« April 2011 | Main | June 2011 »
(James) Magnussen burst into the limelight last month when, a few days short of his 20th birthday, he won the 100 metres freestyle at the Australian championships in 48.29 seconds, still the best time of the year in the blue riband sprint.
via www.reuters.com
GOLD MEDAL MEDIA
(I swam, I swim, and as a swimmer I love swimming)
via www.forbes.com
GMM: According to Forbs Magazine, 16-time Olympic medalist, Michael Phelps, is the 5th most influential athlete in the United States.
Forbs, a famous financial rag, based their list of influential athletes off of the respected Nielsen ratings.
NASCAR's Jimmie Johnson ranked first. Football's Mr. Handsome, Tom Brady, ranked 2nd. NASCAR's favorite son, Dale Earnhardt Jr., ranked 3rd. And NBA stalwart star and off-the-court-comedian, Shaquille O'Neal, ranked 4th.
If you consider the TV air-time each athlete nets as a result of their league, Michael Phelps experiences a virtual black-out by comparison. Phelps makes the list because he is an icon, a global star, transcending all nations' borders. As a point of fact, Phelps wins the global race for the most influential because he owns the world's stage.
Why hasn't Phelps taken this immense influence and created his own domestic pro circuit, his own distribution channel, netting some semblance of the domestic TV visibility that his co-stars enjoy? Answer: Phelps simply doesn't need it. (But I wish he felt that he did.)
GOLD MEDAL MEDIA
(I swam, I swim, and as a swimmer I love swimming)
LONDON — British authorities say the country’s police and military carried out a three-day drill to simulate a terrorist attack on next summer’s Olympic Games in London.London police say that the exercise was held inside the Olympic village — the cluster of arenas and training facilities constructed to host the sporting event starting next July.
GOLD MEDAL MEDIA
(I swam, I swim, and as a swimmer I love swimming)
Details for the 24th annual Shark Week — kicking off July 31 — are emerging. Today, Discovery announced that this year’s “Chief Shark Officer” Andy Samberg will host his own special with the working title Shark City. Per the network, ”Samberg travels to the Bahamas and takes the plunge — literally jumping into the shark-filled waters to introduce viewers to a specific group of sharks that live off the shores of Nassau. They each have their own distinct personalities, quirks and feeding patterns. Learn how they size each other up, what they like to eat and what scares THEM.” That’s all the info I have, but if this is something like Shark Week regular Stuart Cove introducing Samberg to individual Caribbean reef sharks and revealing what he’s come to know about them over the years he’s led his underwater adventures, that could be totally fun. If you’re going to swim with relatively non-threatening sharks like that, you’ve got to give us something different, and finding out that this shark responds more to women in bikinis and has therefore earned whatever nickname is acceptable.
via popwatch.ew.com
(I swam, I swim, and as a swimmer I love swimming)
via www.thepostgame.com: Mark Gangloff has a gold medal from the 2008 Olympics. He also has a car with no air conditioning. And he doesn't think he'd have one without the other.
FINANCIALLY STRAPPED OLYMPIANS will remain financially strapped until a few key issues are addressed.
THE PROBLEM: lack of interest/low visibility between Olympic Games.
THE SOLUTION: a competitive series with a TV-friendly format, a competitive series with a marketing push that's creative (not the same tired story-lines we've seen for the past 20 years).
HURDLES: old guard ideas about the sport and a concentration of money in the hands of the few; governing bodies, star athletes, a hand-full of sports agencies. Revenue exists to launch a pro series, but it has been allocated to other areas.
THE PIONEERS: USA Swimming has stepped up in a big way, creating the ATHLETE PARTNERSHIP PLAN. This plan provides a monthly stipend and healthcare, enough money to live and train--but for the Olympics only. USA Swimming has also slowly developed their Grand Prix Series (GPS) into a strong brand. I expect GPS to develop into a strong revenue-stream for Olympians between Olympic competitions, but not until the 2014-2016 window. At that point, I believe we'll see viewership reach levels that sustain the GPS as a stand-alone venture.
