By Giusy Cisale on SwimSwam

Il 24 e 25 Marzo 2018 in occasione della Giornata Mondiale dell’Autismo, in dieci province italiane si celebrerà la manifestazione “Abbracciata Collettiva 2018”

L’evento nasce con lo scopo di avvicinare e sensibilizzare le persone verso i disturbi mentali gravi e l’autismo.

La Maratona di 30 ore

La speciale maratona inizierà alle 07.30 del 24 marzo e terminerà alle 13.30 del 25 marzo. Ogni partecipante potrà contribuire nuotando, galleggiando, stando in corsia per un minimo di 15 minuti insieme ai ragazzi che svolgono  la Terapia Multisistemica in Acqua (TMA metodo Caputo-Ippolito).

 La TMA – METODO CAPUTO IPPOLITO

La TMA Terapia Multisistemica in Acqua Metodo Caputo Ippolitoè una terapia che utilizza l’acqua come attivatore emozionale, sensoriale, motorio, capace di spingere il soggetto con disturbi della comunicazione, relazione, autismo e disturbi generalizzati dello sviluppo ad una relazione significativa.

Questa speciale terapia si rivolge sia a bambini con disturbo dello spettro autistico e disturbi generalizzati dello sviluppo, ma anche a bambini con:

• ritardo mentale
• disturbo iperansioso dell’infanzia
• psicosi
• disturbo reattivo dell’attaccamento
• fobia specifica dell’acqua
• disturbo dell’attenzione e dell’iperattività
• fobia sociale
• disturbo della condotta
• sindrome di Down
• disturbo oppositivo provocatorio
• disturbi motori
• disturbo disintegrativo dell’infanzia
• ritardo psicomotorio
• disturbo della relazione e della comunicazione

Read the full story on SwimSwam: ABBRACCIATA COLLETTIVA – In Acqua per La giornata Mondiale Autismo

By Reid Carlson on SwimSwam

Today the IOC unveiled “The New Norm,” a list of 118 reforms aimed at making the Olympic Games more affordable and legacy-oriented for future host cities. As part of the reforms, the IOC is also restructuring the Olympic bidding process as a means of attracting more new host cities.

Though Rio de Janeiro was the first-ever South American host of the Olympic Games, the IOC has been hard-pressed to find suitable new hosts for some time. London, for example, has hosted the Olympics three times (1900, 1924, 2012), while Paris and Los Angeles will both also become three-time hosts after the 2024 and 2028 Olympic cycles, respectively. However, Los Angeles was not the USOC’s original pick for the 2024 bid; they instead chose Boston, which later reneged, forcing the USOC to ask LA if they would put in for the 2024 bid, which they did. Boston was one of several bidders for those 2024 games that withdrew– which was the primary impetus for awarding the 2024 and 2028 hosting duties simultaneously.

With Olympic hosting popularity on the decline, the IOC has been attempting to reframe the bidding, but after the much-anticipated Rio Games and the subsequent economic fall-out of Brazil’s economy after showing so much promise just seven years earlier when the IOC chose Rio over Madrid, Tokyo, and Chicago, it is worth asking whether or not “The New Norm” will be the magic bullet the IOC needs in order to keep the Olympics alive.

Considering the international public backlash the IOC received after the Rio Games closed and the city began slipping into disarray, sustainability and legacy were the most profiled and important aspects of both Paris and Los Angeles’s bids during the campaign to host the 2024 Olympic Games, which was decided in September of 2017. Ultimately, the IOC awarded Paris the 2024 Games while LA deferred hosting the Summer Games again until 2028.

Flowing from the Olympic Agenda 2020, The New Norm is principally centered on six recommendations aimed at improving the organization of the Games. The six recommendations are:

• Shape the bidding process as an invitation
• Evaluate bid cities by assessing key opportunities and risks
• Reduce the cost of bidding
• Include sustainability in all aspects of the Olympic Games
• Reduce the cost and reinforce the flexibility of Olympic Games management
• Maximise synergies with Olympic Movement stakeholders

The cost of hosting the Olympics is immediately prohibitive for most cities, something the IOC is hoping to change by making the candidature process “more flexible.” By implementing the “invitation” phase, the IOC would essentially work to weed-out cities that are unprepared to host an Olympic Games. As stated on the olympic.org’s candidature process page:

“Potential Candidate Cities are invited to attend a workshop in Lausanne to discuss their initial ideas with the IOC and receive various levels of assistance and feedback ahead of officially submitting a candidature. This also includes sharing of best practices, provision of materials and a focus on understanding the Games to put together a solid project that best meets the city’s long-term development needs.”

“Encouragement of legacy and sustainability begins right from the outset of the Invitation Phase to ensure the Games act as a catalyst for positive development of tangible and intangible legacies for the city and the region.”

With a heightened focus on legacy, measuring how “successful” a city’s execution of the Olympic Games is now requires keeping an eye on hosts long after all the Games have closed. Essentially, while the 2016 Rio Olympics were successful in that there were no major breaches in security, disease outbreaks, or venue failures–beyond green water in a diving well, that is–the impact of hosting the Games and the economic recoil following the construction and later abandonment of multi-billion-dollar venues would render the Rio Olympics a failure by these standards.

Traditionally, Olympic host committees have claimed that new venues will pay for themselves by first creating jobs that stimulate the local economy, and later by attracting more major events to the city. However, as far as the Olympics are concerned, this Keynesian type of thinking has proven largely untrue. Recent examples of underutilized Olympic venues include basically everything built for the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, much of the infrastructure built for the 2008 Beijing Games, and especially Rio. Not wanting to repeat this pattern any longer, the IOC will now focus on utilizing existing infrastructure for Olympic competition and will stage multiple sports in the same arenas.

One interesting example of using pre-existing venues to host multiple Olympic sports will be on display at the 2022 Olympics, where the famous Water Cube will be transformed and used for curling. Beijing will also become the first-ever city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics.

The IOC claims that Tokyo 2020 has already saved $2.2 billion USD by implementing the new processes, which also include drawing on pre-existing public transportation to optimize mobility of Olympic goers, as well as re-examining the size and layout of the Olympic Village.

Furthermore, Olympic Organizing Committees (OCOGs) will implement “Joint Steering Forums and a revised “3+4 year” approach to organizing the Games” as a way of keeping costs down and delivering a successful Olympics. Of the Joint Steering Forms, the IOC will work with both national and local governments and the host’s OCOG to reduce the impact felt by host cities. The “3+4 year” approach, meanwhile, emphasizes 3 years to “Think and Design” followed by 4 years to “Plan, Train and Act.” Altogether this “7-year Journey Together” is aimed at reducing the cost, complexity, risks, and wastes associated with hosting an event the size of the Olympics, while increasing the value the Olympics bring to the cities and regions that host them while simultaneously delivering an efficient and equitable Games where hosts, local governments, and the IOC are all on equal grounds.

