champs; Suits Assailed
Sunday, July 26th, 2009After breaking Ian Thorpe’s hallowed 400-meter freestyle world record by .01 seconds at the world championships in Rome, Germany’s Paul Biederman credited his superfast Arena X-Glide suit for a gain of about two seconds in the race, then said the suits were destroying the sport. On the opening night of the championships at the Foro Italico as six world records were set, many agreed.
Suit Malfunction Almost Derails U.S. Relay Team
Sunday, July 26th, 2009Michael Phelps’s quest for six gold medals at the world championships in Rome almost ended before the U.S. men’s relay squad even got in the pool for Sunday morning’s qualifying round. As Ricky Berens, scheduled to swim third for the U.S. morning squad, bent over on the pool deck for a drink of water moments before the race, his suit — a Jaked01 — split significantly in the back. U.S. anchor leg Cullen Jones urged Berens to forget the gaping hole and swim for the team. And he did.
A Hectic Saturday for Many PVS Swimmers
Saturday, July 25th, 2009Many of the swimmers who competed in yesterday’s PVS Age Group Championships also swam earlier in the morning, for their summer swim teams’ divisional meets. With such a quick turnaround between meets, the swimmers had little time to relax before their afternoon swims.
The Swimming Legend And The High School Kid
Saturday, July 25th, 2009Two stress fractures in his back laid up high-school swimmer Brennan Morris for three months last summer, but when Michael Phelps returned to the pool after his eight-gold-medal performance at the Beijing Summer Games, Morris became his youngest training partner. Less than a year later, Morris, 18, enters the swimming world championships that begin in Rome Sunday as the youngest male member of the U.S. team. He will compete in the 1,500-meter freestyle on Aug. 1.
Conger Is Making Waves
Saturday, July 25th, 2009Rockville-Montgomery Swim Club’s Jack Conger is making a big splash at the Potomac Valley Swimming Age Group Championships. He has already set two PVS records this weekend, and he holds two national records, all of which have led to lofty expectations for the fourteen-year-old.
FINA Opts to Ban All High-Tech Swimsuits
Friday, July 24th, 2009FINA finally figured out the way to determine which of the controversial long-length, high-tech swimsuits to restrict. It banned every last one. On Friday, FINA’s member nations accepted a proposal to allow only waist-to-knee suits for men and shoulder-to-knee suits for women, beginning in competition next year.
No Question, Hu Wins at Age Group Champs
Friday, July 24th, 200913-year-old Janet Hu won two events on the first night of the PVS Championships and looks for more today. But who is this shy girl who is beating everyone by full seconds? Turns out she’s just a girl who swims really, really fast.
Day Five: A New Way to Eat
Friday, July 24th, 2009Washington Post reporter Paul Tenorio will train with a swim club over the next few months and chronicle his journey as he attempts to transform from regular guy/sports reporter to competitive swimmer — everything from his waistline to his best times. Today he talks about his diet, which will be focused on five small meals a day.
Day Four: Cramping Up Is No Fun
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009On Day Three in the pool, Curl-Burke coach Jeff King introduces Paul to paddles; Paul does his first work with breath control, and then the fun really begins as he finishes his workout with his first real “set” – a workout of a certain number of laps, with time intervals set in.
Daily Results from PVS Age Group Champs
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009PVS Age Group Champs Archive With almost 900 swimmers competing at the Potomac Valley Swimming Age Group Championships, it can be hard to keep up with all the winners. We’ve got all your first-place finishers, from each of the weekend’s 100 events, right here. Check it out! Final Team Scores 1. Rockville-Montgomery: 6653.5 2. Curl-Burke [...]
20 Questions: Natalie Coughlin
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009Two-time Olympian Natalie Coughlin has won 11 Olympic medals and held four world records in her 20-year competitive swimming career. She’s won three Olympic golds, in the 100-meter backstroke and 4×200-meter freestyle relay in 2004 in Athens, and the 100-meter backstroke at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. After Beijing, Coughlin took some time away from the pool, to travel, relax, and get married. She plans to return to her training regimen by the end of the year.
Powerhouse Clubs In Weekend Slugfest
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009The Potomac Valley Long-Course Age-Group Championships start Thursday at the Fairland Aquatic Center in Laurel. Officially, it gives 890 kids who are 14-and-under a chance to experience a real racing environment in a 50-meter pool. Unofficially, it’s an opportunity for Rockville-Montgomery (49 top seeds in 100 events) and Curl-Burke (32 top seeds) to slug it out, swimmer by swimmer, for bragging rights and local pride.
