Warning!

Humor and violence - a dangerous combination. Viewer discretion is advised:

Via Laughing Squid

Logic 101

Great sports like gymnastics, swimming, track, and wrestling are often victims of "budget cuts".

On the surface, it might only seem right that these "non-revenue" sports should be the first to go, right?

Stop and think about that for a minute or two.

Get all "Spock-ish" for me, if you will.

The "revenue" sports should be safe, you say? Ever look at the numbers?

Didn't you know there are only a handful of so-called revenue sports - at only a handful of schools - that even break even?

So, there really aren't any "revenue" sports, are there?

When someone refers to swimming as a "non-revenue" sport, holler:

"THAT'S BULLCORN!!! If'n we ain't got no rev-new sports, ya gots ta call 'em all non-rev-new, dummy!"

Okay, calm down now. Enough with the emotion - let's get back to logic.

Examine the sports that are usually on the chopping block when money's tight. Gymnastics, swimming, track, and wrestling certainly get the ax most often, right?

Wait a minute - it's usually men's gymnastics, men's swimming, men's track, and men's wrestling, right?

What a danged coincidence!!

The bottom line is this:

It's not a money issue - as administrators want you to believe - that's taking men's sports like gymnastics down the road toward extinction.

No, it's really a Title IX issue when we see these sports go bye-bye...

There's no denying...

...that ASCA's website is an outstanding resource for swim coaches.

If you're a swim coach and you aren't taking advantage of what's there, you're missing out - and so are your athletes!

Read JL's daily Tweets for tidbits from coaching legends like Urbanchek, Steele, Reese, Hannula, Rose, Schubert, Busch, Troy...and the list goes on and on.

Look for future quotes of the day to come from some of these coaching greats.

Lordy, lordy...

...look who's fordy...

As we build toward the 40th anniversary of Title IX, what are the chances the mainstream media will shine a little more light on the law's downside?

Slim? None?

Read The Media's Incomplete Take on Title IX here.

Essentially, articles showing the rise and continuance of Title IX incompletely capture its impact and promote the widespread notion that it is more than okay to sacrifice opportunities for males to benefit of girls. More athletic opportunities for students should be positively recognized, but they do not justify discrimination based on sex.

Quote of the Day

I don't hire anybody who's not brighter than I am.
If they're not brighter than I am, I don't need them.

Paul William "Bear" Bryant

Via USA Swimming

Twenty questions with Longhorn Aquatics superstar Kathleen Hersey

Read about defending NCAA mile champ Michael McBroom.

NITRO's Tim O'Brien talks about their program:


Garrett Weber-Gale on fueling for success:


Full video here.

Quote of the Day

The arrogance of age must
submit to be taught by youth.



Edmund Burke

UIL State Complete Results

State meet results are now on the TISCA site. Prelims/finals, splits, and team scores all there.

4A

5A

5A Top Six

Thanks to PH:

Quote of the Day

In America, the majority raises formidable
barriers around the liberty of opinion;
within these barriers an author may
write what he pleases, but woe to
him if he goes beyond them.



Alexis-Charles-Henri Clérel de Tocqueville

Big XII Wrap-Up

Event results are here.

Pic above is Longhorn senior Neil Caskey after winning the 200 fly (1:45.66).

Officials felt that Caskey's lead at the 150 (nearly two seconds) was unfair to other competitors, so he was required to tow an anvil for the remainder of the race.

Absolutely one of the gutsiest swims I've ever seen - way to get it to the wall, Neil!

Team Scores:

Women

1,019 - Texas A&M
873 - Texas
630 - Missouri
423 - Kansas
328 - Iowa State

Men

1014.5 - Texas
822 - Texas A&M
750.5 - Missouri

Individual Awards:

Women

Newcomer - Shara Stafford (Kansas)
Diver - Janie Potvin (A&M)
Swimmer - Breeja Larson (A&M)
Dive Coach - Jay Lerew (A&M)
Swim Coach - Steve Bultman (A&M)

Men

Newcomer - Kip Darmody (Texas)
Diver - Drew Livingston (Texas)
Swimmer - Nick D'Innocenzo (Texas)
Dive Coach - Matt Scoggin (Texas)
Swim Coach - Eddie Reese (Texas)

Bobby after his first ever "B" cut (200 free - 1:37.73):


Posted best times each night - way to go, Bobby!

Quote of the Day

I don't know what your destiny will be, but
one thing I know: the only ones among
you who will be really happy are
those who have sought and
found how to serve.



Dr. Albert Schweitzer

Quote of the Day

Truth is so rare that it is delightful to tell it.



Emily Elizabeth Dickinson

UIL State Meet

Real time results:

4A

5A

Live webcast (Saturday finals) via Fox Sports Southwest

Quote of the Day

If you don't like the road you're walking,
start paving another one.



Dolly Rebecca Parton

NFHS Rules Questionnaire

The wheels turn mighty slowly, don't they?

The NFHS rules questionnaire contains items related to relay take-off platforms & judging protocol.

As usual, there are also half a million questions about just one event.

Coaches and officials are encouraged to weigh in here.

Survey closes March 5, so don't wait!

Next year's survey will undoubtedly have questions about the "switcheroo"...

Region Meet Questions Comment

Comment on Region Meet Questions. Didn't allow it there, but posting most of it here. Redacted school and region, but went ahead and let this former coach vent:

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Region Meet Questions":

Lets go ahead and put them on blast. It was the XXXXX team, but things get very intresting here. Remember how they didn't post their results until way after the UIL had recieved them? And how they put multiple names in each box including the alternates? Now I wasnt born yesterday, hell I dont even coach anymore. But they were trying to "bamboozle" us, by putting alternates in the relays ( which may I say that officially the top 4 in entry should be the teams relay.. So no need with the trickery)
Second funny part about it, is why does the boys 200FR final only say there were 15 finalist? And this guy was supposed to be in the consolation, yet the final his name wasnt even in there? Now thats the part that really upsets me. Why?
Who was the meet director and who is the Coach and or Coaches that decided this would be okay? We preach to these kids to play by the rules, and yet we'll do anything to gain the upper hand. This starts with 1st the coach, not just shame on you but you shouldn't coach if you lack the integrity to play by the rules. This generation more than anything needs to understand things in life dont always go planned, yet if you stay focused and play by the rules good things will happen. I'm considerably upset by this. This one relay, alterated more than just respectability. This alters quite possibly other kids the chance to of possibly swimming at the state meet, this alters scoring and possibly someones title chances.

All around, shame on everyone involved. You play games, but we arent dumb region X-XX. Play us for fools, we'll treat you like one.

Busy, Busy, Busy!

First off, here are links to follow conference meets this weekend:

Big XII Real Time Results

Big XII Conference Home

Sun Belt Real Time Results

Sun Belt Conference Home

WAC Real Time Results

WAC Conference Home

Online entries are now being accepted for short course masters nationals. 2012 USMS Spring Nationals page is here.

An online petition drive to save men's running sports at Millersville is here. Not up to speed on that one? Catch up here.

Story on Longhorns Karlee Bispo and Laura Sogar in Daily Texan here.

Find open water swims at NTX Open H2O here.

Going to Omaha? Find Trials info here.

Park South YMCA in Dallas needs a swim coach. Info is here.

Permian HS is looking for a swim coach. Info is here.

SPC Conference Champs

South Texas "A" Champs

A head swim instructor is needed at the Brushy Creek MUD pool in Round Rock. Info is here.

First, a funny:


Now, a not so funny:

Warning! Here comes the "downer" of the day. A couple of years ago, I posted a link to a blogger's work on a "sick system". It was a bit depressing for many, but I think it's helpful to revisit. Heavy stuff, so don't say you weren't warned.

Sick Systems: How to keep someone with you forever

Rule 1: Keep them too busy to think.
Rule 2: Keep them tired.
Rule 3: Keep them emotionally involved.
Rule 4: Reward intermittently.

Qualities That Keep You in a Sick System

You don't need to lose these qualities to get out. But if you're stuck and trying to figure out what's keeping you in, remember that people rarely get stuck because of their vices. They're usually caught by their virtues.

