Quote of the Day

Dreaming is not merely an act of communication;

it is also an aesthetic activity, a game of the

imagination, a game that is a value in itself.

(via Prague Life)

Milan Kundera

Quote of the Day

You cannot choose your battlefield,

God does that for you;

But you can plant your standard

Where a standard never flew.

(via Wikipedia)

Nathalia Clara Ruth Crane

Quote of the Day

The best kind of charity is to help those

who are willing to help themselves.

(via Wikimedia Commons)

Phineas Taylor "P.T." Barnum

Quote of the Day

 

Being entirely honest with

oneself is a good exercise.

 

(via Nicolas C. Grey)

 

Sigmund Freud

Title IX Flood

Turns out last week's big Title IX story (nine Pennsylvania schools, catch up here) was just a trickle compared to the flood out in California.  Read more here.

The initial mass complaint against 121 public and private California colleges and universities of varying size and athletic competitiveness, filed with the U.S. Education Department Office for Civil Rights’ regional San Francisco post, alleged that the programs were failing to address gender disparities in sports participation and opportunities.

Quote of the Day

I'd wish the government took honest

people into consideration, it shows

enough consideration for scoundrels.

(via Meine Lieblingsgedichte)

Franz Seraphicus Grillparzer

Maybe something here...

...will interest y'all...maybe not...

Most of the talk surrounding the Mesa Grand Prix has been about that Michael guy.  Some (at least at our house) has been about that Bobby kid.  Now the focus is on Katie Hoff.  More here.

(via Baltimore Sun)

Through a text message, Hoff confirmed to SwimVortex that she’ll be contesting the 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 100 butterfly, 100 breaststroke and 200 individual medley. Over the past several months, Hoff has posted some impressive times in the short-course pool. Now, she’ll get a chance to see where she stands in the long-course pool.

Longhorn backstroke legend Aaron Peirsol will team up with 2013 NCAA 200 breast champ Laura Sogar to host a game of Sharks-n-Minners at the Mesa event.  More here.

(via Swimming World)

(via james brosher photography)

"When Arena approached me with the opportunity to reach youth swimmers across the nation, I was extremely energized," said Peirsol. "I know I speak for much of the U.S. National Team when I say that we recognize the importance of encouraging and perpetuating the love of the sport, and I hope an experience like the Arena Grand PrixView will positively impact kids across the nation. We all need to remember why we fell in love with this sport, and I hope I can help send that message through this event series.

Nutrition?  NASCAR's  Jeff Gordon and swimmer Ryan Lochte share a personal chef in Glenn Lyman.  Story here.

(via facebook)

“What I like about Glenn is no meal is ever the same,” says five-time gold medalist Lochte, who eats up to 12,000 calories per day to meet his energy demands. “He understands the kind of nutrients professional athletes need and makes food that tastes really good at the same time.”

More on nutrition at Swimming World.  Check out a story on going vegan by former Horn Jeff Commings here.  Things didn't exactly go as planned:

If I didn't have my athletic condition to consider, I would still be a complete vegan today. But if I want to be the swimmer I know I can be, I must live part-time in the world of vegans and the rest of the time as an omnivore. It will take some time to regain my muscle mass, but I'm motivated to make it happen, and that's a big first step.

Jeff spoke with Texas breaststroker Matt Korman on the Morning Swim Show Wednesday:




Aggie breaststroker Breeja Larson went 20 x Q's w/:05 rest Tuesday.  Set results are here.

 

(via Aggie Athletics)

17. What makes College Station so special to you?

Breeja: One of the things that always really stuck out to me is how nice the people are here. We have something like 45,000 people here, but there is no graffiti, no writing on the bathroom walls; people respect this university and community, and each other. You don’t see litter and stuff like that. It’s a clean, healthy environment. This university was here so long and will be here forever. That safety net of always being an Aggie – it’s like you know you will always be taken care of.

The City of Cedar Hill needs a summer team coach.  Info here.

Rollin' Wild:





Several new assistant coaching jobs are posted on TISCA job page:

Katy HS:  Contact Joe Watson at 281-237-1977

2014 District 14-5A Results

2014 Region IV-5A Results

Dawson HS:  Contact Matthew Winton

2014 District 23-4A Results

2014 Region VI-4A Results

2014 UIL 4A State Results

Cypress Ridge HS:  Contact Gary Thiebaud

2014 District 17-5A Results

2014 Region V-5A Results

2014 UIL 5A State Results

Clear Falls HS:  Contact Aubrey Estes at 281-284-1260

2014 Region VI-5A Results

2014 UIL 5A State Results

Now that the OCR is involved in a complaint against nine (9) Pennsylvania universities, the big question is:  Which men's program will be the next one sacrificed at the Title IX Quota alter?

