a magazine for and by swimmers

April 2008 (quarterly)

 

           Feature Articles

 

Commonalities Among Six Olympians

There is no one path to Olympic glory.  Several factors contribute to the successful achievement of Olympic status, including one’s training regimen, coaching, body make-up, state of mind, and competitors.  That said, interviews with six past and current swim Olympians revealed some parallel paths to Olympic success… Full Story

 

Erik Vendt: Training for the Gold

He’s back!  Two-time Olympic silver medalist Erik Vendt is back after a two-year hiatus to chase down the elusive Olympic gold.  And, he means business. 

Since his return in April 2006, he achieved the 2006 Golden Goggles Perseverance Award for winning the 1500 and finishing third in the 400 I.M at Nationals.  His strategy for making the 2008 Olympics and capturing gold:  train with his rivals, train with the best! … Full Story

 

How Do You Get to the Olympics?

Veteran Olympian Scott Goldblatt, who has had a full range of experience at Olympic Trials, sheds light on the Olympic selection process for SWAP readers.  Having experienced two Trials, in which he earned an Olympic spot  in the 800 free relay, Scott shares his nerve racking situation and weighs in on the fairness of the U.S. Olympic selection process… Full Story

 

Anthony Nesty: Seizing and Creating Opportunities

Having won an Olympic gold medal, Anthony Nesty, now a collegiate coach, is on a quest to produce champions of his swimmers.  Nesty, who migrated to the U.S. from Suriname as a teenager to bolster his swimming career and subsequently won a gold medal in the 1988 Olympics, is transferring his knowledge of swimming… Full Story

 

Book Review: Four Champions One Gold Medal

If swimming is your purpose, the book Four Champions One Gold Medal, written by Rutgers University’s swimming and diving coach Chuck Warner, would be a great source for inspiration and information.  The book focuses on distance swimming in the 1970s, a decade in which American men dominated the distance events.  It takes you on a journey through the lives of four of the world’s top swimmers… Full Story

 

My Grandma, My Inspiration

There are many people who play a major role in my growth and development.  However, as a swimmer, I get tremendous inspiration from my grandmother, Marie Mortell, a 1948 Olympian… Full Story

 

Olympic Trial Picks

The 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials for swimming will be held from June 30 to July 7 at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Nebraska.  U.S. Olympic Trials is one of the fastest, not to mention one of the most high-pressured, meets an elite-level American swimmer will ever compete in given that the prize for the top two finishers in each event is a place on the nation’s Olympic Team… Full Story