Thoughts on the tenacity of sick systems

Sick systems are solid. It's amazing. They act like they're on the verge of perpetual collapse, but they go on and on--two-thirds of the employees leave, the abuser's wife divorces him and two of the three kids go no-contact, and the system rolls on unaffected. As long as there's a single other person to support the founding member of the sick system, nothing ends and nothing changes.

How to Be a Perfect Manager

That last one is a kind of humorous "how to" for those wishing to better manage their "sick system". Closes with:

If you follow these simple tips, you'll—but of course, you're already following the tips. In fact, you've been following them all for years, even the ones you just read about. That's what it's like, being perfect. So have a wonderful holiday season, and may all your employees learn to be as perfect as you!

Quote of the Day

When I got out of high school, I thought, I'll take
a year or two off and play the clubs, get this out
of my system, and then go to med school.



Gregory Lenoir "Gregg" Allman

Quote of the Day

I'm all in favor of the democratic principle that one
idiot is as good as one genius, but I draw the line
when someone takes the next step and concludes
that two idiots are better than one genius.



Leó Szilárd

Quote of the Day

We may brave human laws, but
we cannot resist natural ones.



Jules Gabriel Verne

Sprinters

Sorry, guys and gals:


Thanks, DJA!

Region Meet Questions

It's time for the other side of the region entry story. Not up on that one? Catch up here.

The rationale for allowing the competitor at a region meet to swim in what appeared to be a fifth event can be found in NFHS Rule 3.2.2. This rule allows a competitor to be scratched - without penalty - from an event in case of illness/injury.

Many of us disagree with the way this was interpreted. The UIL has let the ruling stand.

While an athlete in this situation should not be penalized as a no-show (which would DQ him/her from the rest of his/her events), he/she was entered in the event and it should still count as a swim!

This interpretation opens up a HUGE can of worms. Think of the possibilities, folks!!

The National Federation rule book should be updated to contain a situation that describes the scenario.

Any of you younger coaches want to submit your first rule change? How about asking that 3.2.2 Situation F be added?

Take any wiggle-room out of 3.2.2 and tell officials if this interpretation was "legal" or "illegal"!

Quote of the Day

True charity is the desire to be useful to
others with no thought of recompense.



Emanuel Swedenborg

Quote of the Day

The secret to so many artists living so long is that
every painting is a new adventure. So, you see,
they're always looking ahead to something
new and exciting. The secret is not to look back.



Norman Percevel Rockwell

Entry Limits & Relay Rules

The folks down at the Conroe ISD Natatorium have been kind enough to post the UIL's guidelines on entry limitations. Read those here.

I know I'm being a bit picky, but here goes:

Shouldn't "...provided the contestant sub-varsity participates in..." read "...provided the sub-varsity contestant participates in..."?

Also, I believe "Eight eligible contestants shall be named..." should be edited to read "Up to eight (8) eligible contestants may be named..."...

If your team's tiny, naming eight eligible contestants could be impossible.

Lucas E.
Clay S.
Watt H.
Erik E.
John Doe #1
John Doe #2
John Doe #3
John Doe #4

Quote of the Day

You must remember, my dear lady, the most
important rule of any successful illusion:
First, the people must want to believe in it.



Martha E. "Libba" Bray

From one end of the spectrum...

...to the other. This just doesn't sound good at all.

A very reliable source has shared a little story with me.

Please remember that these are allegations. I was not there. I am hoping there's something missing from this story and that this did not occur.

It's early Saturday now, and I'm still editing this post. There has got to be something missing from this "puzzle", right?

========================================================

My source alleges that:

A swimmer was entered in two (2) individual events for his/her region meet - and shown on the psych sheet as being entered in those events - but did not swim the second event.

This non-swim wasn't counted as a DQ and does not show up in the meet result.

He/she then swam in region finals on all three (3) of his school's relays.

========================================================

If true, one of the school's relays should have been disqualified.