Per the report (page 24), the main cost drivers of the of hosting an Olympic Games are split between the following areas:

For the 2024 Summer Games, Paris will utilize its astute public transportation system to help reduce the costs of transportation, while LA 2028 will save by not having to build new venues for competition or an Olympic Village. Another interesting proposal to reduce the cost and redundancy of ticket sales involves acquiring a ticket provider that would “last over several editions of the Games will save the OCOGs from having to design, engineer, tender and deliver a system and services for one edition of the Games only.”

The New Norm also reveals the IOC’s acknowledgment of public outcry from residents of host cities that are left to clean up after the Olympics have ended and the world’s attention is diverted elsewhere. While it is easy to point out this kind of backlash following the Rio Olympics less than two years ago, even seemingly “successful” iterations of the Games such as Montreal 1976 left many residents feeling used and exploited by a corrupt and self-interested system that was not concerned with those who call the city home. With any luck, the New Norm may help hosts and OCOGs to strike a balance between the Olympic splendor and glory fans expect, and the conscientiousness and practicality locals yearn for when the world is invited to the largest celebration of sports in the known universe.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: IOC Delivers “New Norm” to Make Olympics Affordable & Legacy-Oriented

By Loretta Race on SwimSwam

Media outlets in Buffalo, NY are reporting a hazardous materials situation involving chlorine at a local high school. Authorities say up to 10 gallons of hydrochloric acid were mixed with a gallon of chlorine at the Lewston Porther High School swimming pool on Tuesday, February 6th. Details regarding how the chemicals were mixed were originally unclear, although police point to a school worker inadvertently mixing the substances.

According to Lewiston-Porter Central Schools spokesperson, “all students and staff have been moved from the Physical Education Wing to the main section of the High School. There is no safety concerns for our students and staff.”

Per its Facebook post, Lewiston Police Department stated Tuesday, “Lewiston Police, Lewiston Fire Co. #1 and Youngstown Fire Co. responded to a Haz-Mat call this morning at approximately 9am. The Lewiston Police Department’s investigation into the incident at Lewiston-Porter High School determined that the incident was accidental. A school worker had inadvertently mixed hydrochloric acid with chlorine causing a chemical reaction. Students were evacuated to a safe area of the building and the US Airbase Haz-Mat team worked in conjunction with the Niagara County Haz-Mat Team to remove the material. The school worker involved was transported to St. Mary’s Hospital along with another worker and both were treated and released.”

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Hazardous Materials Incident Involving Chlorine At Buffalo High School

By Jared Anderson on SwimSwam

Disclaimer: BlueSeventy Swim of the Week is not meant to be a conclusive selection of the best overall swim of the week, but rather one Featured Swim to be explored in deeper detail. The BlueSeventy Swim is an opportunity to take a closer look at the context of one of the many fast swims this week, perhaps a swim that slipped through the cracks as others grabbed the headlines, or a race we didn’t get to examine as closely in the flood of weekly meets.

The Harvard men topped Ivy League foes Princeton and Yale over the weekend in the annual HYP meet, but maybe the most significant swim came tucked right in the middle of the two-day showdown.

The 200 medley relay kicked off day 2, with Harvard taking the title by well over two seconds. The key was the butterfly leg, where senior Steven Tan went 20.02 to blow out the field by 1.2 seconds.

That would have been the 5th-fastest split in the NCAA Championship final last year, behind only Joseph Schooling (19.45), Andrew Sansoucie (19.86), Andrew Liang (19.93) and Luke Kaliszak (19.94). Sansoucie is now graduated from Missouri.

Harvard didn’t even qualify for NCAAs in this relay a year ago despite using stud anchor Dean Farris at the Ivy League Championships. Last year, Tan swam backstroke on the relay, going 22.0, while Farris split 18.8 on the end. This year, Harvard already has Koya Osada going 22.3 on backstroke. Add in Tan’s 20.0 and a similar anchor leg from Farris and Harvard could be looking at an NCAA qualifying swim. The A cut is a fast 1:24.82, with a 1:25.62 B cut.

At the very least, a Tan-Farris pairing could give Harvard a frightening final 100.

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Read the full story on SwimSwam: Blueseventy Swim the the Week: Tan Splits 20.02 Fly On Harvard Medley

By Jared Anderson on SwimSwam

As in previous years, SwimSwam’s Power Rankings are somewhere between the CSCAA-style dual meet rankings and a pure prediction of NCAA finish order.  SwimSwam’s rankings take into account how a team looks at the moment, while keeping the end of the season in mind through things like a team’s previous trajectory and NCAA scoring potential.  These rankings are by nature subjective, and a jumping-off point for discussion.  If you disagree with any team’s ranking, feel free to make your case in a respectful way in our comments section.

As we head into conference championship season, it’s time for our penultimate NCAA Power Rankings on the men’s side. Our top spot has gone back and forth between Cal and Texas all year, and this edition is no exception as the two trade their ranks from our most recent rankings.

Texas started the year #1, but Cal took over that rank after the fall dual meet season. We put Texas (narrowly) back at #1 after winter invites, but now Cal has surged back to the top heading into the conference rounds.

See also:

• First edition: Preseason
• Second edition: Pre Winter Invites
• Third edition: Post Winter Invites

We’re introducing a new format for our Power Rankings this season: a committee system where we average out the top 20 ballots of multiple SwimSwam writers to come up with our official ranking order. While this should help readers glean which teams are consensus picks at their rank and where in the order things get fuzzy and more subjective, bear in mind that these rankings are not an opportunity to personally attack any specific writer.

With that said, onto our fourth rankings for the 2017-2018 season:

(Also receiving votes: Minnesota, Notre Dame, Miami)

#20: Denver Pioneers (PREVIOUS RANK: N/A)

Denver has developed a stud sprinter (Sid Farber) and a great backstroker (Anton Lovcar) who pair for excellent relays. -JA

Sid Farber and Anton Lovcar have positioned themselves nicely to be able to score at the NCAAs, and Denver’s 200 and 400 free relays are in great shape. They’ll need more fly and breast speed to be able make their medley relays contenders, and propel them higher in the rankings. -SP

#19: MISSOURI TIGERS (PREVIOUS RANK: #17)

Did you know that Missouri graduated 3 of 4 legs from last year’s NCAA third-place 400 medley relay, yet somehow still ranks 4th in the nation this season? This team has way more fast swimmers than big names. Expect to be surprised by one or two little-known Tigers this postseason. -JA

#18: GRAND CANYON ANTELOPES (PREVIOUS RANK: #20)

Grand Canyon is out to make a statement in its first year of NCAA eligibility. Can the medley relay repeat its stellar mid-season performance? -JA

