The Nationals Enquirer August 5, 2008

NATIONALS ENQUIRER “Enquiring Swimmers Want to Know”

AUGUST 5, 2008 Meet Director “BD” (Brandon Drawz) empties pool instead of filling it. Claims idea came to him during Edgefield happy hour. Our reporter investigating.

I’M GOING TO ALLOW SWIMMERS WHO CAN’T AFFORD A SPEEDO LZR RACER OR A BLUESEVENTY TO USE FINS IN SHORTER EVENTS.

Meet Director “BD” unmasked as mirror-image twin of the other Meet Director , “DB” (Dennis Baker). (For uncanny resemblance, see picture below).

Six-foot sturgeon found in 50meter pool, and immediately DQ’d by BD for using flotation device not approved by FINA.

Rules Committee in heated dispute over which swim aids will be allowed in competition. Pre-meet swim-off between meet directors will settle controversy.

IN A PIG’S BUTT YOU WILL.

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Inside This Issue Meet Announcements-----------3 Editorial Erudition (Readers’ Survey) --------------4 Coaches Corner------------------8 Technical Tools----------------10 Participant Profiles------------15 Oregon Trail Over the Barrel, Under the Barrel------------17 Swim Fans’ Forum------------21 In the Next Edition-----------23

What coaching advice should we have listened to months ago? What's the latest poolside gossip? What's the inside scoop behind Enquiring yesterday’s record swims? swimmers want to know. The infamous Nationals Enquirer has dispatched its intrepid reporter to churn out copy for these hard-to-putdown, photo-filled pages. Old news, rehashed, performance enhancement breakthroughs explained, the unavoidable serious article about competing in our sport, and real-life humaninterest stories are all here. Look for updates , every day of the meet, and then some. Don't miss a single lurid issue! Pre-meet issues available exclusively on-line; limited numbers of abbreviated meet issues available in print at the Aquatic Center.

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Important! Notices & Corrections Heads up, Swimmers: •

Correction: Warm Ups Thursday through Sunday will start at 6:30 AM and end at 7:20 AM. Competition will start promptly at 7:30 AM. The 25-yard indoor warm-up pool will open at 7:20 AM and remain available as stated in the Meet Information.

•

Day Tripper Alert!! The Steel Bridge in Portland will be closed to cars, buses and MAX trains August 2-24, 2008, as crews connect existing tracks to the new MAX Green Line tracks on 5th and 6th avenues. Shuttle buses will be carrying MAX riders across the river between the Old Town/Chinatown Station and the Rose Quarter/Convention Center stations, via the Burnside Bridge. The lower deck of the Steel Bridge will remain open to bikes and pedestrians. You may wish to consider this closure when planning your visit to Portland using MAX and the Day Tripper Numbers 2 and 3 included in the first issue of the Nationals Enquirer.

This inspirational poster, featuring 11,239-foot Mt. Hood rising out of the Aquatic Center pool, will be available for purchase during the meet for $5 each. Numbers will be limited. The Multnomah tribe’s name for Mount Hood is Wy'east. Legend says the name comes from a Multnomah chief who competed for the attention of a woman with a chief of the Klickitat tribe. The anger that the competition generated led to their transformation into volcanoes, with the Klickitat chief becoming nearby Mt. Adams and the target of their affection becoming Mt. St. Helens. Their battle was said to have destroyed the Bridge of the Gods and thus created the Great Cascades of the Columbia River. Beware the consequences of fierce competition in these parts!

WARNING: This publication (if you want to call it that) is not the official, or any, communication of USMS, OMS, Mt. Hood Community College, or any other responsible organization, nor is it a communication attributable to the Meet Directors, who are men of few words (but mighty deeds in most situations). This publication is intended solely as entertainment by athletes, for athletes. The opinions expressed by the editors and contributors are entirely their own, God help them.

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EDITORIAL ERUDITION TO SUIT OR NOT TO SUIT –

LET’S KEEP AN OPEN MIND ON THE NEW RACING SUITS Judging by news sources, swimming blogs, and the high volume of traffic in swimmer discussion forums, the most burning issue for 2008 is the new swimsuit technology. Three questions seem to be on everyone’s mind: (1) whether the world records thus far in 2008 are attributable to advances in training, or to a new generation of swimsuit, (2) whether the new swimsuits constitute “tech doping,” and (3) whether an aging masters swimmer can get his hands on a new “swimskin” suit, given that most of the world’s inventory has been shipped to Beijing. Rather than give our own views about the controversy surrounding the new swimsuits, we thought it would be more useful to solicit YOUR OPINIONS with the following questionnaire, prepared by our staff with the highest concern for journalistic standards of objectivity and impartiality:

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TO SUIT OR NOT TO SUIT, CONTINUED Question No. 1: Which company had the most influence on the design & development of Speedo’s LZR Racer bodysuit? A. NASA. B. Speedo. C. Marquis de Sade Industries. D. BF Goodrich. E. Hebrew National Weiner Company. Question No. 2: When I see my workout partner in one of the new suits, I think he is: A. Michael Phelps. B. Kornelia Ender. C. Richer than I am. D. The Michelin Man. E. The Hindenburg. Question No. 3: When I see my workout partner actually swimming in one of the new full body suits, I think he is: A. Faster than I am. B. Ryan Lochte. C. Charlie the Tuna. D. Das Bot. E. Cheating. Question No. 4: When I see my workout partner beat me at Nationals in his new swimskin, I want to: A. Stick a pin in his body suit and watch him spin around like a deflating balloon. B. Set fire to his body suit and watch him melt like the witch in the Wizard of Oz. C. Steal his body suit and make him swim in that rag of a Speedo I have to wear. D. Quit. E. Slash the tires of his Humvee. Question No 5: When my workout partner is not swimming in his new swimskin, he can be found: A. Polishing the chrome wheels on his pathetic looking Corvette, which barely runs. B. Wishing he were me. C. Riding around on the bitch seat of a chopper pitching beer cans at cows. D. Telemarketing chain letters. E. Putting out lawn signs for Ralph Nader (still). Question No. 6: The main disadvantage of using a new swimskin suit is: A. You can’t pick up chicks while wearing it. B. You can’t pick up guys while wearing it. C. Even if you could pick them up, you couldn’t do anything with them while wearing it. D. Even if you could do something with them, afterwards they’d probably like the suit better than they like you. E. All of the above.

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TO SUIT OR NOT TO SUIT, CONTINUED Question No. 7: The person who looks the stupidest in a new swimskin suit is: A. My nemesis. B. Jon Naber. C. An age-group swimmer. D. Dubya. E. They guy who just swam 3rd in the US Olympic Trials. Question No. 8: The swimsuits were invented for people who: A. Can’t float. B. Reminisce for the “good old days” when girdles were in fashion. C. Like the triple-chin look they get by pushing all that flesh northward. D. Are suffering from tri-athlete equipment envy. E. Think Roger Clemens is a national hero. Question No. 9: To be fair to other swimmers, people who compete in the new suits should have to: A. Go skiing in the suit. B. Wear the suit to the Socials at Nationals. C. Have themselves filmed getting into the suit, and post the results on YouTube. D. Have former Senator Larry Craig help them out of the suit. E. Go through airport security in the suit. Question No. 10: When my husband wears the full body suit, he looks like: A. One of the guys at Jiffy Lube. B. Edward Norton as the Incredible Hulk. C. Something from the Prehistory Wing of the Natural History Museum. D. Dara Torres. E. A coke machine. Question No. 11: Even though I don’t like the concept of the new swimskin suits, I would be interested in buying one of the suits if it included: A. Integrated fins and paddles. B. Different colors, like mauve, or a nice pattern like glenn plaid. C. A pocket for my Leatherman tool. D. Feet & a hood. E. A pisshole. Question No. 12: People who use the new suits or tug on the lane lines during kicking sets are referred by coaches as: A. Shiftless. B. Spineless. C. Self-deluded. D. Vexatious. E. Cheaters.

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TO SUIT OR NOT TO SUIT, CONTINUED Question No. 13: If the new suits had a patron saint, it would be: A. Saint Thomas Aquinas. B. Saint Adjutor. C. Saint Sebastian. D. Saint Dismas. E. Judas. Question 14: If I won $500 in the lottery, I would: A. Buy matching I-Phones for me and my spouse. B. Make a donation to USA Swimming’s Make a Splash Foundation. C. Attend a Masters Swimming Clinic. D. Buy an Olympic Gold Medal on E-Bay. E. Buy a Speedo LZR for my 50M Free at USMS Nationals. Question 15: The best thing about the new full body suit is that it allows you to go fast in competition even if you can’t: A. Pull B. Kick C. Float D. Turn E. Swim.

PLEASE COMPLETE YOUR QUESTIONNAIRE by printing these pages and circling your answers, then submit them to DB, BD, USMS, FINA -- or anyone but your editors.

Frank and Robin Parisi, editors, publishers and roving reporters for The Nationals Enquirer, live and swim (but having recently retired, do not work) in Portland, Oregon, and Kona, Hawaii.

WLL E MAKE?

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COACHES’ CORNER Tips for Competing at Mt. Hood Aquatic Center By Dennis Baker

Recent renovations at the Mt. Hood Community College Aquatic Center have made its 50-meter pool one of the fastest in world. After competing many times in this facility and in championship meets, I have some tips to help you make the best of your swims here. Don’t stay in the sun too long. Although we are north of the 45th parallel, you can still get pretty burned this time of year. There will be only limited tent space in the outdoor bleachers and on the pool deck, but there are plenty of areas around the facility that provide shade. The indoor bleachers overlooking the warm-up pool can hold up to 250 sprawled-out swimmers. There are also many shady lawns around and behind the pool. Make sure you are checked in for ALL of your events. This meet has a few differences from other meets. First, the morning warm-up times in the competition pool have been changed. They will start at 6:30 AM everyday, and end at 7:20 AM, with racing beginning promptly at 7:30 AM. Next, all the events 200 and longer will be deck-seeded, just like the distance events are. The 200’s will be seeded by age and gender as usual. Make sure you don’t get caught napping: check in for your 200’s! Officials will be posting heat sheets shortly before the deck-seeded events begin. More information will be circulated on this as it becomes available. Practice your turns in the competition pool during warm-up. Your depth perception is different in every pool (the Mt. Hood pool has a tricky slope in the deep end, as you swim toward the starting blocks). Every pool seems to have a different backstroke count from the flags. Get comfortable with your turns in every stroke that you will swim. We are using the bigger touch pads, so the turns will all be flat-wall, with no gutter to grab onto. And remember, the location of the backstroke flags can vary as much as a foot between warm-ups and your race, depending on the relative wind conditions – be alert to this both during warmup and in your race.