I've known coaches who tried to "redo" their region entries after. seeing the psych sheet. I raised a lot of hell over it and make no apologies for doing so. If someone gets their feelings hurt - after being caught cheating - well, that's just (as Don Ennis used to say) TOUGH NOOGIES!

Speaking of rules...for championship meets (like district, region, and state), a swimmer entered in two (2) individual event(s) may be entered in three (3) relays as well.

Those relay entries don't count as swims unless/until the athlete actually competes in any/all of those relays.

However, the two (2) individual events do count as swims - even if the athlete doesn't actually compete.

If/when an athlete who's been entered in two (2) individual events competes in a third relay, that relay counts as his/her fifth swim and that relay must be disqualified.

If there were no rules violated, then never mind...

========================================================

Source also alleges that:

Since an official protest was not submitted within one (1) hour after the last event was completed, the UIL will not act on this!

========================================================

That reminds me of something we were taught in educational law class.

The law is not self-enforcing.

Some (many?) laws/rules/policies will be violated/ignored unless and until someone raises the issue.

It's been suggested that swim coaches prepare their protests in advance of the state meet. I guess the idea is to get all the basics (school & coach's contact info, meet name/location, etc.) down on paper and fill in the blanks later if/as needed...

Maybe our coaches' organization can come up with something for us and put a few copies on a table in hospitality - just in case!

Honors

The Big XII divers of the week are both from A&M. Article on Jaele Patrick and Grant Nel is here.

UT's Karly Bispo is the Big XII's women's swimmer of the week. Read about her here.

Big XII men's swimmer of the week is UT's Jimmy Feigen. Read about him here.

Probably aren't many teams headed for Austin next week that can claim three (3) seniors with academy appointments.

Plano's sending a relay that features three young ladies with military academy appointments.

The Coast Guard Academy wants sprinter Ashley Ezell.

West Point has dibs on flyer Shannon Rogers.

I.M.'er Melissa Leonhardt is headed for the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

Wow! Way to go, PHS swimming!

Want your name to live on after you're gone? How about a donation to a university? Maybe they'll even name something after you! Read more here.

But Feld was vindicated when he paid to name a bathroom after himself in a University of Colorado at Boulder science building. John Bennett, director of the university's Alliance for Technology, Learning & Society, offered Feld a campus restroom for $25,000 after hearing about his rejection at MIT. Feld, who lives in Boulder, agreed immediately. He visits his masterpiece of plumbing every couple of months and occasionally checks in there on foursquare.

Bennett said the building’s seven other bathrooms are still up for sale. So far, there have been no takers.

Interview with Texas swim coaching pioneer/legend Bev Ball:

No good deed...

...goes unpunished.

The UC Davis wrestling coach wasn't able to add women's wrestling, but he did give some gals an opportunity to work with the men's team.

Cost? $1.35 million! Read more here.

The defendants, which included four now-retired university employees, denied the allegations and said that the athletes underwent the same tryout procedures as the men.

UC Davis never had a women’s intercollegiate wrestling team. Female wrestlers were granted unofficial status on the men’s team and received all the benefits of varsity status, according to the lawsuit.

But when a school official set a roster cap for the number of athletes on the Division 1 Pac-10 men’s wrestling team, players were forced to compete for their position.

Every wrestler, including the three females, were asked to participate in a “wrestle-off” with competitors of equal size and weight. The plaintiffs were cut from the team, along with several male wrestlers, according to the lawsuit.

The female wrestlers filed a formal complaint against the school that eventually landed in the courts.

For those of you new to Title IX quotas, roster caps are used to limit slots on men's rosters to help with proportionality issues.

State Meet Pics

Order state meet pictures through 1st Photo Texas.

Find pictures from previous years at their archived UIL galleries here.

All this positive publicity...

...must be eating up the folks over at Splash-O-Truth...

GWG was the driving force behind a big USA Swimming fundraiser in New York City.

Read more here.

