GOLD MEDAL MEL

Diana Nyad's Cuba to Florida swim, the most heroic (and human) attempt in sports this year

By Tiffany Stewart, Gold Medal Media Partner: 

Since Diana Nyad's failed attempt to swim from Cuba to Florida, the web lit up with comments, editorials and blogs, some very searing, all with the same topic: Diana is not a hero. Their arguements, in sum, were essentially the same:  Service men and women are heroes; cops and firefighters are heroes.  

I agree. It takes something death-defying to be called a hero.  You are awed by their feats, and your response is, "I could never do that."  They are super-human, extraordinary.

Diana is a different kind of hero.  Yes, she was "just swimming." Nothing inherently heroic about that, about the solitary pursuit of excellence.  Her heroics come as a result of not being super-human, but in being perfectly, entirely human.  You hear about Diana chasing her dream, and your response isn't "I could never do that", it is "do I have the heart to do what I dare to dream?"  

Diana's attempt was a reminder to us all, there's the thing not yet attempted; that part of you that says, yeah, do it.  Her attempt speaks to everyone who says they are too old, or the time has passed for dreams.  She is a hero because not everyone can do something death-defying, but every single person can rise to the best in themselves.

 

If Diana inspired one person, she might not have saved their life, but she may have encouraged them to have the life they dreamed of.  

After missing her goal, she said, "I was the best person I could be...that's the message. I dug down, I dug deep... Whatever you're doing, do your job well."  Diana did, and her Cuba to Florida attempt is, to date, the most heroic in sports this year. 

Not everyone can fight for their country, or run into a burning building, but everyone can live like Diana does.  And that's heroic, too.

HERE'S ONE OF THE MANY VIDEOS PROFILING DIANA'S DREAM:

Qatari Fund in a $906 million dollar deal for the Olympic Village in London

via dealbook.nytimes.com: LONDON — A real estate unit of Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund and a British developer agreed on Friday to buy the Olympic Village of the 2012 Games in London for £557 million, or $906 million.

GMM: The backend business of the Olympic Games for the host city has always interested me.  Since 1992, host cities have continually claimed negligible losses or none at all. Intangibles like civic pride and city happiness are tossed about to explain the benefits of being an Olympic host city, but the long-term benefits usually don't payout.  There is one exception to the rule: cities with poor or outdated infrastructure get a much needed facelift. 

HISTORICAL NOTE: 2012 will be the third time London has hosted an Olympic Games. 

FOR A DETAILED DEBATE FROM A DIVERSE PANEL OF EXPERTS, GO HERE: Do Olympic Host Cities Ever Win?  

Rich Roll, Plant Strong ambassador and celebrity endurance athlete, spreads the message of health and fitness

Rich Roll is a former competitor, a long-time friend, and a motivating life-coach from afar. If you want to the Fountain of Youth secret, Rich has it.  

CHECKOUT THIS INTERVIEW ON FOX:

  

Rich drops by Austin, Texas from time to time, and we go for a Plant Strong lunch or dinner. Rich is the ideal health and fitness coach for anyone who wants to make a life-change. He's Southern California cool, kind and gentle without a hint of judgment. Rich knows BBQ and burgers taste good. He agrees, but he'll gently suggest a kale salad that, and I swear on my father's grave, will knock your socks off.  I now crave those deep leafy greens. 

Rich, like many men turning 40, decided he needed to make a change and get serious about his health. As a father of four, his goal was simple: to be around, alive and healthy and strong, for many years to come. Rich experimented with a lot of different diets and training regiments before going vegan, or, as he says, Plant Strong.  The results have been phenomenal. Rich, now closer to 45, looks like a ripped 30 year old, and it's not for show. He's a world-class athlete again, fearless beyond compare.

FROM HIS HQ, RICHROLL.COM: 

In May 2010, Rich and his ultra-colleague Jason Lester accomplished an unprecedented feat of staggering endurance many said was not possible. Something they call the EPIC5 CHALLENGE – a odyssey that entailed completing 5 ironman-distance triathlons on 5 islands of Hawaii in under a week. Commencing on Kauai, they travelled to Oahu, Molokai and Maui before finishing on the Big Island, following the course of the Ironman World Championships on the Kona coast.