I wish it could happen sooner, but developing a competitive series takes years. Fortunately, it will happen in the years to come, and I believe more and more athletes will see incremental increases in personal revenue along the way.
For those who gripe and complain about why it hasn't happened sooner, why don't you produce one TV-show around athletes, with your own money (or a distributor's money), wrangle athletes, negotiate with agents, wade through contracts, dance around Olympic restrictions and try to break-even (or, if you're lucky, make minimum wage). It's not easy, and, honestly, the athletes themselves aren't willing to sacrifice enough to make it happen. Perhaps they shouldn't be asked at this point in time. It's a lot to ask of them. As a point of fact, they'd be sacrificing themselves--their time, money and energy--for the next generation.
GOLD MEDAL MEDIA
(I swam, I swim, and as a swimmer I love swimming)
via www.washingtonpost.com: “He looked more in shock when he came out,” said Pompano Beach Fire Rescue spokeswoman Sandra King. “He was obviously traumatized.”
GOLD MEDAL MEDIA (I swam, I swim, and as a swimmer I love swimming)
My company, Gold Medal Media, is producing a new VIDEO SERIES with USA Swimming: Navy Seals Hardcore Moment. Here's the first episode:
WE'RE LOOKING FOR STORIES that fit the bill, and they have to be hardcore.
WE'RE PRODUCING 12 VIDEOS IN THIS SERIES:
* 6 with age-group swimmers (between 12-18 years old).
* 6 with world-class and/or national caliber swimmers.
SWIMMERS ARE, BY NATURE, TOUGH. They suffer through the cold and the heat, through long seasons of nonstop training for only one taper meet. Swimmers understand sacrifice. Discipline is a given. HOWEVER, at times, swimmers experience circumstances far beyond the normal stresses of their year-round routine.
Sometimes swimmers are simply hardcore. They do things that boggle the mind; swim 30,000 yards in a day, a 20 mile ocean swim through rough waters, train 2 hours on 2 hours off for 24 hours. That's hardcore, but we're looking for the human element in these experiences. That type of training has to have a story behind it. It has to have meaning. Why did you do it? What was your goal, your inspiration, your hardcore motivation?
SOMETIMES SWIMMERS PERFORM FAR BEYOND THEIR ABILITY, a once in a lifetime swim. Jason Lezak anchored the 4x100 freestyle relay in Beijing at the 2008 Olympics with a swim that will never be forgotten. He came from behind beating the fastest 100 meter freestyler in the world. Lezak fought the good fight and gave every ounce of himself...for his teammates. It was a selfless performance, in many ways, something he could not replicate in his individual event. Performances like that are HARDCORE. Maybe you or a teammate have done something similar at the state and/or regional level. (And if you have video of it, that's even better!)
In the video episode above, Jimmy Feigen, Eddie Reese and the University of Texas team, suffered through the norovirus and persevered at the 2010 NCAA Championships.
DO YOU KNOW OF AN INSPIRING STORY LIKE THE VIDEO ABOVE?
* Have you or a teammate suffered a tragic accident?
* Have you or a teammate gone through an emotionally trying period (the loss of a sibling, parent or coach)?
* Have you or a teammate suffered a catastrophic event that destroyed your home or pool?
A lot of swimmers have, and they've worked through the hardships and performed. That's the key ingredient, coming back from the hardships and experiencing a personal success in the wake of their adversity. That's hardcore!
HOW DO WE DEFINE HARDCORE? In many ways, you define it. It's very personal. If you suffered a tragic event and came back from it, you define that moment where you decided, "I'm not letting this stop me." Maybe you rehabilitated yourself over 3,6 or 24 months, only to return to competition and swim a personal best time. Maybe you thought you'd never swim again, and simply made it back onto the blocks.
SHARE YOUR HARDCORE MOMENT HERE, and maybe you will be in the next episode of NAVY SEALS HARDCORE MOMENT.
Submit your stories in the comments section or email me at mel@goldmedalmel.com.
