Olympic Reaction: Aussie's WMD bombs in French Redemption

It has been all over the news now and I am guessing that I am probably one of the last people to blog about this but still, I have to give my two cents on the matter. 

In the most anticipated relay in London, surprises were abound as the USA failed to defend their gold and brought home the silver medal everyone expected they would. But the team they yielded their supremacy to was not the heralded Australians with their Weapons of Mass Destruction--the collective nickname of the sprint tandem of James "Missile" Magnussen and James "Rocket" Roberts. Rather, it was their French arch-rivals who did the dethroning behind the blistering chase down anchor swim of Yannick Agnel. 

In a rather surprising twist of fate, the Americans found themselves at the receiving end of an upset after a Jason Lezak-esque Hail Mary swim from Agnel who split a 46.74 to Ryan Lochte's 47.74. The French have finally won that elusive Olympic gold medal while the Americans, as a consolation prize of sorts, still managed to defeat the mighty Aussies.

The Duel that Never Happened
Many thought, myself included, that this relay will be a duel between the Aussies and the Americans while the other teams slug it out for third place. After all, America is the defending gold medalists while the Australians have their freestyle WMD's--Magnussen and Roberts--to reckon with. But what went wrong that this highly anticipated duel never materialized? Let's break it down and find out.

The Aussies went with the team of Magnussen, Matt Targett, Eamon Sullivan and James Roberts. Strategy wise, the arrangement of the swimmers is sound and should have been dominating. Their lead off swimmer is the fastest 100 freestyler in the world; more than capable of clearing 48 seconds and can possibly challenge the world record of 46.94. After him are two battle-hardened veterans who have the ability to swim a 48-low on a flat start. Special mention has to be made of course to third swimmer Eamon Sullivan who is a former record holder himself in the 100 freestyle. And to bring them home, you have the other half of the WMD in Roberts who should easily be able to time a 46-high to a 47-low given that he will be able to use a flying start--a relay turnover technique which would at least subtract half a second to his flat start personal best of 47.54.

On paper, the Aussies could have gotten a 3:09.1 with Magnussen timing a 46.90, Targett a 47.60, Sullivan a 47.50 and Roberts a 47.10. That would have been good enough for the gold as well as the second fastest time in history in the 4x100 freestyle relay.

But, like I said in my previous entry, what is good on paper does not necessarily translate to reality especially when your two aces did not quite deliver.

The middle-swimmers of Targett and Sullivan could have swum faster but timing a 47 point is a good enough. But the WMD's bombed greatly, so to speak. Magnussen led the Aussies off with a 48.03--a full second off his personal best. Roberts closed with a 48.09--from a flying start I might add; which means he could have gone slower if it were a normal flat start--half a second off his personal best.

What happened you might ask? I really do not know the answer to that. Perhaps the pressure got to Magnussen and Roberts who, mind you, are first time Olympians. Perhaps the two miscalculated their speed and employed a wrong strategy. Whatever the reason was, your guess is as good as mine.

Reshuffling the Aces
For the USA, I have to give them credit for assembling the best swimmers at their disposal to go up against their rivals. Everyone was wondering who would join Nathan Adrian and Cullen Jones in the finals. Would it be the ever reliable Michael Phelps who holds the world record in that event with Jones, Garett Webber-Gale and Jason Lezak? Or would it be the inexperienced 100 freestyler but the current holder of the Greatest Swimmer in the World moniker Ryan Lochte?

Or would it be both of them? Which makes perfect sense because in times like these, you need your best swimmers in the front lines; swimmers who do not crack under pressure but rather, thrive in it.

In the end, the USA was represented by Nathan Adrian, Michael Phelps, Cullen Jones and Ryan Lochte. Reading into their arrangement, with Phelps ceding his traditional lead-off spot to Adrian, the Americans wanted to get as close to Magnussen as possible by having their fastest swimmer go first. That would give Adrian enough incentive to go a 47-mid to high since he will be holding off a hard-charging Magnussen in the return 50. After Adrian, it would be Phelps' turn to chase the leaders and turn in a 47-mid. Jones would then turn in a 47-mid to low to give Lochte enough of a lead to close it or enough distance to make up. Lochte then would be tasked to bring it home possibly with a 47-mid to high.