NEW YORK CITY — On Saturday night, former President Bill Clinton was eating at one of Tom Colicchio's restaurants in New York City. Instead of personally attending to one of the most powerful people in the world, the "Top Chef" judge was doing a favor for his friend, 26-year-old Austinite Garrett Weber-Gale. The gold-medal winning swimmer had organized a $1,500-per-plate fundraiser dinner to raise money for the USA Swimming Foundation, which helps provide swimming lessons for disadvantaged kids and supports competitive swimmers and their coaches.

The biggest swimming story in the land?

No, it's not the recently broken national high school records.

Quote of the Day

Most people ask for happiness on
condition. Happiness can only be
felt if you don't set any condition.



Arthur Rubinstein

Main Stream Media Covers Swimming...

,,,BEFORE the Olympics!!!!!!!

By now y'all have seen the vid of Grevers proposing to Chandler, right? No? Are you kidding?!?! Even the handful of people who don't follow swimming have seen it!

See how it's done, fellas? It's as easy as 1-2-3! First, win a national championship. Then...

Read the whole mushy story here.

Q & A:

Texas Longhorn Dax Hill.

Texas teammate Neil Caskey.

Former Texas Longhorn Michael Klueh.

Former Longhorn Aquatics breaststroker Eric Shanteau.

If you could change just one NCAA rule, what would it be? Read more - and contribute your idea - here.

Need another item to add to your list of a million reasons not to move to N.Y.C.? Okay, try this one out. New schools there may only add girls' sports. Read all about it here.

Just as the NCAA would not punish St. John’s University if Ohio State were non-compliant, the DOE should not punish a brand-new school with no established imbalance because another has a large participation gap.

...and John Q. Public still thinks Title IX is all about fairness. Once upon a time, it was. Now, it's all about quotas...

The USA Swimming Athlete Protection Program had been criticized as ineffective. Solution? They've renamed it the Safe Sport Program. On a related note, Daktronics will soon roll out their new and improved AccuRelay System...

Are you a swimmer going to Trials? What are you wearing? Better find out if it's allowed. Read more here. Shouldn't they also be concerned about coaches' attire after the meet?

Speaking of Trials, there are some other important messages that may not have been making it to coaches' inboxes. Catch up on this info here.

Foosball Coach vs. School Bored Member

Yeah, it's getting ugly over in Cleburne. Read about the mess here.

Forum post allegedly written by a school board member included:

“It had ZERO to do with football,” Wilson allegedly wrote. “He basically came in to fix the football. When he could not do that, he went about trying to dismantle the other sports programs. Where we were once bad in football but pretty competitive in other sports, now we are not competitive in anything but baseball.

I'd think the swim team might have something to say about that. They'll have five (5) swims at the state meet...

Quote of the Day

Leadership does not mean getting people
to do their jobs. It means getting
people to do their best.



Harvey Mackay

..and the winner of the Doublespeak...

...of the Year Award goes to...Millersville University!

Accepting for the university is the Athletic Department.

Read the article that helped the Marauders clinch here.

Let's break down their "march to the title", shall we?

First, the headline:

Millersville to Consolidate Athletic Programs

Translation:

We're Dropping Three Sports

Lead paragraph:

Millersville University of Pennsylvania announced a reduction of three varsity intercollegiate athletic sports in order to strengthen existing teams' competitive opportunities and ensure a sustainable financial future for the athletics department, according to Dr. Aminta Hawkins Breaux, Vice President of Student Affairs, who oversees the intercollegiate athletics program.

Translation:

Rather than ask each sport to share a little pain, we're taking the easy way out and axing three programs.

...continued:

“This direction was made after careful deliberation when trying to concentrate diminishing budget dollars,” she said. “The University cannot sustain 22 intercollegiate teams and be responsive to growing needs that affect all student-athletes.”

Translation:

We'd rather not tell you who made the decision, but trust us, it was a tough process - we labored for minutes on end.

...continued:

The discontinued sports include men's indoor and outdoor track and field and men's cross country. Millersville, which fielded the second-highest number of teams in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), will move from 22 to 19 teams.

Translation:

All men's running programs are now dropped. While we may be unable to handle the higher-level mathematics required to stay within a budget, we are able to perform simple subtraction.

The difference between twenty-two and three is nineteen.