Grand Canyon has a lot going for them, with great backstroke speed out of Mark Nikolaev, Youssef El Kamash in the breast events, and a lot of speed on the all relays except the 800 free relay. -SP

#17: PURDUE BOILERMAKERS  (PREVIOUS RANK: #15)

There won’t be many point-scorers, but Steele Johnson should be one of the top overall individual scorers, swimming or diving. -JA

#16: LOUISVILLE CARDINALS (PREVIOUS RANK: #16)

Louisville has a lot of nice pieces through fly and breaststroke, but their medley relays are suffering from the lack of a true stud sprinter. That said, Andrej Barna hit a lifetime-best 50 free back in November, and a big ACC meet from him could launch the Cardinal relays into orbit. -JA

#15: SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS(PREVIOUS RANK: #18)

Brandonn Almeida wasn’t earth-shattering in his debut, but don’t underestimate his potential impact in a loaded distance group. -JA

#14: AUBURN TIGERS  (PREVIOUS RANK: #13)

Zach Apple and Hugo Gonzalez continue to look good in January, but there’s a steep drop-off after those two stars. -RG

#13: TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS (PREVIOUS RANK: #14)

Diving transfer Colin Zeng is going to add 35+ points to a team that’s sneaky-good in the pool. -JA

Tennessee has a lot of scoring ability in relays, as well as some individual performers to back it up. The addition of Colin Zeng in diving has given them top 10 potential. -SP

#12: GEORGIA BULLDOGS (PREVIOUS RANK: #11)

Gunnar Bentz is back. That’s huge. But unless he’s bringing three 19-second freestylers back from injured reserve with him, this team is going to struggle for relay points. -JA

No doubt Gunnar Bentz returning is huge for the Bulldogs, however, they’ve somewhat underperformed this season. They definitely shouldn’t be counted out, but Georgia’s going to need to have a great showing at the SECs. -SP

#11: TEXAS A&M AGGIES (PREVIOUS RANK: #12)

These Aggies aren’t going away. Mauro Castillo is still somewhat overlooked as an NCAA title contender in breaststroke – can he put himself fully on the radar with a big SEC performance? -JA

#10: ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS (PREVIOUS RANK: #10)

A win over Texas shows how far this team has come the past few years. It also solidifies the sense that they can crack the top ten, but it’s hard to see them moving up much more. – RG

#9: ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (PREVIOUS RANK: #9)

Don’t let a bad loss to Ohio State fool you. Alabama was victimized in distance free and diving, but this roster is still built for big NCAA points. -JA

#8: USC TROJANS (PREVIOUS RANK: #7)

Carsten Vissering looked great in his return, which instantly returns USC’s medley relays to contender status. -JA

#7: MICHIGAN WOLVERINES (PREVIOUS RANK: #8)

The Wolverines have continued to impress me the entire season. They are 1st or 2nd in all the relays in the Big Ten, and have, in my opinion, the 2nd best all-around freestyle squad in the NCAA (behind Stanford) as well as one of the deepest IM squads. -SP

#6:  INDIANA HOOSIERS (PREVIOUS RANK: #6)

Just like with #1/2 and #3/4, I keep going back and forth Stanford and Indiana. Right now, Stanford gets the edge only because some of the Hoosiers’ key swimmers have consistently performed better at Big Tens than NCAAs the past few years. -RG

Gabriel Fantoni is an excellent addition to the Hoosiers, creating more potential combinations for already good medley relays. -SP

#5: STANFORD CARDINAL (PREVIOUS RANK: #5)

Stanford’s free group is phenomenal, and more importantly, they have the ability to score in every single swimming event, including the relays. That will make them very dangerous at the NCAAs. -SP

#4: FLORIDA GATORS (PREVIOUS RANK: #4)

Most of the relay ranks don’t yet include Caeleb Dressel, but the Gators currently have a lot of ground to make up on NC State. -JA

#3: NC STATE WOLFPACK (PREVIOUS RANK: #3)

Do we even know who will swim what relay for NC State? The Pack runs deep with versatile talents like Ryan Held, Jacob Molacek, Justin Ress and Andreas Vazaios, giving the coaching staff myriad relay options at ACCs. -JA

#2: TEXAS LONGHORNS (PREVIOUS RANK: #1)

Too many stars to not show up at NCAAs. Plus a big diving advantage. -JA

If you trust the Texas taper, there’s no reason to be unduly worried about the Longhorns’ loss to ASU. There’s more reason to be worried about John Shebat not swimming the past two weekends, even if he’s now supposed to be back for the postseason. – RG

#1: CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS (PREVIOUS RANK: #2)

Every time I’ve crunched the numbers, Cal comes out ahead by 10-20 points. A single DQ or sub-par morning swim could make the difference at NCs. – RG

I think it’s safe to say it will be a bloodbath between Cal and Texas at the NCAAs, and while Texas probably has more star power, I think Cal has more momentum going into their conference meet. That can make a big difference going into taper. -SP

Cal might have the best relays in the nation as a whole. Ryan Hoffer is starting to look like a true budding star again. -JA

FULL RANKING BALLOTS

By Jared Anderson on SwimSwam

2012 Olympian Ariana Kukors says Sean Hutchison, her former coach, began sexually abusing her at the age of 16.

Kukors, now 28, came forward with the abuse allegations this week, claiming that Hutchison began “grooming” her at the age of 13 and sexually abusing her at 16, according to a press release from Kukors’ attorney. Hutchison first began coaching Kukors at the King Aquatic Club in Seattle when she was 13.

Hutchison coached Kukors when she made the U.S. National Team as a teen – first the Pan Pacific Championships in 2006 and Worlds in 2007. From 2009 to late 2010, Hutchison headed up a “Center of Excellence” pro training hub in Fullerton, California, a short-lived program known as FAST, or Fullerton Area Swim Team. His training group included Kukors, then an adult, along with several other high-profile professional swimmers. That group rapidly disintegrated when Hutchison left at the end of 2010. There were reports and allegations that Hutchison was dismissed for an inappropriate relationship with a swimmer, though those allegations were never proven.

A press release from Kukors’ attorney Bob Allard, who has represented many victims of sexual abuse in swimming, says that “after years of suppressing memories of the pain and suffering, [she] came to the realization that she was sexually abused.” The release also says Kukors worked with the Department of Homeland Security and local police, who obtained a warrant and searched Hutchison’s apartment.

The Seattle Post Intelligencer reports that Hutchison is accused of taking nude photos of “an underage Olympian he was sexually abusing,” though it doesn’t name the athlete. That report says that a Homeland Security investigation discovered electronic devices that “may contain evidence that Hutchison sexually exploited swimmers he was trusted to coach.” The Seattle PI story goes on to say Kukors accuses Hutchison of taking “hundreds or thousands of sexually explicit photographs of her” at the age of 17.