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Bake’s Tips for Competing at Mt. Hood, continued: Swim in the center of the lane. As with all elite long course venues, the Mt. Hood lane ropes are large and solid. Running into them at full speed will hurt, and will add a lot of time to your race. This can especially be a problem in backstroke. In an outdoor pool such as ours you must sight yourself now and again during your backstroke race. This might involve moving your head or eyes every so often during the race to see where you are, relative to the lane rope. While this is a “NO-NO” for proper backstroke form, it will pay off in this pool. If you run into the lane rope in backstroke you might actually stop completely (ed. note: Although it can be difficult to distinguish between my normal backstroke speed and a complete halt, I can personally testify that the lane ropes will stop you cold when you run into them while swimming backstroke! FMP). Also, don’t “ride” the lane rope during your backstroke swim. While you may think that staying right next to the line is the best way to keep it in view, 90% of the swimmers I have witnessed trying this at the Mt. Hood pool have smacked right into the rope. It’s worth repeating: Swim in the center of the lane! Use the pool ladders. Do not try to get out of the pool at the wall below the starting blocks. The tall touch pads make for very high walls without gutters. Save your shoulders and back from tiredness and possible strains during warm-up, and make your way to the ladders on the sides of the pool. During races, there should be ample time, after you finish, to exit the pool at the sides. We will be doing over-the-top starts, meaning that the next heat will be started after the last person finishes in the prior heat, but while all the prior heat swimmers are still in the water. Just stay in your lane until the next heat has started, then duck under the lane ropes to the ladder on the side of the pool that is closest to your lane. Watch your step. Lastly, during our renovation we raised the portion of the deck immediately surrounding the pool by 3 feet. If you are on the actual pool deck make sure you realize there is a drop off!!! Use the stairs whenever possible for safety and to save your leg strength. Dennis Baker, besides being one of our Meet Directors, is the founder and head coach of Oregon Reign Masters, the masters swimming team that calls the Aquatic Center “home.” Dennis, a certified USA Swimming Coach, also coaches age-group swimmers at the David Douglas Swim Club and masters swimmers at the Multnomah Athletic Club. Dennis recently came close to achieving his goal of being the oldest swimmer to qualify for the USA Olympic Trials, several times swimming sub-2:05 in the 200 meter fly this summer (best time 2:04.07, a whisker short of the 2:03.99 required for Trials). Earlier in life Dennis was a 2-time Pac-10 Conference Champion and a 2-time Olympic Trials finalist, all in the 200 fly. Find out more about Dennis at the Oregon Reign Masters site, http://www.oregonreignmasters.org/index.htm. Dennis is pictured, above right, with the talented and indulgent Roxanne Redwine, Social Chair for LC Nationals, and the person responsible for planning our two great Event Socials.

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TECHNICAL TOOLS RACE ANALYSIS ~ A SECRET WEAPON FOR IMPROVEMENT You have trained all year, gotten lots of sleep on the nights before your races, warmed up well, done your stretching and hydrating just like the experts have been telling you to, and have been avoiding the beer and fried pork rinds (well, mostly). You have been swimming your heart out for three days. Yet try as you might, you just can’t seem to achieve the times you were hoping for. Why not? Maybe all that focus on technique and conditioning isn’t enough; maybe you need to step back and look at your overall race strategy. But wait, what does the term “race strategy” mean? Isn’t that just “don’t go out so hard that you die”? Yes, it is; but it could be so much more. Other than collecting your splits and comparing them to the same event last season, on what data is the coach basing his racing advice? What part of your race are you trying to improve, and what parts should you leave well enough alone? Chances are, neither you or your coach has any actual data, beyond lap splits, about how you swim a race, or about how you might swim it differently in order to improve. That situation is about to change. In the last decade, software has become available that makes it possible to collect and analyze the training and race data most relevant to improving performance. Before the personal computer, collecting this data on even a single swimmer was virtually impossible: data collection for just a single race would have required four or five people concentrating on that one swimmer. The PC, however, has revolutionized data collection. At USA Swimming’s 2008 Olympic Trials, nine individuals sitting at their laptops in the press box of the Qwest Center, one assigned to each lane in the championship pool, were able to input huge volumes of data for each swimmer in each heat. They accomplished this by using a relatively inexpensive software package called Race Analyzer, written by Alex Nikitin (pictured at right), an age-group coach at the Multnomah Athletic Club in Portland Oregon, and a technical consultant to USA Swimming.

