Wednesday marks 100 days until the Opening Ceremonies in London. The pools are all now complete (including the water polo venue, pictured above, courtesy of British Swimming).
It's time to prepare. Athlete, coach, fan. Every four years, the swimming world changes, like it or not. A whole new set of pretexts and contexts for the fan, the new craze and leading philosophy takes foot for coaches, and the next Olympiad once again becomes a distant goal, full of possibility. The old-guard moves on (though maybe not for good), and the next generation goes from being an interesting sideshow to a focus of the spotlight.
The big meet, where swimming takes center stage, may only come around once every four years, but for the true swim fan, the one who can appreciate the nuance of the motivation, it's perhaps not even that week in early August that is most exciting. It's the thought of the unknown that comes after that truly transforms the sport, and keeps the endless laps interesting.
Many Olympic Dreams would take a miracle to happen in 100 days. But in 4 years, anything is possible.