GOLD MEDAL MEL

Texas Longhorns Top Big 12 Swimming, Austin Surhoff Stars

Longhorn Swimmers are titans, and not just in Texas.  Head Coach, Eddie Reese, and Associate Head Coach, Kris Kubik, have always created world-class champions.  In 2008 their men made-up one third of the Olympic Team.  Trying to follow so much talent, concentrated in one place, can be daunting. 

Yes, they won the Big 12 Swimming Championships. Yes, they did it for the fourteenth time. But winning isn't the entire story, not when you get behind the scenes glimpses, via Twitter, into their athletes' minds.

"In the van to the pool, dead silent, except for @DavWalters (Olympian David Walters) getting pumped listening to Bruce Hornsby on his Ipod."

The above is from Ricky Berens, the Texas senior who is also a World Champion and '08 Olympic star.  Berens won the 100 and 200 butterfly while also managing to give David Walters a hard time. 

If you've ever been on a great team and felt abject tension during a big meet, you know it's the funny jabs like the one above that help you survive.  Conversely, nervousness, bordering on fear, can suck the life out of the most seasoned athletes.   

The dynamic of success, as it relates to Texas, clearly rests in Eddie and Kris' ongoing ability to create a relaxed environment.  In a nutshell, these men are unflappable.  They're always cool and calm.  (Young coaches need to take note: The best in their field ooze a quiet confidence, and as a result their athletes never lose their minds.)

Eddie's been singing Jimmy Feigens praises for the last two years, "He's going to be the sprinter to watch this summer."  Jimmy's wins at Big 12s (19.34 50 free, 42.63 100 free) is a strong indication Eddie's right.

There are so many great talents on the Texas team, it's almost unfair to single out one swimmer, but Austin Surhoff's Big 12 performance deserves some distinction.  What he did will surely be noticed by the likes of Ryan Lochte, Aaron Peirsol and Michael Phelps. 

The Olympic superstars mentioned above will not be frightened by Surhoff's swims.  They will note the times, however, and from now on be aware of him...

Surhoff kicked butt. There's no other way to say it.  As a freshman, still boyish really, he cranked out a 1:41 win in the 200 back, 1:43 gold in the 200 IM, and then took silver on the last day of competition turning in a 3:43 in the 400 IM.        

Under normal circumstances--say if Surhoff swam on another team--his performance might not ring bells in the minds of swimming greats, but Surhoff put up these swims after one year under Eddie Reese.  Consider that Surhoff is going to grow and mature into a man over the next two and half years.  Doing so, swimming for Eddie, makes Surhoff's future, from a competitors point of view, almost frightening. 

Last year at World Championships in Rome, my wife flew over without me.  She came a few days later, right before the races.  Interestingly she sat near a swimmer who just missed making Team USA.  It was Surhoff, who she described as very young and enthusiastic.  She said, "Austin's coming to simply experience the competition.  I got the feeling he knew he'd be on the 'A' National Team soon and that seeing the races would make him ready." 

The Big 12s for Surhoff was just another step toward a bright future. Remember his name. You're going to hear about Austin Surhoff a lot over the next few years. 

For a list of world-class swimmers on Twitter, you can follow them here.

For Gold Medal Mel tweets, follow this link.

For Ricky Berens insights, catch him here.

If you didn't get David Walters' Twitter link above, catch it here. 

And Surhoff's tweets are here. 

For a great Big 12 Swimming report, read The Statesman here. 

And for an understanding of why Ricky Berens gives his buddy David Walters a hard time, watch Walters riff in this Gold Medal Minute interview: 

Gold Medal Media, LLC

New Michael Phelps Video: Under Armour® Protect This House - I WILL.

via www.youtube.com

Michael Phelps and Under Armour appears to be another great corporate marriage.  With "Under Armour" based in Baltimore, with their main offices, literally, just across the waterway from Phelps' posh pad, you have to wonder why it took this long for them to get together. 

One criticism:  We need more Michael Phelps in the next video. 

