More Misc.

(via reachforthewall)

Golden Goggles

Female Athlete OTY:  Katie Ledecky (video)

Male Athlete OTY:  Michael Phelps (video)

Female Race OTY:  Katie Ledecky, Pan Pac 1500 free (video)

Male Race OTY:  Connor Jaeger, Pan Pac 1500 free (video)

Relay OTY:  Pan Pac Women's 800 (video)

Coach OTY:  Bruce Gemmell (video)

Breakout Performer OTY:  Maya DiRado (video)

Perseverance Award:  Haley Anderson & Andrew Gemmell (video)

Results

MAC Open

METRO L-3

Dallas Cup

Caney Creek/Willis/Huntsville

Phill Hansel Invite

Frisco ISD Invite

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps vs. Trinity

AAHSSL 11/22 Duals (Block)

AAHSSL Reagan vs. Brandeis & Marshall vs. MacArthur

AAHSSL O'Connor vs. Churshill & Clark vs. Johnson

Art Adamson Invite

Alief ISD Sprint Invite

Gulf TISCA

Killeen ISD Invite

Other


Hang in there, Art Bell fans.  The late night radio superstar plans to return via internet in July 2015.

Will Modern Farmer ever replace Mother Earth News?

Longhorns Swim Camp employment info is here.

For 2015, the Camp is seeking 23-26 individuals who are motivated, team-oriented, energetic, enjoy coaching, learning, and working with young people. This is an exciting opportunity for established and up and coming coaches!  It is highly encouraged to complete and return all paperwork ASAP.

Quote of the Day

Nature always uses the simplest

means to accomplish its effects.

(via Larousse)

Pierre Louis Maupertuis

Quote of the Day

The criterion of truth is that it works even

if nobody is prepared to acknowledge it.

(via Great Thoughts Treasury)

Ludwig Heinrich Edler von Mises

Quote of the Day

To understand the workings of American

politics, you have to understand this

fundamental law:  Conservatives

think liberals are stupid.  Liberals

think conservatives are evil.

(via cac)

Charles Krauthammer

Misc.

The Aggies moved into the top spot in this week's CSCAA D-I Women's Swimming poll.  View that here.  Texas was 4th and SMU dropped to 22nd.

A&M hosts the Art Adamson Invite this weekend.  Real time results should be here.

Men's and women's D-III poll is here.  Only Texas school getting votes was Trinity (W).

COPS vs. RACE

Dallas Mustangs Intrasquad

FAST L-3

LAC L-3

Klein JV Invite

Kingwood JV Klassic

(via reddit)

In foosball news:  Did you know Houston won the 1952 Salad Bowl?

(via behance)

The UIL 8-hour rule doesn't mean just eight hours of training per week.  It means eight hours outside the school day (athletic period doesn't count against it) through the close of school Friday (Friday afternoon and Saturday don't count against it).

Serious high school programs that lack a nearby club program to supplement their training can still - legally - get in sixteen hours of training weekly (without going too crazy on Friday afternoon and Saturday), right?

How do college programs stretch their NCAA 20-hour rule without breaking it?  Optional time, of course!  Read NCAA Practice Limits Have Their Loopholes here.

(via ESPN)

Most college sports teams have found ways to legally circumvent the 20-hour rule. Making portions of practices optional seems to be the most common approach, and this is easier in swimming than most sports. In some sports, coaches are not allowed to attend optional practices, but for swimming, there is a safety exemption that allows them to be on the pool deck during optional work.

A few other facets of the NCAA’s rule are that mandatory team meetings count toward the 20 hours, and all competitions count as three hours of practice. In addition, no more than four hours can be required on any one day, and student-athletes must get at least one day off per week.

In our case, the 20 total hours and four-hour maximum per day are both skirted because of optional hours. Thankfully, we do get Sundays completely off.

Yes, high school and college swimming can seem like a part-time job...but a fun one, right?

(via The Keep Calm-O-Matic)

Nope, you've never heard the above from me.  Just can't stand it.  Worked with a couple of guys who used it more than a little.  It's one example of thought-terminating clichés (more here).

Though the clichéd phrase in and of itself may be valid in certain contexts, its application as a means of dismissing dissent or justifying fallacious logic is what makes it thought-terminating.

Watch Minneapolis Grand Prix here.

Real time results should show up here.

Quote of the Day

Despair is a narcotic.  It lulls

the mind into indifference.

(via Wikipedia)

Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin

Quote of the Day

One thorn of experience is worth

a whole wilderness of warning.

(via Wikipedia)

James Russell Lowell

Time to Lower Expectations?

Guess I expected too much after posting Opportunity to Save the Males!

Since Wednesday, hundreds have seen the post and not a single person has been interested enough to respond with contact info.

