A Proposal

Matt Grevers and Annie Chandler at the Missouri Grand Prix last month

A few weeks ago on a cold February evening on a pool deck smack dab in the middle of Missouri a young man... a swimmer,  proposed to his girlfriend... also a swimmer.   Quickly, the swim sites went bananas but within 24 hours the video was being shown on mainstream news outlets, too:  Yahoo, MSNBC, CNN all had links to the video.  Almost 3 weeks and more than 2.6 million hits on You Tube later I watched it again last night.

2.6 million hits.  That's incredible.  Now, I know 92% of the people who clicked on the link and watched the video had absolutely no idea who Matt Grevers and Annie Chandler were.  It didn't matter.  Love is universal and only the most cynical and emotionally-damaged wouldn't be touched by Matt's public declaration of his love and Annie's reaction.  It's like visual Prozac, you can actually feel your serotonin levels rise as you watch it.

My Job is Pretty Awesome Sometimes... JROTC

As Aquatics Director for our school district I get to teach swimming a bunch of different ways to all sorts of different groups. One of my favorite units of the year is JROTC.  I offer a "drownproofing" course for our school and four others in the area. They come over to the pool and cover a little bit of basics to help them to be comfortable in the water.  We spend a little time helping them to tread efficiently. We talk to them about the signs and symptoms of hypothermia and how they might help.

You might say I am carrying on a Georgia Tech tradition in this course as one skill station is the actual "drownproofing" pioneered by their long-time coach Fred Lanoue.  I don't bind anyone's hands or feet obviously, but it is nice to be able to teach it as a skill that can help people who haven't had much opportunity to take a lot of swim lessons. Read up on it.  It really could be practical in a situation where a person might have to survive more than just a few minutes waiting for a rescue.  I actually read an article once about a pilot who survived for days without flotation by using this very skill.  It is pretty fascinating stuff.  The manual I was given when I took the job was actually printed in 1944, from back when the Navy first embraced it as a way to reduce drowning rates.

Dear Craig: thanks for plagiarizing. Love, Swimbrief

Here at the swimbrief, we're proud to be a bunch of "blogging blockheads" (is that what he called us?) writing about swimming in our spare time. We know we're not professionals, in fact, we celebrate it. So you can imagine how proud we are this week to have one our posts paraphrased by the foremost journalist in all of swimming: Craig Lord (link to his article). What's that, he didn't even mention us? EVEN BETTER!

Neverwet: The Product That Could Ruin 2012 Olympic Swimming!

I had two girls standing side by side in LZR Elites this weekend, and one had water beading on it while the other didn't.  One was straight out of the box, and the other had been worn for one previous meet.  They oughtta last longer than that... wouldn't you agree?  They still have great compression after a few swims, but the kids know there is a difference between new and used tech, even after the days of neoprene.

Fabric has to be permeable to get the FINA tag on the butt, and once it has that tag nobody questions whether the suit is legal or not.  But what if you could find a permeable fabric that could be made water repellent after purchase?  Admit it.  Everyone out there knows at least one person who smelled like Rain-X at the big meet.  People have tried it... trust me.

Well, believe it or not, the day has not just come... Science has done better than we could have imagined.  Nanotechnology has evolved to the point that now electronics and even fabrics can be made not just waterproof, but  SUPERHYDROPHOBIC.  There is a big difference between those two terms. I think the big meet just added a new step in preparation:  taper down, shave down, suit up, spray up.

Coaching Swimming is a Hell of a Drug

Rick James should have tried a conference meet

I was thinking about saving this post for a few weeks from now. I didn't want it to seem boastful or arrogant. That's not my point. My point is: championship season is upon us, and for coaches that means that we are about to get our fix. Inside the coaching community, we often joke about how little we get paid, the weird hours, and the weekends sacrificed. So why would anyone go into (or stay) in this profession? Because coaching swimming is a hell of a drug. 

Goodbye, Swim School!!!

Sisters racing each other on the last day

                               

It was the end of an era Wednesday night in our household.  18 months after starting my daughters have "graduated" from their swim school.  According to the "criteria" they have met the basics for starting swim team;  they have a basic grasp of all strokes, they can do a reasonable flip turn and dive off the block.  While certainly not ready to be recruited by Bob Bowman for NBAC they have come a long way from paddling around with noodles and I'm really proud.

They're ready for a break.  They're always cold.  Competition pools are not exactly conducive to little kids with BMI's of 1% and Missouri winters are usually not helpful (although this one so far has been mild.)   I told them when they do swim team this summer they'll be warmer.  That was met with great positivity.  I think they'll really like the competition.  I see them "eyeing" the other swimmers they're sharing lanes with.  I know they're thinking, "25y freestyle, meet you on the blocks, homegirl." They're ready to race.

Is John Leonard Flipping All of Us Off?

Seriously?

Five minutes ago my phone rang. A reader that wishes to remain anonymous directed me to the ASCA homepage (www.swimmingcoach.org). What I found seemed like a practical joke. Posted on 2/1/2012 was a "Workout Wednesday" from Bryan Woodward, the (former) head coach of the Gator Swim Club who was arrested more than three weeks ago in a sting operation against child predators.