Michael Phelps / Youth Olympic Games / Under Armour

We are about as far away from the summer Olympics and Michael Phelps still continues to make headlines. Its been a little less than 2 years since his record breaking 8 gold medals, and its a little over 2 years until the last Olympics in which he will compete - something he has been saying since Beijing. But it comes as no surprise that he has broken the mold of seasonal Olympics and is a household name anywhere the Olympic rings are displayed.

Last week Phelps was announced as the Ambassador of the Youth Olympic Games. The YOGs are a new IOC initiative to reinforce the values of the Olympics in 205 nations through the fair play and participation of youth athletes. The inaugural YOGs will take place on August 14-26, 2010 in Singapore. For more information (or to vote on the official medal design) visit the official site.

Secondly he can be seen in the latest Under Armour commercial. I gotta tip my hat to Peter Carlisle of Octagon who is likely the one most responsible for engineering this relationship. Marketing outside of the typical swimming brands, when there is a reason to do so, is a great move. Swimmers are known for their work ethic, which is great connection with UA's training mantra and the company is based in Baltimore, Phelps' home town. With a limited number of swimwear brands endorsing US athletes, and the number of athletes getting swimwear manufacturers down. It's great to see swimmers like Phelps diversifying his endorsements.

So tell me this, what would Phelps' Combine results be? Is his 40 on land faster than his 40 under water? Is 2012 when he enters the draft with the hopes of being picked up by the Baltimore Ravens?

Athlete Funding and the Pursuit for Swimming Gold

After posting the article explaining the Pro Swimming Task Force about two weeks ago, I have come across a handful of other articles and information that are worth sharing.

For the last few quads it seems that the conversation of athlete funding has been focussed on USA Swimming finding a way to retain those athletes who are one good swim away from earning an International Medal or a or dawning the stars and stripes overseas. We have this perception that the elite athletes in our sport have it pretty good and that Michael Phelps, or Natalie Coughlin, for example, could make a decent living off there swimming career alone. For the most part this is true, between medal bonuses, endorsement deals, and guest appearances there is a lot to take advantage of. But then I read an article about Ian Thorpe. The greatest swimmer ever to grace Australia - a country which places swimmers in a category of celebrity that rivals that of A-List Movie Stars stateside - is struggling financially. "The Olympic legend has reluctantly confirmed he recently suffered serious cash flow problems after shedding lucrative sponsorship deals to focus on his university studies," as reported by The Daily Telegraph.

So, we are put back in our place. Swimmers aren't earning NFL salaries... Not Ryan Lochte, not Chloe Sutton. But then you take a look at some of the Olympic Committees and what they are doing to support their athletes and there is some hope. Canada's Winter Olympic Program "Own The Podium" (OTP) was created to increase funding to Winter Olympic athletes over the past 4 years in hope that Canada would not only host the Olympics but hoist away some hefty hardware. And with only five days left in Vancouver, Canada is in fifth place with 10 medals. The US has 25, Germany has 21, and Norway has 14.

Although this doesn't seem to be working for our little sister to the north, the US put together a similar plan in preparation for the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City. The Goal: Put effort into converting Bronze Medalists into Gold Medalists, and Fifth and Sixth place finishers into Silver and Bronze Medalist respectfully. The Results: In 1998 the US earned a total of 13 medals in Nagano to Canada's 15. In 2002 the US earned 34 medals to Canada's 17.

To bring it back to the pool, and specifically the US, just the fact that USA Swimming has a task force looking at the situation is a step in the right direction. Furthermore, The National Team Division of USA Swimming collected applications to help decide how to distribute $90k in discretionary funding directly to athletes. This application sounds a lot like a small business loan application asking for specific goals for each year and ultimately the quad, as well as an evaluation of Strengths, Weaknesses, and Opportunities as seen by the athlete and their coach, and the steps they both plan to take in order to reach success in the water.

Top that all off with SwimMac Carolina announcing a partnership with Wendy's over the weekend that will result in $50,000 in prize money to be distributed at the Charllotte UltraSwim Grand Prix this summer. To put that in perspective, the entire Grand Prix series only gave out $20,000 across all seven meets in 2009. Can I say that we have it all figures out, No. But things are definitely going in the right direction.

