Some More Pics and Info on Tomorrow's Prelim Session

I sat staring at the computer screen for about five minutes trying to think of an adjective to describe the competition facility at the Qwest Center. I finally decided on the generic title for this post because no one word can correctly describe the set-up created by USA Swimming, the Qwest Center, and the Omaha Sports Commission. I first walked through the warm-up pool area. I'll admit here that it is not really anything special. But its a warm-up pool so its functionality is all that matters (anyone who has been in the warm-up pool at the Indianapolis Natatorium will agree with this statement). Just past the warm-up area is a quick jump up a flight of stairs to the main competition area. Now before I walked in I had an idea of what to expect...and was completely blown away by what I saw. The one thing that pictures can not do justice for is how close the spectators will be to the pool. Also the venue is not as big as the Wachovia Center or the Spectrum for that matter: there is less seating and the roof is not nearly as high. This will leave less room for the noise of the crowd to travel and will most definitely make for an incredibly loud meet.
The pool, of course, is the focal point of it all. I have never experienced a pool surrounded by 12,000 seats and that unfamiliarity leads to my astonishment. However there is something else about this temporary facility that goes beyond anything I have ever seen before and anything I could have imagined before walking into the main portion of the facility. I can only hope NBC gives the television views an adequate picture of what we will see live in the arena.

The order of events tomorrow is: Men's 400 IM (Mike Joyce, Heat 3 Lane 2 and Bill Cregar, Heat 5 Lane 1), Women's 100 Fly, Men's 400 Free (Christian Sprang, Heat 6 Lane 4), Women's 400 IM (Jamie Marks, Heat 7 Lane 1) and the Men's 100 Breast. Prelims start at 12 pm Eastern Time.

A Couple of Photos

I thought I'd pass along a couple of photos I took at the venue today. There are only two because I just wasn't in a picture taking kind of mood. I have to go back over for a meeting a little later and I will be sure to get some pictures of the pool itself.

The damage to the building was most definitely worse than I had expected. There is a team of workers trying to put things back together but they would probably be better served by just covering it with a tarp for now. When I was checking in the woman at the front desk said this was the worst storm she has experienced since moving to Omaha. When I asked her how long she has been in Omaha she replied "Forty years". Yikes. We have been told its all systems go for the meet. The pool has been up and running all day and I am sure its just as fast today as it was yesterday.

Live Video From Prelims

NBCOlympics.com will be broadcasting the preliminary heats from Trials all week. Olympic Gold Medalist Josh Davis will be providing the color commentary each day. Prelims start at 11 am Central Time each day (12 pm Eastern Time). You can get a full listing of the start times for the online webcasts here.

Trying to Catch a Break (In the Weather)

Back at Philadelphia International Airport hoping to get on a flight to Omaha. The storms out there pretty much shut down the city, I couldn't even get through to my hotel out there because the phone lines were down all night. I heard reports that most of the city was without electricity leaving the hotels without any light or air conditioning. One hotel I know of issued flashlights to guests checking in last night.

This picture is from swimmingworldmagazine.com showing some of the damage done to the roof of the Qwest Center. You can see the rest of the article here. No word yet on any delays for the meet. I must say that seeing the pictures as well as the reports on Headline News on TV here in the terminal is kind of surreal. The damage is a lot worse than I had expected.

Alright, they are about to start boarding the plane. Off to Milwaukee and then (hopefully) Omaha.

Trials Info: One Stop Shopping

If you are looking for a place to find as much Trials information as possible without having to go to more than one sight...well, you come here of course. But if you are willing to open two internet windows in your browser at once, make it Swimmingworldmagzine.com's Olympic Trials Page. I am sure Jason Marsteller and the rest of the Swimming World crew will provide great insight and great photos from the event. Be sure to bookmark that page for easy access throughout the week.


Ominous, Part II
Just got a text message from Christian. Apparently a serious storm ripped through the Omaha area late this afternoon, possibly damaging the roof of the Qwest Center. Regardless of any damage caused or not caused, the pool was closed for the rest of the day. I'm sure Philadelphia sports fans read this and remember March 1, 1968.

Ominous

om·i·nous /ˈɒmənəs/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[om-uh-nuhs] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –adjective

1.	portending evil or harm; foreboding; threatening; inauspicious: an ominous bank of dark clouds.

When I received the 7:10 am text message from Mrs. Joyce that their flight to Omaha was canceled I knew it was going to be a rough day. Sure enough I learned once I arrive at the airport my flight was bumped to 9:20 pm, a two hour delay. It seems there is some nasty weather in Central Nebraska today and causing delays and cancellations all day long. Whodathunkit...nasty weather in Central Nebraska during the summer? I always tell Tjitske I want to experience three things: an earthquake, a tornado, and to shoot the hot dog gun at a Phillies game. Now that #2 is looking like more and more of a reality I think I want to change my list...of course shooting the hot dog gun stays on the list!

So Speedo released the design of their Team USA LZR Racer today. I must say it looks pretty nice. Of course we all must remember that the suit will not win any gold medals, set any world records or make any teams. A swim suit, no matter how much money and technology goes into it, is not a substitute for consistent practice attendance and hard work. The non-swimming media is going to be all over this story (there was a piece in Sports Illustrated last week and the cover story in USA Today this morning) this coming week, leading up to the Games, and during the swimming competition in Beijing. It makes an interesting story and the non-swimming media will always care about selling advertising and copies more than anything else. Its up to us to focus on the real stories of the meets.

In the time it took me to write this post the flight was delayed another hour and a half. I'm now scheduled to leave at 10:50 tonight. At least I will get to see most of the Phillies game.

USA Olympic Trials Begin Sunday!