I may have this "Save the Males" thing all wrong.  Maybe they don't want or need to be saved.  Young men might be just fine with fewer opportunities in college swimming.

Think I'll dismount, give Rocinante a break, and leave them windmills alone for a while...

In other news:

If your USAS coaching credentials are up for renewal and you need info on safety requirements for the 2015 year, info is here.

WADA's revised doping code will take effect January 1, 2015.  The banned substances list:

WADA 2015 Prohibited List

Here's a groovy little item, the cubic rubber band:

via nendo

Results:

SMU vs. TCU (M)

Dragon Invite

The Woodlands vs. Collins

Conroe/Oak Ridge/Dulles

ESA vs. FCST

PACK Open

Clark/Taft/Brennan/Marshall

O'Connor/Brandeis/Health Careers/Holmes

AAHSSL "D" Division Dual #2

McKinney North/Liberty/Heritage

CSCAA Polls:

NCAA D-II (M&W)

NCAA D-I (M)

Save College of Charleston Swim/Dive video:


Minneapolis Grand Prix Psych Sheet

West University Recreation Specialist - Aquatics

USA Swimming feature on Laura Sogar is here.

“I’m looking at a lot of schools right now, some close to me and some not so close; I’ve got time to decide,” said Sogar, who intends to pursue her Master’s in Business Administration (MBA). “I’m very happy with life right now, especially being back on the road to being healthy, and I’m really excited about what’s still to come – in and outside of swimming.”

Will likely encounter rattlers, black bears, and a bazillion skeeters on the AT.  Might even run into a Bigfoot.  State by State sightings list here.

(via Custom Woven Towels)

USAS feature on NITRO Swimming is here.

3. We build from the bottom up. We have great lesson programs at our pools, and our conduit programs connect to our swim team. Intro to Nitro is the first step of being on the swim team, then we have Technique and Fitness, which is more about learning strokes and staying in shape. Those help us build within the infrastructure of our own team and work up the pyramid.

Sir Charles weighs in on Derrick Rose:

Quote of the Day

If you expect nothing from anybody,

you're never disappointed.

(via Wikipedia)

Sylvia Plath

Opportunity to Save the Males!

Was contacted today by television producer who wants to hear from high school boys (15-17) who have experienced loss of college swim opportunities due to Title IX (mainly proportionality).

Parents and coaches, please get me contact info for young men who are swimming in high school and have discovered:

a) the school of their choice has a women-only swim program,
b) little/no financial assistance is available because they're males,
c) roster caps mean they can't even swim as a "walk on", and/or
d) any other reverse discrimination issues.

Producer would like to talk with kids by phone first (by the end of next week), then set up on-camera interviews.

I'm more than happy to be the go-between for this effort.  Email me contact info and I'll pass it along.

This is a great opportunity to tell a side of the story that's often missed in the media.

We know our sport is the most gender-equitable one out there, yet our young men pay a heavy price because other sports aren't nearly as "fair" as ours.

Wildcats End Drought!

Okay, it's not a Texas story (New York, actually), but bear with me (there's Texas news later).

In 1977, our sectional meet didn't come down to the last relay.  Our Marcus Whitman Wildcats' boys team came close to our first swimming team championship, but even our upset win in the 400 free relay wasn't enough to put us over the top.  As they say:  Close, but no cigar.

While up in Rushville last month for the Hall of Fame ceremony, there was talk that "This year could be the year."  Our girls' team was having a very good season and had a shot at a sectional title.

Last weekend, the Whitman girls won our school's first-ever sectional championship in a meet that came down to a must-win 400 free relay.  Full story here.

Marcus Whitman rallied in the last race to come away with the Class C team championship. The 400 free relay team of Hailey Rossi, Amelia Stash, Natalie Johnson and Courtney Copper won to give Whitman 303 points, edging out the host Rams by two points and third place Dansville by five.

It was the first sectional title for Marcus Whitman in program history.

“I’m so proud of all of my girls. They have inspired each other to be their best, which in turn made the team the best,” Marcus Whitman coach Marcy Adams said. “The competition at this meet was unbelievably strong, and I’m so grateful that we were able  to be part of it.

“Our team stayed very strong and worked off one another’s energy. They truly showed what teamwork and hard work can do.”

Note about the girls' picture:

When you win an event at sectionals, they give you your letter jacket patch on the spot.  Blue shield for individual events, white shield for relays.  Still have mine floating around here somewhere.  Might be a cool idea for UIL/TISCA to explore, right?

Way to go, Cats!

Now for the Texas news.  A new TISCA president's letter is here.  In summary:

1.  Spring '15 superintendent survey is next step in "24 to State" movement.
2.  A 3rd division might become a reality if/when 4A numbers increase.
3.  UIL wants polo but the L.C. doesn't.  It's up to TISCA to change that.