Q&A, Dry-land And Why I Chose Curl-Burke
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009Washington Post reporter Paul Tenorio will train with a swim club over the next few months and chronicle his journey as he attempts to transform from regular guy/sports reporter to competitive swimmer — everything from his waistline to his best times. Today, he answers questions from the comments on the blog, talks about dry-land training and explains how he ended up with Curl-Burke.
Best Posts of the Month
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009Today, reachforthewall.com turns one month old. We launched June 22, and since then, we’ve received lots of submissions on our wiki-style Team Pages. We’ve featured many of them on the left sidebar on our home page, under “Updates and Best Posts,” but on our one-month anniversary, we’d like to highlight some of the best submissions we’ve received thus far.
In Swimming, Autistic Children Find an Outlet
Tuesday, July 21st, 2009Thirteen-year-old Justin Etherton finds therapy for his autism in the swimming pool. He is embraced as a member of the Kenmont summer league swim team. Though he consistently finishes last in his races, his family says his involvement at the pool is the best thing that’s ever happened — to them and to Justin.
Day Two: Flip Turns And Expectations
Tuesday, July 21st, 2009Washington Post reporter Paul Tenorio will train with a swim club over the next few months and chronicle his journey as he attempts to transform from regular guy/sports reporter to competitive swimmer — everything from his waistline to his best times. Today he writes about Training Day No. 2 and his how tough flip turns are. Catch him talking about this blog today on Comcast SportsNet at 5 PM.
Will Phelps’s Golden Quest Start With A Silver?
Tuesday, July 21st, 2009Michael Phelps’s hopes for six gold medals at the world championships, which begin Sunday in Rome, could be hijacked by four Frenchmen in very fast suits — unless coach Bob Bowman’s “surprise” plan works.
Day One of Training: “You’re Going to Die.”
Monday, July 20th, 2009Washington Post reporter Paul Tenorio will train with a swim club over the next few months and chronicle his journey as he attempts to transform from regular guy/sports reporter to competitive swimmer — everything from his waistline to his best times.
Monday Pool
Monday, July 20th, 2009The final weekend of regular season summer swimming was highlighted by another nail-biter in the MCSL’s most heated rivalry, Rockville vs. Tilden Woods. Plus, the PWSL’s Sudley Seahorses, who won their 68th consecutive meet Saturday and wrapped up their 10th undefeated regular season. But the team needs to win its divisional championship, which will be at Sudley next weekend, to shore up an unprecedented 10 years without a loss.
Fish Swimmers Go The Distance At PV Meet
Sunday, July 19th, 2009Despite The Fish swim team’s reputation for excelling in distance events, Coach Ray Benecki rejects the notion that his is a “distance program.” Regardless of what you call The Fish, they were all over the endurance events at this weekend’s PVS Championships, including earning wins in both the boys 800- and 1500-meter freestyles.
Diving Back In: A Postie in the Pool
Sunday, July 19th, 2009Washington Post reporter Paul Tenorio will train with a swim club over the next few months and chronicle his journey as he attempts to transform from regular guy/sports reporter to competitive swimmer — everything from his waistline to his best times.
Quick Studies: Young Swimmers Snatch Titles
Saturday, July 18th, 2009Curl-Burke’s K.J. Park, 17, knocked off college swimmers to win the 200-meter breaststroke at the Potomac Valley Long Course Senior Championships. But he wasn’t the only young swimmer to defy age and experience Saturday: RMSC’s Elizabeth Pepper, 15, held on to win the women’s 400-freestyle in 4:22.57, besting Liz Kemp and Leslie Swinley, both 21 and Curl-Burke swimmers.
Haase Girls Turn Friday Final Into Sister Act
Saturday, July 18th, 2009Before Friday night, Colleen and Sarah Haase had never swum against each other in a formal competition.
That all changed at the Potomac Valley Long Course Senior Championships when Colleen, 20, finished first in the 100-meter breaststroke final at the University of Maryland, topping 15-year-old Sarah, who was second, by less than half a second. “I was like, I can’t let my sister who’s five years younger than me beat me,” Colleen said. “That would be really embarrassing.” The sisters said they had “no idea” they would be the top two finishers in the race.