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Race Analysis, A Secret Weapon, continued: In real time, as each race progresses, an operator using Race Analyzer enters Cycle Count per lap, Break Distance from starts and turns, Tempo, Breakout Time, Drop Off, Distance Per Cycle, Pure Swimming Velocity, Free Swimming Time, Turn Time, Time Spent Under Water, Distance Swum Under Water, 15 Meter Time/Velocity and 7.5 Meter Race Finish Time/Velocity (a more detailed explanation of these terms appears below). At the Trials, the team of technical consultants downloaded and integrated this data, checked an instant replay video of the race, as necessary, for anomalies in the recorded data, and within a few minutes of the conclusion of each event, made the data available to coaches. Each swimmer could then meet with her coach right after cool-down, review the data and see both how that swimmer performed with respect to her coach’s race strategy, as well as how everyone else in the event performed. To illustrate how Race Analyzer converts extensive and detailed race information into a concise and informative report, below is a summary of Michael Phelps’ world record-setting 400 IM race in the 2008 Olympic Trials: Dist

Breakout, Brk Dist, (sec) (M)

Split

Dropoff

Cycles

Time

Tempo (C/Min)

Tempo-2 (C/Min)

Tempo-3 (C/Min)

DPC (M/C.)

Velocity, (M/sec)

Turn Time (sec)

50

4.28

12.75 *

26.16

-

17 *

26.16

47.4

46.3

46.8

2.21

1.71

1.20

100

3.17

5.75 *

29.22

3.06

19 *

55.38

47.2

46.6

47.0

2.29

1.78

1.19

150

3.27

5.5 *

31.24

2.02

16 *

1:26.62

38.8

38.6

38.8

2.75

1.75

1.59

200

3.59

6*

30.70

-0.54

16.5 *

1:57.32

36.8

36.6

37.3

2.65

1.62

0.99

250

4.22

6.25 *

35.13

4.43

17 *

2:32.45

33.9

34.8

34.9

2.55

1.46

1.07

300

4.13

6*

36.00

0.87

19 *

3:08.45

35.9

36.4

36.4

2.37

1.43

1.27

350

1.91

3.5 *

29.48

-6.52

15 *

3:37.93

36.3

36.6

36.6

3.10

1.86

1.51

400

4.10

7.5 *

27.32

-2.16

15 *

4:05.25

37.7

38.4

39.3

2.87

1.83

-

Totals

28.66

53.25

15M Start: 5.68 sec

134.5

8.83

15M Velocity: 2.64 m/sec

This Table contains the Swimming Race Analysis of Michael Phelps’ World Record 400 IM swim at the 2008 Olympic Trials. More information concerning the seven categories of race measurements, and charts illustrating some of the above data, follow this article.

Now any coach at any level of competition can input that same volume of data for his own swimmers at every meet, and can provide his swimmers detailed feedback about race performance equal to that which previously was available only to world-class athletes. A coach using Race Analyzer is able to identify his swimmer’s strengths and weaknesses, how those strengths and weakness contributed to the swimmer’s splits and overall time, and how the swimmer should modify her typical race strategy, or which components of her race she should improve, to achieve a faster overall time.

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Race Analysis, A Secret Weapon, continued: Instead of relying only on a hunch that, for instance, the swimmer loses momentum on turns, or that the swimmer’s tempo falls off as a race progresses, or that a negative split is not typically a successful strategy in the 200, a coach can confirm those hunches with concrete data, he can show the swimmer data from actual races, and he can discuss not just his impression of the race, but what actually happened in the race. Further, the coach can compare the swimmer’s data to the “optimal” race statistics reflected in data gathered for elite swimmers in major competitions. For instance, the coach can determine how closely the swimmer’s average tempo per lap approached the optimum tempo, or how closely the swimmer’s relative speed on each stroke in her IM compared to the optimum relative speed for that stroke. Of course, different swimmers have different strengths and different weaknesses, based on body type, age, physiology, training history, and genetics, and not every swimmer can approach the optimum on each statistical factor. For instance, if you compare the race data for Aaron Peirsol (who swims faster than anyone on the surface and closes the last 7.5 meters faster than anyone), with the data for Ryan Lochte (who has great walls and always gains on Peirsol coming out of the turns), you might discover that neither has swum the optimum race on all factors, but each has exceeded the optimum in his area of strength. Thus, Race Analyzer can assist the coach in identifying and capitalizing on his swimmer’s strengths, as well as on identifying and improving his swimmer’s weaknesses. Over time, using Race Analyzer allows a coach and swimmer to compare objectively the swimmer’s current race results with past results, and to assess whether the swimmer has improved (and whether the training steps taken in the interim have succeeded). Race Analyzer data can be exported to a variety of compatible formats including Rich Text for word processing, Excel for spreadsheets, Adobe Acrobat and HTML for web-posting. Find out more about the benefits of Race Analyzer on Alex Nikitin’s web site, www.parametrix.org. Alex Nikitin (at left, fourth from the right) and the USA Swimming Race Analysis Team at the 2008 Olympic Trials. Alex has been working with swimmers at the Multnomah Athletic Club in Portland, Oregon, since 1994. He has coached numerous Junior National qualifiers, National Age group Top 16 swimmers, and Western Zones, Region XII and Oregon State record holders. Before coming to the U.S., Alex coached for 5 years in Minsk, Belarus where he was also a world-ranked Modern Pentathlete. Alex graduated with Honors form Belorussian State Institute of Physical Culture and Sport where he received his M.S. degree in Theory Methodology of Sports Training. Alex was a coach at the U.S.A. National Select Camps in 1999 and is a frequent speaker on the various aspects of training design, career planning and athlete performance tracking. Alex is an ad-hoc member of USA Swimming National Technical Support team, and developed Race Analyzer for the national performance-tracking program. Alex currently serves on the Oregon Swimming Board as the Technical Planning Chairman. In 2003, Alex was voted "Oregon Age Group Coach of the Year". Alex qualified for and ran in the 2008 Boston Marathon.