Pro Swimming Concept Task Force

In September USA Swimming President Jim Wood formed a task for to look at the viability of a Professional Concept in the Sport of Swimming.

While this task force may have initially been developed to take a look at rules regarding the use of sponsor logos on swimwear, the task force was asked to go to the USA Swimming Board of Directors in May with a recommendation of how we can better retain and support our elite level athletes.

The task force is filled with athlete representation, as it should be:
Co-Chair: Trent Staley - Immediate Past Chair of the AEC
Tyler Storie - Current Chair of the AEC
Bryan Jones - Past Chair of the AEC,
Tim Liebhold - At-Large member of the AEC,
Diana Munz - Gold Medalist in the 4x200m Free Relay at the Athens Olympic
Kaitlin Sandeno - Two Time Olympian (2000 , 2004) Gold Medalist in the 4x200m Free Relay at the Athens Olympic

Below you will find a list of articles that have been in the media recently regarding this subject:

Dark Days of the Pro Swimmer - Casey Barrett

The Plight of the Pro Swimmer - Casey Barrett

A Different Take on Pro Gate - Bob Schaller

Mondays Medley: Pro Swimming Saga - Mike Gustafson

Split Time: The Pro Swimmer - Garret McCaffrey

Anti-Doping and Congress

Two weeks ago Trent Staley posted an article on the AEC Blog from the January Issue of Outside Magazine titled Good Cop, Bad Cop. The article exposes some of the issues that are affected athletes and the ways they are forced to sacrifice in hopes of keeping the sport clean. If you have not yet read this article, please do.

Then last week AZ Senator John McCain held a press conference to talk about a bill he is proposing to require all supplement manufacturers to register the ingredients of each product with FDA. Among those in support of the bill are Bud Selig, Commissioner of the MLB, Travis T. Tygart, CEO of USADA, and the Athletes' Executive Committee's own Kicker Vencil. An article reporting the subject can be found on ESPN.

The concept of this bill is very simple, and that's what makes it so intriguing to me. If the ingredients in all supplements are clearly disclosed, it becomes much easier for athletes to compare the banned substances list to the list of ingredients on a product's package. Ultimately this would be a better situation for athletes across many sports, and could put anti-doping agencies one step closer to having a seal of approval on 'clean' supplements.

AQ Now Featuring Video!

After a long weekend full of meetings in Colorado Springs, CO I am happy to announce that the AEC has added video to its communication strategy. The inaugural video was filmed in the Carolyn Dirks Building - Home to USA Swimming - on the US Olympic Training Center Campus. This video introduces you to a majority of the AEC members who were present that weekend. Check the blog often for new video posts including, in-depth interviews with the athletes representatives, exclusive footage from select swim meets, site tours of competition pool, and post race interviews.

All videos will also be posted on our YouTube account

Outside Magazine article on Anti Doping

Outside Magazine, January 2010

Good Cop, Bad Cop
WADA, The International agency that oversees drug testing in sports, has done a solid job of cleaning up some rotten games. But a growing number of critics contend that it's become overzealous and arrogant, sometimes trampling the civil liberties of athletes in the process. As the case of Winter Olympian Zach Lund illustrates, they have a point.

http://outside.away.com/outside/culture/201001/zach-lund-wada-1.html

"Lund, who, despite everything, favors dope testing in sports, calls the current system "a witch hunt." He'd like to fight back, to stand up for athlete rights. But Lund shares a problem that many of us, including the U.S. Senate and governments around the world, share: He is still moved by the Olympic dream, and he is willing to put up with anything to fulfill it." - Outside Magazine

This is a pretty good read and while we are always looking for stronger doping controls in our sport and within WADA and USADA, this article sheds light on some short comings of the system and the very real sacrifices elite athletes make in the name of clean sport.

t

Committee information/updates

Hello everyone,

Happy belated New Year to you all. I wish you all the best in 2010 in all of your endeavors.