A few high school and club results:

Bob Stallings Aggieland Invite

Victoria ISD Invite

AAAA "C"

Cathedral/Loretto Invite

PEAK Senior

MARS L-1

CCAA Turkey Trot

Rockwall Invite

Red River Shootout

Georgetown/East View/Midway

Plano vs. Plano West

Broncos JV Sprint Pentathlon

Weslaco Invite

Quote of the Day

If there is a single power the

West underestimates, it is the

power of collective hatred.

(via Hoover Institution)

Ralph Peters

Only Three Months to Go

(via Trail Journals)

For any of y'all who might be interested, I'm starting to post on my AT thru-hike here.

Over the course of the next three (3) months, I'll be spending less of my spare time posting on this swim site and more of that time prepping for the big adventure.

Quote of the Day

In war the only sure defense is offense, and

the efficiency of the offense depends on

the warlike souls of those conducting it.

General George Smith Patton III

Quote of the Day

I should be sorry if I only entertained

them, I wish to make them better.

(via glogster)

Georg Friedrich Händel

Another Round of Results (Updated...Again)

Club

TXLA 10 & Under

Del Norte #2

Texas Ford L-2, D-2

EPAP Monster

NTN L-2, D-1

ATAC L-2, D-3

AAAA Nadadores B+

AQTX Tuesday Night Races



College

A&M vs. Texas (W)

Iowa State vs. Texas Christian (W)

Henderson State Invite (M&W, Day 1)

Henderson State Invite (M&W, Day 2)

A&M vs. Indian River (M)

Trinity vs. Incarnate Word (M&W)



High School

Oak Ridge Intrasquad

College Park/Caney Creek/Conroe

LCISD Private School Invite

Angleton Sprintathlon

The Woodlands Intrasquad

Tomball Fall Kickoff

Conroe/Cy-Lakes/Cy-Springs

College Park Intrasquad

LCISD 5A Invite

Tomball Halloween Invite

AAHSSL "C" Division Dual #2

Ranger Relay Invite

AAHSSL Distance Invite



Open Water

Snapping Tortuga 500

Snapping Tortuga 2.5k

Snapping Tortuga 5k

Nitro's Taylor Abbott won his age group and was 2nd overall behind Olympian Alex Meyer at the Barbados Open Water Festival on November 2nd:

It was a historic moment for open water swimming in Barbados as two world champions swam to a 1-2 finish in the Mens 5km race. Alex Meyer of the US was first ahead of fellow American, Taylor Abbott. Lindsay Vrooman was first in the Ladies 5km.

Quote of the Day

Inaction will cause a man to sink

into the slough of despond and

vanish without a trace.

(via NY Times)

Farley McGill Mowat

Quote of the Day

Sometimes I arrive just when God's ready

to have someone click the shutter.

(via Wikipedia)

Ansel Easton Adams

Quote of the Day

The world's big and I want to have

a good look at it before it gets dark.

(via National Park Service)

John Muir

Where to start?

Guess we'll just get right to the point:

College Park HS assistant coach David James recently lost his son, Peyton, to suicide.  Full article here.

“There are people out there that love you, and whose lives would be torn apart without you,” said James, a resident of Jacob’s Reserve. “Talk to a friend, a teacher, a counselor, an assistant principal. Get help. Don’t give in to those thoughts.”

What if y'all said/did something nice for a kid today (and tomorrow, and the next day...) that might be struggling?  It might mean the world to him/her, right?  Don't wait for someone else - just do it!

In memory of Peyton, The Woodlands College Park High School Swim Team will be collecting travel-size toiletries this month and through December to donate to the Ronald McDonald House, where James and his wife stayed while Peyton was in the hospital.

Conroe ISD is hosting a TISCA meet that falls within the window of the drive.

Wouldn't it be great if teams attending that November 21-22 meet brought their contributions that weekend?

Spread the word, folks!

Quote of the Day

The first thing I remember about the

world - and I pray that it may be the

last - is that I was a stranger in it.

(via Dover Beach)

Thomas Malcolm Muggeridge

Quote of the Day

There is absolutely nothing that can

be taken for granted in this world.

(via The Oz Mix)

Robert Anton Wilson

Quote of the Day

Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts

the person in an endless effort to satisfy

the need without ever reaching satisfaction.

(via Erich Fromm)

Erich Seligmann Fromm

Quote of the Day

Propaganda is the executive arm

of the invisible government.

Edward Louis Bernays

Quote of the Day

To some extent we are all the prisoners of

stereotypes;  we see each other in terms

of distorted and oversimplified images.

(via LBJ Library)

Chester Bliss Bowles