Article is here.

(via Deadspin)

Each university identified by the Women's Law Project has women participating in sports at rates lower than their proportion of the undergraduate population, ranging from a 4.52 percent gap at Shippensburg to a 15.66 percent gap at Bloomsburg.

At Clarion, for example, women made up 60 percent of the undergraduate population in the 2012-13 school year but 47.4 percent of the population of varsity athletes. At Clarion, the complaint says, 114 additional female athletes would be needed to achieve parity.

"These nine universities are missing over 900 athletic opportunities for women," said Sue Frietsche, senior staff attorney for the Women's Law Project, which has offices in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

Let's try that again, folks.  Last quote should read:

"These nine universities have hundreds of athletic opportunities available for women, but they've not been taken advantage of."

You can bet the athletic departments at these universities are already looking for hired guns to do their dirty work.  Don't think for a minute their "consultants" will only recommend adding women's sports.  They'll most certainly propose dumping men's sports as well.

Five men's wrestling programs remain among the nine schools.  You can bet the consultants will target the Clarion, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Millersville, and Shippensburg wrestlers.

Millersville?  That sort of kind of rings a bell.  Oh yeah!  They dumped all men's running programs a while back.  In fact, they took the 2012 Doublespeak of the Year award with their explanation of the cuts.  Catch up here.

Worried about men's swimming?  The only men's programs that remain are at Clarion, Indiana, Bloomsburg, and Shippensburg.  Yeah, they'll be in the cross hairs as well.

It's not just the men that suffer when their programs are kicked to the curb gutter.  I challenge y'all to name five (5) women-only swimming programs that are competitive at the national level...cue them crickets...yeah, that's what I figured...

Bulldog fans are on the edge of their bleachers, waiting for news and hoping the NCAA will go easy on their swim program.  More here.

The University of Georgia has 90 days respond to the NCAA’s allegations. After UGA responds, the NCAA will have about 60 days to compile the full case. Then the case will head NCAA’s Committee on Infractions.

“If the violations come down, most likely there will be some sanctions. The swim program will probably go on probation,” said Harmon. “There will probably be a reduction in scholarships..that kind of thing.”

Harmon says the sanctions should only affect the swim team, but could also have a long-term effect on UGA’s entire athletic program, especially since this isn’t the university’s first NCAA violation.

Check out the swimming roster and coaching staff for the 1950 University of Texas men's squad here.

Here are a few early season results:

Ambush Invite

ESA 10 & Under Sprint Classic

Frisco IMX

McAllen Extreme Challenge

SASA Sombrero Champs

Belton Spring Has Sprung

AAAA 13 & Over Unclassified

AAAA/NEAT Junior Series

USMS SC Zone

Quote of the Day

Everything that goes into my mouth seems

to make me fat, everything that comes

out of my mouth embarrasses me.

(via AKANTILADO)

Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez

Johnny Get Angry

Quote of the Day

I'm not the best, I'm just a guy

who's willing to fight the best.

(via Glenncoffe)

Glengoffe Donovan "Glen" Johnson

Quote of the Day

No person is your friend who demands

your silence, or denies your right to grow.

(via The Guardian)

Alice Malsenior Walker

Competitor

Competitor has been named the official lane rope for USA Swimming through 2016.  Read more here.

(via Medicine)

In related news, Curad Bandages will be the official pool bottom debris of public pools through 2055...

Quote of the Day

Fame always brings loneliness.  Success is

as ice cold and lonely as the North Pole.

(via BR-alpha)

Hedwig "Vicki" Baum

Fourteen Tulsa Pools Added to Endangered List

Let's hope this doesn't catch on elsewhere.  Tulsa is decommissioning most of their school district pools.  Read more (with video) here.  Thanks for the heads up, SK!

Pools at Anderson, Hamilton, Lewis & Clark, Chouteau and Hale Junior High have already been eliminated and replaced with classrooms.

In the next phase, the pools at Bell, Gilcrease, Skelly, Webster, Wright and Roosevelt will be filled in.

And, in what's likely to be the next step, more pools at Central, East Central High, East Central Junior High, Edison, Hale High, Memorial, McLain and Rogers will close, leaving only three pools for the whole district, at Monroe, Thoreau and Booker T.

Kind of senseless from a competitive swimming point of view, right?

It's even more idiotic when you consider all the health issues among our young people.  Why would you eliminate one of the best forms of exercise they have available?

Many of our country's schools and municipalities keep their pools on shoestring budgets for years on end, then complain they can't afford repairs when them danged chickens come home to roost.

Deer John Q. Public,

We preshiate yer contributin them tax dollerz fer that purdy new cement pond a while back.

It shore wuz fun wile it lasted, weren't it?

Unforchewnitly, we let it kinda fall part over da years an it needs sum pritty big fixin' up now!

Cents we is reelly lookin out fer yew, are tax payer, we is gonna cut are lossis an just fill er in.

Sinseerly,

Yer Elected O Fishuls

p.s.  We is gonna need a lil more munny so's we kin pay that twenny man road krew my brothern law runs ta dew dat three munth pond liminatin job.

p.p.s.  Korse, dat'l mean dem rodes mite git a lil ruffer til we kin git em back out der.  Drive kareful!

Quote of the Day

Bureaucracy is like a fungus
that contaminates everything.

(via flickr)

Jaime Lerner

Quote of the Day

You could not step twice into the same river.

(via npr)

Heraclitus of Ephesus

Quote of the Day

A lot of people have asked me how

short I am.  Since my last divorce,

I think I'm about $100,000 short.

Joseph Yule, Jr., a.k.a. Mickey Rooney

Quote of the Day

Wicked is not much worse than indiscreet.

(via Biography)

John Donne

Quote of the Day

When socialism comes through the door,

employment jumps out the window.

(via schnauzi)

Esperanza Aguirre y Gil de Biedma

Bear Crawls Claim Rattler

The charge:



"This isn't something swimmers are meant to do.  We don't do hard stuff like this.  We don't train like that."

The defense:


"If anything, it's just a way of showing discipline, and what being in athletics is all about."

The verdict:

Poll:

Do you think bear crawls are useful or inappropriate punishment for student athletes?

I think they are useful - 52% (289)

I think they're inappropriate punishment - 48% (262)

Quote of the Day

To his dog, every man is Napoleon;

hence the constant popularity of dogs.

(via listal)

Aldous Leonard Huxley

Bauerle Falling on Sword?

Edited 4/5/14:  A more detailed story (w/50+ comments) is in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution here.

"I want to emphasize unequivocally that the student-athlete involved in this matter did nothing wrong. Not one thing. I take full responsibility for my actions.”

(via OnlineAthens)

It looks like Georgia head coach Jack Bauerle is going to take the fall for an athlete's academic issue.  Bauerle has been suspended indefinitely while the university and the NCAA look into the matter.  Read more here and here.

The NCAA alleges that Bauerle made “special arrangements” on Dec. 10, 2013, with an unnamed professor to add men’s swimmer Chase Kalisz to a course for the fall 2013 semester. Classes for the semester had already ended and UGA already entered finals at the time.

He received a passing grade despite “not completing any work for the class,” according to the NCAA letter to UGA president Jere Morehead.

“Allegations of this nature are extremely disappointing and we will continue to fully cooperate with the NCAA staff on this matter,” athletic director Greg McGarity said in a statement. “Until this matter has concluded, head swimming and diving coach Jack Bauerle will be suspended from all job-related responsibilities effective immediately.”

Said Bauerle in a statement: “I regret that I have placed the University of Georgia, an institution I dearly love and have given my heart and soul to for 44 years, in this situation. While I do not agree with the charges in the way the NCAA has framed them, I made a mistake.”

To say things don't look good for Jack is an understatement.  He admits he made a mistake, so maybe they'll find some middle ground on how big of a mistake it actually was.

What does it mean for Kalisz?  It brings up some interesting "What if?" questions.

What if UGA and/or the NCAA decide that Kalisz was ineligible for spring semester meets?  Would his 400 IM American Record still stand?  It was a legal swim as far as USA Swimming is concerned, right?

Quote of the Day

 

True ignorance is not the absence of

knowledge, but the refusal to acquire it.

 

(via the guardian)

 

Sir Karl Raimund Popper

Quote of the Day

 

Our lives are the sum total of

the choices we have made.

 

(via Happy Healthy 365)

 

Wayne Walter Dyer

TJS Update

Joseph's been in the hospital for nearly three (3) weeks.  Late last night, Terri posted an update here.

Please join me in praying this By Faustina Kowalska prayer:

Oh Jesus, do not hide from me, for I cannot live without You. Listen to the cry of my soul. Your mercy has not been exhausted, Lord, so have pity on Joseph's misery. Your mercy surpasses the understanding of all angels and people put together; and so, although it seems to me that You do not hear me, I put my trust in the ocean of your mercy, and I know that my hope will not be deceived. Eternal God, in whom Mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon Joseph and increase your mercy upon him, that in difficult moments we will not despair, not become despondent but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will which is love and mercy itself, amen!

Quote of the Day

 

Two wrongs don't make a right,

but they make a good excuse.

 

(via L.A. Times)

 

Thomas Stephen Szasz