Kukors’ allegations come on the heels of the high-profile Larry Nassar case in which more than 150 women testified about alleged sexual abuse at the hands of the sports medicine doctor. Kukors’ press release mentions Nassar by name, comparing the USOC’s failure to stop Nassar’s abuse to USA Swimming’s handling of Hutchison. The release alleges that USA Swimming knew about an inappropriate athlete-coach relationship involving Hutchison as early as 2010 and didn’t take action against him.

Hutchison is still involved in coaching. He is the CEO of King Aquatic Club and runs a multi-sport training program called Ikkos. We reached out to Hutchison for comment, but have not yet received a response.

Update: King has removed Hutchison from the coaches page on its website.

In the press release, Kukors said she came forward with her allegations in order to protect others from suffering sexual abuse and grooming:

“I never thought I would share my story because, in so many ways, just surviving was enough,” Kukors said. “I  was able to leave a horrible monster and build a life I could have never imagined for myself. But in time, I’ve realized that stories like my own are too important to go unwritten. Not for the sake of you knowing my story, but for the little girls and boys whose lives and future hangs in the grasp of a horribly powerful and manipulative person. That they may not have to go  through the same pain, trauma, horror, and abuse. That their parents, mentors, and guardians  are better able to spot the signs of grooming and realize it’s tragic consequences before it’s too late.”

Kukors’ attorney says she filed a complaint with USA Swimming’s SafeSport division two weeks ago. He said USA Swimming received a complaint in 2011 and investigated by interviewing Kukors, who at the time denied she was in a relationship with Hutchison. We reached out to USA Swimming for comment but have not yet received response.

Update: USA Swimming responded with a statement detailing their 2010 investigation, in which the federation says Kukors, Hutchison and Kukors’ sister all denied any romantic or sexual relationship. The full statement is below:

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Olympian Ariana Kukors Accuses Former Coach Sean Hutchison of Sexual Abuse

By Sanuj Srivastava on SwimSwam

Mujhe Haal Hi Me Ek Nye Swimmer Ke Maata-Pita Ne Poochha Tha Ki Aapake Swimmer Ko Kaise Motivate Kiya Jaye. Correct Reply Yah Hai Ki Aap Apane Bachche Ko Motivate Nahin Kar Sakate. Wo Apni Performance Se Hi Motivate Ho Skta Hai.

Ham Apne Swimmers Ke Lie Kya Kar Sakate Hain? Unko Motivate Karte Hain Lekin Motivation Aisa Hona Chahiye Jisse Unko Apne Sports Se Pyar Ho Jaye Naki Unke Upar Performance Ka Burden Aa Jaye. Ek Baar Agar Khiladi Ko Apne Sports Se Pyar Ho Jayega To Uska Focus Apne Sports Par Hi Rhega Or Wo Acche Se Perform Krega.

Kya Aapne Apne Swimmers Se Pucha Ki We Sab  Swimming Kyon Karte Hai? Kya Unko Swimming Acha Lgta Hai Ya Aap Apne Interest Ke Liye Unko Swimming Sikha Rhe Hai. Ye Kafi Jyada Jaruri Hai Ki Ham Phle Apne Baccho Se Jaan Le Ki Kya Unko Sach Me Swimming Krne Me Interest Hai Or Kya Wo Competitive Swimming Karna Chahte Hai Ya Unko Swimming Ek Hobby Ke Roop Me Pasand Hai. Agar Competitive Swimming Uski Choice Hai To Aapke Liye Nihce 5 Points Diye Gye Hai Jisse Unko Aap Kafi Motivate Kar Payenge.

First

Aap Apne Swimmers Ko Kabhi Pressure Me Na Dale Or Nahi Unke Coach Ko, Kabhi Kbhi Training Ke Time Par Apne Swimmers Par Gussa Ya Kisi Trah Ka Pressure Na Dale.

Second

Hmesa Yaad Rakhe Ki Ye Sports Apke Swimmers Ka Future Hai Or Unki Sucess Tabhi Confirm Hogi Jab Aap Unko Hmesa Positivity Ke Sath Treat Krenge.

Third

Hmesa Unka Environment Enjoyable Bnaye Rkhne Se Swimmers Ke Mind Ko Relax Karta Hai. To Chahe Competition Ho Ya Normal Day Workout Hmesa Ek Accha Environment Bnane Ki Kosis Kre.

Fourth

Jinke Parents Khud Ek Swimmer Hai Wo Jyadatar Apne Swimmer Ko Pool Par Drop Karke Apne Kaam Me Vyasth Ho Jate Hai Jabki Ye Galat Hai Aapko Unke Sath Samil Hona Chahiye. Workout Ke Time Present Rhne Se Aap Bhi Apne Swimmer Ki Madad Kar Payenge.

Fifth

Workout Me Har Din Ek Chota Goal Set Kre. Or Ek Positive Way Se Swimmer Ko Uss Goal Ko Achieve Karane Ki Kosis Kre. Har Din 1 Goal Set Krne Se Hi Asli Improvement Or Motivation Milta Hai.

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Read the full story on SwimSwam: Swim Parents Ke Liye Special 5 Point

By Andrew Mering on SwimSwam

The ACC women’s psych sheets have been released (our summary). This allows us to speculate about the outcome of the meet. The first step is to limit swimmers to their top 3 events (they are allowed to enter 5 and scratch down to 3 at the meet) and score the psych sheet out. This produces:

The biggest flaw is that the divers are currently unranked. Every diver has a score of “NP” so diving isn’t included in the scored psych sheet. This means that this ranking gives us a nice baseline, but it’s not very different from where the Swimulator top times ACC rankings have been for the last month (a more in depth breakdown).

We know for certain that swimmer’s times will change a lot at the meet. Some psych sheet ranks are rock solid in the face of large changes (ex. teams with lots of swimmers who’ll likely never miss finals or ever score) where as others are illusions disrupted by small time changes (ex. teams that are over seeded or have many middle of the pack swimmers with seeds vulnerable to small time swings). We can gain some insight into the stability of each team’s ranking by running Monte Carlo simulations of the meet with differing assumptions. How each of these will work:

1. Remove swimmers from all events except their top 3 ranked events
2. Modify each seed time by a random percentage based on their team’s performance history. This simulates a taper
3. Re rank each event based on the modified times and score out the meet
4. Repeat 10,000 times

The first scenario I tried was assuming each team’s taper will look like it did last year.  I got the taper numbers from Swimulator’s taper tab which shows how each team’s times improved from this point in the season to the end of the year. Last year, ACC women’s teams improved by the following margins vs their top times as of this point in the season:

Using those tapers with a standard deviation of 1.8% (pretty standard for D1 teams) we get the following place probability chart (again this does not include diving). Each number represents percentage of simulations each team finished in each place. The 0%s represent that it happened in the sim, but less than .5% of the time. The blanks mean it never happened.:

This model picks Louisville as the favorite to win the swimming portion of the meet, but gives NC State a puncher’s chance of an upset. North Carolina and Virginia are pretty locked into the next two spots. However, this assumes that last year’s tapers were a reasonably good predictor of this year’s drops. Team drops are correlated one year to the next, but they aren’t exactly the same every year. Before we can trust these predictions, we need to know how sensitive the predictions are to changes in team’s taper patterns. First, let’s try a couple small changes.