And the plan worked! But only to a degree, of course. Adrian out-swam Magnussen, finally breaking 48 seconds in the process by turning in a 47.89. Phelps left everybody in his wake by turning in a 47.15 split--the fastest among his teammates. Jones did his part by swimming a 47-high though I thought he could have gone a bit faster to give Lochte enough of a cushion to bring it home. Lochte, though being chased down in the end by Agnel, still managed to get a decent 47.74.

Second Guessing the Greatest
After that chase down, as well as Matt Grevers' 47.5 split in the morning prelims, some have been second guessing the decision to insert Lochte instead of Grevers in the finals. It makes sense that Grevers could have swam faster by almost half a second from his morning time. Also, Grevers is a much more experienced freestyle relay swimmer--or a 100 meter freestyler for that matter--than Lochte. So why would Lochte be inserted when it seems that Grevers is the better choice?

Like I said, in times like these, one needs to assemble the greatest swimmers in one's line up--swimmers who do not crack under pressure. Ryan Lochte is without a doubt one of the greatest swimmers of all time. If such an ace is at your disposal, does not logic dictate that you utilize him? For a decorated swimmer such as himself, his genius and skill in the water trumps whatever disadvantage his inexperience may bring about.

Also, one has to remember that the US team was built to withstand the challenge imposed by the Aussies, them and them alone. If you look at the splits, Lochte clearly got the better of his counterpart in James Roberts, 47.74 to 48.09. That should count for something.

Ryan Lochte was the best choice to be the fourth man of the team. He and Phelps are the two greatest swimmers in the world and to have them both in one relay team makes that foursome a powerhouse.

Yannick Agnel was simply faster than Lochte. Lochte did not let up nor did he allow Agnel to chase him down.

The Americans lost to the better team. While everyone expected--even wanted--that team to be the Australians, it was the French, who were all but forgotten but nonetheless had a score to settle, who dethroned them.

If anything, that is the Olympic spirit right there. Never giving up and fighting until the very last moment.

Take Your Mark!

Olympic Analysis: 4x100 Meter Freestyle Relay

All things considered and held constant, the 4x100 meter freestyle relay is going to be duel between Australia and the USA. The French and Russians may keep things interesting by challenging USA just like what they did in the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai. But something tells me that it will not be the case this time around. The Americans are the defending Olympic champions while the Australians are extremely fast. 

My Thoughts after the Prelims

Australia won the prelims over the USA after James "The Missle" Magnussen chased down Jason "The Miracle Man" Lezak. That prelim win guaranteed the Australians top seed in the finals while the USA will be right beside them in Lane 5. 

Team Australia was composed of Cameron McEvoy (48.94), James Roberts (48.22), Tommaso D'Orsogna (47.78) and James Magnussen (47.35). 

Team USA, on the other hand, was represented by Jimmy Feigen (48.49), Matt Grevers (47.54), Ricky Berens (48.52) and Jason Lezak (48.08). 

Before the relay, rumors circulated that the Australian coaches wanted to insert Magnussen in the prelims. The reasons I heard were varied but in my mind, the inclusion of the fastest 100 meter freestyler in the preliminary heats can only mean one of two things. Either the Australians are making sure that they have the top seed coming finals or they are using The Missile as an intimidation tactic. Whatever the reason, it worked.

However, I was kind of surprised that both the fastest and second fastest 100 meter freestyler swam in the heats for Australia. The inclusion of James "The Rocket" Roberts was very much a mystery to me since conventional strategy dictates that one does not immediately show your best hand until the time is right. I was actually expecting to see Eamon Sullivan in the heats instead of Roberts so that the latter will be fresher and more rested in the finals. Whatever the reason, the test fire round of the Missile and the Rocket was successful. They had decent splits but it was evident that they were holding back plenty. 

