It’s not what you think, so get your minds out of the gutter!

If you take a look through the Media Guide for the WOrld Championships team, you’ll find an interesting little ditty under Pete’s bio. He has a pet hermit crab named Ditka.

Upon discovering this, I laughed for 5 minutes. Actually, it was more like 30. Then I had to find out why on earth he had a pet hermit crab because “I was unaware that people older than 12 years old had hermit crabs for pets”.

Pete’s reply was simply:

Don’t hate.

So no, he did not shed any light on the subject. He was probably embarassed, as any grown man with a pet hermit crab should be. In any case, my hat goes off to my favorite Vanderkaay. He takes my frequent ribbings like a champ, no matter where he is. In this case, he was down under for Worlds. And let’s be real. That email probably made his day; just like all of mine do.

Now if he could only come up with a decent comeback for when I make fun of him…

No, we haven’t gotten a press release, but I think Speedo spilled the beans and proved us right! So we can sort of predict these signings, but only some of the time!

Speedo just released another video podcast in their ‘Speedo Make Waves’ series. Read on for the press release I received in my inbox:

The latest video podcast celebrates our swimmers with the first of a light-hearted series of insights into a number of our athletes, in this edition we find out what they each like to have for breakfast. From the USA, Team Speedo stars Kate Ziegler, Natalie Coughlin, Ian Crocker, Tara Kirk, Katie Hoff, Margaret Hoelzer, Pete Vanderkaay, Kara Lynn Joyce, Davis Tarwater and Ryan Lochte all weigh in. International athletes including Thomas Rupprath (GER), Michael Klim (AUS) and Liam Tancock (GBR) also share their favorite foods to start the day with.

See what I bolded? Yup, KLJ’s name listed alongside US Swimmers that are confirmed Speedo athletes.

So there ya go! Speedo snags Kara Lynn Joyce! You heard it here!

We told y’all that you need to watch out for the Wolverines, did we not?

Well a Vanderkaay named Alex has stepped up and claimed his first individual NCAA title in winning the 400y IM. He came in to NCAA meet with the fastest time in the nation and with his when, he’s putting the doubters on notice that he is for real. Not only that, but he knocked over 3 seconds off of his lifetime best time in the event. How’s that for making a statement.

We tend to crack Alex jokes from time to time, but make no mistake that we are extremely proud of him! Maybe PVK was right when he told me last year that “Alex is the man” . He would know, wouldn’t he?

We cannot wait to hear from Mama VDK. She was sooo excited last week at AVK’s chances at NC’s. We’re sure she’s literally bouncing off walls!

Anyway, congrats, Alex!

BONUS: Take a listen to Alex’s thoughts on his race courtesy of Swimming World Magazine. [DOWNLOAD]

P.S. Is it me or does Alex not sometimes sound just like Pete when he speaks?

Larsen Jensen had the perfect opportunity to earn some keepin’ it real points, but he has let the Swim Aids down. If you haven’t been following the glorious smack talking that has been going on between Larsen and Grant Hackett, allow me to sum it up quickly:

After concentrating on his upcoming wedding, moving to a new house and establishing a new training base, Grant did some press where he said the following:

“I was a little bit naive making that big a transition and thinking it wouldn’t interrupt my performance as much as it has. I don’t think I will be able to get the absolute most out of myself for this world championships. I think it’s definitely the least-prepared I have been for a lot of reasons.”

Larsen caught wind of Grants comments and fired back with:

“If he was sick and he was able to pull it off, all power to him. But I don’t understand why when he is supposedly healthy he goes the same times. I really don’t think that illness is much of a factor. I think excuses are like butt-holes, everyone has one and they all stink.”

Larsen earned some serious keepin’ it real points with that! Upgrade!

So Grant fired back with:

“His comments are quite laughable really. You are going to get competitors like that, it creates more interest in the sport and I think people enjoy that and enjoy that sort of profile. He certainly seems to enjoy what it brings to the sport, if that helps him great, I hope he competes as well as he talks.”

It’s getting good, right? Well, that’s pretty much where it ends. *aaron face*

Larsen spoke to the media today from NCAAs in Minneapolis and pretty much retracted all that had said and unleashed a vision of harmony. Well not really, but it was disappointing after his earlier comments. Here are some of Larsen’s quotes from today:

“I’m very much looking forward to competing against Grant Hackett and that being said I want to have no misunderstanding that I have a great deal of respect for the man as a competitor and a friend.”

And this beauty:

“All of us from time to time have excuses and I think certainly if anybody has the least reason for excuses he (Hackett) has because he is the world record holder and world champion and a great competitor and somebody I view as a friend.”

Can’t you just picture Larsen and Grant holding hands while running through fields of daisies?

Anyway, after earning some Keepin It Real points, we had no choice but to take them all (and then some) away. This reduces his tally to negative numbers. Sorry, Larsen.

Survey says:

So the American Short Course Champs concluded down in Austin, TX on Saturday night. With the Missouri Grand Prix taking place the weekend before, it dampened the number of “headliners” that competed at the meet. That’s not all. Last year, Speedo was a major meet sponsor. This year, Speedo’s name was nowhere to be seen on meet promos. Not only that, but check out the major downgrade in meet logos:

I guess money really does talk!

Showing a little love to the UM Swimming & Diving program because they killed it at Big Tens last weekend. So, they didn’t win. Almost only counts in horse shoes. Mark my words that they will dominate next year when they host the meet.

Were it not for that stupid winter storm, I would have been able to see some of this meet. But mother nature was not cooperative and then duty called me out to Missouri instead. All my absence really meant is that a certain Vanderkaay (not named Peter) isn’t going to receive individual pictures of himself. Somewere in Ann Arbor, he is crying because he was ready for a new facebook profile picture. I keep it real.

But anyway, as we’ve been preaching for a while because Club Wolverine Owns Us, y’all really need to get out and support those boys. Not because they need it per se, but because they deserve it!

Twenty-One Olympians to Compete in Columbia

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – More than half of the 2007 World Championship team and a total of 21 American Olympians are expected to compete at the Missouri Grand Prix, Feb. 16-19 at the Mizzou Aquatic Center in Columbia, Mo. The third stop in the Toyota Grand Prix Series, it is the last major competition before Team USA heads to Melbourne for the 2007 FINA World Championships, March 18-April 1 in Melbourne, Australia

The World Championships is considered the top international swimming competition in the world outside of the Olympic Games, and this meet will be the best indicator of the stars to watch in 2008. Twenty-two members of the 2003 World Championship squad went on to make the 2004 Olympic Team.

Eight-time Olympic medalist Michael Phelps (Baltimore, Md. / Club Wolverine) and five-time Olympic medalist Natalie Coughlin (Vallejo, Calif. / Cal Aquatics) headline the Grand Prix field. Phelps and Coughlin both kicked off the Toyota Grand Prix Series with impressive performances in Long Beach, Calif., in January. Phelps claimed four victories, and Coughlin captured gold medals in five events. Continue Reading »