NC State is typically a big taper team, but last year was especially big. Virginia is typically an average taper team, but their new coach used to be on NC State’s staff. It’s reasonable to assume NC State’s taper will be a bit smaller (regression to the mean) and Virginia’s will be a bit bigger this year (new coach, new philosophy). To see what this scenario looks like, I tweaked NC State’s taper down to a more reasonable 2.3% and tweaked Virginia’s up to 1%. This produced the probabilities in the table below.

Louisville becomes an even stronger favorite. Virginia and North Carolina get closer, but North Carolina remains favored for 3rd. Both North Carolina and Virgina have strong diving contingents. Last year North Carolina scored 115 diving points to Virginia’s 111. Neither team graduated any key divers, so diving doesn’t look like a decisive advantage for either team. This scenario still assumes a larger taper for North Carolina than for Virginia. Despite Virginia’s coaching change I think this is reasonable. UNC has a history of big tapers (for example: 2015). Virginia’s mid season taper, by all indications, was pretty substantial. They have two relays currently ranked in the top 3 in the country and several of their returning swimmers are ranked as well or better than they were ranked at the end of last season (ex. Marrkand projects to 15 points at nationals right around her mark from last year, Cooper projects to 14 after not scoring last year).

Next I tried a split the difference approach. I ran a model with each team’s taper number set at the half way point between last year’s taper and the conference average of 1.1%. This accounts for team specific taper patterns while throwing out some of the single year variability of only using one year as a data point by regressing to the mean. The downside to this method is that it might underrate team specific taper training patterns. Despite that, of all the methods in this article, I like this one the best.

By SwimSwam on SwimSwam

We are only ONE WEEK OUT from the launch of the Phlex Kickstarter campaign. We’ve got some crazy exciting news to share like who is going to be in the video, what you can get through the campaign, and a sneak peak at the product, the Phlex EDGE!

Check it out, leave us a comment and let us know if you are as HYPE as we are!

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Read the full story on SwimSwam: Video: The Phlex Edge Is Coming!

By SwimSwam on SwimSwam

Courtesy of Sara Marberry

I never thought the last race I’d see my son swim in wouldn’t count.

Bucknell was competing in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Swimming and Diving Championships at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD.

My son, along with two of his fellow senior teammates and a sophomore had been put on an exhibition relay team for the 400 free. Exhibition entries don’t score points, but give swimmers a chance to practice in a competitive setting.

“Why are there exhibition teams in the relays?” I’d asked one of the other dads the day before. My husband and I never been to an ECAC meet and didn’t know that only one team from each school could be entered in the relay events.

“Because it’s the last meet of the season and Coach wants to give as many guys as possible the chance to swim,” he replied. “Particularly the seniors and the kids who didn’t make the Patriot League Championship team.”

Ah, so that was it.  Coach wanted to give these guys one last opportunity to swim, in a relay with each other.

The weekend before, my son and those two other senior guys had swam in the Patriot League Championship meet, which is the most important meet of the entire season. The Bucknell men had placed a respectable fourth behind Boston University, Army, and Navy.

There were no limits on how many swimmers could participate from each team at ECAC. Even for swimmers in non-exhibition races who could score points, the pressure was off.

So, when my son and his buddies lined up behind the blocks as the Bucknell B exhibition team in the first heat of the 400 free relay on the last day of the ECAC meet, I had no expectations.

And then, an amazing thing happened. They swam lights out, placing third overall behind Rider University and Army. Even better, they beat Bucknell’s A team by about a second.

My husband and I high-fived with each other and then high-fived with the parents of his best buds. Hearts bursting with pride, we watched as the boys grinned and gushed with Coach down on the deck.  It was a good way to end.

* * *

At Evanston Township High School in Illinois, my son had been the star swimmer on the team his senior year. At Bucknell’s Division I swimming program, he was middle of the pack.

But he worked hard and always managed to drop times and score points at Patriots at the end of the year.

“What did the coach say to you?” I asked him after watching him do poorly at a meet early in his senior year.

“He said I was old,” he replied.

“Yeah, 21 is really old,” my husband said.

“It is for swimmers,” our son answered. “Your body doesn’t recover quite as quickly.”

I can’t believe that Coach actually said those words to him, but that’s what he heard. What it would do to his mental state, I wondered?

Because I know what it’s like to be an aging athlete and feel like you’re slipping past your prime. As a competitive tennis player in my late 50s, I am at the point where I am facing younger and younger players on the court and winning fewer and fewer matches.

It was hard watching my son struggle. I felt bad for him. I wanted him to do well.  I wanted him to beat those fast freshmen. To finish his career at the top of his game.

I didn’t want him to feel old.

* * *

I’d accepted the fact early on in his career at Bucknell that my son wasn’t going to be the star swimmer on the team. But I was proud of him for working hard and continuing to drop times in his individual events at the big meets.

And every year, the times got faster.

“Wow, there’s a lot of fast freshmen backstrokers on the team this year,” I said to him his junior year. Backstroke was his specialty. I was worried that his position on the team would be threatened.

“Yeah,” he replied. “That’s a good thing.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Because it means we’ll have more depth and be able to score more points at the championship meets,” he replied.

That’s the cool thing about swimming.  You don’t have to come in first to score some points. You just have to place in the top 16. So, the more swimmers you place in the top 16, the more points you score.

* * *

“When Matthew was a freshman, he was one of the fastest swimmers on the team,” a senior parent told me during the Patriot League Championship meet my son’s freshman year. “Now he barely finishes in the top 25. The times just get faster every year.”

Matthew’s mom looked like she was about ready to cry. I gave her a sympathetic smile, even though I really didn’t know how she felt.

But now I do.

* * *

My son only won one individual race during his college career.  It was at a dual meet against Binghamton his junior year. 200 back. And up until his senior year, he always dropped times at the end of the season in the backstroke and individual medley.

“He didn’t look like he was trying very hard,” my husband said.

Our son had just finished his last-ever 200 backstroke race, clocking a time about three seconds off his personal best time. It was good enough to place him 18th out of 36 swimmers in the ECAC meet, but not in the finals later that day.

Our son did not swim well. But I can’t believe he wasn’t trying. Having tapered for the Patriot League Championship meet the week before, he wasn’t at his physical peak. And mentally, he was ready to be done.