Kids, And Kids At Heart, Dive Into PV Champs
Friday, July 17th, 2009Wally Dicks, 46, represented the oldest of a decidedly un-boyish group of competitors testing themselves — and earning a few stares along the way — Friday night at the Potomac Valley Senior Long-Course Championships, a meet populated mostly with high schoolers and college kids home on school break.
Morning Results From the PVS LC Champs
Friday, July 17th, 2009In Friday’s morning heats at the Potomac Valley LC Championships, 277 male and female swimmers competed for 16 spots in the 200-meter freestyle finals, with Curl-Burke’s Kristen Moores, 20, and George Mason’s Tom Koucheravy, 24, landing the top seeds for the night’s finals. Heats in the 100 breastroke, 100 butterfly and 400 individual medley also took place.
PV Senior Champs Open; Boys 800, Girls 1,500
Thursday, July 16th, 2009University of Virginia swimmer Leslie Swinley, 21, won Thursday’s girls 1500-meter freestyle final in 17:19.48 to kick off the 2009 Potomac Valley Senior Long-Course Championships at the University of Maryland, a star-studded meet for the area’s best swimmers. Bishop O’Connell’s Michael Flach, 18, finished first in the boys 800 free in 8:22.04, as Thursday’s entrants showed up with a variety of objectives.
High-Tech Swimsuits Are A Drag on Wallets
Wednesday, July 15th, 2009The PVS Long Course Senior Championships run from Thursday through Sunday at the University of Maryland, and many of the swimmers competing this week feel they need to wear the best to beat the best. This year, that means wearing the Speedo LZR, the steep price of which has caused a significant leap in cost for parents unaccustomed to spending so much money on swimsuits.
20 Questions: Brady Fox
Wednesday, July 15th, 2009Local standout Brady Fox, 18, swims for Rockville Montgomery Swim Club, Hallowell Swim Team in the Montgomery County Swim League, and the Argyle Country Club in the Country Club Swimming and Diving Association. The recent Georgetown Prep graduate has U.S. Olympic Trials qualifying times of 56.67 in the 100-meter backstroke and 2:01.79 in the 200-meter back and swam for the U.S. Junior Nationals team in 2008. He will swim for the University of Virginia in the fall.
Records Fall at MCSL Coaches Invitational
Wednesday, July 15th, 2009MCSL’s Coaches Invitational Long Course meet featured many new records and a Hall of Fame ceremony honoring league founders, coaches, volunteers and swimmers who helped shape the league in its early years.
High-Tech Suits Favored at USAs; Old Suits Won
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009An unofficial analysis of last week’s U.S. swimming championships shows that 72 percent of athletes who reached the 26 event finals, and whose suits could be identified, competed in recently released versions made by Jaked, Arena, Tyr or BlueSeventy. Yet it was Speedo’s LZR, the acclaimed suit of 2008 that is now perceived as out-moded, that produced the most top-two finishes, about 33 percent.
Making the Most of Lessons Learned
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009Devin Truong’s parents made him learn to swim after he nearly drowned in a Florida pool four years ago. Now he’s one of the best young swimmers in the country.
Monday Pool
Monday, July 13th, 2009Last weekend might have been a little slow due to the holiday, but this weekend was anything but. A “friendly rivalry” meet between D.C.’s only two summer league swim teams (which also happened to be a key PMSL A Division contest), an “almost impossible” tie meet in the MCSL, and closely contested meets from the PWSL and CNSL are all included in today’s roundup of the weekend’s meets.
Shanteau Sets U.S. Breaststroke Mark–Twice
Saturday, July 11th, 2009Eric Shanteau won his first U.S. title and set the American record in the 200-meter breaststroke for the second time at the U.S. swimming championships Saturday, completing a breathtaking return from his cancer diagnosis last year.
For the Record, Peirsol Wins 100 Back
Saturday, July 11th, 2009Aaron Peirsol regained his second world record at the U.S. swimming championships Saturday, lowering the 200-meter backstroke record on a night Cullen Jones and Dara Torres, 42, set American records in sprint events.
Shanteau Gets U.S. Record in Morning Swim
Saturday, July 11th, 2009He had already qualified for the world championships in two events; on Saturday morning, cancer-survivor Eric Shanteau took down a two-year-old American record in the 200-meter breaststroke.