GOLD MEDAL MEDIA (I swam, I swim, and as a swimmer I love swimming)
Hours after Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. special forces in Pakistan, International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge was asked about the impact of bin Laden's death on security at the Olympic Games.
via www.usatoday.com
Christine Brennan, Keeping Score columnist for USA Today, weighs in on IOC President Jacques Rogge's lack of passion about bin Laden's recent death.
(photo: JACQUES ROGGE)
Philip Hersh, Chicago Tribune, wrote about this topic as well: The International Olympic Committee now apparently thinks it wasn't such a good idea for its president, Jacques Rogge, to have declined any comment on the death of Osama bin Laden on the grounds it was a `political issue.''
Should an Olympic representative, the top representative, have to weigh-in on issues of war and death? Rogge clearly did not want to, no matter how vile bin Laden's actions were. It took him nearly three days before he gave his own personal account of terrorism; as an Olympic participate in 1972, during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, explaining how he felt emotionally after 911. It was an authentic statement, very personal...but was it necessary and/or appropriate for him to make that statement? Should the top Olympic representative comment on issues of politics, war and death?
What do you think?
GOLD MEDAL MEDIA (I swam, I swim, and as a swimmer I love swimming)
via www.teamusa.org: Colonel Walter Rudolph Walsh (born May 4, 1907) is a former FBI agent, U.S. Marine Corps shooting instructor and Olympic shooter.
GOLD MEDAL MEDIA
(I swam, I swim, and as a swimmer I love swimming)
GOLD MEDAL MEDIA (I swam, I swim, and as a swimmer I love swimming)
When I competed, there were two sprint kings, Matt Biondi and Tom Jager.
Tom was a hero to many and a friend to many more. I've always loved and respected him like a big brother, and I know a lot of swimmers from the 1980s and 1990s feel the same way.
From 1984-1992, traveling all-over the world representing the USA National Team, Tom was our team captain. You could always count on him to guide you through the most stressful times; your first international competition, first Olympics, first time getting credentialed, first time going through customs.
Tom's dedicated his life to the sport. He's been coaching ever since he retired from world-class competition. Tom didn't necessarily have a team in the beginning, but he did touch thousands of kids lives with his swimming wisdom. Tom was an early pioneer of swimming clinics. He created a company with fellow Olympic gold medalist, Shaun Jordan, and toured the country. Tom and Shaun were serious about the swim clinics, constantly striving to find the best way to educate and inspire kids.
Tom was just named the head swimming coach at Washington State University. Tom's coming off of seven strong years coaching at the University of Idaho.
"I am excited about the opportunity to coach at one of the best universities in the country," Jager said. "Washington State has a great deal of pride and I look forward to sharing my energy and excitement for the sport of swimming with the team, the athletic department and the university. It is a privilege to be a Division I coach and an honor to coach the Cougars as we head into the Pac-12, the best swimming conference in the nation. I look forward to the challenge."
Congrats on the position, and good luck, Tom...though I don't think you'll need it.
TOM JAGER STATS:
11-time National Champion
3-time world record holder (50m free)
3-time Olympian (84-92)
4-time Olympic medalist (2 gold)
5-time NCAA Champion
Member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame
GOLD MEDAL MEDIA
(I swam, I swim, and as a swimmer I love swimming)
via www.morethanthegames.co.uk: INTERNATIONAL Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge has said the death of Osama Bin Laden should have no impact on security planning for next year's London 2012 Games.
(I swam, I swim, and as a swimmer I love swimming)
via www.usatoday.com
GMM: The United States remains the leader with 87 medals projected to be won. China's rising with 84 projected, and Russia's third with 80. Britain and Germany are tied in a distant fourth with 51 medals projected.
(photo from speedo catalogue: Ryan Lochte, named the top swimmer in the world, 2009 & 2010)
Top athletes projected to be medal winners remain Ryan Lochte, Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt.
Who do you think will emerge as an Olympic star in London 2012?
(I swam, I swim, and as a swimmer I love swimming)