When he looked up at my husband and I from the pool deck after his race was over, I could see his disappointment. He had wanted to swim faster. He believed that he could swim faster.

But he also looked relieved. I looked at my husband.  He shrugged and gave me a look that said, “Well that’s that.”

My eyes welled with tears. It was the end of an era. I’d never get to see my son swim as a college athlete again.

All those trips from Chicago to Lewisburg. Traveling by plane or 20 hours in the car driving to and from Bucknell. Even more hours sitting in the stands. And not only the time, but also the money we spent on gasoline, plane tickets, hotel rooms, and food. The friendships we’d forged with other parents, most of whom we’ll never see again. We were invested in his sport in a way that our son will only understand if he experiences it as a parent someday.

But I was also crying because I’d wanted him to go out on a high note.

And later that day, my son and his teammates did go out on a high note when they swam in that exhibition relay. He swam faster than any of his teammates. The look on his face is one I’ll never forget.

That time, I didn’t cry.  I was just happy for him.

About Sara Marberry

Sara Marberry is a mother, wife, writer, blogger, and marketing consultant based in Evanston, IL. Her memoir and opinion pieces about work/family life and growing up in Central Illinois have appeared in “The Blue Hour Magazine,” “Realize Magazine,” and “This I Believe.”  Her blog, “The View From Here” can be found at saramarberry.blogspot.com.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: The Last Race

By Daniela Kapser on SwimSwam

At last weekend’s German National Team Championships, Isabel Härle and Hendrik Feldwehr jumped a last time into the pool to compete for her German swim club “SG Essen”. Afterwards they both posted a short message on their Facebook accounts:

“After years of competitive sports, we now want to say goodbye officially. We were lucky enough to participate in many international and national competitions, to meet great people, make friends and celebrate successes.  We would like to thank everyone who made this possible and supported us every day.

By Loretta Race on SwimSwam

Swimming South Africa announced the organization recently signed a Momorandum of Agreement with Tyger Valley College Pretoria for the establishment of a High Performance Schools Swimming Academy based at the Tyger Valley College Campus. Tyger is home to an open-air 10-lane 25m competition pool.

Per the released statement, the endeavor aligns with Swimming South Africa’s three-tiered strategy of building capacity at University, Schools and Clubs for high performance sport. The idea is that these regional structures can incorporate schools and clubs in a hub, which can then access coaching expertise and sports science support. SSA Olympic Coach Igor Omeltchenko will serve as Head of Operations.

Swimming South Africa has identified twenty such schools across the country to form part of the Schools High-Performance Academy system and this strategy will now be rolled out over the next two years.

Swimming South Africa says it is particularly grateful for the support received from SASCOC, The Department of Sports and Recreation, our Sponsors the SABC and the National Lotteries Commission. Our affiliates and, in this instance, Aquatics Gauteng, The Centurus Group of Colleges and in particularly Tyger Valley College for entering into this partnership with Swimming South Africa.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Swimming South Africa Establishes High Perf Academy In Pretoria

By Spencer Penland on SwimSwam

Allison Schmitt was inducted into the Canton High School Athletics Hall of Fame inaugural class on Saturday, February 3rd, in Canton, MI. Schmitt, an 8-time Olympic medalist, was formally inducted into the Hall of Fame along with 13 other athletes/coaches, and the 2005 football team at a banquet at the Fellows Creek Golf Club in Canton. The inductees were also honored at halftime of a Canton boys basketball game on Tuesday, February 6th.

One of our first Canton pool record holders, Paul Petersen.
Our most decorated Canton swimmer, Allison Schmitt.
Our most recent pool record holder, Daniel Mullen, who is here to support these two at Canton's Hall of Fame banquet. pic.twitter.com/D37ShcDUtk

— Coach Weber (@cantonswim) February 4, 2018

Schmitt started to make a name for herself internationally while still in high school. In 2007, when she was 17, Schmitt went 1:59.47 in the LCM 200 free, and 4:11.93 in the 400 free at the 2007 Japan International Swim Meet. The following Summer, shortly after graduating from Canton High School,  Schmitt qualified for the 2008 Olympic team in the 200 free and 4×200 free relay. She led off the 4×200 relay at the Olympics, which eneded up getting a Bronze medal. Schmitt came in 9th in the semifinal of the 200 free, narrowly missing the final, but her time of 1:55.92 from the Olympic Trials ended up 5th fastest in the world that season.

She went on to win 5 medals in the 2012 Olympics, taking gold in the 4×100 medley relay (world record), 4×200 free relay, and 200 free (Olympic record/American record), took silver in the 400 free (American record), and bronze in the 4×100 free relay (American record).

In the 2016 Olympics, Schmitt competed in the 4×200 free relay and in the heats of the 4×100 free relay, taking home a gold medal in the 4×200 and silver in the 4×100. Schmitt also won a multitude of medals at non-Olympic international competitions, including the FINA World Championships, Pan Pacs, and Pan American Games.

Schmitt appeared to be done after the 2016 Olympics, but she did hint (maybe) last Fall at a run for the 2020 Games in Tokyo. She never took herself off the USADA drug-testing pool, and has been getting tested regularly, so she could return to competition at any time without a mandatory waiting period.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Allison Schmitt Inducted Into Inaugural High School Hall of Fame Class

By Coleman Hodges on SwimSwam

SwimSwam wants to give you an inside look at what a normal day-in-the-life looks like for any given swimmer, and how that differs from team to team or city to city. We send our head of production, Coleman Hodges, to be a fly on the wall at practice, then relay what he discovered back to you over pancakes. Or at least breakfast.

Like I said last time, I took a visit to SMU. If you didn’t see the women’s practice, check it out here. If you didn’t see my Carpool with the coaching staff, it’s right here. But enough about that. This is the men’s practice.

There were 3 workouts going on this day. I was able to get snippets of all 3.

Mitch’s sprinters were doing some pretty fun stuff with parachutes. They would go 3×25 where  each 25 you wold get less and less resistance. The first 25, you’d have a parachute and a partner wold be holding it for about 10 yards, then they would let go and you would blast the rest of the 25. On #2, they would swim a 25 normally with the parachute. On #3, they would take the chute off and go a 25 fast. Then they would hop out and go a 25 off the blocks, with video recording so they could watch themselves after.

Eddie’s guys were doing a pretty stock pace set. 4 rounds where you’ve got 3×25 descend upfront, followed by 2×50 @ :50 at 200 pace. That was followed by a little EZ swimming, and finished with a 25 how they want to finish their race. So essentially 4 rounds of a broken 200 at pace.