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RACE ANALYZER'S CATEGORIES OF RACE DATA Breakout Time: Breakout Distance: Split: Drop-Off:

Cycle Count:

Time: Tempo/ Cycle Rate:

DPC:

Turn Time:

15 M Start: 15 M Velocity: 7.5M Finish: 7.5M Velocity:

The time (in seconds) from starting tone (start) or feet leaving the wall (turns), to head breaking the surface. The distance from the wall that a swimmer’s head breaks the surface, in meters (rounded to the nearest .25 meters) Official subtractive split time for the length measured. The difference in seconds between the length measured and the preceding length. This is a measure of speed consistency during a race. The best races are normally achieved with a relatively small drop-off variation. (Drop-off in Individual Medley events looks at the race segment for each different stroke.) Positive values indicate slower time in comparison to the previous split; negative values indicate faster time. Swimmers should aim for the highest level of consistency in these numbers. A big drop-off from the first split to the second, and consecutive positive dropoff values indicates that a swimmer started racing too fast and "died" at the end. Big negative drop-off at the last split means that swimmer saved too much energy during the race. Number of stroke cycles during the length (one cycle = one arm stroke for fly and breast, and one cycle = 2 arm strokes for back and free). This number is computed using stroke rate and actual free swimming time. Official cumulative time in the race. Frequency of swimming cycles during the length measured. Expressed in both cycles per minute (Cycle Rate), and seconds per cycle (Tempo). If you use single arm stroke for Free/Back, divide the cycle rate by 2 to get the stroke rate. This parameter can be used to evaluate swimming efficiency. Extremely high Tempo (Cycle Rate) and average performance times can indicate that swimming technique is not efficient. However, a very low Tempo (Cycle Rate) and average performance is not good either. "Distance per cycle" - distance covered during one stroke cycle during length measured. DPC is an ultimate measure of swimming stroke efficiency. Swimmers and coaches should always look for ways to improve this parameter in their races. High values of DPC indicate available reserves for future improvements, an "untapped" potential. Time in seconds to execute the turn at the end of the length measured. Free and Backstroke begins with hand entry on the final arm stroke and concludes with feet contacting the wall. Fly and Breast begin with hand touch and conclude with foot contact on the wall. Time in seconds from starting tone to the 15-meter mark. Average velocity over first 15 meters of the race. Time in seconds from 7.5 meters remaining in the race to finish. This split shows whether a swimmer is accelerating or decelerating at the end of the race. Average velocity over last 7.5 meters of the race.

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RACE ANALYZER DATA – MICHAEL PHELPS, US OLYMPIC TRIALS “Phelps is known to be an extraordinarily disciplined tactician. He opens races at a sustainable pace, and his strokes remain uniform, almost mechanically so, from beginning to end. There is nothing spontaneous, unruly or desperate about the figure he cuts in the pool. When other swimmers, battling fatigue, begin to lapse technically, Phelps looks as if he is swimming downhill.” Out There by Mark Levine, NY Times, August 3, 2008

400 IM – WORLD RECORD – SEE DATA CHART, PREVIOUS PAGES

Tempo over Distance

Velocity over Distance 2.8

50 48

47.4

47.2

3

3

2

y = -0.0044x + 0.1066x - 0.7471x + 3.1363

2.4

2

R = 0.9061

44

2.64

2.6

2

y = 0.0394x + 0.0729x - 5.0093x + 53.55

46

2

R = 0.7697

2.2

42

2

40 38.8

38

37.7

36.8

36

35.9

34

1.8

1.86

1.78

1.71

1.62

1.6

36.3

1.46

1.4

33.9

32

1.83

1.75 1.43

1.2

30 50

100

150

200

250

300

350

1

400

15

50

100

Cycle Count over Distance

150

200

250

300

350

400

Distance Per Cycle over Distance

20

3.5

19

19

3.11

3

18

18

2.93 2.74

17

17

17

2.5

16.5 16

16

2.18

2.4 3

4

3

2

2

y = 0.0091x - 0.1265x + 0.5997x + 1.6607

14.5

2

R = 0.6536 1.5

y = -0.0208x + 0.3422x - 1.911x + 3.9403x + 15.036 13

2.6

2.27

2

15

15 14

2.66

2

R = 0.5519 1

12 50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

How Does Your Tempo Rate at 350 Meters Into the 400 IM Stack Up? How about your DPC?

