Oh certainly - this is in reference to the 200 and 400 freestyles specifically. It’s like nobody remembers how they swam pre rubber suit in those events (even though the current crop of athletes were but 10 years old then).

---

I wrote this, you should read it:
https://www.slowtwitch.com/...n_Swimming_6700.html

Dave is pretty close with all the US backstrokers. They've been doing clinics for years.
He's almost as good of a youth coach as he was an athlete.

But credit to Kathrine. I shared a lane with her at practice when she was in 8th grade (for most of a year). She is easily the hardest working 8th grader I've ever seen. And only became more focused from there.
And no, I did not keep up with her in the slightest.

Yep. I was on the board of USA Swimming with him for a number of years, and Aaron was our rep to FINA at the time too. The US Backstroke fraternity is prestigious and tight knit to be sure.

Another fun fact - Dave is halfway through his AT through hike and is on a 10 day break for the meet. 1100 miles down 1100 to go, and he’s flying along with 25-30 mile days!

---

I wrote this, you should read it:
https://www.slowtwitch.com/...n_Swimming_6700.html

That's awesome. I'm a big fan of Dave. He's helped me a lot over the years.
As long as we're doing Berkoff fun facts....
What Hawaii podium finisher did Dave give swim lessons too as they where starting the sport?

Kyle Chalmers 47.59, 'cruising' to qualification at the Aussie trials.

I just rewatched Smith winning the 400, and he has adopted the double breath technique we talked about here, but only into the turn. He also breaths out of every turn, I think we can put that one to rest from the old wives tales told about the proper technique for breathing and turns..

Also rewatched Katie's 400, it looks like she died, not slowed down on purpose. She was out good, but the about the only thing Rowdy has said that is correct(and agreed with me!!) was that she was the only person in the meet to not to have been on a full taper. A few might be on limited rest, but she could be swimming right through the meet, or at least had the potential too..

Jake Mitchell just put an end to this debate, going 3:45.86 in a solo time trial with the crowd roaring for him. :)

https://swimswam.com/the-most-electric-time-trial-in-swimming-history/

---

"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

Always cool to see what ages of people are killing it at trials. Plenty of younger men and women smashing it! 3 guys under 1:46 in the 200 free. Matt Grevers, a massive unit of a man...6'8", 240lbs and 36 years old making finals in the 100 back, and finishing 5th. This is a great trials meet!

---

"The person on top of the mountain didn't fall there." - unkown

also rule 5

What an awesome ballsy swim. Out way faster and look what happened!

• 200 fr Semis - Ledecky and ??? Madden's on a hot streak, Schmitt's the veteran. Will be a great race tonight.
• 200 fr Finals - Hope there's 4-5 more seconds across the 4 finals swimmers if they want to sniff the medals in Tokyo
• 100 bk Final - Some nerves in the final there, good for Smith and White.
• 100 bk Final - Who the heck is Hunter Armstrong? First whaa? of the meet. End of an era for Matt Grevers - a true gentle giant of the sport.
• 100 br Final - King on form, awesome story for Jacoby. Hopefully NBC stays out of her face in the leadup to the games and lets her do her thing instead of pushing-pushing-pushing on the swimmer from Seward AK angle
• 200 fl Semi - bunch of *shrug* across the board there. 155 is fine i guess, but guys have been going that for 20 years...
• 200 im Semi - swim of the session (not counting time trials😉) for Alex Walsh - wow! Looks like scrapping for second tonight.

---

I wrote this, you should read it:
https://www.slowtwitch.com/...n_Swimming_6700.html

This is the kind of thing that makes US trials so amazing - not just the individual times, but the astonishing depth of times:


https://www.instagram.com/p/CQKchvOgHSa/

---

I wrote this, you should read it:
https://www.slowtwitch.com/...n_Swimming_6700.html

That was awesome. The cool thing about a time trial is everyone is rooting for the same person. Some of my fondest memories from college was rooting for rivals at our conference meet who were trying to get NCAA cuts…

So with all the alternates there are 36 slots to fill.

This means you need 10 double up swims to bring all the alternates.

Dressel -2 (in other words, he will make the team in 3 events)
K Smith - 1 (and maybe one more in the 100 or 800 - he needs to decide which event)
Apple - 1 (he is making top 6 in 100)
Kibbler - 1 (he is very likely making top 6 in the 100)
Wilmovski/Finke -2 (if they don’t double up I’ll be surprised save Smith in the 800)
200 IM: -1 I think foster gets one spot the other spot is almost for sure MA, Chase K, or Seli (sorry Lochte)
200 Back -1 Murphy

Assuming that all happens you have to get 1 spot here:

200 breast : hmmm MAYBE Wilson
200 Fly : Litherland has a shot
200 back 2nd place. Unless Casas does something unexpected in the 100 free/fly I don’t see this. But maybe.
100 fly second spot - MA. Or maybe Rooney gets this spot and a 100 free spot.
50 free: I’d say decent chance 2nd place is a double from the 100, I just don’t know who it will be.
100 free wildcard : hunter Armstong. He was just as good at NCAAs in the 100 free as the 100 back and we saw what happened last night so….
100 free wildcard: Seliskar

The 100 free is the key event. We will know what dominos need to fall after this event tomorrow.

Really pulling for Alex Walsh, she swims for the same club team I did growing up (still the same coach)-- although she's now got a year of UVa swimming as well. She'd be the first person from my club team to make the Olympics since Tracy Caulkins-- also a 200IMer.