Team USA went with the line up I expected. Their strategy was sound, relying on an eager youngster to start them off (Feigen), two freestyle veterans to keep them in pace (Grevers and Berens) and a living legend and tough-as-nails closer to bring them home (Lezak). Sure, Lezak may have been overtaken by the hard-charging Magnussen but one has to credit Lezak for two things. One, he actually had to make Magnussen work to overtake him and two, he held off the Russians who were always coming in fast. His split may be off of his legendary 46.06 in Beijing but his 48.08 got the job done nonetheless. 

The Finals

As is the case in such meets, the final heat will feature different line-ups from both teams, with one or two swimmers from the morning prelims being retained to swim once more. 

For the Australians, their finals team will obviously be Magnussen, Roberts, Matt Targett and Eamon Sullivan, swimming in that order too. They will be relying on pure speed--capitalizing on having the top two sprinters in the world as well as the former world record holder in Sullivan. For them to secure the gold, they have to leave everybody in their wake and keep them all at a distance. Simple enough.

The Americans, on the other hand, have to rely on experience, timing and of course luck to pull out all the stops and defend their gold. Their luxury, of course, is having either Michael Phelps or Ryan Lochte (or both of them if need be) in their finals team along with Nathan Adrian and Cullen Jones. In my opinion, Michael will be the better option since he has swam a 48-low in a meet before the Olympic trials and has always been faster in the 100 free than Lochte.

From their prelims team, I wager that Grevers will be called up on account of his 47.54 split. With that, I thinking that the best possible order for the US will be Phelps, Jones, Grevers and Adrian. Phelps can, at best, swim a 47.89 or at worst a 48.10. Either way, his job will be to stay as close to Magnussen as possible since the Missile will surely be swimming anywhere from 46.90 to 47.20. Making up for that 1 second difference will now be the task of Grevers and Jones, who will have no problems swimming a 47-mid to high thanks to the relay turnover or "flying start". Adrian will have the toughest job yet of either sustaining a very narrow lead or chasing down a former record holder. He will have to time a 46-high or 47-low, I imagine.

Conclusion

On paper, the Australians have got this one in the bag. But then again what is written on paper does not necessarily translate to reality in the Olympic Games. Just ask Alain Bernard and the French if you do not believe me. We will have to wait and see what happens tomorrow. If there is one thing is certain in this race it is that it will be a battle. Pure aquatic battle.

Take your mark!

Olympic Prediction: 400 Individual Medley

With the first day of swimming over and done with, we can pretty much see how the landscape of this meet will turnout. That said, I can make my predictions regarding the 400 IM and the 400 freestyle as sound as can be. 

400 IM Finalists

1. Kosuke Hagino (4:10.01)

2. Chad Le Clos (4:12.24)

3. Ryan Lochte (4:12.35)

4. Thiago Perereira (4:12.39)

5. Thomas Fraser-Holmes (4:12.66)

6. Luca Marin (4:13.02)

7. Yuya Horihata (4:13.09)

8. Michael Phelps (4:13.33)

9. Laszlo Cseh (4:13.40)

Part 1 of the Phelps-Lochte duel almost did not happen. After opening up strong in the butterfly with a 54 point something, Phelps held back. Really held back. It is a common practice, of course, for swimmers to have a swim-to-qualify-in-the-finals mindset in a trials-finals (or trials-semi-finals-finals) format. It is a matter of energy conservation and management, you see. The key here is to know exactly how to cruise to actually make it into the final without endangering your chances. So the question is, how slow can you go to still be fast enough?

But Phelps is in--however barely--which keeps the showdown alive.  

Time and again, both men have proven that they are the most versatile swimmers in the world. Their superiority and mastery over one of the most grueling events in swimming--one that showcases all the stroke disciplines in grand fashion--only proves that both have a claim to the title of the Greatest Swimmer in the World.

Notwithstanding their lane assignments (Lochte in Lane 3, Phelps in Lane 8), the 400 IM will just be about Michael and Ryan. Period. I foresee no upsets. But who will come out on top in the first round of the Phelps-Lochte showdown?

Prediction: Ryan Lochte (4:05.75) wins over Michael Phelps (4:05.89).