(Thanks for the heads up on this, Lisa!)

Gold Medal Media, LLC

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Catching up with Olympic Gold Medalist B.J. Bedford

 
B.J. Bedford (Miller) is an Olympic gold medalist from the 2000 Games in Sydney. Famous for dying her hair red, white and blue, she has an infectious sense of humor, but it is her intelligence that sucks you in.  BJ is not your typical Olympian.  She understands the sports biz and has many, many loyal friends.  BJ was a marketing executive at NIKE SWIM, back when they signed many of swimming's biggest stars. From there she branched out to a much larger market selling Nike products through IMPACT SPORTS.  BJ, who always keeps pace with the market, is now an executive at OTTER BOX, marketing high-end protective covers for the exploding iPhone market. 

1)    How are your Winter Olympian connections?  I have a few good Winter Olympic buddies.  Most are like very distance cousins.  

So, my Olympic connections are not very solid.  I knew Picabo Street peripherally, and I feel like I know Apollo because his agent was also my agent (I love Janie Miller).   I spoke to my mom yesterday about the Olympics and she said she’s been glued to the TV.  Ever since she got to go to watch me, she has been a huge Olympic fan just because she understands now what hard work and dedication it takes to get there.  Although I don’t KNOW any of the Winter Olympians, I definitely feel like I understand what it takes to get there and I celebrate with them for even getting to Vancouver.  I love to watch people’s dreams come true on a world stage.  It’s incredible. 

2)    Are you watching the Vancouver Games?  Who's captured your attention?

Definitely been watching, and the one who I just *think* about and start to get tears in my eyes is Lindsey Vonn.  I have never met her, I don’t know her, but I am SO proud of her.  I know what it is to race your heart out four years prior and to fall short but not to give up.  And to see her win the gold (and the US went 1-2!!) was just something that brought me back to what it felt like for me in Sydney.  People don’t understand the YEARS of preparation that go into a race that is less than two minutes.  Less than two minutes of your life.  She trained for probably 20 years for two minutes.

3)    If you could do one Winter Olympic sport, what would it be? 

I would LOVE to do the ski jump.  I actually love heights.  I love tall buildings, climbing things… and the rush they get every time they soar off that jump.  Can you imagine the exhilaration?  Wow, I would love to do that.  Think of the view while the wind flies in your face… I’d love that. 

4)    The media has called this the Twitter Games.  How many Winter Olympians are on iPhones, texting and tweeting and emailing photos? What do you think? 

I think that technology is constantly moving and people are learning ways to market themselves that have previously been prohibitively expensive.  It used to be to reach a wide audience, you were beholden to NBC – to the media.  Now, we ARE the media.  The digital revolution has created an instantaneously accessible hero.  It’s fantastic, but the public also has a very short attention span, so it’s going to be a quick hit.  As for how many are on twitter, I have NO idea.  But I would imagine somewhere in the vicinity of 75-80%.

5)    You lived it up at the Sydney Olympics.  What kind of images of you would've been blasted across the web if iPhones had existed in 2000?  Describe them to us.

Oh, Mel.  That’s an evil question.  Let’s just face it that you and I were lucky that such things weren’t in existence when we were at the peak of our careers.  On facebook, Kristy Kowal posted a couple of pictures of the two of us singing on stage with the band at the Sports Illustrated party.  I think I was wearing plastic.  Kristy looks very cute.  I look a little like an alien.

The photo BJ mentioned is below:

  6)    Are you seeing a lot of Otter Box in Vancouver?  I see the defender series all the time.  Then again, you see what you've got. 

Adam Havens, one of our engineers, just got back from Vancouver.  He was at the USA-Sweden curling match (and is now diligently trying to begin a curling team here in Fort Collins), and said that his friends told him he was on TV at least 10 times.  Aside from that, I haven’t seen too much of the product.  But I’m working a bit with our PR team to get some of our stuff out to swimmers – I want to make sure I hook up the roots if I can!