Hopefully many of you are reading and keeping up with the AEC Blog (usaswimmingaec.blogspot.com). By now you all should have received confirmation on your committee appointments. Furthermore, you have hopefully been in contact with your committee chair. You should know the dates of any/all conference calls, face to face meetings, other coorespondence etc. that will be coming up this year.

Please remember that as committee reps it is up to you to keep the AEC and the rest of the athletes in USA Swimming informed about what is going on in your respective committees. I urge each of you to communicate with athletes who are also on your committee in determining roles and discussing any issues. We would like you to continue to fill out meeting report forms for all committee calls/meetings/etc that take place. Obviously, be sure to include any important or pertinent information. Of course, we only need one report from each committee "event" so be sure you decide amongst yourselves who will be the person to fill out the report. I have included a report form with this email.

If any of you have any issues getting in contact with either your committee chair(s) or fellow athletes let me know. Likewise, if you know you will be unable to attend a meeting or be available for a conference call, please let myself or Tyler know so we can be sure there is at least one athlete in attendance for all committee business.

Thank you all for your dedication and commitment to our great sport.

All the best,
Chris Thompson
AEC Recruitment and Leadership Chair
clt113078@gmail.com
(734) 846-3157
Also have facebook...

2009 Year in Review

Below is a recap of 2009 as seen through the eyes of USAS Media Officer, Greg Eggert, and inspired by and excerpt of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities.

2009: "It was the best of times" - - -

When the news was good, it was really good, especially significant were the last two items on our list:

Swimwear........our leaders and delegates at the FINA Technical and General Congresses persuaded the National Federations that something needed to be done immediately;

Swimming World Magazine celebrated its 50 year anniversary with the launch of Swimming World TV and The Morning Swim Show, a daily newscast featuring athletes, coaches and news makers across the aquatic disciplines;

In Rome five time US Olympian Dara Torres was recognized by the International Committee For Fair Play due to the sportsmanship she exhibited during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games;

US athlete Fran Crippen was initially disqualified in the 10K open water event at the World Championships, but thanks to a successful appeal he was awarded the bronze medal;

"Madame Butterfly", Mary "T" Meagher was inducted into the USOC's Olympic Hall of Fame;

The NCAA presented Water Polo legend Maureen O'Toole-Purcell with it's prestigious Silver Anniversary Award;

The AAU nominated the four men who bested an impressive French squad to earn the 2008 Olympic Gold Medal and a World Record in the 4 x 100 freestyle relay, for the Sullivan Award;

Carol Zaleski was honored by the USOC as the recipient of the George Steinbrenner Award;

Bartolo Consolo, the outgoing FINA Honorary Secretary and the former President of LEN was presented with the R. Max Ritter Award by USAS at a luncheon in Rome during the occasion of the FINA World Championships in hit native Italy;

Judy McGowan and Jenny Thompson were inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in recognition of a lifetime of accomplishments;

Julio Maglione, the FINA Treasurer, former UANA President and a member of the IOC was elected the new FINA President in July;

Our nominees for FINA Technical Committees and Commissions were appointed to 15 different positions including several leadership positions. No other nation rivals our placements and our influence within FINA, but with this we carry a tremendous responsibility to consistently work towards the improvement of all of the aquatic disciplines;

Mustapha Larfaoui, FINA President since 1988 chose not to run for a sixth term. Larfaoui is now the Honorary Life President of FINA and Honorary Member of the International Olympic Committee;

UANA hosted all of the world's swimming federations at a reception in Rome on the eve of the FINA Congress as a gesture of goodwill and solidarity;

UANA President Eldon Godfrey host the first UANA Conference which brought together many of the continent's aquatic leaders across all disciplines;

The age limit for swimming officials and synchronized swimming and diving judges at the World Championships and the Olympic Games was once again raised to age 65 to allow the contributions of the world's most experienced officials at our sports most important events;

The order of events and the qualifying times for the 2011 Pan American Games were established two years in advance of the Guadalajara, Mexico competition. Toronto was awarded the right to host the 2015 Pan Am Games;

Another edition of the Duel in the Pool was recently held in Manchester, England and broadcast by NBC. The USA soundly defeated the combined team from the UK, Italy and Germany;

Our relationship with Aquatic Federation of Canada President Bill Hogan, UANA President Edlon Godfrey and new FINA Bureau member Dr. Margo Mountjoy grew closer and more collaborative;

The airplane carrying some members of the USA delegation returning from the Rome World Championships including our divers and synchronized swimmers makes an emergency landing in the UK followed by their safe return to the USA the following day;

USA's open water official Rick Walker, a veteran of 11 world championships made his most significant contribution when he rescued Kate Brookes-Peterson from drowning during the 25K Open Water event in Rome.