Greetings everyone. Hope you are all enjoying your summer thus far. Things are going well at GCIT. The swimmers training in the summer are working very hard and we have had a considerable number of best times already. We will be looking toward Junior Olympics, Senior Champs, Sectionals, and Junior Nationals in July and August to finish the long course season.

Now, as many of you may know the 2008 US Olympic Swimming Trials will get started in 6 days. This time around the event will be held at the Quest Center in Omaha, Nebraska. This is an area which normally seats 16,000 people for events like ice hockey and the circus. A temporary pool has been constructed and over 14,000 people will be on hand to witness what I guarantee will be the fastest swim meet in history. This is the type of event that you work your schedule around so that you can be in front of the television to watch the live coverage every night. And I thought I would pass along this Guide to watching the Trials. Please share this with your children as it will help enhance their understanding of the meet and give them more to watch for than just the races.

-Swimmers that qualify for the Olympic Trials consist of 2% of all registered USA Swimming members.

-GCIT has four team members who will be competing in the meet. Jamie Marks (Unattached Arkansas & GCIT Swimming) will be swimming the 400 IM and 200 Breast. Bill Cregar (Athens Bulldogs Swim Club & GCIT Swimming) will be swimming the 200 IM and 400 IM. Mike Joyce (GCIT Swimming & Univ. of Florida) will also be swimming the 200 IM and 400 IM. And Christian Sprang (Univ. of Michigan & GCIT Swimming) will be swimming the 400 Free and 200 Free.

-In the other 3 Trials held since GCIT was created in 1994 two team members went to the meet (Heather Meng in 2000 swam the 100 and 200 Breast and Christian Sprang in 2004 swam the 1500 Free). In just four years we doubled the total number of Trials qualifiers and almost tripled the total number of events swum in all previous Trials.

-The highest finish at Trials for a GCIT team member is 24: Heather Meng in the 100 Breast in 2000 and Christian Sprang in the 1500 Free in 2004.

-The Trials are run in the same format as the Olympic Games except the prelims will be swum in the morning and the finals at night (in Beijing finals will be held in the morning and prelims at night). All events 200 meters and shorts will have a prelim session in the morning. Then the top 16 swimmers will swim a semi-final that same night. Then the top 8 swimmers from the semi-finals will swim in finals the next night. From the finals, the top two finishers will be named to the Olympic Team.

-The race is not always for the top 2. Pay particular attention to the 100 and 200 freestyle events. The top 6 finishers from the finals will get named to the Olympic Team. This gives the USA Team in Beijing four relay swimmers and 2 alternates. The 100 freestyle will determine the 400 freestyle relay and the 200 freestyle will determine the 800 freestyle relay.

-8 is the magic number. Michael Phelps is trying to make the team in at least 8 events. Phelps swam 8 events at the 2004 Athens Olympic winning 6 gold and 2 bronze. If he makes it to Beijing in 8 events and wins 8 gold medals he will receive a $5 million bonus from his main sponsor, Speedo. At last April's World Championships Phelps won 7 gold medals (setting 5 world records in the process). He would have had a great shot at an 8th gold medal but the men's 400 medley relay false started in prelims and was not able to race for the gold at finals.

-Local Talent. A good friend from Suburban Swim Center has a shot at making the finals in the 200 backstroke as well as the 200 IM and 400 IM. Ian Clarke attended Southern Methodist University and took a year before entering the work force to work on his goal of making finals at the Olympic Trials. The folks at Suburban have always been very gracious to our team in giving us pool time (at no charge) when our pool has been shut down in the past. We were able to return the favor somewhat by having Ian and his brother Jaffrey train with us when we initially went to long course training in April and May.

Three other swimmers from our area with a legitimate shot to make the Olympic Team come from the Germantown Academy Aquatic Club: Katie Reifensthal, Theresa Crippen, and Alicia Ammesinger. I've known Katie since I coached her on the 2001 Winter Zone Team as a 10 year old. She is a really nice girl and will be in the mix with Theresa in the 200 backstroke as well as the 100 and 200 freestyle. Alicia swims for GA and Princeton University and has a chance to make the team in the 200 and 400 IMs.

-Not just about first or second place. The worst thing to think about while watching the Trials is that it is only about first or second place. One of the times I talked to Mike Joyce this week he said something that is very true, "This is a dream come true." NBC will really focus on the top two and especially on the household names like Phelps and Hoff. But there are over 1,200 swimmers in the meet. This is about 2% of all swimmers in the United States. For most of them the reward is getting to Trials as it is the pinnacle of swimming in this country. They only hold this meet once every four years and the best of the best in the USA will be in Omaha together. Its a great meet and a great atmosphere.

Quick Links:

Trials TV Schedule

Trials Event Schedule

Live Results From Omega Timing
You can watch the results of the heats from prelims as they happen...you see reaction times at the start and all splits for each swimmer in the heat. A great way to keep track of GCIT Swimmers as they compete.

Trials Psych Sheets

USA Swimming's Olympic Trials Page

NBC's Olympic Swimming Site

Live Trials Video

Live Results and Analysis from Swimming World Magazine

Article from the Press of Atlantic City on GCIT Swimmers at Trials

Article from the Vineland Daily Journal on Mike Joyce and Christian Sprang heading to Trials

There will be an article in the Courier Post this weekend on all South Jersey swimmers heading to Trials.

And finally...be sure to stay up to date at the team blog we will be posting results, pictures, videos...as much behind the scenes stuff as we can to give everyone an idea of what goes on at Trials beyond what you will see for an hour each night on television. Hopefully there is some kind of wireless internet access at the pool so we can update while the meet is going on. I WHOLE-HEARTEDLY PROMISE TO UPDATE THE BLOG REGULARLY DURING TRIALS!!!!