7)    I love my iPhone.  It's a romance.  Then again, what I really love is staying connected to all my friends, especially from big events.  How much did you connect with friends and family back home while you were in Sydney?

We got cell phones in Sydney, but we didn’t have any international calling – or at least, it wasn’t free.  I think a few people ran out of their service within a day or two.  You could buy more minutes, but it was pretty limited.  I talked to my family who came to Sydney, and then we (swimmers on the team) would coordinate as to where we wanted to go and things like that.  We didn’t have anything remotely as advanced as we have now, or at least none of us were really as plugged in to any kind of social media at that point, so this is a new and incredible way of connecting with your friends AND the public.

8)    The Olympic Committee has tried to limit, even stop, athlete's blogging from the Olympics, unless it's for NBC or TeamUSA.org.  I'm sympathetic, but isn't all this tweeting just a lot of short blogs?  Has the Olympic media model (NBC coverage)  been diluted in this new age of instant bits of information? 

It’s such a tight line, don’t you think?  I think the way information is transmitted has changed, and that NBC and the Olympic media need to work with the changes rather than restrict what can and can’t be said.  What you’re going to have is a reaction against the restrictions and ultimately one person or maybe even a team will take a stand against it.  Like I was saying before, Olympians work for YEARS to have a one or two minute race, often.  Limiting how they can market themselves is pretty unfair, in my opinion.  Especially winter Olympians – they don’t make a lot of money to do what they love to do (perhaps with the notable exception of hockey).  Limiting the way they can market themselves is akin to taking away a potential revenue stream.  I think the NBC model needs to be diluted.  The more points of view a consumer of media has access to, the more of the story they’re really going to get.  Let’s face it, not many of us fit into a sound-byte or a three-minute docu-drama about the years of training and struggles we went through to get there.  I say let them speak.

9)    Ok, serious question.  How would you advise a young Olympic star to use social media?  

Serious answer is to talk with your coach.  Come up with a plan.  Do as much (or as little) as you’re comfortable with.  If you’re a private person, don’t do it!  If you’re an outgoing nut-ball like me, then chat away.  But come up with a plan, stick to it, take it seriously (just like you would your training and competing) and then protect your iPhone or BlackBerry with an OtterBox so you know it won’t get hurt and disconnect you from the waiting world!

10) Let's switch gears and talk swimming.  The Austin Grand Prix's coming up. How much do you miss your Longhorns?  How about 6th Street? 

Ah, my Longhorns.  Proud to be a Lady Longhorn – HOOK EM!  I love my ‘horns.  I love Austin.  But I celebrate their victories now more from home and sitting on the couch.  My kiddos are so little now that I don’t really go do anything like going to events and hit 6^th Street any more.  I’m too old for it, really.  I can’t do it like I used to!  I’ll be watching results and cheering for the burnt orange, though, as always. 

11) Natalie Coughlin's coming to the Austin Grand Prix, her first competition since Beijing.  Any predictions?  She's pretty unique. She missed most of the swimsuit drama, sitting out the 2009 season.

I know.  Natalie is a lot like Dara in her physical ability.  I think Natalie will be a force to be reckoned with.  Her ability is very much about her feel for the water, and I don’t think she’ll ever lose that.  She might be a bit rusty, but I wouldn’t expect it to last long.  I don’t know anyone who hates to lose more, and that’s a recipe for success.

12) BJ, you were an outspoken purist when it came to the hi-tech bodysuits.  Has FINA corrected the path of swimming, going back to fabric and jammers?  Is that enough, or should they go further and asterisk the world records set in the hi-tech suits? 

I think you just move on.  Here in Colorado, we saw just about every state record in the recent girls HS championship meet go down – and no suits.  There was no asterisk when the Germans and the Chinese were cheating… let’s just move on, not live in the past and get faster.

13) One Longhorn, Eric Shanteau, swam a 2:11 in the 200 meter breaststroke at the Missouri Grand Prix.  Aside from beating Kitajima, more impressively, Shanteau swam within a few tenths of the time he put up last year, wearing a bodysuit.  What do you think? 

