A year ago today, the very first Swim Aids post was written. Doesn’t seem like it’s been that long, but it is true that time flies when you’re having fun!
Over the past year we’ve tried to share our adventures in the swimming realm with a side order of keepin’ it real. There are plenty of straight forward and no-nonsense swimming websites out there. We operate one ourselves, so we know! For this site, we tried a different route; to have a little fun and it’s been successful thus far!
In the years following our entrance into the swimming world, we’ve been fortunate enough to strike up friendships with a lot of the swimmers we write about here. From teasing our favorites (who almost all happen to swim for Club Wolverine), to sharing the lighter side of the Lochtenator (that’s Ryan Lochte, for those of you not ‘in the know’), we’ve had some classic moments, and we look to build on that in the future. Our girl, Katie Hoff, will probably continue to have immunity, and we will never stop praising Kaitlin Sandeno’s fashion sense and Amanda Beard’s uber-hotness. (The Swim Chicks have got it going on!) Y’all should make it a point to stay close because the posse is hooking up for Nationals in a few weeks and we promise that will be entertaining; well, at least for us!
So whether you were around for that first post or have just recently stumbled upon our little corner of the web, we thank you for visiting. We also thank those of you who have taken the time to send in feedback as well as those who have joined in on our fun by registering and commenting. We’re glad that making asses out of ourselves on a regular basis is entertaining to you. Besides, it’s all for the sport of swimming, right?
WHAT: Austin Staab Swim Clinic WHO: Swimmers Ages 7-14 are invited to attend WHEN: July 28th @ 10:30 AM WHERE: Westerville Jaycee Pool HOW MUCH: $3 pre-registered or $5 at the door. WHY: The clinic will be teaching drills and techniques that helped Austin become a National Record holder through WAC.
And not just because he’s a regular Swim Aid visitor, either
We’d like to send a shout-out to the eldest Vanderkaay brother, Christian. We may have been primarily ‘out of the loop’ while covering the Santa Clara meet, but not so much that we don’t know when we gotta give props. Besides we are extremely Vanderkaay friendly around here, if you hadn’t noticed. Good peoples.
So earlier this week CVK took on a little open water swimming for the Motor City Mile; which is an Open Water swim in the Detroit River, off Belle Isle Beach. CVK lived up to his successful last name and won the mile event in the Masters group.
USA Swimming’s executive director Chuck Wielgus is not a fan of Amanda’s decision to pose for Playboy
As a membership organization that caters primarily to children and teenagers, I don’t feel that the appearance by Ms. Beard in the July issue of Playboy Magazine is an appropriate portrayal of our sport. While we recognize the rights of all athletes to choose how to represent themselves in the media, USA Swimming is committed to promoting a different image of our organization. …
Maybe I missed the memo, but when did Amanda ever declare that her cover was supposed to be an accurate portrayal of the sport of swimming? Oh that’s right. She didn’t. I also don’t believe that Amanda’s intentions were to plant the seed in American age group swimmers’ minds that when they grow up, they should aim for a spot in Playboy. Amanda is making her own path, and any individual with even the slightest shred of common sense should see that what works for one does not necessarily work for others.
We stand by our earlier declarations that Amanda’s cover was amazing for the sport. It got the sports world talking about a swimmer. That is hard to do. After Kate Z. destroyed Janet’s 1500 WR, there was hardly a single mention of it on ESPN. My brother said he saw something, but I didn’t. A Playboy cover may not be the choice act to achieve water cooler discussion, but the sport of swimming in the United States is not in a position to make that call. In short, beggars can’t be choosy! Amanda is knocking that door down the best way she knows how. Swimmers will later on reap the benefits of her actions. Thank the lord for Amanda Beard, the trail blazer!
This post is dedicated to our girl Kaitlin Sandeno. Without even knowing it, she makes us laugh a LOT…much like her man, T-Dub!! Coincidence? We think not.
In any case, we got to chat with her quite regularly at the Santa Clara meet and we noticed a pattern of comments from ‘The Sandeno’: she apparently thinks she has a fat ass. No, we are serious. She shared with us that she ripped several of her Nike suits at the meet, but anyone could rip those things! Have you seen how tiny competition suits are?
So, to help Kaitlin see that she does not, in fact, have a “fat ass”, we decided a Swim Aids post was in order. It’s because we care so much, really. So, see that pic to the left? That is what we here at the Swim Aids consider a fat ass.
Kaitlin, girl, you look good! Do you realize how many women would kill for your “fat ass”!? Keep workin it, mama!
ESPN is in search of ultimate sports athlete. They have compiled a list of thirty-two well known athletes of the day, pitting two athletes in a bracket tournament. During Sportscenter every night for the month of July, two athletes will be compared and the fans will chose. The following night the winner will be revealed and move on to the next round.
These are the brackets:
The Complete Bracket
MICHAEL JORDAN BRACKET
July 1: (1) Tiger Woods def (8) Matt Leinart
July 2: (4) Dwyane Wade vs (5) Shaun White
July 3: (2) LaDainian Tomlinson vs (7) David Beckham
July 4: (3) Steve Nash vs (6) Serena Williams
MUHAMMAD ALI BRACKET
July 5: (1) Peyton Manning vs (8) Amanda Beard
July 6: (4) Dale Earnhardt Jr vs (5) Chuck Liddell
July 7: (2) Alex Rodriguez vs (7) Terrell Owens
July 8: (3) Kobe Bryant vs (6) Ronaldinho
BILLIE JEAN KING BRACKET
July 9: (1) LeBron James vs (8) Kelly Slater
July 10: (4) Jeff Gordon vs (5) Barry Bonds
July 11: (2) Derek Jeter vs (7) Sidney Crosby
July 12: (3) Reggie Bush vs (6) Danica Patrick
BABE RUTH BRACKET
July 13: (1) Tom Brady vs (8) David Ortiz
July 14: (4) Maria Sharapova vs (5) Vince Young
July 15: (2) Roger Federer vs (7) Tony Parker
July 16: (3) Shaquille O’Neal vs (6) Michael Phelps
And yes, you are reading correctly. Two - count ‘em - TWO swimmers are on the list.
To read more about the Ultimate Sports Star or to vote, log on to ESPN.com.
Yea, we got it covered. It’s a beautiful thing to be on top of your shit when covering a swim meet. We were blogging live from the deck, so there are tons of updates already online. We have a small sampling of pictures, and all of the finals video. Pretty impressive, huh? We thought so too. For all of that coverage, check out Swim Stars Live. If you want to see our video, we put it all on YouTube. Check out the playlist below!
A year ago today, the very first Swim Aids post was written. Doesn’t seem like it’s been that long, but it is true that time flies when you’re having fun!
Calling all Central Ohio Swimmers!
This post is dedicated to our girl 