...continued:

The decision takes into consideration recommendations made in a 2006 study by the University's Blue Ribbon Task Force, the 2010 study completed by Oliver & Lindemenn, a nationwide athletic consulting firm, and an internal assessment conducted by the Department of Athletics in the spring of 2011.

Translation:

If you really want to pin us down and find out who made this decision, good luck with that. It was suggested by folks who either never worked here or are no longer around.

So...don't blame us...really. It was all those other folks...really. If you don't believe us, just try to find them and ask them...really!

...later:

2. How did Title IX factor into the decision?
With approximately 10 student-athletes participating in cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field and approximately 20 competing in indoor track and field and outdoor track and field, the elimination of the three teams accounts for more than 70 participant opportunities, which increases the ratio of female to male student-athletes and more accurately reflects Millersville University's student-body.

Translation:

Thanks to creative number-crunching, we can use a small group of young men to find ways to comply with the Title IX quota system commonly known as proportionality.

...still later:

5. If the public can raise $200,000, would the three programs be reinstituted?
In order to continue to generate the operating costs, an endowment of $4 million would need to be established in order to sustain $200,000 per year. The university is not considering reinstating the programs.

Translation:

We "love" the trend toward extortion in college athletics that started at Arizona State a few years back. Now that the idea's catching on here in the east (see Maryland swimming), we considered trying it.

Horrible nightmares that included Nancy, Donna, and Bille Jean changed our minds.

...even later:

6. Will there be any more cuts to athletic teams?
In these difficult economic times we are always reviewing the entire budget at Millersville University.

Translation:

Watch out, men's wrestling...

If you haven't checked...

...since yesterday afternoon:

Swimming & Diving State Meet Qualifiers & Results

Results

• Results will be posted during the State Meet.
  

Qualifiers

• 4A 2012 State Qualifiers - Updated February 14, 2012 3:47 p.m.


• 5A 2012 State Qualifiers

**Please note that divers for State must be registered online by Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. Instructions can be found on our State Swimming and Diving page.

Quote of the Day

The trouble with organizing a thing is that

pretty soon folks get to paying more

attention to the organization than

to what they're organized for.

Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder

ERROR!!! (edited...again)

I think there's an error on the 4A qualifiers list for the boys' 200 free.

Edit: UIL just updated the event. Wall's back in. Putting him into the event meant another tie - for eighth call-up between Clifford and Lang. It looks like Clifford must have had a faster prelim time than Lang, as he's still listed and Lang's out.

As I posted the other day, ties are supposed to be broken using prelim times. Read more here.

Examples:

In Region VI-4A, Kyle Rathgeb and Matt Wall tied for first in the 200 free. Both can be recognized as region champions, but Rathgeb advances as the automatic qualifier, as his prelim time (3rd, 1:45.37) was faster than Wall's (6th, 1:46.03). Good news for Wall, though. His 1:43.78 will very likely qualify him for a call-up.

Wall's not listed on the qualifier list, even though he appears to be eligible as one of the faster call-ups.

Pic was contributed by swim parent. He worked on 4A call-ups (region results were available) the old-fashioned way.

Finished the job in 24:32.67*!

And y'all thought the folks in Austin actually read this site...

*Watch time...pad didn't register finish..

Call-Ups Posted

The UIL has posted qualifiers for the 2012 state championships.

4A Qualifiers

5A Qualifiers

These are not necessarily psych sheets, though.

There could be a difference between "qualifiers" and "competitors".

It is still up to coaches to enter/scratch their athletes and relays, so there could be changes.

If a coach desides to pull an athlete from an individual event to speed up a relay, the psych sheet would be different than what's posted.

Also, if an athlete's academic eligibility changes, he/she might not be able to compete after the close of the school day on Friday. That would depend on the school's calendar and bell schedule.

via SMOSH

Quote of the Day

The most precious possession that ever comes
to a man in this world is a woman's heart.

Josiah Gilbert Holland

Got Divers?

If you plan to video your diver(s) at state meet, you'll need to fax your request to the UIL.

Info and form are here.

$200 per session fee will be waived if you agree not to shoot video with relay take-offs in background...