I think it’s about the swimmer.  I think as long as there are goals out there, times that are faster than what you’ve been, there will be records.  We’re an “I-Can-Do-That” type of sport and type of people.  We’ll find a way.  Eric will find a way, and I expect him to blow not only that time away, but also Kitajima. 

14) You're outside of the swimming market, biz-wise.  Are you happy to get a little distance from the sport you've been so close to for so long?

I stay involved peripherally with you, with some of the vendors.  I keep my fingers in a little bit.  But I stay far enough out of it so I can still love it.  I noticed I was feeling a little stifled, a little one-dimensional for myself.  I wanted to branch out and I’ve definitely felt more in love with the sport since I’ve been out.  I’m actually volunteer coaching at Rocky Mountain High School here in Fort Collins.  I only make morning practices, but I love working with the kids.  I actually have space in myself to give back now that I’m not in it every day as my life.

15) What are you looking forward to for this Summer at Pan Pacs?  Are you going?  Are we going to party and celebrate with National Team Alumni there?

I don’t even know where it is this time!  I have a ton of travel planned this summer, so I don’t think I’ll be able to make Pan Pacs.  I have a couple of weddings, a mile sea swim in the Caymans and my 20^th HS reunion!  Can’t believe all that! But I will read your blog and keep up with you and depend on you to see it and then tell me what it’s like.  I love what you do, and I think you and Tiff are amazing.  You’ve brought new life to our sport, and made it accessible to a whole new world of people who wouldn’t see it otherwise.  Thank you, Mel.  I love you guys.  XOXO

We love you too, BJ!  Thanks for checking in!  xoxox

And, for anyone who missed BJ's Gold Medal Minute interview, here it is. Gold Medal Media. 

Swimmer's 1972 Gold Medals Stolen!

Melissa Belote Ripley had taken the medals out of her safe deposit box for a speaking engagement at a school, The Arizona Republic reported Thursday. Her husband, Rich Ripley, said they were in a dresser drawer when someone broke into their house in Tempe on Wednesday.

via www.upi.com

Over the years, this seems to be a recurring story.  It never finals to grab headlines and often gets a mention on the cable news networks. 

If I were a true business man, I'd open up a new office and hang out a shingle.  I'd affiliate with some multi-billion dollar insurance giant and start selling "gold medal insurance policies." 

Apolo Ohno turns Olympic Medals into Endorsement Gold

Apolo Ohno, like a handful of other Winter Olympic stars, will leave Vancouver, B.C., with plenty of lucrative sponsorship deals.

via seattletimes.nwsource.com

While the media heralds Apolo Ohno's future financial success, the real news is the relatively "new" man and marketing machine building and fortifying Ohno's superstar brand.  Again, it's Peter Carlisle, the managing director at Octagon.  If that name sounds familiar, it is because he also handles Michael Phelps' career.  

From an Olympic Champion's point of view, Ohno could not have a better point man.  Peter is soft-spoken, honorable and fair.  While representing his clients' interests, he also makes sure their corporate partners get every benefit they can.  

Ohno was originally represented by PMG, before striking out on his own.  Signing with Octagon signals a robust outlook for his future.  Ohno clearly intends to transcend his sport, making long-term corporate partnerships that will seal his status as an Olympic icon.  

For a glimpse into the mind of the man behind the Ohno and Phelps brand, watch Peter Carlisle in this Gold Medal Minute: 

Gold Medal Media, LLC

Michael Phelps becomes Youth Olympic Games ambassador

The 16-time Olympic medallist, who is visiting Vancouver to catch some of the Olympic Winter Games events, will support the Youth Olympic Games by encouraging the involvement of young people around the world.

via sports.globaltimes.cn

Phelps is building steam, signing new endorsements, making the media rounds in Vancouver, and now he's the first ambassador to the Youth Olympic Games... I think we're witnessing a well orchestrated campaign that will culminate with 300 plus hours of Phelps TV at the 2012 London Olympics.  Mark my words: Phelps will get more coverage at the 2012 Games competing in fewer events than he did in Beijing.  

