I saw Melvin Stewart swim in a dual meet, U. of Tennessee vs U of Alabama. Stew did not even swim fly but rather the coach had him do the 1000 free, which subs for the 1650 in most college meets in the U.S. Mel went 9:10 and took only 10 strokes/length, and just barely kicked, the whole way after the first 50. He looked like he was just warming up. I was impressed!!! :)

---

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

You are probably correct. In training, there is always the trade off between speed and endurance. You can't get maximum speed without sacrificing some endurance and you can't have maximum endurance without sacrificing some speed.

Tim

---

http://www.magnoliamasters.com
http://www.snappingtortuga.com
http://www.swimeasyspeed.com

(Lol - thanks. I don't want to derail this thread about Real Swimmers by droning on about my swimming - I'm a 60 year old shmuck who took up swimming 3.5 years ago. If I put my goal in the sig-block, it keeps me honest! :) SC.)

---

I only swim.
I used to run. (31:09 10k.)
I never did Triathlon. (Sue me.)

Well, I would say that 6:11 for 400 scm is quite good for a 60 yr old AOS who has only been swimming 3.5 yrs. Chapeau, Monsieur Skuj!!!

---

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

Aw, that's very kind. Thanks. I often think of myself as SOS....senior onset swimmer!! :)

---

I only swim.
I used to run. (31:09 10k.)
I never did Triathlon. (Sue me.)

7:57.4, not bad for a day's work. She definitely has a big time "gallop stroke", a lot like Phelps. :)

---

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

Great video - thanks to whoever posted. She has a bit of a gallop, but she still keeps really flat in the water. Such big power to hold that tempo and stroke.
Summer's progression is great - looking forward to seeing what she can do with her events in the next few years. Can someone explain her catch and kick initiation on the right hand side? Is it just me or does it look like she 'kicks late' and after setting up her left catch quite deep? I've not really seen other swimmers do that and wondering what people think. The underwater shot is a bit blurry and I haven't noticed it before

7:57.4, not bad for a day's work. She definitely has a big time "gallop stroke", a lot like Phelps. :) //

For sure she has that gallop stroke, but I have a theory that this helps keep certain swimmers in a nice forward rhythm. Sure it looks pretty to be flat, smooth, and flawless, but how often do we see this type of stroke in top freestylers? What I noticed is it really looks like she jams her turns. She does this head bob just before, and it sure looks to me that she is super close to the wall. But after watching all of her turns, it could just be that is how she gets a massive push off, and how she carries more momentum into the turns. Curious what some of you other fishes think.


Boy what a difference from the 400 last week against Summer. I dont think this was a really fast swim for Katie, just an ok one, but she made summer look like she was 14 again. I really think Katie has a low 7;50 in her, perhaps on a full shave and taper. I mean she was 10 flat for the 1000 in her 1500, seems like that delta to the 800 should be more than a couple seconds.

Yeah, I thought at least 7:54 was on the cards. She might be slightly tired after Toronto? And Summer climbed her Mount Everest just a few days ago - it's so hard to summit again so soon!

---

I only swim.
I used to run. (31:09 10k.)
I never did Triathlon. (Sue me.)

Ledecky/Mcintosh 400m again, on Dec 1st. LC this time. Predictions? (God I love this.)

https://swimswam.com/...t-the-2022-u-s-open/

---

I only swim.
I used to run. (31:09 10k.)
I never did Triathlon. (Sue me.)

Katie goes 3:59.71 to take the rematch by the skin of her teeth, 0.08 sec.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ais-gvox3k

---

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

Summer McIntosh 3:56.08 WR!!!!!!!!!

---

I only swim.
I used to run. (31:09 10k.)
I never did Triathlon. (Sue me.)

 

BIG news here in Canada - or at least as big as it get's for Swimming and sports outside of Professional League Sports. Summer really went after it. She was ahead of WR pace at EVERY split along the way.