2009: "It was the worst of times" - - -

We were not spared disappointment and the passing of friends and heroes in 2009:

Swimwear.......need we say more?

It wasn't enough to earn 110 Olympic medals in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Despite earning 10 more than the host nation, USOC CEO Jim Scherr and the Chief of Sport Performance Steve Roush were ousted from their positions at the USOC;

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was selected to host the 2016 Olympic Games, after booting out a bid by Chicago in the first round of voting despite personal appeals from US President Obama and first lady;

SPEEDO, a long time advertiser in Swimming World Magazine dropped its advertising in the publication and now a different brand of swimwear graces the back cover;

The Women's 4 x 100 medley relay finished 10th in the prelims and for the first time in World Championship history failed to qualify for the championship final; The USA had never failed to earn a gold or a silver medal in all previous FINA World Championships;

USA Olympic Head Coach Richard Quick and NCAA President Myles Brand each lost courageous battles with cancer;

USOC Paralympic Swimming Head Coach and National Team Manager Jimi Flowers, died tragically during a climb on Capitol Peak near Aspen, Colorado;

On the final day of the FINA World Championships we awoke to the sad news that FINA Vice President Hironoshin Furuhashi (JPN), had passed away in his sleep in Rome. “Furu San" was known as Japan’s “Flying Fish” in the 1940s due to the many world records he set in the 1500m free and was a member of the FINA Bureau since 1968;

Wayne Burrow stepped away from his positions at the NCAA, FISU and on the boards of our aquatic national governing bodies, leaving big shoes to fill in all those places.

World Class Backstrokers Urge the Standardization of Starting Blocks

USA Swimming's 100/200m WR holder and recently appointed member of the FINA Athletes Commission, Aaron Peirsol, has teamed up with his British Backstroke counterpart and 50m WR holder, Liam Tancock in search of standardized starting blocks in International Competition as reported by The Times today.

Click Here to read the full article, then tell us your story. Have you ever had a race ruined by non standardized equipment? Comment Below.

SCY National Championship Review

The following was submitted by the athletes of the Championship Evaluation Committee.

USA Swimming SCY National Championships
Federal Way, WA - December 2009

Athlete Hospitality: The bananas, oranges, Gatorade, and water were appreciated for the simplicity and nutritional value, but were not always available. It would be nice to have some additional items such as pretzels and/or trail mix to add a little more variety to the options.

Awards Ceremonies: Only honoring the top three athletes in each event had mixed reviews. Although it obviously saved time, it would nice to see a differentiation between being honored at a Grand Prix (Top 3) and a National Championship (Top 8). Interviews tended to slow down the meet more than expected.

Air Quality: Many of the competitors and coaches on deck would agree that the air quality caused a lot of bronchial disturbance as well as burning eyes and dry skin. This summer the US Open was at the same location and it was not nearly as much of a problem.

Facility: Many athletes liked the split session prelims due to the amount of rest between prelims and finals, but it limited the amount of warm-up/cool-down space. Deck space was crowded in areas, with the cameras lining the pool, but appreciated for the TV coverage.

Location: Seattle was a great location. Easy to travel to and plenty of accommodations. The time change can be difficult for those from the East Coast, but this is an issue that will always be an issue for some athletes.

Organization: The meet ran smoothly and followed the timeline accurately except for one finals session, in which the interviews delayed the meet slightly. The check in process was quick and easy, but it was difficult to find the place to submit travel reimbursement paperwork.

Video Review: Positive feedback from everyone that took advantage of the service. It might help to clearly communicate who is eligible to use the service.