Gold Medal Media, LLC

Vonn 'bummed out' by rival Mancuso's 'popularity contest' claim

The frosty relationship between American skiing stars Lindsey Vonn and Julia Mancuso may have grown a little more contentious Wednesday. Mancuso was flagged off the course during the women's giant slalom because she started while Vonn was trying to untangle herself from the netting after crashing in the previous run.

via sports.yahoo.com

Is it me, or is a lot of Olympic coverage on the web following a "Reality Show" type narrative?  

Gold Medal Media, LLC

EXCLUSIVE: SwimMAC Delivers $50,000 In Prize Money

Exciting swimming news has been building, almost boiling over, behind the scenes.  

SwimMAC is about to break the mold!  The Charlotte Ultraswim, May 13-16,  will launch with an additional partner, making it the greatest Grand Prix swimming meet!  

Well, they've done it, and in the most inspiring way.  SwimMAC set out to do good, to give back to the community, and now they have the most exclusive competition in swimming, delivering $50,000 in prize money. 

Before I get into the details, I'd like to point out that this did not come from Olympic swimming's business side.  Sports marketing or management companies aren't producing this unique event (as many swimming experts predicted they would).  This came entirely from SwimMAC, a long standing supporter of fitness swimming, age group, junior and national level swimming, and "learn to swim" programs in the Carolinas.   

SwimMAC's additional partnership is with "Wendy's Franchisees in the Carolinas," and it will continue throughout the summer.  This is far more than pro swimmers getting a shot at a pot of prize money.  The $50,000 purse (at the Wendy's Carolinas Classic to be contested at the Charlotte Ultraswim) will attract media, and ultimately that attention will be focused on water safety clinics throughout the Carolinas.  

SwimMAC and "Wendy's Franchisees in the Carolinas" are making an enormous push to save lives, providing swimming education to children and families in need.  As we know, drowning is the 2nd leading cause of accidental death in kids under the age of fifteen.  (More information on this program will be forthcoming.  For details contact Casey Corser via email at jcorser@carolina.rr.com, or by phone at 704.957.6935.)  I am proud to add that the USA Swimming Foundation, through our "Make A Splash" program, will be supporting this effort. 

Back to the prize money:  How does it breakdown?  The first place winner takes home $20,000, second earns $10,000, and third pockets $7,500 for their efforts at the meet, but the purse pays out all the way down to 16th place.  

1st	$20,000	9th	$500
2nd	$10,000	10th	$400
3rd	$  7,500	11th	$300
4th	$  3,000	12th	$250
5th	$  2,250	13th	$200
6th	$  2,000	14th	$150
7th	$  1,750	15th	$100
8th	$  1,500	16th	$100

*Awards to non-professional athletes will be in accordance with NCAA guidelines

(For a full listing of the points and rules for participation, and for the prize restrictions, please visit www.charlotteultraswim.com on Monday, Feb 22, 2010.)  

The cry from swimming analysts, bloggers and world-class athletes has been heated since the Olympics in Beijing.  After Michael Phelps' star-turn, it seems everyone has had their own unique idea of how to market swimming, and, specifically, swimming meets. 

For pro swimmers, managers, and those in the Olympic biz who are wondering how SwimMAC made this happened, look at their long history.   

Back in the 1980s, Coach Jeff Gaeckle partnered with Pepsi to create the Pepsi Open.  The competition was held in a decidedly ugly 50 meter public facility.  The pool was only four feet deep at one end, and the bathrooms had steel toilets with no lids.  None of that mattered to Coach Gaeckle.  He knew something no one else did:  If you treat the athletes and the community with respect and professionalism, they will support your swim meet.  Oh, and he did something else.  Gaeckle secured network television coverage with ABC.  

