Here’s the evening update. Hopefully there will be no more haters on here wasting our time.

Anyway…

1. The impossible has happened! I have captured a shot of PVK on the awards stand with a genuine smile on his face! I know, I know. Bow down to me. All it took was a little OSU/Michigan humor and he lit right up.

1a. Before his race, I finally got a chance to catch-up with Pete face-to-face. I realized that I hadn’t gotten to talk to him in person since the Snik meet last year. Now text messages, emails, and facebook are all good and fun, but there’s nothing quite like the Vander-wit up close and personal.

1c. What a strange numbering system I’ve got here, huh? Keeping with the PVK theme, I would just like to say how proud I am of him and his awesome 400 Free tonight. I knew he’d eventually go after Kletus‘ US Open and American Record, but I didn’t think it would be tonight! This isn’t even a taper meet! Look out for PVK this summer yo!

2. Kaitlin, whom I apparently “stalk” was a doll again today. I already told y’all how she refuses to keep the chocolate she gets for placing top 3. Well today, a young fan asked for her autograph after the 400 IM awards. When she was done signing she offered the little girl her chocolate. And the girl made the funniest face! As if to say “why would I want that?” haha. Kaitlin immediately turned around gave her chocolates to me. I don’t refuse chocolate Buckeyes. They are delish! She and I joked that the little girl simply didn’t want Kaitlin’s chocolates since she only finished 2nd.

3. I would like to thank UCLA for ruining my bracket. The game was showing in the hospitality room and I couldn’t stop checking in on the scores throughout the session.

4. No embarassing SPA stories this evening. Shout out to Piper and her big-ass feet. No one that short should wear size 11’s homegirl!

5. Gary Hall just ceases to amaze me. He is beyond amazing with fans. I am in awe. Every time I passed him to shoot a race, he was obliging someone’s request for a picture or autograph. And he just doesn’t sign and then move on. He engages in conversations and the whole she-bang. Very impressed! I just love seeing that.

6. The meet officials at the 50m turn are so friendly. I love being able to chat with them while I’m over there.

7. Maybe we should make a new category called “Peter Bick Owns Us”. Because after this meet, that may very well be true. The jokes never end; especially when we gang up on misbehaving swimmers while on the awards podium. JK, JK.

8. Erik got DQed from his second breaststroke race of the meet. Methinks Bob & co. may need to tinker with his stroke a little.

9. T-Dub is majorly M.I.A. He didn’t swim in finals tonight. I look forward to seeing him in the 2Fly tomorrow.

10. Again, Dan Madwed impressed me. He really pushed Pete in the 400 Free prelims, but in finals, he swam a best time too.

11. I’m not as tired as I was this time last night, but I’m still going to pack it in and head to bed. One more day, friends. One more day!

12. So funny story. NBC4, a news channel here, did another story on the meet. I know, I was surprised too. They said that the reason Mike didn’t swim the 400 Free prelims this morning was because he fell asleep on the diving platform and missed his heat. HAHAHAHA I want to believe that, but I don’t know if I can because I could have sworn that saw him leave with a media rep to do an interview long before the 400 Free heats began. It’s funnier to believe that he was stretching fell asleep! It’s ok, though. He wouldn’t have beat PVK anyway

We all know Erika has a thing for guys who rock the “retro” swim caps. So now we share with you this delightful picture of Ian Crocker from the Encore Swim meet in Austin.

So Erika, now that Crocker has thrown his cap into the ring, so to speak, does that mean he is now your new #1?

Inquiring minds would like to know.

So after seeing the great news that Mr. Erik Vendt has just broken the 1000y Free American Record, I thought I’d check out his TYR athlete page.

Boy was I surprised to see that it’s not there anymore. No, I’m serious. See for yourself. Then I looked at their athlete roster and saw his name missing. But it wasn’t just Erik. Larsen Jensen’s name was also nowhere to be found.

Where, oh where, have Larjo and Erik gone?

And does this mean they are with another company? Larjo was relatively newly-signed too, wasn’t he?

From EmmyMik’s Flickr photostream

It was recently brought to my attention that there was a male swimmer, at Nationals, who was rocking the most amazing and amusing swim cap ever.

I still don’t really remember this, but I won’t say why. That’s none of y’alls business! What happens in the stands during swim trips, stays in the stands!

Anyway, our very own Erika went and found a picture in the hopes that it would jog my memory. It really didn’t. Apparently, we all thought it was the funniest thing we’d ever seen! I’m told we went so far as to figure out said swimmer’s identity (no, we don’t remember anymore), and plotted to create a website for him just because he wore that awesome swim cap. We’ve created website for swimmers for even more bizarre reasons than that. Trust me.

I wish I was kidding with this story, but I’m not. I told y’all we were crazy. Maybe now you’ll believe me!

Anyway, Erika has dubbed this fine young lad her “boyfriend” and thought everyone would enjoy a laugh at our expense, because really, that what’s we’re here for!

You love us. Don’t even front.

TYR is alway impressing the Swim Aids. (Speedo, Nike: take notes!) And they don’t show any signs of slowing down.

There’s a new ad up featuring Mr. Erik Vendt, the newly minted 800 & 1500 Free National Champion. The picture used in the ad was immediately familiar to me. It was from this year’s Santa Clara meet, and we have some shots of our own that are similar to it.

And if you remember, it was also the 400 Free prelim race where poor Erik was rockin’ the hole-y suit.

Good times, good times.

Or else we’ll send Erika to your house to punch you in the face!

We just want to let y’all know, since Club Wolverine Owns Us, that the UM schedule for 07-08 is out and y’all need to go support those boys. Why? Because we said so! Oh, and also because we can’t…

We’d also like to let you know that nothing, short of an act of God, will get us to any UM meets this time around. Yea, we know we’re slacking, but we have a plan, so just bear with us. We will be there in spirit! The alum exhibition and Big Tens interests us more than anything else, but we have to use a little self control this year. Next summer is going to make all of us broke! Besides, I need to go see some of my peoples on tour this fall. I work for/with some music artists too. Y’all don’t know nuthin’ bout that!

And I know I have less of an excuse than the other Swim Aids, being that I’m less than 3 hours from Ann Arbor, but I’d just like to remind everyone that I went to all of the UM meets (home & away) but one during the 2005-06 season. So back up off me! Now, my mind can be changed in rare occurances — and by request — but I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were y’all. However, it should be noted that I will accept gifts in the form of flowers (lillies) and McDonald’s gift certificates (mmm, fries).

Anyway, Go Blue!

So while on one of my many trips this summer, I found myself reading an OK! magazine. I stumbled upon an article with Jessica Biel. One question she was asked, was how she felt about marriage. She responded with this:

I don’t understand why everyone is in a rush to get married. I mean, you’re single for like 20 or 30 years, and you’re married for like 70.

To which I say; You go Jessica! I too, am a little bit of a commitment-phobe. The only thing I KNOW I want when I get older (and the Swim Aids can vouch for this) is a gay son. As for waking up to the same person, everyday, for the rest of my life? Uhm, wow. Not so much.