Pelton, 15, Is Swimming Toward Rome, Stardom
Friday, July 10th, 2009Elizabeth Pelton, 15, won her third silver medal at the U.S. swimming championships. Her second-place finish in the 200-meter backstroke earned her the right to compete in four individual events at the world championships in Rome, a distinction that, with one day of competition remaining, only one other U.S. swimmer — Michael Phelps — can claim.
Adrian Emerges Out of Phelps’s Shadow
Friday, July 10th, 2009Nathan Adrian claimed his second sprint title of the week, winning the men’s 100-meter freestyle final in 48.00 seconds. Adrian topped a field that did not include American-record holder Michael Phelps, who had withdrawn from the field Friday morning because of neck soreness. In other events at the U.S. swimming championships, Ryan Lochte won the men’s 200 individual medley and cancer-survivor Eric Shanteau earned his second world-team spot.
Pelton Shines Again; Many Locals Compete
Friday, July 10th, 2009There was plenty of news after Michael Phelps pulled out of the 100 freestyle Friday morning: Towson’s Elizabeth Pelton, 15, set herself up to contend for a third spot on her first world championship team in the 200 backstroke; Curl-Burke’s Mei Christensen also qualified for Friday night’s final. Dara Torres said she planned to skip the 100 free but shoot for a world record in a 50 butterfly time trial. USA National Team Director Mark Schubert railed against the latest high-tech suits, and a handful of locals posted great times Friday morning.
Phelps Pulls Out of 100 Free
Friday, July 10th, 2009Michael Phelps pulled out of the 100-meter freestyle at the U.S. swimming championships Friday morning because of neck soreness.
Phelps Gets Long-Sought World Record in Butterfly
Thursday, July 9th, 2009Michael Phelps is back to his old form. His time in the fly was 0.18 faster than the 50.40 that has stood up since Ian Crocker set the record in 2005. His record-breaking performance was followed by another remarkable victory from Dara Torres, who at 42 won the 50 free and clinched a spot in this summer’s world championships.
Neck Spasm Keeps Cullen Jones From U.S. Record
Thursday, July 9th, 2009Cullen Jones blamed neck spasm for second-place finish. Now he faces a swim off versus Garrett Weber-Gale on Saturday for a berth in the world championships. Also, Kate Ziegler said she had not recovered from her bout with the flu and would not compete in the 800 freestyle Friday.
Torres, 42, Makes Final; Phelps Eyes World Record
Thursday, July 9th, 2009Even at 42 and with a bum knee, Dara Torres can dominate women half her age. Torres easily moved to Thursday’s final in the 50-meter freestyle by posting the fastest time in the morning heats, finishing in 24.72 seconds. Earlier, Michael Phelps advanced in the 100 butterfly with the fastest qualifying time (51.17 seconds), then turned his attention to getting the world record in that event Thursday night.
Despite Two Wins, Phelps Irked
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009On Wednesday night Michael Phelps officially overcame a tumultuous offseason. He went two for two on his first night back of serious swimming at the U.S. championships, winning the 200 free in 1 minute 44.23 seconds and the 200 fly in 1:52.76. Yet Phelps was not at all pleased.
Pelton Nabs Second Worlds Spot
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009Towson’s Elizabeth Pelton, 15, perhaps cemented her status as the biggest young star at the U.S. swimming championships when she earned her second berth in this summer’s world championships, finishing second in the 100 back.
Phelps, Hoff and Two Locals Advance
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009Reston’s Mei Christensen, 20, surprisingly posted the third-best time Wednesday morning in the 100-meter backstroke at the U.S. swimming championships in Indianapolis, followed closely by Towson’s Elizabeth Pelton, 15, who earned the fourth seed just hours after winning a spot on the world championship team in the 200 individual medley. Later, Katie Hoff made it into the 200 free final—barely. And Michael Phelps posted the fastest time in the 200 fly and 200 freestyle heats, but the top six finishers in the free were separated by a mere 0.28 seconds, suggesting a super-competitive final Wednesday night.
Pelton Surprises, Hoff Disappoints
Tuesday, July 7th, 2009Just 15, Elizabeth Pelton of the North Baltimore Aquatic Club scored a world championship team spot with her surprising second-place finish in a stacked 200 individual medley field as NBAC’s Katie Hoff–who was once that 15-year-old sensation–didn’t make the team in the 400 free, an event in which she holds the American record. Now 20 and struggling, Hoff finished a dismal sixth in that event at the national championships in Indianapolis.
