Call the jewelry store, tell ‘em make me a grill…

AP Photo by Mark Baker

Anyway, I’m sure you’ve heard (or seen) the Lochtenator’s latest trend setting experiment. If not, where have you been?! Ryan rocked a grill at his awards ceremony for the 200 IM and we couldn’t be prouder!

Not to mention that he upped his Heineken tally as well. We decided that the grill earned him a bonus case. He’s seriously going to have us taking out loans to pay up!

The new tally stands as follows:

No, we haven’t gotten a press release, but I think Speedo spilled the beans and proved us right! So we can sort of predict these signings, but only some of the time!

Speedo just released another video podcast in their ‘Speedo Make Waves’ series. Read on for the press release I received in my inbox:

The latest video podcast celebrates our swimmers with the first of a light-hearted series of insights into a number of our athletes, in this edition we find out what they each like to have for breakfast. From the USA, Team Speedo stars Kate Ziegler, Natalie Coughlin, Ian Crocker, Tara Kirk, Katie Hoff, Margaret Hoelzer, Pete Vanderkaay, Kara Lynn Joyce, Davis Tarwater and Ryan Lochte all weigh in. International athletes including Thomas Rupprath (GER), Michael Klim (AUS) and Liam Tancock (GBR) also share their favorite foods to start the day with.

See what I bolded? Yup, KLJ’s name listed alongside US Swimmers that are confirmed Speedo athletes.

So there ya go! Speedo snags Kara Lynn Joyce! You heard it here!

So after Day 3 down in Melbourne, the Lochtenator has set a Championship Record and earned a silver medal; both from the 100 Back.

So, we are proud to kick off his Heineken Incentive Plan right now!

Keep up the great work, Ryan!

Yes, Rowdy Gaines. People can say what they want, but he is a great commentator. And by watching this WCSN coverage, that is becoming more and more apparently to me.

I understand that beggars can’t be choosy (I’m glad we even get coverage), but this country holds freedom of speech in high regard, so I’m going to take advantage.

We need someone like Rowdy commentating. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I don’t particularly enjoy the bias against Team USA that I’ve been picking up thus far. “The Americans say they have the fastest team ever but…” or “I would have thought they’d go faster…” gets really old after the first few times. Not only that, but if you’re trying to expand swimming’s audience, it’d be nice to have commentators who know more than just the mini-bios of the Team USA athletes, wouldn’t it? (e.g. Brendan Hansen trains in Austin, TX, but he is not from there.)

It would be nice to know when someone swims a personal best time. Maybe those viewers without a wealth of knowledge on Team USA would like to hear a little of the athletes’ backstories. It would also be nice to see some post-race interviews with American swimmers. But more importantly, please tell us when a US Swimmer breaks an American record!

After Natalie Coughlin’s 100 Fly final, all they could focus on was that she didn’t win and how she should have. How negative! Because they aren’t Americans themselves, they were completely oblivious to the fact that Natalie had just broken a longstanding American Record! All they wanted to focus on was how poorly they thought she executed her race strategy. Then there was Tara Kirk who was apparently “faking her confidence”. What does that mean anyway?

Now these were just two of many examples I’ve noted and that’s only from 2 nights of coverage!

How is the American public going to embrace the sport when its athletes are cast in such a negative light? They can’t do anything right in the eyes of these commentators. The ongoing theme is how much faster they thought Team USA would be going, when the focus should be on well they are doing so far! There have been several Championship Records, an American Record, and a slew of personal best swims.

So what I’m saying is, can someone get Rowdy on the next flight over there? And while you’re at it, have him take Kaitlin with him. We need some knowledgeable coverage of Team USA’s quest for gold!

And while I’m complaining, can someone send a memo to Speedo that they need to film more commercials? Because if I have to see Mike’s commercial from the summer of 2005 too many more times, I may go crazy.

It really is true what they say:

One bad apple spoils the whole bunch

We all know this firsthand. But I also believe that once you rid yourself of that “bad apple”, everthing works itself out.

I will apply that to our little swimming community. This “apple” was creating a fictional and completely unnecessary divide amongst fans. Once we were rid of this rotting apple, everything worked itself out. Some of us are even richer in the aftermath! It’s a win-win situation that I’m glad happened!

Now, everyone sing with me!

Kum ba yah, my Lord, Kum ba yah!
Kum ba yah, my Lord, Kum ba yah!
Kum ba yah, my Lord, Kum ba yah!
Oh Lord! Kum ba yah!

Looks like the Associated Press made a little error. Normally, a small mistake is easily correted, but not when you have a wire set up and your error is spread out to hundreds of other media outlets. That turns it into a HUGE one!

Anyway, in a recent article on Worlds, AP attributed a quote Brendan Hansen made last week to Ian Crocker.

Oopsie!

Wouldn’t it be funny if Ian were the breaststroker and Brendan the flyer? Sometimes when I’m bored I think about things like this. Sorry for the randomness

The thought of swimming for a few minutes, exhausts me, and I’m in shape.

Then the thought of swimming for 10 minutes makes me even more tired.

Throw in swimming for 2 hours, and I’m about ready to curl up in the fetal position. I was a sprinter when I ran track, but I still don’t think I can run for 2 hours!

So seriously, we all have to give it up for open water swimmers! I cannot fathom doing any kind of physical activity for that long. When I ran track I also didn’t have to deal with the wildlife like jellyfish and sharks or the elbows and knees of competitors. Anything goes out in the open!

Just a sidenote: I am currently communicating with a National Team Open Water swimmer who wants to join the Swim Stars network. So there is a possibility that y’all will be hearing a lot more about the sport in the near future. I’ll keep you posted!