Singapore World Champs

 

Links to follow the 2025 World Aquatics* Championships:

Pool Results

Open Water Results (complete)

Pool Schedule**

*Formerly FINA

**May help you better navigate results

Open Water Phobia

 

 

Swimnerd Nate Tschohl

 

 

We chatted with the Swimnerd, Nate Tschohl recently.

 

Listen to SwimTalk A2B's Episode LV here

 

00:00:01 – Disclaimer & banter

00:02:55 – SwimNerd Live

00:03:43 – Introducing Nate Tschohl

00:04:20 – Kickstarter

00:05:02 – Social media

00:06:26 – Inside w/Brett Hawke

00:11:15 – OD:  The Ol’ Dirty

00:15:19 – The Big Swim Nerd

00:17:35 – Coach Nerd

00:19:17 – Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL

00:28:01 – Recovery

00:30:02 – What’s new at SwimNerd?

00:37:00 – Splits/Times Top Secret?

00:38:23 – Pace clock idears

00:41:10 – Scoreboards:  Not just for meets!

00:45:09 – Needs more cowbell?

00:45:58 – Why green numbers?

00:48:15 – Blogging

00:50:00 – Rare artifacts

00:51:45 – Water safety

00:54:17 – Keeping kids alive

00:58:15 – Drowning Support Network

01:00:08 – All politics is local

01:00:52 – Plato:  A man is not learned until…

01:01:29 – Adding Capital to Young Australians

01:02:46 – Splash Pads replacing pools?

01:03:38 – Wrapping it up

 

On to Paris

 

 

Team USA (by events) at USA Swimming here

 

Open Water head coach Ron Aitken will have Corey Chitwood on board to assist.

 

Head coaches Todd DeSorbo (W) and Anthony Nesty (M) will be joined by assistants Carol Capitani, Dave Durden, Braden Holloway, Chris Lindauer, Greg Meehan, & Chris Plumb.

 

Complete Trials results (via Omega) are here

 

 

Finally!

 

The world's second most exciting podcast has returned!  Listen here

00:57 - Shameless Eddie Reese book plug

01:24 - Welcome Bonnie Adams

02:22 - Recap of 2023 OZ Mile/Michele Weber

06:36 - Preview of 2024 OZ Mile

09:55 - Bikes, or Bikes?

11:35 - What to expect at OZ

15:01 - Prepping athletes for open water

20:34 - Making memories in our sport

22:31 - Why September?

25:10 - Pool "Open Water"

28:05 - Alcatraz

29:27 - Canandaigua

30:45 - Germany

32:11 - More on the 2023 OZ Mile/Michele Weber

37:04 - Event feedback

41:10 - Wrapping it up/Podcast rankings

Episode XXXV

 

 

 

In the latest episode of SwimTalk A2B, we reconnected with a former Katy age-group swimmer of ours, Lawrence "LD" Romine.

 

Lawrence dropped out of our sport at a young age, but is now showing off his swimming skills on the triathlon circuit.

Episode XXXV:  Lawrence Romine

 

 

Bonnie Adams, Round II

 

Newest episode went up yesterday:

Swim Talk A2B XXXIV - Bonnie Adams

Midmar Mile Official Site

OZ Mile Swim Official Site

Random Thoughts

Legendary Olympic swim coach Bobby "Freestyle" Freeman hosted a freestyle/backstroke webinar recently:



Are you prepared for the pullback?  Expect hiring freezes, at least in the short term.  If you have an offer, make sure it's solid (in writing) before you drop what you have!

If you've been kicked out of your facilities, improvise.

Find other options for water time.  Local health club?  Hotel pool?  Open water*?  Anything to maintain a feel for the water, right?

Carmel has a great selection of dry-land videos here.  Many of those can be done by your kids on their own.

Crazy as things are getting at the stores, replace the C-note in the above picture with Charmin...

Essentials on the AT are, of course, water, food, & shelter.  Right behind those are TP and hand sanitizer.  Maybe those hoarders are just prepping for a looooooong backpacking trip.

With this layoff, I'm catching up on my reading.  I'm a big fan of works by Nevil Shute (Norway).  Rereading several of his novels.  Just finished up A Town Like Alice (a.k.a. The Legacy) and started on Pied Piper.

Once in a while, I switch the radio to NPR.  Since some of my tax dollars fund it, why not?  Also, it's good to keep up with what the elite libs are up to, right?

