Ryan Lochte, aka Reezy, continues cruising, winning almost easily. Lochte's 200 free finish, from a pool-side P.O.V., looks so much more impressive than it does on TV:
As you can see, this competition is low-key despite being a national championship meet. I'm loving it! The swimmers are swimming well, yet not too stressed to mingle. Kids are everywhere getting autographs! Mixing Olympians with young athletes is never a bad idea... I don't think this could work at any other time. December, after the Olympics, works because this is almost like a tune up: Swimmers getting race-ready, testing their speed before the long season run up to the 2009 World Championships...
Lochte's a great interview! One of the best. YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GONNA GET!!!
Lochte comes off so laid-back, but he's a lot sharper than he's given credit for. CASE IN POINT: Rumors have been flying around that Lochte's making a business move, that he's leaving his agent, PETER CARLISLE, at Octagon. I haven't asked Lochte if it's true. (I'll try tonight. If anyone has anything concrete about these rumors, please share it.) I have a strong feeling the rumors are accurate. Carlisle, who reps Michael Phelps, is clearly very focused on his global star. While Lochte has a global following, very much a cult following, he may not feel he's getting the attention he needs to truly breakout.
Lochte's brand, THE REEZY GROOVE, goes down so smooth! Lochte knows he's got a following that's very, very unique. To know Lochte is to love Lochte. That's his marketing currency... His genius (if the rumors are truth), Lochte's looking for a big-time Hollywood agency to shepard his career. One other Olympic-star did this and broke out big-time: Summer Sanders. Now she has a brand that is enduring. (She left the swimming world for several years while she raised her family, then came back and got very big ad campaigns; JOHNSON & JOHNSON, 24 Hour Fitness, etc. I think Lochte will do the same. Rumors on deck are that Lochte's looking at the oldest agency in Hollywood, WILLIAM MORRIS.
CULLEN JONES is not supposed to be competing, but his coach, DAVID MARSH, made Cullen swim free in the 4X50 medley relay. Cullen swam fast with almost ZERO training under his belt. Chalk it up to his enormous talent... Cullen's here in Atlanta to promote swimming, water-safety, and above all else, diversity. Cullen lead a clinic on Friday for several hundred kids for the USA SWIMMING FOUNDATION. The kids loved him and he clearly loves them back. I've done a thousand swimming clinics with dozens of different Olympians, but Cullen's the best. Cullen doesn't shout or cheer, he just talks and keeps the young swimmers enthralled. Cullen has a very rare talent beyond the swimming pool, his sincerity. Cullen is extremely serious about getting kids in the pool. He wants them to love the sport that's been so good to him. (I shot a lot of footage of him, which I'm cutting later, but as a teaser, it's about the tattoo on his back; the number 41 inside the cross.) Here's a video with Cullen just being Cullen, hanging out after the clinic. Pay attention. Cullen talks about his style and who influences it:
ERIC SHANTEAU has a huge following. Anybody who knows swimming, knows about his battle with cancer and how he overcame the emotional hurdle of the diagnosis. Eric got the news from his doctor right before he competed at the 2008 US Olympic Trials, and he still made the Olympic Team!
While I know Eric is already a hero, I also know he's got a lot more success in his future. I think making the '08 Olympic Team, and then getting so much media attention once he came clean, probably exhausted him emotionally. In short, we didn't see the best Eric's got as far as racing. He has a long career ahead of him, and many, many more races to win! Now cancer free, he's swimming fast. Unshaven, he got 3rd in the 100 breast here at National Championships, and his best race will surely be the 200 breast. Check him out in this video signing autographs:
BROOKE BENNETT, 3-time Olympic Gold Medalist in the distance free, is back in the swimming world! Brooke's been living life, getting married (she's now Brooke Marie), starting a new career. Brooke's a self-proclaimed nutrition fanatic and a fitness freak! Check her out in this video I shot while she participated in the USA SWIMMING FOUNDATION'S "Make a Splash" clinic:
DAGNY KNUTSON, the 16 year old from North Dakota who has been the breakout star of National Championships, is rumored to have a weird training regiment. First, note that she has won THREE EVENTS so far, including breaking the AMERICAN RECORD in the 400 Individual Medley, a brutal event... So, the rumor? She doesn't have much pool time to practice up in North Dakota. Apparently she makes it up with a dry land workout that's a killer. Today, the last day of the meet, I'll do my best to confirm this interesting piece of info--and see if it's truth.
LaBi and I vlogged at 3am last night. I just previewed it, and it's awful. I'm posting the vid anyway, even with its mistakes. (I said Rachel Komisarz got second in the 100 yard fly. She didn't. She got 3rd. While Rachel's near and dear to my heart, a fellow butterflier and Boxer dog owner, I can't magically make her second.) So the vlog is bad, but it's also true to our experience at swimming competitions like National Championships; we run ourselves ragged working and cheering because, at the end of the day, we're simply big swimming fans. We're in rare form. I hope you enjoy the vid:
A special shout- out to David Walters (2008 Olympic Gold Medalist the 4x200 free relay), who broke the AMERICAN RECORD in the 200 free at the Texas Invitational. David's a great guy. Curiously funny! At Golden Goggles he wore Tux and Tails. He looked sharp, despite his turn-of-the-century style... Expect great races from him in the future. He's still young, only a junior in college!
Robin, my Facebook friend, thank you for coming by to see me at National Championships! I got Garrett Weber-Gale on camera doing a shout-out for your son. The video got corrupted, but you can hear Garrett showing the love:
