Quote of the Day

I think you're only free if you're working

on very low or huge money.

(via Afflictor)

George Andrew Romero

Quote of the Day

We do not have that much to moan
about when one thinks of what
people did not moan about before.

(via Pinterest)

Margrethe II

Quote of the Day

As the builders say, the larger stones

do not lie well without the lesser.

(via Unequally Yoked)

Plato

Quote of the Day

The less important an issue is, the more

time managers spend discussing it.

(via Curious Cat)

Russell Lincoln Ackoff

Quote of the Day

Glue guys aren't superstars, they're not the

number one option, they just do things

only coaches really appreciate.

(via NBA)

Richard John "Dick" Vitale

Quote of the Day

Politics is the activity by which the framework

of human life is sustained;  it is not life itself.

(via The Telegraph)

Kenneth Minogue

Victoria Corporate Cup

Leon led the Formosa Tigers to an easy relay win in the 2014 Victoria YMCA Corporate Cup.  Results here.  The Corporate Cup is an annual competition between area businesses and is put on by the local YMCA.

If your community is interested in having a similar event, more info is here.

Quote of the Day

For good ideas and true innovation, you need

human interaction, conflict, argument, debate.

(via TED Blog)

Margaret Heffernan

Quote of the Day

Words is worse'n bullets.  You

never know what they'll hit.

(via Black Gate)

Frederick Schiller Faust, a.k.a. Max Brand

Quote of the Day

The triumph can't be had without the struggle.

(via Wikipedia)

Wilma Glodean Rudolph

Why no 2015 Call-Ups Post?

I won't be posting an unofficial call-up list in 2015 because I'll be busy with another project.

I've re-retired and am in the process of prepping for a 2015 Appalachian Trail Northbound Thru-Hike.

Doctor & wife have both given me permission.  Leon seems fine with it, as he'll be able to park his not-so-gently used truck (nicknamed White Trash) and drive mine while I'm gone.

Along with trying to complete a few long-overdue projects, I'm using this fall/winter to prep for The Green Tunnel.

AT thru-hike prep means getting in shape, ordering/trying out gear, putting together reasonable schedule, lining up mail drop boxes (Pop Tarts & Peanut Butter?), and soliciting advice from other 50+/vegetarian/early-start thru-hikers.  Turns out there are plenty of each category out there and they're very willing to share the ups and downs (puns intended) they've experienced.

(via Reed's AT Adventure)

Solid preparation and staying healthy along the trail should give me a reasonable shot at completing the journey.  Only one in four who attempt it actually make it...and I really want to be that one...

Quote of the Day

Show me a character whose life

arouses my curiosity, and my flesh

begins crawling with suspense.

(via Roger Launius's Blog)

Fawn McKay Brodie

TISCA Open Letter

Dear TISCA,

Expect this open letter to be a ramblin' disaster.  In other words, exactly what you've come to expect here at the Texas Swimming blog.  Strategy for goin' through this might be to read a little, take a little break, send a hateful email, repeat...

I know at least a few TISCA-member coaches (& a sponsor or two) read this site now and then.  I hope you will find something in this letter that may lead to a discussion or two in any informal meetings y'all may have this weekend at the clinic in Austin.  Kick 'round some idears while in the golf cart or at the dinner table.

It's clear the UIL's warmin' to the idear of water polo (minus the horses).  It reminds me of the days just before they split swimming into two divisions.  Back then, the movement went from an individual or two (parent and/or coach) gittin' nowhere fer years, to TISCA and the UIL workin' together to make it happen.

So what?  Maybe we want to work with the UIL to get polo, you say?

Think of the track coach who couldn't care less 'bout cross country, but - thanks to his/her expertise in the areas of runnin', jumpin', & throwin' - is assigned to coach the sport.

Now, imagine yer a swim coach who couldn't care less about polo.  Yes, there are a few out there.  Like it er not, y'all are gonna be orderin' goals, balls, shot clocks, etc.

Since you be the expert in water sports, not only do ya gotta keep workin' with divers - now you'll be coachin' kids swimmin' round in funny lookin' hats elbowin' each other in the mouth and kickin' where it really hurts.

If you can't stand hearin' a whistle go off every ten seconds, might be time to go lookin' fer alternative careers outside high school 'quatics in Texas.

Okay, so what if you like the idear of all that thrashin' & whistlin'?  Think back to the track/cross country example.  Neither sport covers both semesters, right?  Could adding polo as a UIL sport lead to fall-only swimmin' with polo in the spring?  Want to try fittin' a state swim/dive meet into December?  That's the time of year kids are headin' off to USA Swimming Nationals, Junior Nationals, and USA Diving Nationals.  Have fun with that.

Polo or no polo, any movement toward fall-only swim/dive is bad news.  When the season was shortened (used to end in March), important invites got piled on top of one another.  The state TISCA meet was eliminated.  Fall-only swim/dive would mean elimination of more invites and - more than likely - yer favorite revenue-generatin' invites - them regional TISCA meets.

Of course, y'all could come back to work with the foosball coaches, run two-a-days in early August, and start the swim season in late August.  If that's what y'all want, go for it!

Now, think of polo and fall-only swim/dive from the UIL's perspective.  They'd still rake in the same amount of dough from swimming (now twice what they did before the 4A/5A split), plus they'd get an entirely new revenue stream by adding polo.  Since they know coaches would do all the work in organizing district/region/state tournaments, they'd barely lift a finger while them dollar signs in their eyes light up.  See why they're startin' to come 'round to the polo idear?

Bottom line?  Keep polo out of the UIL and fight against fall-only swimming.

So, that covers what I think we should be against.  What should we be for?

Glad y'all asked!

We should be for finding a way to get 24 qualifiers per event (in both divisions) to the state meet.  That was once one of TISCA's most important missions.  It should be again.  They went for the 4A/5A split when they realized it meant doubling revenue while only slightly increasing effort.  Adding another heat to prelims would increase Friday attendance without them having to lift a finger, right?

Also, we've seen huge increase in the number of kids swimmin' and divin' in Texas high schools.  Why does it have to end there?

Why are there still so few college swim programs (fourteen for women & eleven for men) in Texas?  Can't we advocate for more college opportunities for these kids within our great state?  Let's find a way to revive programs that were cut (thanks, Title IX) and start some new ones.  We can come up with a long list of colleges in this state that have pools.  Why not find a way to make it easy for presidents & athletic directors to say "yes" to swimming?

Finally, TISCA stopped posting their unofficial call-up lists a few years ago.  UIL pressure on our once-autonomous organization somehow led to our leadership cavin' in (don't the UIL frown on bullyin'?).  So, with the help of some swim coaches and parents, we've put together the call-up lists for the last couple of years and posted them here.

I'll give y'all a little heads up.  Call-ups ain't gonna be posted here on 2015 region weekend.  So, it looks like some coaches, swim parents, or - gasp - TISCA will have to post unofficial call-ups.

It's either that or wait until the folks over on Manor Road git 'round to it the follerin' week.

No, TN didn't threaten me with bodily harm.  Check back here tomorrow and I'll fill y'all in on the reason.

Q.  What's the best way to keep someone in suspense?

A.  I'll tell ya tomorrow...

See ya,

Button

Quote of the Day

In theory there is no difference between

theory and practice.  In practice there is.

(via NY Times)

Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra

Quote of the Day

It was a combination screwball and

change-up.  I call it a screw-up.

(via Boston)

William Francis Lee III

Quote of the Day

The things you are passionate about

are not random, they are your calling.

(via Twitter)

Fabienne Fredrickson

Quote of the Day

A hunch is creativity trying to tell you something.

(via Wikipedia)

Frank Russell Capra

Quote of the Day

Success is the sum of small efforts -

repeated day in and day out.

(via Wikipedia)

Robert Collier

Catching Up

(via My SA)

In case y'all missed it, Jimmy Feigen was on Tuesday's Q&A session at USA Swimming.  Catch up here.

10. Ricky Berens and David Walters working, making names out of the pool, what’s that like for you in Austin?

Jimmy: I am proud of them. I can’t believe Ricky is getting engaged, that is absolutely nuts to me – in a good way! And Dave off coaching and doing investment banking. I never saw that coming if you asked me to project five years down the road. But he is so amazing. We also have Brendan (Hansen) starting his own athletic complex. It’s good to see that drive to succeed after swimming.

The UIL has updated numbers in their 2013-14 steroid testing report.  More here.  Instead of zero positive tests, they now claim to have nabbed two (2) roiders.  That comes out to a quarter million bucks per positive.

Did y'all catch this amusing video?


USMS is thinking about adding 25's (and 4 x 25 relays) to their meet format.  Story here.

Heard of "The Old Guys for Title IX"?  They've decided to push proportionality on schools they don't have any personal interest in - and that have no desire for their involvement.  More here.

The complaint — filed on Jan. 10 with The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights in Boston — was submitted by a member of “The Old Guys for Title IX” as part of a mass complaint including 100 New England colleges and universities, according to one of the group’s members, Herb Dempsey. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits gender-based discrimination in universities that receive federal education funds.

The complaint against Emerson claims that the school is violating Title IX by not providing “opportunities for women to play sports in numbers substantially proportionate to their enrollment.” The complaint’s author was redacted by The Old Guys for Title IX before it was sent to the Beacon, and Dempsey declined to provide the name.

Opportunities are there, Old Guys, it's just a matter of taking advantage of them.

Naomi Kramer, a senior communication sciences and disorders major who plays women’s lacrosse and soccer for Emerson, said she strongly disagreed with the Title IX complaint’s allegations. 

“Basically, if you want to play, you’re going to play sports here,” she said. “We just hired a female athletic director. That alone says something about this school.” 

Dempsey, a 77-year-old retired teacher and father of five from Washington, said that members of The Old Guys for Title IX have filed thousands of Title IX complaints against public schools and colleges across the country in the past four years. He declined to say how many members belong to the group.

Sounds like that old guy has way too much time on his hands.  How about focusing on equality in budgets, coaching, travel, facilities, etc. - and keeping them darned kids off your lawn - Herb?

I get comments and emails from Title IX'ers all the time.  I'm not sure they understand that I'm not against what Title IX was created for, I'm against what it's become - a quota system.

Here's my response to a recent email:

xxx,

Thanks for the email.  I certainly hope xxx adds boys/girls high school swimming.

Unfortunately, if/when xHS's male swimmers wish to continue their careers in college, they'll likely have to look outside Texas for those opportunities.  Schools like Rice and Houston have dumped their men's swim programs because of Title IX.

While bloated football rosters are an issue, it's proportionality that is to blame here.  Schools offer plenty of opportunities for females in athletics, but the FACT is, they don't take advantage of those opportunities at the same rate as males, PERIOD!

Title IX advocates have used a quota system to force schools to drop male programs, simply because too few women take advantage of the athletic opportunities available.

If the proportionality quota system were used in nursing schools and elementary education (yes, they receive federal funds), we'd have to turn away a huge number of women, right?  How would that be right?  Just because fewer males take advantage of opportunities in nursing and K-5 teaching, should the females be punished for it?

Creating the perfect world proportionality activists "feel" we should have isn't possible.  Whether y'all want to accept it or not, facts are facts and boys and girls are different.

Button

Quote of the Day

Every closed eye is not sleeping

and every open eye is not seeing.

(via The Story Boys)

William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr.

Quote of the Day

Lying makes a problem part of the future;

truth makes a problem part of the past.

(via NY Times)

Richard Andrew "Rick" Pitino

Quote of the Day

Humiliation and indifference, these are conditions

every one of us finds unbearable – this is why the

Coyote when falling is more concerned with the

audience's opinion of him than he is with the

inevitable result of too much gravity. 

(via act)

Charles Martin "Chuck" Jones

Quote of the Day

Things that people learn purely out of curiosity

can have a revolutionary effect on human affairs.

(via AIP)

Frederick Seitz

Quote of the Day

The first time I see a jogger

smiling, I'll consider it.

(via tumblr)

Joan Alexandra Rosenberg,

a.k.a. Joan Rivers

Abbott Wins World Junior OW 5k

Nitro's Taylor Abbott has won the FINA World Junior Open Water 5k in Hungary.

Results (and splits) here.

Quote of the Day

When a constraint exists advantage

can usually be taken of it.

(via IASL)

William Ross Ashby

Quote of the Day

Questioning the status quo can result in
banishment, imprisonment, ridicule, or
being burned at the stake, depending
on your era, your locale, and the
sacred cows you wish to butcher.

(via The Exponent)

Eugene Howard "Gene" Spafford

Quote of the Day

Despite all the promises you hear from politicians,

big government does not really help the little guy.

Big government fosters big business, big unions,

and big costs to the taxpayers.  Big government

and its big partners rob individuals and our

nation of freedom, opportunity, and prosperity.

(via Business Week)

James Warren "Jim" DeMint

Quote of the Day

A weak enemy in the fortress is more

fearsome than the strongest outside.

(via Wikipedia)

Johann Jakob Wilhelm Heinse

Where have all the relays gone?

Thumbed through the 2014 NISCA All-America edition.

Alarmed to see only three (3) relays from Texas high schools made the top 40.

No, that's not three out of forty, fans.

That's three out of 240!

Texas h.s. relays in top forty:

Girls' 200 medley relay - 0
Girls' 200 free relay - 0
Girls' 400 free relay - 0
Boys' 200 medley relay - 0
Boys' 200 free relay - 0
Boys' 400 free relay - 3 - Klein, Brandeis, & Carroll

Go through all the 2013-14 All-America lists here.

Looking for a silver lining?  Texas schools had the most Academic All-Americans.  Maybe call it a stainless steel lining...

Quote of the Day

You never know what worse luck

your bad luck saved you from.

(via The Quarterly Conversation)

Cormac McCarthy