400

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PARTICIPANT PROFILES 1,130 PARTICIPANTS WHO ARE WE? Congratulations and thank you to Florida and Texas, each sending over 50 swimmers across the country to compete in the USMS Long Course Nationals here in Oregon! Swimmers entered in the meet hail from 43 of the 50 states, from the District of Columbia, and from 5 foreign countries: 28 from Canada, 4 from Switzerland, 5 from Costa Rica, 1 from Dominica and 1 from Mexico. Welcome to Oregon! Predictably, more than half of the meet’s entrants hail from Washington, Oregon or California. Here are the numbers, by state:

How the heck am I supposed to READ this?

CA

(2 30 )

250

OR

(2 66 )

300

It’s alphabetical you moron; use your bifocals!

(1 36 )

200

W

A

150

(2 9)

0

You can find other swimmers in your age group, look up swimmers by name, and find swimmers by their club affiliation, on the USMS website at: http://www.usms.org/comp/lcnats08/heats/roster.php.

W I W (3) Y 3

VT

(1 )

(9 ) UT

RI (2 SC ) (2 TN ) (2 )

PA

H

(1 1)

(1 6)

VA

(2 7) (9 O) NY

(1 2) (7 LA ) (3 MA) (6 MD ) (6 MN ) (2 ) MI (5 MN ) (3 MO ) (6 MT ) (8 N)C 15 NE (2 ) NH (3 NJ ) (5 NM ) (6 ) NV KY

KS

(1 5)

ID

IL

(9 ) HI

IA

(4 )

GA CT (3 DC ) (1 )

AK (3 AL ) (2 AR) (6 )

(1 5)

(1 8)

CO

AZ

(3 8)

50

(3 3)

TX

(5 1)

FL

(6 2)

100

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WHO ARE WE?, CONTINUED Here are a few additional facts about the competitors you will encounter at the meet:

A BREAKDOWN OF THE NUMBERS: Men: Women: Youngest Man: Youngest Woman: Oldest Man: Oldest Woman:

When you said “Participation Pie” I thought you were gonna share your pizza grandé . . .

621 509 19

Average Age Overall: Average Age Men: Average Age Women:

19

Mean Age Overall: Mean Age Men: Mean Age Women:

89 90

1% 3%

50.07 52.21 49.67 50 51 50

5%

19% 40% Relays 1 Event 2 Events 3 Events 4 Events 5 Events 6 Events*

14%

18%

*Now that the 6th event is out, maybe I can recruit someone to join me at a brew pub . . .

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THE OREGON TRAIL “Over the Barrel/Under the Barrel” Butterfly Lessons and More Achtung! Masters Swimmers! Anyone still needing to learn proper form in the butterfly might consider practicing Bake’s renowned “over the barrel/under the barrel” technique. No, it’s not the same technique you used as an age-grouper when your coach was trying to teach you butterfly body undulation. This technique involves hoisting a mug at one of the area’s many brew pubs while watching the newly-filled barrels ferment and listening to your buddy regale you with stories about his 200 fly (if you don’t have a buddy, bring a youtube.com demonstration video). According to the Oregon Brewers Guild, http://oregonbeer.org/, there are currently 63 brewing companies, operating 88 brewing facilities, in Oregon. There are 30 breweries operating within the Portland city limits alone, more than in any other city in the world. In the words of the Brewer Guild: “Oregon is home to more microbreweries per person than just about anyplace on earth. . . . Come visit us and explore Beervana. “Oregon has been blessed with beautiful scenery, wonderful local brewing ingredients and innovative recipes and brewers who love their craft. Hops, grain and fresh water are all plentiful here. . . . By mixing all these elements together, Oregon brewers have concocted some of the best beers in the world. . . . So what makes craft beers taste different than those mass produced beers? . . . . Ingredients, recipes and intent. “Craft brewers use all malted grains (and lots of them) to produce the brewing liquid. Mass produced beers often use inexpensive filler grains to create a product with little taste or imagination. . . . Craft beers are made to taste great using a blend of Old World traditions and Northwest interpretations of classic recipes.” Listed below are the Guild-listed breweries in the Portland metropolitan, Mt. Hood and Columbia River Gorge areas. This subject requires extensive research, and your editors are in hot pursuit as you read this. Meanwhile, they recommend that you visit the web-sites identified following the brewery list below if you want to find out more about one of the listed establishments before deciding which to visit.

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AUGUST 5, 2008

“Over the Barrel/Under the Barrel”, continued PORTLAND AND MT. HOOD AREA BREWERIES Alameda Brewhouse 4765 NE Fremont Portland, OR 97213 503-460-9025 Amnesia Brewing Company 832 N Beech Portland, OR 97227 503-281-7708 Big Horn Brewing Clackamas Town Center 11860 SE 82nd Ave. #3050 Happy Valley, OR 97086 503-659-1282 BJ’s Pizza, Grill & Brewery 12105 N Center Portland, OR 97217 503-289-5566 BJ’s Pizza, Grill & Brewery 825 NE Weidler Portland, OR 97232 The first pub to 503-288-0111 start brewing its own beer in Oregon was McMenamins Clinton St. Brewing Co. Hillsdale . . . 2524 SE Clinton St. Portland, OR 97202 503-238-5588 Deschutes Brewery & Public House 210 NW 11th Ave. Portland, OR 97209 503-296-4906 Hair of the Dog Brewing Company 4509 SE 23rd Portland, OR 97202 503-232-6585 Hopworks Urban Brewery 2944 SE Powell Portland, OR 97202 503-232-HOPS Laurelwood Public House and Brewery 5115 NE Sandy Portland, OR 97213 503-282-0622 Laurelwood Pizza Company 1728 NE 40th Portland, OR 97212 503-943-6157 Laurelwood Pizza Company 1728 NE 40th Portland, OR 97212 503-943-6157

