Today's USA Swimming Twenty Question Tuesday features Garrett.
16. Things have changed with the suit deals basically gone – how good was your timing to be a pro swimmer?
Garrett: It is over, that is true, for a lot of people. I was very fortunate to be on the stipend in 2005, and I was very fortunate to sign with Speedo in 2008 before the Olympics, and right after I got superhot at Olympic Trials, that the contract I had took me through 2012. Now with going to Israeli, I am again fortunate. Certainly, I did not become rich from all of this, but I have been able to build a really good life outside of swimming – with swimming’s help. This sport has helped me build a future.
See the other nineteen Q's and A's here.
(pic via Shannon Sheppard)
p.s. Garrett puts on great clinics! He's visited us in Mansfield and El Campo. Would be a great way to kick off your summer season, right? Get hold of him through his Athletic Foodie site!
Please help to those of us uninitiated - what is the "suit deal" or lack thereof?
ReplyDeletein the tech suit era, swimmers were able to sign some pretty nice deals with the folks at speedo, tyr, arena, etc.
ReplyDeletenew suits were coming out every time you'd turn around and it became a sort of arms race.
showing up to a meet in a jammer when everyone around you was double-suiting blue seventies (the blue 140, if you will), put you at a tremendous disadvantage.
manufacturers were making money hand over fist and could afford to spend it on high-profile swimmers who'd endorse and compete in their suits.