I base this prediction on two things. First, Ryan has owned Michael in the breaststroke leg ever since the 2010 Pan Pacific Championships. Whatever lead the two will have in the first 200 of the race will cancel each other out since Michael is the better butterflier while Ryan is the better backstroker. Michael will surely play catch up in the freestyle but Ryan has been very adept at holding him off; his lead in the breaststroke has always been too much for his rival. Second, Ryan has been better with his turns and underwater techniques. Michael, in contrast, has not been displaying that uncanny dominance quite like he used too that Ryan has been capitalizing on it.

By my calculations, round 1 to Ryan Lochte.

Ryan Lochte on Training, Racing and London 2012

Olympic Swimming Legend Gary Hall, Sr. talks with Ryan Lochte about training, racing and his chances in the London Games. Young swimmers, pay close attention to the part about the importance of racing especially during the toughest parts of your training programs. 

Take your mark!

Hall Sr. interviews Reezy

Looking Back on 2011: Renaissance of Swimming

2011 witnessed what I like to call the renaissance of technical swimming. Some may argue that this rebirth started a year ago in 2010--when the high-tech full bodysuits were officially banned from competitions. However, to use the metaphor of the phoenix, 2010 was the death of the fully grown bird and its rebirth as an infant. 2011, on the other hand, was the phoenix's first flight; it's baby steps to reclaim its former glory. With all that has transpired last year, no other metaphor could be so apt. That said, here is my top five epic and memorable swimming moments of 2011. 

5. Brendan Hansen wins the 100 and 200 breaststroke in the US Nationals
When Brendan Hansen announced his comeback to swimming, he did not receive that same fan-craze or media-frenzy that Ian Thorpe got when he announced his. However, being a highly decorated swimmer and former World and Olympic Record Holder, USA swimming was more than pleased with the idea that one of the most dominant breaststrokers who ever lived will be attempting to gain more Olympic glory. Especially when USA's breaststrokers have not quite been able to pick up the slack Hansen left when he quietly retired back in 2008.

Some have doubted his endeavor as impossible borderline hopeless but after USA's Nationals, Hansen showed the world that his current swimming prowess matches his mental focus in possibly making the US National team. With impressive wins in the 100 and 200 meter breaststroke and with times near his best, the last surviving member of the original Texas Trio stable is still a force to be reckoned with.

"Hello, boys! I'm back!" 

Brendan Hansen Wins the 100 meter Breaststroke

"And I'm here to stay! London 2012, baby!"

Brendan Hansen Wins the 200 meter Breaststroke 

4. The Australian 4x100 meter freestyle relay gold medal performance
The 4x100 meter freestyle relay is regarded as one of the glamor events in swimming. There is little room for error so much so that a moment's hesitation could mean the podium for a team fast enough to make it to the final heat. While the winners are somewhat predetermined because of the very nature of the sport, miracles and surprise finishes tend to happen. Amazingly, miracle and surprise finishes have been a stipend in the 4x100 free these past three years. That said, it is easy to expect that the Shanghai World Championships would have one coming. The only question is which team would deliver it. Personally, I never expected the Australians to do it.

Coming in the event, all eyes were of course on the Americans. Boasting a team composed of three of the four world record holders (Michael Phelps, Garret Webber-Gale and Jason Lezak) as well as the gold medalist in the 100 free in the 2010 Pan Pacific Championships (Nathan Adrian), the Americans had it won on paper. However, the Australians proved to be the ones fast enough to dethrone the defending champions. Led by the blistering 47.49 split of youngster James Magnussen (that was actually the fastest 100 free in a textile suit, by the way!) as well as the strong anchor leg of veteran swimmer and former 100 free record holder Eamon Sullivan, the Aussies blew away the competition and swam atop the podium. What is more exceptional is that Matt Targett, Matt Abood and Eamon Sullivan all  swam 48 seconds mid to low to aptly complement the exceptional 47.49 of Magnusson.

And the Americans? They settled for third after a neck and neck race with arch-rival France. The French got their revenge for always finishing second to the Americans, I guess.

"Eat Our Wakes, Mates!"

Team Australia Dominates and Decimates!