Back to Mitch’s side of the pool, he had his more distance oriented guys going 5 rounds of 75 pink, 100 AFAP (as fast as possible), 325 EZ, then do it all again. So while a lot of the other groups you can see a start to the comedown for conference (similar to the women’s group), not as much of a comedown with these guys.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Practice + Pancakes: SMU Men Get Innovative with Parachute Power

By Jared Anderson on SwimSwam

A statement from USA Swimming this morning confirms that the federation received a tip and conducted an investigation into an allegedly inappropriate relationship between coach Sean Hutchison and National Team swimmer Ariana Kukors in 2010.

USA Swimming says it became aware of a rumored relationship between the two based on information from a third party. The federation says it conducted an investigation with a private investigator that included interviews with Hutchison, Kukors and Kukors’ sister Emily. All three “unequivocably” denied the existence of a sexual or romantic relationship at the time, according to USA Swimming.

With the alleged victim (Kukors) denying the complaint, USA Swimming says it had “no basis to conclude that a Code of Conduct violation occurred, and the case was closed.”

Kukors’ attorney Bob Allard confirmed that early investigation. He says the investigation interviewed Kukors, who, “because she was in the midst of an abusive relationship, denied that she was in a relationship with [Hutchison].”

Kukors went public yesterday with allegations that Hutchison began “grooming” her at the age of 13 and sexually abusing her at the age of 16, all while he was her coach. USA Swimming’s full statement on the matter is below:

Read the full story on SwimSwam: USA Swimming Investigated Hutchison/Kukors In 2010, Statement Confirms

By Karl Ortegon on SwimSwam

2018 TISCA HS CHAMPIONSHIPS

• February 9th-10th, 2018
• Knoxville, Tennessee (University of Tenn.)
• Championship Central (Live streaming info here)

The Tennessee High School Championships (or TISCA Championships) are kicking off tomorrow, and the psych sheets have been posted online (and viewable at the link below).

PSYCH SHEETS

Alex and Gretchen Walsh are two big names racing this weekend for their high school, Harpeth Hall. They both had excellent meets at the 2017 Winter Junior Championships, and they’ll headline the TISCA Championships.

Older sister Alex, a sophomore, is entered in the 200 free and 100 breast. She won the 200 free at last year’s meet with a 1:45.24, and won the 100 back (52.80), setting new state records in both. Her 58.19 entry time in the 100 breast is faster than Allie Raab‘s state record of 1:00.55. Raab, who swims for Brentwood Academy, is the #2 seed in that race, as well as the top seed in the 200 IM (1:58.67), less than a second off of Tatum Wade’s 200 IM state record.

Freshman Gretchen Walsh, meanwhile, is the 2nd seed in the 50 free (23.39) behind Harpeth Hall teammate Ophelia Pilkinton (23.14), and is the 3rd seed in the 100 back (55.46). Walsh has been 22.00 in the 50 and 54.25 in the 100 back, so look for her to race for state titles in both races.

Trey Freeman of Baylor School is the biggest name on the boys’ side– he’s the top seed in the 200 free (1:33.98) and 500 free (4:15.06). His seed times are well under his own 200 free state record (1:34.92) and Sam McHugh’s 500 free state record (4:16.76), while he’ll be chasing Independent and Overall national high school records in both races– Grant Shoults’ 1:33.26 in the 200 and 4:12.87 in the 500.

Caleb Harrington of Bearden High School is the top seed in two events, the 50 free (20.25) and 100 fly (47.53). His 20.25 seed time in the 50 is .03 faster than Chatham Dobbs’ TN state record.

Baylor will be seeking a state title on the boys’s side, led by Freeman, 200 IM top seed Luis Sebastian Weekes, and 100 back top seed Jack Kirby. The Harpeth Hall girls have their state title all but locked up, headed by the Walsh sisters, Pilkinton, and Ella Nelson, who is the #2 seed in the 200 IM and 500 free.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Walsh Sisters, Trey Freeman, and Allie Raab Highlight TISCA Psychs

By Spencer Penland on SwimSwam

The Colorado High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) state meets will be held February 8th-10th. The 3A meet will be held on Thursday the 8th (prelims) and Friday the 9th (finals), while the 4A and 5A meet will be held on the 9th (prelims) and Saturday the 10th (finals). The 3A and 4A meets will be held at the Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center in Thornton, while the 5A meet will be held at the Edora Pool Ice Center in Fort Collins. The CHSAA classes are broken up by school size.

Below you can find previews of each of the 3 meets, as well as the rankings based on scoring out the psych sheets:

Class 3A:

• Thursday-Friday, February 8-9th
• VMAC, Thornton, CO
• Short course yards
• Psych Sheet
• Defending Champion: Aspen – 209
• Last year runner-up: St. Mary’s Academy – 187

Scoring out the psych sheet (top 20)

1. Longmont – 216
2. Pueblo County – 203
3. Centaurus – 176
4. Kent Denver – 158
5. St. Mary’s Academy – 148
6. Aspen/Colorado Academy – 144
7. –
8. Glenwood Springs – 123
9. D’Evelyn – 122
10. Manitou Springs – 115
11. Durango – 112
12. Disc. Canyon – 96
13. Estes Park – 91
14. Thomas Jefferson – 84
15. Salida – 81
16. St. Mary’s – 62
17. Gunnison – 43
18. La Junta – 36
19. Eaton – 32
20. Fountain Valley – 29

Preview: 

The team dynamics from last season have been shaken up pretty dramatically, with the defending champs (Aspen) coming in 6th in the psych sheet scoring, and Longmont, the 15th place finisher last year, topping the field in the psych sheet with more points than Aspen scored to win the meet last year.

Sophomore Lucille Matheson and freshman Emma Svendsen will look to lead Longmont to victory. Matheson, who came in 3rd last year in the 200 IM, leads the psych sheet with her 2:10.69, and is 2nd in the 500 with her 5:08.26, an event in which she came in 2nd in last year. Svendsen has made a big impact for Longmont this season, seeded 2nd in the 100 back (59.08) and 4th in the 200 free (1:59.00). Longmont has the top seeded 200 medley relay and 400 free relay, which Matheson and Svendsen are a part of.

Pueblo County will look to defend their title in the 200 free relay, and re-break the 3A state record, which they broke last year. Their record sits at 1:41.06, and Pueblo is seeded 1st with a 1:41.95.

Abbey Selin is seeded 1st in the 200 and 500 free. In the 200, Selin is seeded 1st with a 1:53.89, and she came in 2nd last year in 1:52.18, behind Alex Reddington who broke the 3A state record with a 1:48.60. Selin won the 500 and broke the 3A record last year, posting a 5:01.15. She is seeded with a 5:06.98, ahead of Matheson.

