The Swim Aids have been all over the place attending and covering meets the past few years. We were so on top of the game!

Judging from our past swim trips, it would be reasonable to think that once the Olympic year got here, things would be even crazier, right? Well, that’s what we thought too, but we were wrong!

Then something tragic happened. We faced the reality that The Swim Aids are broke as a joke right lately. It’s gut-wrenching, really. First we had to bail on Short Course Nationals in Hotlanta. Then we had to pull out of the Long Beach Grand Prix. (Well, not 100%. Kiwi got to see one session of that. Better than nothing!) And now, because of the same reasons, we regret to inform that we will not be at this weekend’s Missouri Grand Prix.

What we really need is a travelling allowance. That, or a sugar daddy of some sort. We’d take either! Since neither option appears to be in our immediate future, we have had to cut back significantly on our swim trips. It saddens us too.

But don’t fret! We see the light at the end of the tunnel! And I know you’ve heard this before, but we do have at least 2 meets lined up before Trials. See, things are looking better already!

Because the Ohio State Grand Prix is in C-Bus (where I live), we will definitely be in the house. And then Santa Clara is another definite destination. The yearly Cali trip is like a tradition, at this point. Also, the Women’s NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships are also here in C-Bus, so I may go to that as well. I told y’all McCorkle was where it’s at!

So, there is swimming on the horizon. Never fear, Swim Aid followers!

And last, but certainly not least, we’d like to extend a sincere thank you to those of you who have started and continu to check out our fun side project, MGoSwim. And for those of you, who haven’t, that is why there is next to no Club Wolverine chatter over here anymore. It now resides on MGoSwim. To see the latest posts, check out the far right sidebar. We make it really easy for you!

Speedo sent this over, and we’re all about sharing around here.

Speedo®, the world’s leading swimwear brand, will unveil its new, “space age” suit on Tuesday, February 12th with global launch events in Sydney, Tokyo, London and New York.

The brand is excited to announce that it will be offering swim fans the opportunity to be a part of the New York launch via a live webcast at www.speedo.com/time. The New York event will be streamed live, beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET, on February 12th. The presentation will begin at noon ET.

The webcast will be the first public opportunity to grab a glimpse of the new Speedo body suit being worn by the world’s fastest swimmers – including swimming superstars Michael Phelps (USA) who says he “feels like a rocket off the wall” in the new suit, and Natalie Coughlin (USA) who says “it feels incredible.”

Visitors to the site will also be able to view exclusive footage from the other three launches around the world – Sydney, Tokyo and London – beginning on February 13th.

Already available at www.speedo.com/time, visitors can view special behind-the-scenes footage of the suit in research and development, as well as a take a first-look at the brand campaign photo shoot.

The site will also offer visitors the chance to pre-register an advance order for one of the limited edition designs which will take swimming to new heights in 2008.

Tests show the new swimsuit is faster than its predecessors and is a fitting testimony to Speedo’s 80-year legacy as the world leader in swimwear design and innovation.

It’s so nice to open up an issue of Sports Illustrated and see the hard work of various swimmers recognized. If you’re not familiar with SI, allow me to break it down:

In the opening pages of the magazine, there is a feature called “Faces in the Crowd”. It’s where they put the spotlight on 6 standout prep athletes in a variety of sports. In addition, one of the athletes, as decided by the editors, gets a video spotlight on Takkle.com. In recent issues of Sports Illustrated, not 1, but 2 swimmers have been tabbed the “Video Face”. Those two very deserving swimmers are Jenny Connolly and Spindrift Beck (who has the coolest name ever).

Check out their pages on Takkle.com (which include video) and feel free to nominate more swimmers for SI’s “Faces in the Crowd”. You can do so at SI.com/Faces.

Better late than never, yo.