Quote of the Day

I was such an ugly kid. When I played in the
sandbox, the cat kept covering me up.



Jacob Cohen, a.k.a. Rodney Dangerfield

Did you get your daily dose...

...of the truth?

Looks like a hacker had some fun with the Splash-O-Truth site.

Remember that famous Jack Nicholson's line?

Clearly a case of roid rage...

11:40 p.m. (central) screen shot:


Danged kids these days...

Jeremy Lin(n)

Folks getting all excited about a thump-thump guy named Jeremy Lin may not know about another athlete named Jeremy Linn.

Remember the guy that went :51.86 in the 100 breast while at Tennessee?

Find the answer to your "Where is he now?" question here.

Ready for open water season? You can register for the 10th Annual Cap2k here.

You may have seen some of this guy's work before:

The Harriet & Joe Foster YMCA needs a swim coach. Info is here.

If'n yer into what them top coaches is doin' with dem top ath-u-letes, pay tension - I'm fixin' ta learn ya where ya can git a start. Mission Viejo's Bill Rose has contributed several workouts to the ASCA Workout Wednesday feature. Check them out (along with workouts from other coaches) here.

2012 5A Region Results

Region I-5A

Region II-5A

Region III-5A

Edit:

Region IV-5A

Region V-5A

Region VI-5A

Region VII-5A

Region VIII-5A

Break time. Hoping Region IV-5A will be available later. Not checking email or moderating comments for at least a couple of hours.

Edit:

Your Conroe News (results link in article not working)

2012 4A Region Results

Check for your 4A call-ups:

Region I-4A

Region II-4A

Region III-4A

Region IV-4A

Region V-4A

Region VI-4A

Region VII-4A

Region VIII-4A

Remember, nothing is official until the UIL says it's official!!!

Additional Notes

If you're compiling your own call-up list and have questions, this might help:

Q. What if there was a tie for first place in a region?

A. The automatically advancing athlete is determined by prelim time.

Q. What if a swimmer in consolation finals has a time fast enough for a call-up?

A. Athletes in consolation finals may not advance to the state meet.

Q. What about limits on call-ups per region?

A. The rule limiting call-ups to a maximum of three (3) per region was changed. Beginning back in 2009, up to seven (7) call-ups can come out of the same region.

Q. When will an official call-up list be posted?

A. Your guess is as good as mine.

Okay, that last one won't help...

Examples:

In Region VI-4A, Kyle Rathgeb and Matt Wall tied for first in the 200 free. Both can be recognized as region champions, but Rathgeb advances as the automatic qualifier, as his prelim time (3rd, 1:45.37) was faster than Wall's (6th, 1:46.03). Good news for Wall, though. His 1:43.78 will very likely qualify him for a call-up.

In that same region, Geoffrey Spano - a very fast kid who has been to the state meet before - went 4:45.85 500 free in finals, a time that would have easily been called up last year. Unfortunately, he had missed making the top eight in prelims, finished 9th with a time that would have been 4th, and won't advance this year.

Last year, Region VII dominated the 4A call-up list with 71 (35 girl & 36 boy) call-ups. Region IV sent the most to Austin in 5A with 67 (34 girl & 33 boy) call-ups.

I had the guts, but...

...not the information.

I'd hoped to post an unofficial call-up list last night, but it just wasn't to be. I got up early this a.m. to give it a shot, but still can't get all the results online.

Some comments on last night's post were a bit too personal and specific - sorry, but a few of those were left out.


Sorry folks...looks like we'll have to wait a bit longer...

In the meantime, see what has been posted on TISCA results page here.

Quote of the Day

Everything in life is writable about if you
have the outgoing guts to do it, and the
imagination to improvise. The worst
enemy to creativity is self-doubt.



Sylvia Plath

2012 Call-Ups

Some of y'all may not have heard, but this year's call-ups will not be posted on the TISCA site tonight. We'll have to wait for the official word from the UIL on those.

Not sure when they'll be posted, but here are a few links where we may find those in the coming days:

UIL Home

UIL Athletics Home

UIL Swimming Home

Might as well go ahead and get some sleep...