Olympic swimming luminaries like Pablo Morales, Summer Sanders, Dara Torres and Mary T. Meagher came to the competition.  It was hot, and humid, and extremely uncomfortable, but facing off against the world's best made it edge-of-your seating exciting.   

The Pepsi Open evolved into the Charlotte Ultraswim, an institution in swimming competition.  Anyone who has ever won Olympic hardware competes at this meet.  You can thank Jeff Gaeckle for his vision and passion for swimming, and for how it should be presented on the global media stage.  

I swam for Jeff Gaeckle, back in the day.  When you see how I use social media to market swimming, you're seeing Gaeckle's strong influence on me.  It is, by no means, a surprise that this historic move in swimming has come through this swimming ambassador.  Gaeckle loves swimming, and has dedicated his life to the sport. 

I'll be at the Charlotte Ultraswim (my hometown) on pins and needles watching the Wendy's Carolinas Classic being contested.  I'll be there with my buddy, Chris LaBianco, Chief of Development for the USA Swimming Foundation.  And we'll both be rubbing shoulders with Jeff Gaeckle and Casey Corser, who was instrumental in making this opportunity happen.  I'll also be paying my respect to Wendy's Franchisees in the Carolinas.  I know they're excited to be doing good, supporting water safety, but I intend to let them know how thankful I am for their creativity.  This marriage of charity and pro prize money, for our sport, is brilliant!

Gold Medal Media, LLC

Weir may trade skates for fashion - 2010 Olympics - Yahoo! Sports

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Just moments after the performance that cemented his place in America’s hearts, Johnny Weir was contemplating turning his back on the sport that has given him his platform for extravagance.

via sports.yahoo.com

Johnny Weir skates the way fans want their skaters to skate, fabulously, while the button-up skating establishment struggles to find new euphemisms to describe his extreme femininity.  

Weir's hung in there, keeping a semi-straight face, popping off controversial quotes, generally being entertaining.  Sadly, it sounds like he is now making plans to exit skating.  The fashion world is a logical go-to,  but he'll be missed in figure skating, and the Olympic arena.

I, for one, had hoped he'd stick around for one more Winter Games.  Considering the lack of love from the judges, Weir could go completely rogue, doing his off-season routine on the ice. Skating to Lady Gaga at the next the Olympics would be priceless. 

Gold Medal Media, LLC  

Octagon marketing group acquires Revolver Management

via www.globalsurfnews.com

Octagon, the sport management and marketing machine behind Michael Phelps, has acquired the Aussie-based company, Revolver Management.

What does this mean?  Octagon, who has been growing at an astounding rate, effectively now controls the Australian Pro Surfing market, through its pro surfer client base.  

I know Octagon.  I was repped by them back when they were called Advantage International. They built my career, and launched it as an Olympian in the Olympic market.  I was repped by Janey Miller, who now guides Natalie Coughlin's career.  Consider for a second that between Coughlin and Phelps Octagon has 27 Olympic medals under its belt...and that doesn't include the careers of Garrett Weber-Gale, Katie Hoff or Lenny Krayzelburg. 

It's a sober, serious company--very professional.  They have unstated power most players in the market would rather not acknowledge.  Peter Carlisle, Michael Phelps' manager, is the chief architect on this team.  For a look inside his head, checkout this Gold Medal Minute interview with him about his Olympic experience in Beijing.

(NOTE: I am no longer represented by Octagon. I am an Ambassador to the USA Swimming Foundation.)

Gold Medal Media,LLC

Swim, and Become Sexy - Swimnetwork.com

via www.swimnetwork.com

(6-time Olympic medalist and swimming rockstar, Ryan Lochte, above.)

My buddy, Mike Gustafson, writes it right again. "Swim, and Become Sexy" is one more step toward marketing our star Olympians.

As a father of a nine year old daughter, I hope, in her preteens, competitive swimming is how she aspires to be sexy.   Presently, Madison Avenue inundates her (and everyone else) with a concept of sexy that's unattainable, pure fantasy.  We, the swimming community, should have the monopoly on sexy.  We work hard, eat right, and live our lives with balance.