Lucky Labrador Brewing 915 SE Hawthorne Portland, OR 97214 503-236-3555 Lucky Labrador Public House 7675 SW Capitol Hwy Portland, OR 97219 503-244-2537 MacTarnahan’s Taproom Pyramid Breweries 2730 NW 31st Ave. Portland, OR 97210 503-226-7623 Main Street Ale House 333 N Main Ave. Gresham, OR 97030 503-669-0569 The Mash Tun 2204 NE Alberta St Portland, OR 97211 503-548-4491

Max’s Fanno Creek Brewpub 12562 SW Main St. Tigard, OR 97223 503-624-9400 McCormick & Schmicks’s Harborside Restaurant and Pilsener Room Full Sail Brewery at Riverplace 0307 SW Montgomery Portland, OR 97201 McMenamins / Bagdad Theater 3702 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Portland, OR 97214 503-236-9234 McMenamins / Barley Mill Pub 1629 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Portland, OR 97214 503-231-1492 McMenamins / Blue Moon Tavern & Grill 432 NW 21st Ave. Portland, OR 97209 503-223-3184 McMenamins / Cornelius Pass Roadhouse & Imbrie Hall 4045 NW Cornelius Pass Rd. Hillsboro, OR 97124 503-640-6174 McMenamins / Crystal Ballroom & Lola’s Room 1332 W Burnside Portland, OR 97209 503-225-0047

McMenamins / Fulton Pub & Brewery 0618 SW Nebraska St. Portland, OR 97201 503-246-9530 McMenamins / Grand Lodge 3505 Pacific Ave. Forest Grove, OR 97116 503-992-9533 McMenamins / Greater Trumps 1520 SE 37th Ave. Who are these Portland, OR 97214 ubiquitous 503-235-4530 McMenamins, anyway? McMenamins / Highland Pub & Brewery 4225 SE 182nd Ave. Gresham, OR 97030 503-665-3015 McMenamins / Hillsdale Brewery & Public House 1505 SW Sunset Blvd. Portland, OR 97201 503-246-3938 McMenamins / John Barleycorns 14610 SW Sequoia Pkwy. Tigard, OR 97223 503-684-2688 McMenamins / Market Street Pub 1526 SW 10th Ave. Portland, OR 97201 503-497-0160 McMenamins / Mission Theater 1624 NW Glisan St. Portland, OR 97209 503-223-4527 McMenamins / Oak Hills Brewpub 14740 NW Cornell Rd. Suite 80 Portland, OR 97229 503-645-0286 McMenamins / Raleigh Hills Pub 4495 SW Scholls Ferry Rd. Geez, there Portland, OR 97225 are 55 503-292-1723 McMenamins, 30 on this list McMenamins / Ringlers Annex alone . . . 1223 SW Stark St. Portland, OR 97205 503-525-0520 McMenamins / Ringlers Pub 1332 W Burnside St. Portland, OR 97209 503-225-0627

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“Over the Barrel/Under the Barrel”, continued Sure, but that leaves over 40 nonMcMenamins to choose from!

Lucky Labrador Beer Hall 1945 NW Quimby Portland, OR 97209 503-517-4352 McMenamins / Rock Creek Tavern 10000 NW Old Cornelius Pass Rd. Hillsboro, OR 97124 503-645-3822 McMenamins / St. Johns Theater & Pub 8203 N Ivanhoe St. Portland, OR 97203 503-283-8520 McMenamins / The Rams Head 2282 NW Hoyt St. Portland, OR 97210 503-221-0098 McMenamins / White Eagle Café, Saloon & Rock ‘n’ Roll Hotel 836 N Russell St. Portland, OR 97227 503-282-6810 McMenamins Back Stage Bar 3702 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Portland, OR 97214 Yeah, and 503-236-9234 Lucky Labrador’s McMenamins Cedar Hills serving at the 2927 SW Cedar Hills Blvd. BBQ Social on Beaverton, OR 97005 Saturday! 503-641-0151 McMenamins Chapel Pub 430 N Killingsworth St. Portland, OR 97217 503-286-0372 McMenamins Greenway Pub 12272 SW Scholls Ferry Rd. Tigard, OR 97223 503-590-1865 McMenamins Kennedy School 5736 NE 33rd Ave. Portland, OR 97211 503-249-3983 McMenamins Mall 205 9710 SE Washington St., Suite A Portland, OR 97216 503-254-5411 McMenamins Murray & Allen 6179 SW Murray Blvd. Beaverton, OR 97005 503-644-4562