NPR:  Dividing our nation, one anecdote at a time!

Oh yeah, also working on the 2020 Clark Wilson Invite, a.k.a. Mythical 4A State Championship.



*Make sure it's gator- & shark-free.  Also, a good ear mix is a 50/50 mix of isopropyl alcohol & vinegar.

Cap 2K Deadline

Register for Austin's Cap 2k today or tomorrow to get the Early Bird discount.

Normal fees apply from Sunday the 24th through Wednesday, April 10th.

Event is Sunday, April 28th.  More info here

Misc.

Several open water events have been dropped due to flooding.

ASA's Lake Travis Relay and Highland Lakes Challenge have both been "Cancelled due to historic flooding" and the swimming portion of the Waco Triathlon was scrapped as well.

“Ironman has strict safety benchmarks in place that have been surpassed, including the rate of water flow,” race officials said in an email message sent to the 3,000 athletes registered to compete in the race. “The abundance of rain created additional flow with a rate higher than the limit deemed safe for swimming in the Brazos River.”

More at the Waco Tribune-Herald here

Arlington-Mansfield Area YMCA association director of aquatics

Lackland AFB tactical athlete coach - swim

Missed an excellent article on Linkedin last year:

Why hire the swimmer who swam all four years of college?

Have you ever worked hard on a project for an entire week and finally presented a seamless masterpiece to your client that brought you great recognition? What if this masterpiece only lasted twenty seconds and what if your hard work lasted 22 weeks? Would it be worth it? This swimmer has lived this scenario and has done it for most of their life. The ability to work towards a goal for such a long time is something that's not found in most people, which could be an asset for multi-year projects.

What doesn’t always happen is being successful, but this swimmer comes back year after year to achieve greatness.

Full article here

The CSCAA TYR Top 25 October polls:

Division I

Division II

Division III

Former Longhorn Brendan Hansen is organizing a benefit clinic in Austin.  The clinic will feature Olympic medalists and collegiate All-Americans.

Who:  Athletes of all ages & abilities
What:   age group swim clinic, masters swim workout, nutrition sessions, etc.
When:  Sunday, November 4 from 8 a.m. to noon
Where:  Rollingwood Pool, 4801 Rollingwood Drive
How:  Preregister via email here

“When the University of Texas swimming and diving family heard of the Carter’s situation with their twin babies, it affected all of us as if it were our own kids,” said Brendan Hansen, an event organizer and clinic coach. “We wanted to put together an event to share our skills with the Austin fitness community that not only would have an immediate impact for the family financially, but also for them to know we stand behind them through this process. That’s what family does and the overwhelming response up to this point shows how strong the Longhorn family is.”

Full Statesman article here

Facebook page here

gofundme page here

Misc.

Back in the day, our Blue/Gold intrasquad meet was a pretty competitive affair.  We started off each season with this "practice" meet.  It was good for our swimmers, officials, and volunteers.

After the team went to "zero" in '15 (did not send anyone to district meet), I unretired to help restore our program.  Our early teams have been pretty small, so an intrasquad would have been more like a time trial.

Several alumni suggested we add former BCHS swimmers & divers to the mix and host a Blue/Gold & Alumni meet.  It's been working out great. 

Bobby Button, Keith Hill, Neal Holden, Kory Ashcraft, Blake Holden, Andrew Medina

Alumni attendance was down a bit this year, but it was still a great meet.  We used a relay-only format and the meet ended in a 122-122 tie.  Yes "B" relays matter...a lot!

Feel free to let former BCHS swimmers/divers who might now know about the meet to join us them next year.

Louisville took this year's SMU Classic (W)

San Antonio Veterans Memorial HS needs a head swim coach.  Contact Richard Mendoza at 210-619-0220

Houston's Bridge Bats needs several coaches

I'm not able to fit this year's Highland Lakes Challenge into the schedule, but those of you who're interested can get more info here

Misc.

via Fort Bend ISD

Magnolia will host this year's Gulf Gold Medal Swimming clinic, featuring Simone Manuel.  Info and registration link (you have one more week to sign up) are here

CSCAA Open Water Championships Results:

Women (Rice 2nd, TCU 5th, A&M 8th)

Men (TCU 4th, A&M 5th)

Info and registration link for the Houston Build & Program a Pool Conference (November 10 & 11) is here
 

Sick of our current party system?  Wonder why logic seems to be absent from so much of what they say and do?  Check out a post by Bryan Caplan on EconLog:

You Don't Understand Our Culture

What are the key differences between GMU econ blogger culture and mainstream intellectual culture?  For starters:

1. We value intellectual progress over emotional comfort.  As long as speakers are polite, we blame listeners who get upset, not speakers who upset them.
2. We are genuinely non-partisan.  The Democratic and Republican parties both seem like absurd churches to us.  Even if one is markedly worse, we’ll never join either because both are “often wrong and never in doubt.”
3. The daily scandals that excite mainstream culture seem insipid and arbitrary to us.  What matters are statistics, not emotions – and arguments, not stories.
4. One bet is worth a thousand pages of punditry.  At least.
5. Giving in to Social Desirability Bias is a grave sin.
6. Corollary: Don’t dodge questions.
7. Hyperbole is the worst thing in the universe.  Most problems and effects are marginal.  If you’re really certain that X, you should happily bet at 1000:1 odds.
8. Appealing to your identity is a reason to discount what you say, not a reason to pay extra attention.
9. An argument doesn’t have to “prove” anything to be worthwhile; it only needs to change your probabilities.
10. We’ll strategically appease mainstream thinkers, but that doesn’t mean they’re right.

How broad and deep is GMU blogger culture, really?  It’s a continuum.  Tyler Cowen might even claim to disagree with everything I just said… but he still exemplifies most of it.  The important thing to know is that our distinct culture is thriving in your midst.  We aren’t numerous, but we are a proud people.  So please show some cultural sensitivity…

As you can see by today's Quote of the Day, #7 is my favorite.

In fact, it's absolutely the greatest quote in the history of mankind...

The City of New Braunfels needs an assistant swim coach

VillaSport (The Woodlands) needs an aquatics director

Meridian School (Round Rock) needs a developmental swim coach

D&J needs an assistant manager for their Austin location

via billboard

Sarah Brightman HYMN tour coming to Smart Financial Centre (Sugar Land) February 25th.  Info & ticket link here.  If you want to hang out w/the Button's in Section 103 - Hey, who doesn't? - those seats are going fast.  North Texans?  Your concert's on the 23rd in Grand Prairie.

Must share another, The Bettor's Oath, by Caplan:

The Bettor’s Oath 

Blathering talk surrounds us, but I will take no part in it.  My word is my bet; I will always put my money where my mouth is.  When challenged, I will bet on my words, refine them, or recant.  When no one is present to challenge me, I will weigh my words and thoughts as if my fellow oath-takers were listening.

I will make both conditional and unconditional bets, and assign probabilities whenever asked.  I will claim no false certainty; unless I will stake my life on my belief, I am not truly certain – and will admit it.

When I lose a bet, I will admit defeat, pay promptly, and hold my tongue – never protesting that I was “really right.”  If I have caveats or reservations, I will declare them when I make the bet – not after I lose it.

When I win a bet, I will not shame my opponent, for a betting loser has far more honor than the mass of men who live by loose and idle talk.  I pledge my mind and words to the bettor’s oath, for this day and all the days to come...

Unless something in this oath turns out to be wrong, an eventuality to which I assign a 3% probability.

CSCAA Open Water Champs

Tomorrow's schedule:

• 7:30-8:15 a.m. - Women’s Check-in
• 8:15 a.m. - Women’s Pre-Race Briefing
• 8:25 a.m. - Women’s Inspection and Roll Call
• 8:30 a.m. - Women’s 5K Start
• 9:30-10:15 a.m. - Men’s Check-in
• 10:15 a.m. - Men’s Pre-Race Briefing
• 10:25 a.m. - Men’s Inspection and Roll Call
• 10:30 a.m. - Men’s 5K Start
• Noon - Women’s and Men’s Awards

More info here

News & Jobs

via Texas Sports

Madison Cox has been reinstated after it was determined her failed test was due to a multivitamin she was taking.  Cox had declared the supplement, but it wasn't tested prior to her original hearing.  More here

The last six months have been a grave and harrowing learning experience that I would not wish on any honest, clean, elite athlete. I know that any supplement – even a multivitamin purported to contain only those ingredients specified on the label and purchased at a local supermarket – can be suspect.

I would advise any athlete who chooses to take supplements to not only consult resources such as USADA’s Supplement 411, but to also make sure that they are third party batch tested to check for any contamination.

I am excited to return to the pool. I also appreciate the support so many people have shown me throughout this trying ordeal.