Glad R. Smith made the team, she does seem really anxious. Hope she calms down and swims like she can the rest of the meet.

Men's 200 free, same story as the 400, they all need to be more aggressive on that second 50 I think. I expected a faster first 100 from Farris, Apple, Pieroni. Looks like everyone needs to work on their turns except for Smith.

Hope Annie Lazor doesn't let the 100 get to her, she had a bad finish there and I thought she would be 2nd at 75m. She should be much better at the 200br.

Anyone else feel like they are really trying hard to milk as much Phelps as they can from the broadcast? He's really not that great at broadcasting with his slight speech impediment and doesn't bring the enthusiasm that Rowdy brings. I assume he can't attend the Tokyo Games (unless NBC does hire him as a broadcaster) so they are pushing the cross-promotion with the new Peacock show now rather than later (I can't believe they actually made a short documentary just on the 400 free relay from '08).

---

-----

I think the priority is 2nd place finishers over 6 place 100/200 finishers. It's funny, when I was the Athlete's VP for USA Swimming, one of my responsibilities was to review selection procedures - but that was a long time ago, and i don't have them memorized anymore. Never in my wildest dreams during my reviews did I ever thing we'd have to reach this deep down into them to fill the team, haha.

EDIT - according to a comment thread Mitchell is now the lowest selection priority - he may not even make the team afterall:

---

I wrote this, you should read it:
https://www.slowtwitch.com/...n_Swimming_6700.html

I actually replied to Braden but for some reason it hasn't popped up on that thread. First, I think they are wrong. The lowest priority is the 6th pace finishers in the 100/200. Rule 1.3.4 basically says the selection takes place on 06/20 at 9 PM.


Either way, I should have been more clear:

It is going to take some whacky results for all the alternates not to make it.

Dressel gets a DQ'd, 50 goes to Ervin and that teenager, Adrian, Rooney and Kreuger and Pieroni get 100 free slots (and Rooney doens't get a 100 fly) 200 IM goes to Foster and Lochte, Grothe gets an 800 spot.

I suppose anyone of those things could happen but all of them have to happen for this not to work out.


https://www.usaswimming.org/docs/default-source/national-teamdocuments/swi-2020-oly-athlete-pool-amended-6-8-2021---final-clean-version---signed.pdf

Yes - very excited for Alex Walsh and to see the NAC swimcap!!

---

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

Stupid question ahead:

What stipulates that only 26 US swimmers can go to Tokyo? Is it FINA/IOC rules or US Swimming or???

FINA/IOC roster caps.

---

I wrote this, you should read it:
https://www.slowtwitch.com/...n_Swimming_6700.html

Well men's 100 free just finished. Not impressive if you ask me, not a guy under 48 but 12 under 49. Adrian was able to stick with Dressel and out touch him. Rooney didn't look good but made semi's (too much up and down in his stroke). Haas and K. Smith not enough speed to make semi's, wonder if Kieran will turn around and swim the 800 now that the 100 is out of the question. Other bigger names like Chadwick and Farris barely make the semifinals.

---

-----

Kieran's not on the heat sheets for the 800 - so no chance of that. I would have thought Farris's better chance was the 200 but he didn't even swim it.

---

I wrote this, you should read it:
https://www.slowtwitch.com/...n_Swimming_6700.html

If you didn't ahve seed times to look at the prelims for the 100 was ridiculous. I don't think there has ever been a meet where more than 5 guys have gone under 48 in the 100 (2019 WC 5 guys did it). Looks to me like 6 guys are going to do it tonight. But I more or less agree with Adrian, the result was a LITTLE flat.

I wasn't counting on Brooks Curry being a factor. Good for him.

On the 26 watch list: Smith, Armstrong and Seli are off the wildcard list for the 100 free.

The Trials may or may not be the "fastest meet in the world", but it is definitely the cruelest meet in the world wherein lifetime dreams/goals are crushed by mere hundredths of a second. And when I say "lifetime dreams/goals", I mean that, for at least a substantial portion of serious swimmers, no matter how long they live, they will NEVER have a goal they want more than to make it to the Olympics. Having a loving wife, kids, house, etc, are all well and good, but do not require the same level of commitment.

---

"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

USA Open Water Roster? Has the US Open Water team been selected? I can not find a roster online. Thanks. David K

https://swimswam.com/...a-open-water-titles/

Women:

1. Haley Anderson (Olympic rep)
2. Ashley Twichell (Olympic rep)

Men:

1. Jordan Wilimovsky (Olympic rep)

---

I wrote this, you should read it:
https://www.slowtwitch.com/...n_Swimming_6700.html

Thank you!

Open water selections were basically done in 2019 for the US. The slots are allocated by FINA at Worlds. The field at the Olympics is capped at 25 men & 25 Women.

Top 10 at Worlds gets you in.
Host country gets 1 slot.
The remaining 14 slots are being awarded at a race coming up in Portugal. 9 are straight up placing & 5 based on continental representation. The only way for a country to have 2 swimmers is they both have to be top 10 at Worlds.

---

___________________________________________
http://en.wikipedia.org/...eoesophageal_fistula
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_palsy
2020 National Masters Champion - M40-44 - 400m IM
Canadian Record Holder 35-39M & 40-44M - 200 m Butterfly (LCM)