Ziegler Out of 400, 200 Due to Illness
Tuesday, July 7th, 2009Great Falls’s Kate Ziegler withdrew from the women’s 400-meter event at the U.S. Swimming Championships at Indiana University on Tuesday morning because of the flu. Ziegler told The Washington Post that she developed flu-like symptoms last Friday with a fever that peaked at 103 degrees, and was so hobbled she did not bother attempting to travel Indianapolis to compete. She will not compete in Wednesday’s 200 and has only faint hopes of being ready for Friday’s heats of the 800.
How’d They Do? Local Swimmers At Nationals
Tuesday, July 7th, 2009There are dozens of local swimmers participating in the 2009 ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships this year. Keep abreast of their results with this chart.
At U.S. Championships, Controversy Follows Suit
Monday, July 6th, 2009U.S. swimmers are assembling in Indianapolis for this week’s national championships, and swimming, which reached a peak of popularity through the nightly drama Michael Phelps provided in Beijing last year, has endured a far bumpier story line in 2009. New, technologically advanced suits, not swimmers, have dominated the headlines and threaten to make a mockery of this summer’s world championships in Rome.
More Than 30 Local Stars Compete at USA Champs
Monday, July 6th, 2009More than three dozen athletes from Curl-Burke, Rockville-Montgomery, The Fish and other clubs or schools in the Greater Washington and Baltimore regions will compete at the U.S. championships in Indianapolis that begin Tuesday.
Monday Pool
Monday, July 6th, 2009While some leagues took a break this holiday weekend, MCSL and PMSL competed at full speed on Saturday. There was plenty of red, white and blue to be found at pools in the region, as teams celebrated the Fourth of July before the meet and a win (hopefully) after.
Cullen Jones Condemns Alleged Racism
Sunday, July 5th, 2009In response to allegations of racism against 65 African-American and Hispanic summer campers at a private swim club outside of Philadelphia, U.S. swimmer Cullen Jones, who will compete in the 50-meter freestyle final Thursday night, and USA Swimming Executive Director Chuck Wielgus spoke out Thursday afternoon. “The acts of blatant racism shown towards the young kids with [...]
Heavy On Talent; Short On Water
Friday, July 3rd, 2009Great club programs? Check. A strong swimming tradition? Check. Enough lanes to go around? Uh … Depends on how many swimmers you pile into each. Local swimmers and officials seek solutions to the strange water crisis in the District’s suburbs, a region with dozens of pools but more swimmers than it can readily accommodate.
For Old Georgetown, It’s Peanut Butter Jelly Time
Friday, July 3rd, 2009Swimmers from Old Georgetown Pool in Bethesda gave up weekly doughnut days to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, which they donate to a Washington organization that feeds the city’s poor.
Bridlewood To Celebrate Fourth With A Bang
Friday, July 3rd, 2009The Bridlewood Bridalwaves, a team in the Prince William Swim League, will celebrate the Fourth of July with a charity fund-raiser involving about 700 kids from nearly all 24 of the PWSL teams.
Adidas Skips USAs; No WR Suit In Indy
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009As if they weren’t confused enough, U.S. swimmers can forget about trying out the coveted new adidas Hydrofoil suit — which has been responsible for a host of recent records — at the U.S. championships in Indianapolis next week.
The German-based adidas did not submit an application by Wednesday’s deadline to have its suits available at the event, which serves as the trials for the world championships at the end of this month, a USA Swimming spokesperson confirmed Thursday.
U.S. Swimmers Agonize Over Tech Suits
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009U.S. swimmers are frantically preparing for the world championship trials that begin next Tuesday in Indianapolis. For many, however, the focus of that preparation has nothing to do with actual swimming. It is on determining which of the now-legal — but still controversial — high-tech swimsuits will provide the most performance-enhancement.
Dara Torres’s Coach Ill Again
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009Dara Torres’s coach Michael Lohberg, 59, has been hospitalized again with complications relating to his year-long battle with aplastic anemia, but the 42-year-old five-time Olympian hopes Lohberg will be out of the hospital in time to attend the U.S. championships next week in Indianapolis.
20 Questions: Chris Stevenson
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009Swimming isn’t just a kids’ game. Chris Stevenson, 44, proves that. The University of Richmond environmental studies professor holds U.S. Masters Swimming records in the 40-44 age group 50-, 100- and 200-meter backstroke. His swimming itinerary goes back to the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, where he swam for Greece, and to the University of North Carolina, where he went to school with the most famous Tar Heel.