3. Aussie youngster James Magnussen blitzes to the 100 freestyle gold 
After his superb starting leg in the 4x100 meter freestyle, the pressure was on for James, "The Missile" Magnussen. With a field that is packed with veteran freestylers the likes of record holder and defending champion Brazilian Cesar Cielo, Canadian Brent Hayden and Frenchmen Alain Bernard and Fabian Gilot as well as American sprint-sensation Nathan Adrian, Magnussen had his work cut out for him. A relative unknown in the international scene, Magnussen was the only swimmer under 48 seconds after the semi-finals, earning him the top seed. If the rookie felt the pressure, he surely did not show it; while he did not leave the field behind off the blocks, he methodically caught up with the leaders in the closing lap to become the first Australian 100 meters freestyle world champion.

I cannot wait to see how Magnussen will fare in the London this August. I am going out on a limb and say that there is a high probability that the 100 meter freestyle event in London will be Ground Zero caused by the Aussie Missile.

"The Missile has superseded the The Thorpedo!"

James Magnussen Wins the 100 meter freestyle, the first Aussie to do so

2. Ryan Lochte sets the first post-high-tech body suit long course world record...defeats Michael Phelps twice!
After Ryan Lochte shocked the world by getting near his 200 IM world record in 2010 during the Pan Pacific Championships, experts agreed that it was only a matter of time until Lochte becomes the first man to set a world record post-high tech body suit era. Almost a year later, at the World Championships in Shanghai, Lochte did not disappoint. Even with a motivated and semi-Olympic fit Michael Phelps racing against him, Lochte out-dueled the Greatest Swimmer of All Time in one of Phelps' signature events in world record fashion. As if to prove a point, Lochte again out-swam Phelps in the 200 meter freestyle.

What is amazing about Lochte's feats of beating Phelps is that he used Phelps' strengths to dethrone him in the world's stage! In the 200 IM, what spelled Phelps' demise was Lochte's powerful breaststroke leg. Historically, the backstroker Lochte always caught up with the butterflier Phelps in the second lap (the backstroke) and would begin to fade come breaststroke. This time around, Lochte distanced himself considerably from Phelps in the breaststroke, giving him enough of a cushion in the freestyle to challenge and defeat the world record line. In the 200 freestyle, Lochte employed a much more powerful underwater dolphin kick at all three turns, preventing Phelps from chasing him down in the final lap.

With London merely eight months away, I cannot wait for the Phelps-Lochte duel Part III. As Phelps continues to train harder with rejuvenated motivation and focus, Lochte will surely have a lot on his plate come the London Games. After all, their rivalry is as great as their friendship.

"Jeah! Got you, Michael!"

Ryan Lochte defeats Michael Phelps and breaks his 200 IM World Record

"Reezy out-swims The Baltimore Bullet"

Ryan Lochte wins the 200 meters freestyle...defeats Michael Phelps again! 

1. Sun Yang breaks Grant Hackett's ten year old record in the 1500 freestyle!
The greatest swimming moment in the international stage would be fall of Australian swimming legend Grant Hackett's world record in the 1500 meter freestyle. Set in 2001 at the World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, Hackett's record in the longest and most grueling event in swimming was the only record left unscathed even after the advent of high-tech swimming suits. Dubbed by Olympic Champions Ous Melluoli as an "epic" record, Hackett's 14:34 seemed unbeatable. That is until Chinese swimmer Sun Yang came to the picture.

After flirting with the record in 2010, everyone in the swimming world, including Hackett himself knew that the epic 1500 freestyle record would soon tumble. In front of a home crowd, Sun Yang shifted to a higher gear during the last 25 meters of the race to dramatically and emphatically break the ten-year old record of the Australian swimming legend.

Judging by how strong Sun Yang finished the final lap, there is no doubt in my mind that he could have gone 14:33 high had he shifted to overdrive earlier. Judging by how he was "straddling" the world record line in the final 8 meters, I am sure that he could have not only broken but smashed the mile record. However, even if he broke it by 1 second or 1 hundredth of a second, the fact that he broke the longest active world record which survived the high-tech bodysuit era is legendary enough.

"The Hometown Hero bags the Gold in the Mile!"

