Fellow, Swim Aids, grab your Kleenex because the last of the Vanderkaays, Dane, just swam his last home dual NCAA meet at Michigan! That’s right. It’s been a decade of Vanderness and it is soon to be no more.

When I saw Mama VK at the Tri-Meet, the other week, I asked her how she was doing since this was indeed the last time around for her. She’s been “The Michigan Mom” for so long! It’s probably not really going to hit her until this October, when she isn’t headed to Canham for the first meet of the season.

What this really underscores to me is how freaking fast time flies! I remember seeing tiny, lil Dane in Montreal for the 2005 World Championships and now he’s a senior in college! (BTW, Dane was like a carbon copy of Pete back then. Now he looks JUST LIKE Alex!)

WHERE DOES THE TIME GO?!?!?!?!

The only thing this reunion was missing was our fave, Pete. He’s training in Florida, which we’re still not used to seeing, but undoubtedly won’t have to for much longer. Mama says his lease is up at the end of July, and then that’s likely the end of that era as well.

So, go ahead and watch the sweet video that was featured on Michigan’s website. Love that Mama’s campaigning for some grand babies. Imagine that. Baby Vanderkaays? Say it with me: “AWWWWWWW!”

(H/T: Our buddy Tim, who moonlights as the Michigan Team manager)

I was wondering when we’d see one of these pop up! Hit us up and let us know if there are any more!

[H/T: Gus]

ETA: Swim Aid fave, Spin Beck, sent us a link to one she and her Texas teammates did. Also hilarious!

Click here to view the embedded video.

BTW, The bottom module stirs under the educational group.

As soon as the calendar switched over to 2012, you knew it was about to go down. And it did!

It is now Michael Phelps season! The reigning poster child for the American Olympic effort is back on our TVs on a regular basis!

Subway, one of Phelpsy’s longtime sponsors is bombarding us with multiple ads. I think I saw 3 different spots during the NFL playoffs the other night. (No, they’re not all new, but they’re in rotation nonetheless) And that’s exactly the audience they needed to hammer! Plant that seed now, and hopefully those fans will tune in this summer!

BTW, when do these advertisers put The Lochtenator in TV ads? I bet the outtakes would be comedy GOLD!

The Swim Aids have always had an extreme love for all things Club Wolverine and we still haven’t truly come to terms with the fact that PVK no longer trains with Team CW. We figure that if we don’t go to meets and actually see him rocking a Florida cap, it isn’t real. Yup. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.

Anyway, enjoy this throwback to Summer 2010!

O/T: I really enjoy how a lot of swim clubs are using social media these days. What a difference a few years make!

I don’t know about y’all, but I’m pretty sure I just went cross-eyed lol.

Shoutout to the homey, Mike Gustafson for this amazing video. If you’re not fortunate enough to know him (like we Swim Aids do), or at least follow him on Twitter, then you are not winning. That is all.

Does anyone else still miss Chlorination?

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Download the full episode here or watch on ABC.com.

Watch the video below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

I’m enjoying my jailbroken iPhone entirely too much!

And I do have a small sampling of photos that I will eventually share here. I would have put this on MGoSwim, but the powers that be at RegFly, saw fit to charge my card for the domain renewal and then take the domain away from me. Bastards…

I was watching BET — as “The Handbook” requires me to do as an African-American — Young Jeezy’s verse in Akon’s song, “I’m So Paid”, includes a Phelpsy reference. You know Mike loved that. I’m not going to lie, though. I did roll my eyes. Add in the fact Akon’s voice is equivalent to nails on a chalkboard to me and we have a wonderfully memorable moment…for me to poop on!

On a serious tip, though. It’s great to have a swimmer receive a shout-out in any mainstream song. It’s a big deal. Immortalized in pop culture. Having said that, I would have preferred a Lochtenator shout-out instead. Maybe next time.

Watch the video below. The reference about 2 minutes in.

Click here to view the embedded video.