McMenamins / Edgefield 2126 SW Halsey St. Troutdale, OR 97060 503-669-8610 McMenamins on Broadway 1504 NE Broadway St., Suite 900 Portland, OR 97232 503-288-9498 McMenamins Oregon City 102 9th St. Oregon City, OR 97045 503-655-8032 McMenamins Sherwood 15976 SW Tualatin-Sherwood Rd. Sherwood, OR 97140 503-625-3547 McMenamins Sunnyside 9757 SE Sunnyside Rd., Suite K Clackamas, OR 97015 503-653-8011

McMenamins / Riverwood Pub 8136 SW Hall Blvd. Beaverton, OR 97008 503-643-7189 Philadelphia’s Steaks & Hoagies 18625 Willamette Dr. West Linn, OR 97068 503-699-4130 McMenamins Raccoon Lodge and Brewpub Edgefield – isn’t 7424 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale that where the Portland, OR 97225 Friday Social is? 503-296-0110 Rock Bottom Brewery 206 SW Morrison Portland, OR 97204 503-796-2739 Rogue Ales Distillery and Public House 1339 NW Flanders Portland, OR 97215 503-222-5910

McMenamins Tavern & Pool 1716 NW 23rd Ave. Portland, OR 97210 503-227-0929

Rogue Meeting Hall Portland Int’l Airport: Concourse D 7000 NE Airport Way Portland, OR 97218 503-460-4040 Roots Organic Brewing 1520 SE 7th Portland, OR 97214 503-235-7668 Widmer Brothers Brewing Company 929 N Russell Portland, OR 97227 503-281-2437 Double Mountain Brewery Taproom 8 Fourth St. Hood River , OR 97031 541-387-0042 Elliot Glacier Public House 4945 Baseline Rd. Parkdale, OR 97041 541-352-1022

McMenamins West Linn 2090 SW 8th Ave. West linn, OR 97068 503-656-2970 New Old Lompoc / 5th Quadrant 3901 N Williams Ave. Portland, OR 97217 503-288-3996 New Old Lompoc / Hedge House 3412 SE Division St. Portland, OR 97202 503-235-2215 New Old Lompoc / Oaks Bottom Public House 1621 SE Bybee Blvd. Portland, OR 97202 503-232-1728 New Old Lompoc Brewery 1616 NW 23rd Portland, OR 97210 503-225-1855 Old Market Pub & Brewery 6959 SW Multnomah Blvd. Portland, OR 97223 503-244-0450 Philadelphia’s Steaks & Hoagies 6410 SE Milwaukee Ave. Portland, OR 97202 503-239-8544

Full Sail Brewing Company 506 Columbia St. Hood River , OR 97031 541-386-2247 Mt. Hood Brewing / Ice Axe Grill 87304 E. Gov’t Camp Lp Government Camp, OR 97028 503-272-3172

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MORE MORE THAN YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT BEER CAN BE FOUND HERE: http://beernorthwest.blogspot.com/ http://www.beernw.com/ http://pacificbrewnews.blogspot.com/ http://www.pacificbrewnews.com/index.htm http://oregonbeer.org http://www.guestontap.com/map.shtml (interactive map)

. . . And the editors don’t want to hear anything about beer being incompatible with Swimming. At least one multi-games Olympian proves otherwise:

I would have done this for Lucky Labrador if Alex Stiles had just asked . . .

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NATIONALS ENQUIRER

AUGUST 5, 2008

SWIM FANS’ FORUM SAQ* Test The most burning question that will be on swim fans’ minds Saturday evening, August 16, 2008 is: (a) Whether Paul Smith breaks :54 in the Men’s 45-49 100m Free after training fewer yards than his Granny; (b) Whether announcer Mark Gill can stop talking long enough to make it to the blocks for his own 100m Free race; (c) Whether editor Frank Parisi can eat BBQ while wearing a Speedo LZR; (d) Whether OMS will have to chain timers to the pool deck to get them to stay around for the 200 Meter Free Relays; or (e) None of the Above. *SAQ = Self-Absorption Quotient, as in, to what extent are you someone who thinks so much about things you are directly involved in that you fail to notice other people or the things around them.

ANSWER:

(e) None of the above.

Hint:

Two great swim events will be occurring Saturday August 16, 2008, at 8:00 PM PST: NBC will be televising the conclusion of the Olympic swimming events from Beijing, the Men's 1500M Free, the Women's 50M Free, and the Men’s and Women’s 4x100M Medley Relays The OMS Organizing Committee will be hosting a family-style barbecue in the field adjacent to the competition pool, with NBC’s coverage streamed onto the giant Datronics scoreboard on-deck when coverage starts at 8 PM. Tickets for the BBQ Social are sold out, but those without tickets are invited to bring a picnic and join in the spectating fun.

STAY CONNECTED AT NATIONALS! You can stay connected while at the Aquatic Center if you’re traveling with a wireless-equipped laptop. The Wifi point is in the “crow’s nest,” located at the top center of the spectator stands. Those in the know say that the signal is best in the area directly in front of the crow’s nest, though you may need to huddle with your laptop under a blanket in order to see your screen in Oregon’s famous summer sunshine!

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NATIONALS ENQUIRER

In the Next Issue: • • •

•

AUGUST 5, 2008

Mo Chambers’ Tips on Dryland Training Timeline and Details For the Friday and Saturday Night Socials Evolution of the Swimming Costume One Secret of Olympians’ Success