Class 4A:

• Friday-Saturday, February 9-10th
• VMAC, Thornton, CO
• Short course yards
• Psych sheet
• Defending champion: Cheyenne Mountain – 308
• Last year runner-up: Valor Christian – 276

Scoring out the psych sheet (top 20)

1. Rampart – 279
2. Valor Christian – 233
3. Heritage – 220
4. Cheyenne Mountain – 210
5. Silver Creek – 159
6. Winot – 155
7. Windsor – 131
8. Mullen – 120
9. Evergreen – 114
10. Loveland – 80
11. Fort Collins – 80
12. Highlands Ranch – 76
13. George Washington – 73
14. Air Academy – 62
15. Pine Creek – 54
16. Thompson Valley – 53
17. Pueblo South –  44
18. Grand Junstion – 39
19. Greeley West – 35
20. Coronado – 25

Preview:

Rampart is seeded to score 110 more points than last year, when they came in 5th. The defending champions, Cheyenne Mountain, are 4th when the psych sheet is scored.

Rampart is seeded 1st in the 200 medley relay with a 1:45.99, over 1.5 seconds ahead of the 2nd seed, Heritage. Cheyenne Mountain is the defending champ in the 200 medley relay, where they broke the 4A state record last year with a 1:44.59. Cheyenne is seeded 3rd this year with a 1:48.92, but they only lost their anchor from last year, so they are still in a reasonable place to defend their title.

Cat Wright (Cheyenne Mountain) will look to defend her title in the 100 fly from last year. She went 55.45 to win the 100 fly last year, winning by over a second. She is seeded 1st with a 55.67 this year, which puts her in striking distnace of the 4A record, which sits at 55.05.

Kylie Andrews (Heritage) won the 100 free and 100 back last year, and has opted to swim the 200 free instead of 100 back this year. Andrews went 50.59 to win the 100 free last year (50.57 prelims), which was half a second off the 4A record of 50.08. She is seeded first this year with a 51.29. She is seeded 3rd in the 200 free with a 1:55.96, behind Lainee Jones (Pueblo South) at 1:52.55 and Erin Lang (Loveland) at 1:55.27.

Lang is the defending champ in the 500 free, where she went 4:59.26 to be the only swimmer under 5 minutes. She is seeded 4th with a 5:17.43, which is 2 seconds slower than she was seeded last year. Cheyenne Mountain sophomores Clare Sanderson and Frances Hayward are seeded 1-2 with times of 5:11.14 and 5:13.16 respectively.

Class 5A:

• Friday-Saturday, February 9-10th
• EPIC, Fort Collins, CO
• Short course yards
• Psych sheet
• Defending champions: Fossil Ridge High School
• Last year runner-up: Fairview High School

Scoring out the psych sheet (top 20)

1. Fossil Ridge – 317
2. Fairview – 286
3. Arapahoe – 192
4. Rocky Mountain – 147
5. Rock Canyon – 144
6. Cherry Creek – 141
7. Mountain Vista – 132
8. Castle View/Douglas County – 121
9. Lewis-Palmer – 111
10. Regis – 107
11. Ralston Valley – 78
12. Monarch – 74
13. Chatfield – 64
14. Smoky Hill – 59
15. Legacy – 58
16. Horizon – 57
17. Columbine – 55
18. Dakota Ridge – 37
19. Grandview – 32
20. Broomfield – 26

Preview:

Fossil Ridge and Fairview came in 1st and 2nd last year, and come in 1st and 2nd this year when the psych sheet is scored out, but their scores are much lower than they were last year.

Fossil Ridge is seeded 1st in 8 of 11 swimming events, including all 3 relays. Fossil Ridge swept the relays last year, and returns all but 1 of those swimmers, Bailey Kovac, who swam on the 200 free relay. The Fossil Ridge team of Bayley Stewart, Zoe Bartel, Coleen Gillilan, and Kylee Alons returns in the 200 medley relay, which they they won by 5 seconds last year with a 1:39.40. That time was .15 seconds off the national high school public record of 1:39.25, and was the 2nd fastest public school time ever.

Bartel, Gillilan, and Alons are each seeded 1st in 2 events. Bartel is seeded 1st in the 200 IM and 100 breast, both of which she is the defending champion in. Bartel won those events in 1:59.48 and 1:00.22 last year. She is seeded with 2:02.59 and 1:01.75, and her best times are 1:56.23 and 58.98 from Winter Juniors in December. She already holds the CHSAA records in those events as well.

Gillilan is seeded 1st in the 100 fly and 200 free. She is the defending champion and CHSAA record holer in the 100 fly (53.15), and she swam the 50 free instead of the 200 free last year, coming in 3rd (23.28). Gillilan’s best time in the 100 fly is 52.60 from Winter Juniors in December. She is seeded with a 54.08. In the 200, she is seeded with a 1:51.26, which is her best time. It took a 1:50.46 to win the event last year.

Alons is taking on the 50 and 100 free, where she is seeded 1st with times of 23.07 and 50.74 respectively. She is the defending champion in both those events as well, but Merideth Rees is seeded only .39 seconds behind her in the 100 (51.15). Alons best times are 22.47 and 49.60, while the CHSAA records are 22.41 and 48.45, both set by Missy Franklin.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Colorado Girls HS State: Preview and Scoring the Psych Sheet

By Coleman Hodges on SwimSwam

SwimSwam wants to give you an inside look at what a normal day-in-the-life looks like for any given swimmer, and how that differs from team to team or city to city. We send our head of production, Coleman Hodges, to be a fly on the wall at practice, then relay what he discovered back to you over pancakes. Or at least breakfast.

Like I said last time, I took a visit to SMU. If you didn’t see the women’s practice, check it out here. If you didn’t see my Carpool with the coaching staff, it’s right here. But enough about that. This is the men’s practice.

There were 3 workouts going on this day. I was able to get snippets of all 3.

Mitch’s sprinters were doing some pretty fun stuff with parachutes. They would go 3×25 where  each 25 you wold get less and less resistance. The first 25, you’d have a parachute and a partner wold be holding it for about 10 yards, then they would let go and you would blast the rest of the 25. On #2, they would swim a 25 normally with the parachute. On #3, they would take the chute off and go a 25 fast. Then they would hop out and go a 25 off the blocks, with video recording so they could watch themselves after.

Eddie’s guys were doing a pretty stock pace set. 4 rounds where you’ve got 3×25 descend upfront, followed by 2×50 @ :50 at 200 pace. That was followed by a little EZ swimming, and finished with a 25 how they want to finish their race. So essentially 4 rounds of a broken 200 at pace.

Back to Mitch’s side of the pool, he had his more distance oriented guys going 5 rounds of 75 pink, 100 AFAP (as fast as possible), 325 EZ, then do it all again. So while a lot of the other groups you can see a start to the comedown for conference (similar to the women’s group), not as much of a comedown with these guys.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Practice + Pancakes: SMU Men Get Innovative with Parachute Power