Sun Yang wins the 1500 Free and cements his place in swimming history

2011 was truly a memorable year in the international swimming scene. I expect 2012--the London Olympic Games being the most important meet of the year--to be more memorable filled with epic swims, dramatic chase downs, surprising finishes and tumbling world records. 

Happy New Year and Take Your Mark!

5 Things Varsity Swimmers Need to Know & Understand

Ever since I entered college, I noticed that most swimmers younger than myself (as well as a certain number of senior swimmers) seemed to have developed amnesia with regard to the fundamental responsibilities of a swimmer. Well, amnesia may not be the right word to describe it since I do not think most of them were ever told that such responsibilities existed. But I did hope that they would have deduced such realities after a few years of swimming varsity. 

In either case, I think it is time that young swimmers are reminded of the things below. It would be such a pity if you guys do not put to memory and, more importantly, understand them. Trust me--these five things will help in the long run.

1. Not all the time should the Student come before the Athlete.

We have heard it all before in Coach Carter. "These kids are student-athletes. Student comes first," as Samuel L. Jackson eloquently phrased it. I am not disputing this. It is the obligation of every varsity swimmer--or athlete for that matter--to prioritize his education over his athletics. After all, turning professional is not an option for a Filipino swimmer for obvious reasons.

However, I have seen swimmers using the student-athlete excuse to chronically skip training. Kids, prioritizing academics over athletics does not mean forsaking your swimming obligations altogether. Prioritizing means striking a manageable balance between studying and swimming. The life of a student-athlete is hard to put it mildly. And while your coach, captain and/or teammates allow you certain latitude to skip training in order to study, please be reminded that you have voluntarily joined the team. Meaning to say, you accepted the difficult, complex and sacrifice-ridden life of a student-athlete in all its entirety; you embraced all of a varsity swimmer's responsibilities and obligations with open arms when you joined the team after passing try-outs. Let me stress it again; You joined to team voluntarily. No one forced or coerced you.

Except for certain unavoidable occasions, never use academics to skip team activities such as training and meets. Everyone, even the brightest, of your teammates is experiencing the same amount of difficulty you are going through so you have absolutely no right to complain or give excuses. And while you will have to skip athletic commitments for academic obligations, there will come a time wherein you ought to do the reverse. Whether it be cutting classes for meets, taking exams earlier or even load-reving from a class of the best teacher to the class of the terror teacher since the former coincides with training, you will have to see these through.

Boys and girls, sacrifices go both ways. So keep the student before the athlete alright; just do not be too uptight about it.

2. Listen to and RESPECT  your coach.

Integral to swimming success is your relationship with your coach and/or coaches. We all desire to have the perfect coach--one who is always understanding of our shortcomings and will never give sets we cannot accomplish. As lofty as such dreams are, we know that we rarely encounter such coaches. Often we get the composite coach--the combination of the dreaded one and the benevolent one in certain aspects of his personality. But of course, relationships with our coaches are dynamic.

In the team I came from, I am honestly astounded by how younger swimmers view our coaches. Most of the time, I had to restrain myself from coming down on numerous youngsters because their attitude  toward our coaches are downright disrespectful. While most of my teammates dismiss such attitudes as childish behaviors of, well, children, I cannot reconcile such things as gentlemanly, Atenean even. And let us not even begin to discuss the online social network bashing...

Guys, RESPECT ALL YOUR COACHES! You are allowed to have favorite coaches in as much as coaches are allowed to have favorite swimmers. That is a fact of any athlete's life. But respect your coaches indiscriminately nonetheless. You may not like them but you have to respect them, for their authority if not anything else. 

Keep in mind that your coaches (well most of them) only want what is best for you. They are hard on you because they believe that you can become a better person through sports.

Do not be scared if your coach comes down on you. Not too much anyway because that is a sign that he still wants to push you; that he still believes in you! Be scared when he ignores you completely. That is an indication of a total loss of confidence and trust. Believe me, I know.

However, if you really cannot swim for a coach you do not like and cannot bring yourself to respect in any way possible, find another one who you will swim for. There is nothing wrong about that. In fact, I highly recommend it. 

3. Never mind that no one watches your meets or even cares that you are a varsity swimmer.
Coming from a school whose administration, faculty and staff absolutely worships basketball and football as much as the student body, I understand completely why grade school, high school and college swimmers are very much frustrated when their achievements go unnoticed. Imagine swimming for your school for four grueling days trying to win a team championship by winning individual medals and breaking records without receiving so much as a thank you for your efforts regardless of the end result.  Would not you feel upset, frustrated even angry at that?  And when you hoist up your trophy at the end of the day, you do not even see the direct representatives of the student body--the varsity cheerleaders--because they are off at Araneta cheering for the basketball team full force. Get my point?  (For my opinions about the aforementioned, click Burst My Babble Part 1 and Burst My Babble Part 2)

In my years of swimming for my school, I have learned that while such a reality is dreadful, you are setting yourself for more than you can possibly imagine if you dwell on it too much. Lobby hard  and fight for the recognition you deserve and do it the right way. Other than that, just swim. Leave it out on the pool because at the end of the day, your achievements are only as important as what you make them regardless if your school recognizes your or not. 

For you grade schoolers, take it from me. Do not quit swimming to shift to the popular sports so that your peers will regard you as an athlete. You are an athlete, young man! And trust me, while your basketball batchmates bask in limelight now, their numbers will dwindle with every year level you progress since there are fewer and fewer leagues wherein basketball teams can play in high school and only the UAAP division in college. Only a few of them are good enough to make it to the UAAP Seniors Division so come college, the only league you will see these guys is the IAC (kind of like your Intrams in grade school). But if you stick it out with swimming, chances are you will still be enjoying the perks of a varsity member in college. (If you are wondering what some of the perks are, well, Ateneo College is co-ed!)

Here's another food for thought. While your basketball batchmates only play in one league be it PAYA, PRADA, PSBL and the like, you will be swimming in all of them! So technically, you are a member of at least two teams! How's that!

So keep swimming, young men. Keep staring at that emotionless black line and endure the proverbial chlorine-smell and tan lines. It will all be worth it in more ways that you will ever expect.

4. Competing does not start and end with the meet.
During my time as team captain for the college team, I cannot remember a time wherein I did not stress this. The competition does not start and end with the meet; it begins the moment you wake up everyday and will only end once you finally hang up your swimming gear. Competitive swimming is a consummate sport. The key to success is to keep swimming even when you are not swimming.

But how do you swim without swimming? Easy. By going the extra mile. Apply Magis in your sport! In my experiences, you accomplish a lot of your technique improvements and stroke corrections when you are not swimming. In every waking second, think about what will make you stronger, faster and better. Be as cerebral as you possibly can out of the pool because when you are racing, more often than not, your instincts take over. Also, take advantage of technology! Watch Youtube videos of the legends like Michael Phelps, Ian Thorpe, Ryan Lochte, Grant Hackett, Kosuke Kitajima and other elite swimmers to learn from them and see what you can possibly adapt.  

Guys, never believe anyone who tells you that you need only to defeat your opponents during competitions. That is a total misconception. While the goal is to defeat your opponents during meets, the only way to do so is by defeating him in every aspect of the sport. It is true that you do not control what your rivals do but regardless, make sure that your goal is to outwork him in training by acting as if you are already competing. Outsmart him by eating the right food. Overpower him by religiously attending gym and land training sessions before pool workouts. But as creative and as unorthodox as possible!

5. Enjoy every second of swimming; have as much fun as you can.
Enjoy swimming as much as you can, young ones. Swim every swim as if it is your last and enjoy the company of your teammates as much as you possibly can. As amazing as life is, it is also unforgivingly unpredictable. So love swimming, even if she plays hard-to-get.

A word of warning though. As much as I advocate having fun, please keep them in the proper perspective and in line. When it is time to get serious, do not fool around. Focus your attention at the task at hand and have fun afterward, once you and your teammates finish the set. Surviving hellacious sets are always fun and entertaining to look back on. Especially when one of your teammates is a sport when he is the butt of all the innocent ribbing and jokes!

Boys and girls, I hope that these five things are clear enough. If you have any questions or concerns, never hesitate to leave a comment!

Take Your Mark!