If you're a parent, you know that "being sexy" or "becoming sexy" is a biologically and hormonally driven period in young kids growing into their teens.  It can also be an incredibly confusing time.  It is crucial that they have healthy examples to emulate.  

Thanks, Mike, for writing such an insightful piece. And, yes, we should have our own annual "swimsuit issue," one with an athletic and sexy theme.

Gold Media Media, LLC 

Professor gives US Bobsled team an edge | KXAN.com

via www.kxan.com

Creator of the new swimming starting blocks helps the US Bobsled Team!

Michael Phelps dives into Under Armour endorsement deal - USATODAY.com

via www.usatoday.com

Phelps makes more $$$. Wonder how Speedo feels about this partnership...

Olympic Fencer: Morehouse in Moscow

Tim Morehouse, 2008 Olympic silver medalist in Saber Fencing, is a one-man promotion machine.  Every so often I get updates from my friend.  This time around Tim writes from the Budapest and Moscow World Cup.

Hi Mel,

Hope all is well!  Just wanted to update you on my road towards the 2012 London Olympics, and, more immediately, my road towards the 2010 World Championships in Paris, France. 

Budapest and Moscow World Cups
I’ve been on the road competing for the past 12 days in Europe.   This has been one of the most exhausting and mentally draining trips of my career, but on many fronts it was positive with plenty of room for improvement.   On the positive, in Budapest I finished 22^nd out of 141 competitors and was the 2^nd highest American finisher.   I lost a heartbreaking match 15-14 to advance further.     We stayed the week in Budapest, and for most of the week I was sick and in-bed (hence the exhausting/draining part.)  However, I was able to rally and have a stronger result in Moscow.  Finishing 12^th out of 121 competitors and losing 13-15 to advance into the quarter-finals.    Each season is a grind, but I know the payoff is worth it if I can maintain strong and consistent fencing despite any obstacles.


(PHOTO: competing in Moscow)

The team relay events didn’t go as well as my individual results, we finished 6^th in Budapest and a disappointing 11^th in Moscow.   We have a long way to go to improve our fencing to compete with the top counties in the world, but we’re working hard to make that happen.   

(PHOTO: a few words on strategy with my coach Yury Gelman)

Progress Towards Season Goals:  (BIG GOALS: Win Golds in London)

1) Make US National Team with #1 USA Ranking (Top 4 in ranking Qualify for Worlds) After 4 competitions, I’m ranked #1 in the USA and there is a large difference between the top-4 and the rest of the pack.   Ben Igoe, Daryl Homer, James Williams and myself all look like we’re in a strong position to return as the US National Team at next Novembers’ World Championships in Paris, France.

2) TOP-8  Individual World Ranking: These results hold me steady where I began the season.  I’ve hovered between 11^th-15^th in the world.    I’ll need to advance into at least the quarter-finals of 2 more competitions to make this happen. 

3) Top-6 Team Ranking: We’re ranked 8^th in the world right now.   We’re still struggling to click as a unit with the new members of the team, Ben Igoe and Daryl Homer, and the old, James Williams and myself.    As we gain experience together this season I’m hoping we’ll be poised to make the jump. 

COMING UP (893 Days until London Olympics!)
We have a short 8 day stat at home and then we’re off to Plovdiv, Bulgaria for another competition.    Can’t wait to get home and sleep in my own bed for a few days and enjoy my usual first meal home after a competition: a cheeseburger and milk shake! Yummy.

This stretch of the season is the most difficult with 5 competitions over an 8 week span including 4 in a row that are the most difficult.  We have competed in 4 competitions and have 8 more competitions left in our season to determine the team.   

Olympic Twitter Man
Five or so Olympians were selected to be official “tweeters” for the Vancouver Olympics for AT&T and the US Olympic Committee.  I was honored to be one of them.  You can catch my tweets at www.twitter.com/timmorehouse (I can’t believe it’s already the Winter Games!)  Once they end, the pressure starts ratcheting up on us summer athletes!