Supplement was Cooper Complete Elite Athlete

This year's Tex Robertson Highland Lakes Challenge will take place from October 31 through November 4.  More info here

High school swim/dive officials may begin registering now.  Info is here

A couple of admin-type jobs:

The YMCA of Greater Houston needs two (2) association aquatics directors

Gulf Swimming LSC needs an executive director

This Post Has No Title

Results from last weekend's Mesa TYR Pro are here

Stratford HS needs a head coach.  Contact Chad Crowson

First time I met Clark Wilson was at a long course meet in 2010.  Guy walked up to me during warm-up and just started talking away.

Going through my mind was stuff like "Do I know this guy?  Where is Champion Aquatics?  How does he know me?"

From that point on, I looked forward to seeing Clark on deck, or in the stands.  He'd put his arm around you and say something like "Bobby, let me ask you something..." or "Here's what I think about..."  My favorite was "I'd like to get ___ in a room and just kick his ass..." 

Never a dull moment or conversation with that guy!

You'll find very few coaches as loyal to his swimmers as Clark was.  He celebrated when they celebrated.  He hurt when they hurt.  He was absolutely All In.  That's what's so difficult about losing him.  He was larger than life and we'll all remember him as such.

From Saturday's service:


Clear Brook HS and Clear Springs HS need assistant coaches.  Contact Debbie Fuchs

via Austin Fit Magazine

The 15th Annual Cap2K will be on Sunday, April 29.  Get info and register here

Eastern Michigan's dumping men's swimming...but keeping the women's program.  Yes, we've seen/heard this story before.  The university claims it's a cost-cutting move.  We all know that's bullcorn.  It's a Title IX quota issue.  Want proof it's not a money issue?

Bunsis claims when all the revenue losses and mistakes are accounted for, EMU will actually lose $61,000  a year by cutting the sports.

He says the only way for EMU to save money on sports is to switch the expensive football program from Division 1 to Division 2.

He says EMU spends millions more on the football program than it gets in revenue, and it simply can't afford to compete on coaching salaries with more successful Division 1 programs like the University of Michigan.  Bunsis says he plans to release an analysis of how much EMU could save by switching football to Division 2 within a few weeks. 

Entire article is here

via MPR News

Hope y'all don't think all my stuff on Title IX is negative.  Three years after posting on the Minnesota-Duluth women's hockey coach non-renewal (read original post here), there's been a positive outcome for Coach Shannon Miller.  From Business Management:

A federal jury hearing a discrimination lawsuit filed against the University of Minnesota Duluth has awarded $3.7 million to Shannon Miller, the university’s former women’s hockey coach.

In December 2014, UMD Chancellor Lendley Black and Athletic Director Josh Berlo called Miller into a meeting and delivered an ultimatum: either retire or resign. When Miller refused to do either, they elected not to renew her contract.

Miller is one of the most successful coaches in NCAA women’s hockey history. She won five national championships during her tenure at the University of Minnesota Duluth and had taken her team to the “Frozen Four” NCAA tournament quarter finals 11 times.

The university offered various reasons why Miller’s contract wasn’t renewed, including the team’s relatively poor performance in recent years. But university officials also said it was purely a monetary decision. (Miller countered that the coach of the men’s team was paid $93,241 more than she earned.)

Miller alleged a more nefarious motive: Bias against women in general and her in particular, as an openly gay woman. The jury agreed.

Glad she dug in her heels and fought back.  The truth was on her side, she was tough, and she didn't give up.

Friendswood HS needs an assistant coach.  Contact Robert Koopmann at 281-996-6554

The Ranch at Stonebridge needs a swim coach

In case you're desperate, the City of Stephenville is paying $7.50-$8.50 per hour for a swim coach

Cross Timbers YMCA needs a swim coach

Catch-All

via Twitter

2018 state meet results:

5A

6A


Help!  Back in the 90's, I used to put together a 4A mythical state meet.  Kind of like Swimming World's mythical national meet.  Planning to do it again.  I'll need meet result files from 5A district, region, and state meets to make this happen.  I'll start working on it once a few results come rolling in.

Also, I'd like to do something similar for middle school/junior high.  There are several big middle school meets around the state each year.  If I can get those meet files, I might be able to put that together as well.

via Swimming World

SEC's conclude today.  Real time results are here

Registration for the 2018 TISCA Clinic is already open here

ASCA Fellows 2018:  Call for Applications


Info/registration for 2018 Cap 2k is here