What we are starting to see now in Canada is perhaps the Toronto Pan Am Games Legacy Generation. I see it happening in swimming, a bit in Track & Field, as well as in Track Cycling - Dylan Bibic won the UCI Track Cycling Scratch Race World Championships last Fall. Kelsy Mitchell won the Gold Medal in the Sprint in Track Cycling at the Tokyo Olympic Games. Just to name a few great performances of athletes who benefitted from A) The Sports Infrastructure left behind from the Pan Am Games 2) Seeing Canada perform really well at those games and subsequent Olympic Games

---

---

Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

I wonder what her 200m Free will bring.

I'm imagining Ledecky-Titmus-McIntosh in the 400m final at Worlds in July.

---

I only swim.
I used to run. (31:09 10k.)
I never did Triathlon. (Sue me.)

Summer just took down the 400 IM WR.
4.25.87

Wow.

Tomorrow is the 200 Free. The WR is 1:52.98, and Summer recently swam 1:54.13.

Does it happen tomorrow also?

Dammit, I predict 1:52.63 :)

---

I only swim.
I used to run. (31:09 10k.)
I never did Triathlon. (Sue me.)

I posted 1:52.6 as my prediction on twitter right after this was swum. I predicted 4:25.8 in a DM to Braden Keith 4 or 5 hours before.

My son's teammate won the mens 400 IM breaking the 15-17 NAG & making his first SR Nat team (he just missed the open club record 4:15.33) We'll have a number of swimmers on Worlds, World Jrs & Pan Am Games when the dust settles.

Mind blown.

---

___________________________________________
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)

6 gold in Paris.
2/4 IM
2/4 Free
2Fly
4x2 Free

---

___________________________________________
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)

Actually, after watching that IM vid and her post race comments, you have to wonder if she might actually be tired tomorrow.

---

I only swim.
I used to run. (31:09 10k.)
I never did Triathlon. (Sue me.)

I know we were all pumped up when Penny came along a few years ago - but this is next level stuff with Summer.

My only concern and we did see this play out with Penny is the enormous pressure we put on these young swimmers and the mental health toll it can take. Summer is just16!!

Interviews and what we see in public with top level athletes can often be misleading. We found out just recently as an example that Chelsea Sodaro who won the IMWC last October had a total mental breakdown over the winter. I guess the good news these days is athletes are stepping forward now and admitting to these sorts of challenges.

---

---

Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Its wild to see this but its part of a longer progression I have been aware of for 5 years. She has swam well with Kevin (prior his death in 2020), Ben before his move back to Europe to run Spains training centre and now Brent with SYS. Her mom has been through some of this and hopefully this helps steady the course a bit.

My kid swims with the mens winner in 400 IM & the top jr in 200 back. We call this duo Mutt & Jeff since Lorne is 5'8" and Aiden is 6'6".

I think come May 2024 they will be on the Paris team...

Todays gonna be busy following 2 different meets...

I think we'll see 3 UCSC 17u boys under 1:50 in 200 Free today.

I felt bad for defending Trials champ Ritchie Stokes in 200 Back that last 30m looked like they dropped a piano on him. He went for it going out 57.45. I suspect he will be better for it. In the 200 Back 2021 Olympian Cole Pratt took most of last season off to recover from injury, now no longer the best in Canada, he's not even close to the best in Calgary currently, that has got to be rough. His dad is the male voice on the broadcast BTW.

---

___________________________________________
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)

https://www.instagram.com/...?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Post race analysis on inflatable 🦄.

---

___________________________________________
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)

If Canada had the same relay strength as the us men in 2008, we’d really have think summer could win 8. Alas I think those 6 are the only ones she can win. Still it would be the greatest Olympics for a female swimmer.

That's what I was saying....16ish years old and going into next year's Olympics with two world records now from trials and it being all over national media every night in Canada. May or may not be helpful having a mother who lived through her own Olympic games participation path. Let's hope the pressure is handle-able.