Fencers For Literacy!

I’m supporting Jumpstart’s campaign to promote early childhood literacy.   I made a funny video with my teammate Daryl Homer which explains how you can vote for your favorite childhood book and at the same time the Pearson foundation will donate a $1 to Jumpstart for every vote.  Appreciate your help and easy voting assistance to help raise money for a great cause!  

Learn More: http://bit.ly/cYTwfP

Thanks for all your support as always!   

Best, Tim

Stay tuned for Tim insights on the Sport of Nobility.  Tim's carved out a unique career to promote his sport.  Aside from being a Wilhelmina repped fashion model appearing on the pages of Esquire, G.Q. and Vanity Fair, Tim's story has been profiled on Oprah, ESPN, and the Today Show on NBC.  Tim also has a masters in teaching from Pace University, and is a board certified New York City school teacher.  

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Johnny Weir, The King of Kitsch

I didn't know Johnny Weir before his Sundance Channel reality show, BE GOOD JOHNNY WEIR.  I knew it was in production, but I didn't pay much attention.  

Whatever, I thought. It's going to be another shallow puff piece about an Olympian pursuing his dream.  

I was wrong.  Terribly wrong.  Weir's an original, and I'm thankful I tuned in.  

(U.S. Figure Skating should be thanked for Weir's show as well, along with any Olympian who wants viewers to understand their unique journey.  It's a window on our insular world.  We need more of them.) 

A CONFESSION:  I TiVo-ed Weir's show to see the cliche, the gay figure skater, living out some diluted version of the comedic film, BLADES OF GLORY.  I tuned in for a good laugh, and I got that, but not the way I imagined it.  Weir (who does not discuss his sexual orientation) is a queen, an over the top, wanna be Russian, pop star queen.  (Note: Weir has a fetish with all things Russian, despite being born in rural American.)  

The debut episode sets a serious tone in the opening minutes, then jerks you sideways with Weir sharing a warm bubble bath with his buddy.  Weir wears a banana blond wig, clutching a microphone, acting out a scene as a campy Russian reporter probing his own psyche.  The moment's both shockingly funny and deceptively insightful.  It's an athlete working through his emotional challenges to become a true champion, and laying bare his darkest insecurities, then making fun of them all at the same time.  Weir, at his rawest, is every Olympian I've ever known. 

Weir's show is everything an Olympic Up Close and Personal should be, the athlete unfiltered, which completely sucks you in.  The off the cuff campy moments, while entertaining, are nothing more than a bridge to Weir's real struggle, his Olympic journey.

Weir came late to figure skating, sliding around a frozen farmer's field in Pennsylvanian.  As a bright-eyed preteen, with his conservative clean haircut, his talent was evident.  You saw he was destined for the Olympics, but more importantly, you saw he was a fierce competitor and an artist. 

I never thought of figuring skating as an art, or even athletic.  "Figuring skating isn't a sport," I told friends who asked about the Olympics. "It's kitschy entertainment. It's River Dance."   

I use "art" lightly.  I still think figure skating's a little kitschy.  But kitschy is a form of high art when Weir's on the ice.   

As far as figure skating being a true sport, Weir opened my eyes again.  The beatings he takes on the ice and the core ripping workouts in the gym are aspects I never considered before watching his show.  

In the end, it was Weir's desire that hooked me.  You can see when he really wants to be the best, and you know when he's struggling.  Every Olympian goes through these mental peaks and valleys.  I'm thankful to Weir for sharing his on TV.  He makes you feel like you're with him, riding shotgun on his journey. 

***Johnny's in 6th place after the Olympic short program last night.  He skated well, but the judges' scores didn't reflect it.  Watching NBC's coverage, I heard boos from the crowd before the music drained them out.  Hopefully, in the long form program,  Johnny will wow them.  

If you've never seen Weir skate, this video's a sort of baptism by fire.  It's Weir's routine to Lady Gaga's, him at his kitschiest on the ice:

Gold Medal Media, LLC