I’m sure I’m not alone, but when I think of Swimsuit Issues, I think of the slick production of hotness that is Sports Illustrated’s annual offering. It’s the Holy Grail of Swimsuit Issues.

Herego, if I see any other swimsuit issues, I expect them to bring it the same way SI does. But sometimes, what we expect, isn’t always what we get.

Case in point: Swimming World Magazine’s 2008 Swimsuit Issue. It’s the first digital issue so I feel there are going to be more. But WHY?! asdfghj

I understand where the need to create one comes from, and I understand that Swimming World is not Sports Illustrated. I also read the letter from Marketing Director Toni Napper that said that high school students were heavily involved in the creation of this special issue. That’s going to look awesome on their future resume!

But I really, really, really, really wish someone would have warned me before I downloaded it. Not a fan. And now I can’t get the time it took to look through it back!

Jason, I’d just looooove to hear your thoughts on this. Please tell me it wasn’t your idea or I may have to rethink our friendship.

No, I’m not kidding.

Omega wants to give the credentialed media members the chance to race in the Trials pool in Omaha. It’ll be a 50 Free race and the prize is a phatty new Omega watch.

The competition calls for journalists to predict their time and the closest guess to the actual finish wins the watch. So it doesn’t matter if you’re a seasoned swimmer-turned-media rep and hit the wall first. You will need to bust out your crystal ball to win!

Upon learning our credential applications were approved (yay!) we saw this and laughed. In fact, we’re still laughing. I’m surprised that I can type out this post, to be perfectly honest.

But don’t get your hopes up. We’re not entering this competition. I’ve already talked about what it takes for me to swim and a free watch — even a nice Omega one — doesn’t meet any of the criteria. Sorry to burst your big, fat, red, shiny bubbles.

If there’s one thing Gary Hall Jr. is good at, it’s making bold predictions pertaining to the Olympics.

I’m not sure giving the Aussies bulletin board material is the best idea, even if it does look like Team US has the upper hand on paper. Regardless, that’s what GHJ has done with his latest comments.

“You know as well as I do that it isn’t going to be close. The US team will win more Olympic medals than any other country. It’s not patriotism, it’s an insider’s perspective on the odds.

But tell us how you really feel, Gary!

Does everyone remember the big blow-up when Gary guaranteed results at the 2000 Olympics? I sure as hell do. In Sydney, he predicted that the USA 400 Free relay would beat the Aussie squad and “smash them like guitars”. That didn’t end well…

Confidence is a very good thing. But it’s best to let your swimming do the talking because actions always speak louder than words.

We’re big Amanda fans around here. All you need to do is search our posts and you’ll see that.

But lately, we don’t seem to see eye-to-eye with her fashion choices. She confused us with her unfortunate choice of dress at this summer’s ESPY Awards.

But nothing could have prepared us for what she unveiled at the Golden Goggles.

What is that? Ew. And why doesn’t she ever wear her hair down and soften up her look?

P.S. Where was our dear Kaitlin? It just so happens that we Swim Aids live for the Golden Goggles every year because Kaitlin always knocks it out of the park with her choice of dress. She always looks fierce and then all of the celebs in Hollywood go on to bite her style.

To some, Golden Goggles are all about a once a year meet and greet, where the swimmers get all dressed up and strut their stuff.  But to the Swim Aids, it’s all about the fashion: What Not to Wear style!  There’s already been posts, but I wanna join in on the fun, and try not to offend anyone like I have done in the past!

So, that being said: taking lessons from Phelps or were you just camping for the weekend and forgot a razor?

Note: And yes, I hope this doesn’t come back to bite me in the ass!

“OH MICHIGAN”
Welp, Michigan…2 outta 3 aint bad. Glad we can count on the pool Wolverines to rack up those W’s. That was the most underwhelming OSU/UM game I can remember in my lifetime; and I’ve seen many!

GOLDEN GOGGLES
Anyway, moving on to the Golden Goggles. They’re tonight. I’m not expecting many surprises. I expect Phelps and Ziegler to clean up. Speaking of Phelps…

Look at the pic to your right. At first glance, doesn’t it look like someone got dressed without a key article of clothing? *shudders* I just ate and I was afraid my food might come back up. Thankfully, it was just horrible shadowing and I won’t be kept up at night with nightmares. The lord be praised! Feel free to click on the thumbnail for a larger picture.

And because I can, I’d like to introduce Mr. Phelps to what should be his new best friend:

To check out the other not-so-frightening portraits from the Golden Goggle photo session, click here. It’s always great to see the swimmers in street clothes.

PSYCH SHEET
Keep an eye out later this week for post concerning ticket packages for the Olympics in Beijing. I’ve literally been sitting on this post trying to find the words to express my utter shock and disgust for what’s happening to USA Swimming and the families of Olympic hopefuls. I hope to pull something together this week, but when I have to hold back and choose my words carefully, tasks become increasingly more difficult. You’ll see.

We Swim Aids go to a lot of meets. And I do mean a LOT of meets.

As our travels continue, we’ve come to witness a lot of no-no’s when it comes to what people wear at meets; not just the spectators, but also the athletes.

This edition of “What Not To Wear”, obviously borrowed from my favorite TLC show, is dedicated to spectators.

Tip: If you want to avoid looking like a fangirl and getting laughed at, don’t wear shirts that say things like…oh saaaay… “The Future Mrs. Keller”. We don’t care that you really are engaged to Kletus. The massive rock you are sporting should suffice. You should not, under any circumstances, sport apparel like that…EVER. Try making a shirt that says “Team Keller” or something comparable. That would be a much better decision.