Maryland Plan Modified

The Save Maryland Swimming and Diving organizers have a difficult road ahead. While the university has backed off their insane deadline to raise $11+ million, there's still a substantial dollar amount needed by April Fools' Day.

The modification of the fundraising timeline buys them just the tiniest amount of breathing room. Read more here.

Under the compromise, unveiled Friday following a meeting between Athletic Director Kevin Anderson and representatives of Save Maryland Swimming and Diving, the June 30 deadline for raising the $11.57 million (which reflects eight years of operating costs) has been replaced by a series of benchmarks that show substantive progress toward the goal. But the $330,000 annual fee that the teams must pay to use the university’s state-of-the-art pool will not be waived; that represents roughly 25 percent of the team’s annual budget.

The swimming and diving teams now must raise $1.4 million by April 1 to get a favorable indication they’ll be continued. The date is significant because that’s when student-athletes with NCAA eligibility remaining must decide whether to transfer elsewhere.

The teams will be guaranteed to continue for one more season if they raise $2.8 million by June 30.

...gee...thanks...I think...

Quote of the Day

Hype is the awkward and desperate attempt
to convince journalists that what you've made
is worth the misery of having to review it.



Federico Fellini

...because they deserve...

...at least one happy hour in the day:


via Indexed

Maryland Men's Swimming

Pool rental costs were mentioned in yesterday's University of Maryland student paper article on the swim program cuts. Read more here.

To use the natatorium, the athletics department must pay a yearly fee of roughly $300,000.

Read about the drive to save men's swimming at Maryland here.

Teams will work to raise funds independently, but in order for the University of Maryland to continue to comply with the non-negotiable requirements of the federal Title IX law, to save a men's program, we must also reach the fund raising goal for a women's program with similar squad size and scholarship commitments, and vice versa.

According to their Goal Tracker, they've raised a little under $3,000 of the $11+ million needed...

Doggie Du Launch

No, not what you think.

Doggie Du launch party— Come learn more about the 2012 Doggie Duathlon Dash, a 200-meter swim followed by a 1-mile run that dogs get to race with their people, at this registration party from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, 221 South Lamar Boulevard. The fourth annual Doggie Du is scheduled for 8 a.m. Sunday, May 27 at Auditorium Shores. Dogs race in one of four divisions, depending on their weight — Underdog, Snoopy, Scooby or Marmaduke. This year’s event includes a 1-mile charity Doggie Dash. For more information go to www.DoggieDuDash.org or email race director Chris Summers at triguy@wwdb.org.

via Fit City

Quote of the Day

When wealth is lost, nothing is lost;
when health is lost, something is lost;
when character is lost, all is lost.



Rev. William Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr.

Quote of the Day

The greater the power, the
more dangerous the abuse.



Edmund Burke

Quote of the Day

It's not tyranny we desire; it's a
just, limited, federal government.



Alexander Hamilton

Swimming Add

This fall, Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida will add women's swimming. Read more here and here.

Why aren't they adding men, you ask? They don't have football, so there must be another reason, right?

Bad news, fans:

Even if we take football out of the equation, proportionality still results in fewer opportunities for men in collegiate athletics.

If the Fighting Knights have a Title IX quota issue, it's due to the FACT that men and women are DIFFERENT! Even when offered the same opportunities, they don't participate at the same rates.

Right now, Lynn offers six (6) varsity sports for women and five (5) for men.

Five (5) of the offered sports (baseball/softball, tennis, soccer, basketball, & golf) SHOULD/COULD have similar numbers, but DON'T!

Even with the ADDITIONAL women's sport of volleyball, the men at Lynn PARTICIPATE in greater numbers - 93 vs. 77 on current rosters - than their female counterparts.

Adding women's swimming and cross country will create many more opportunities for women at Lynn University. The big question is "Will they take advantage of them?"

Chalk this one up as another "win" for the quota crowd and another "loss" for a men's Olympic sport...

Aliens searching for intelligent life...

...have moved on...

Quote of the Day

I was angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.



William Blake