In addition, Rich has been a top finisher at the 2008 and 2009 Ultraman World Championships in Hawaii. Considered by many to be one of world’s most daunting and grueling endurance races on the planet, Ultraman is a 3-day / 320 mile double-ironman distance triathlon that circumnavigates the entire Big Island.  Limited to only 35 carefully selected invitation-only participants from all over the world, Day 1 involves a 6.2 mile ocean swim immediately followed by a 90 mile cross-country cycling race.  Day 2 is a 170 mile cycling race.  And the event culminates on Day 3 with a 52 mile double marathon run on the searing hot lava fields of the Kona coast.

Rich is now writing his memior for Crown Publishing (a division of Random House) for a 2012 spring release.

Mallory Weggemann, Paralympic Olympic Athlete, an inspiration for all who dare to dream

If you're looking for inspiration this Sunday morning, watch Mallory Weggemann.

Weggemann is an aquatic lifer, a swimmer from the age of 7.

Her freshman year in college at the University of Minnesota, she felt numbness in her legs after a severe case of the shingles, then lower back pain. She underwent several epidural injections to solve the problem. Tragically, the procedure left her paralyzed. For the rest of her life Weggemann would be in a wheelchair. 

Less than three months later she was on deck talking to coach Jim Anderson about getting back in the water. Since then she has been on a world-winning roller coaster; 15 world records, an ESPY Award, 2009 & 2010 USA Swimming Disabled Swimmer of the Year. 

Right now Weggemann is the world champion in six of the seven events, in her class, for the 2012 London Paralympic Games. And she's great on camera, a well-spoken and attractive young woman. Expect to hear a lot about Weggemann between now and next summer. 

2012 London Olympic open-water 10k tested and won by Martina Grimaldi and Richard Weinberger

Testing the open-water 10k course for the 2012 Olympics in London drew global talent. 

Team USA's Eva Fabian controlled the race from the start to the closing 50 meters, where she was overtaken by Italy's Martina Grimaldi.

Richard Weinberger of Canada won the men’s race. Germany’s Thomas Lurz, considered by many to be the greatest open-swimmer on the planet, took the silver.

The test swim was in Hyde Park’s Serpentine River.

SWIMMING: 2011 Speedo Junior National Championships, a fast swim meet

Junior National Championships ended Friday. Find all results here. 

It's a sacred competition in my book, an important stepping stone toward success; national cut-off times, Olympic Trials cut-off times, college scholarships.  

Before Juniors you're just a kid, a teenager locked in an endless cycle of hard swimming practices and marathon invitational meets.  After experiencing Juniors, you know where you stand in swimming. You know how much harder you have to work to make it to the big show; Olympic Trials, even the Olympic Games. You can actually feel how close you are to being recruited to a college.  

Juniors, for me, and this sound silly, was the moment I knew: I am a man!

I made my Junior cuts at 14 in the 200 butterfly.  I managed to get into finals and went 2:08. The following year I won the same event with a 2:03. Between going that first time and winning the next year, I grew nearly four inches. I also worked my ass off (thanks to my coach, Bruce Stein). The confidence I gained, simply walking around all-year thinking, I'm going to nationals, made all the difference. Note that I thought Nationals and not Junior Nationals. When you're a young swimmer, Juniors is National Championships. In your mind, it's the biggest competition in the world. 

I'll never forget, after that first big win, calling dad back home. He was a big guy; 6'3, nearly 300 pounds; at a glance, bald and intimidating. In truth he was a huge teddy bear, the most tender-hearted man you'd ever meet. I knew what I was in for when I called.  Dad already knew the results and he was already bawling in tears over the phone, his first words shaking and trembling out, "So proud of ya, Melvin Jr., so proud of ya son."  Junior Nationals, feeling the successes there, was a lot like winning Olympic gold. In some ways, the experience was more raw and exciting.  

I've been checking the results of Juniors this past week, waiting for my favorite event, itching to see who swam the 200 butterfly and how fast. Clark Smith won with a 1:59.33. Alejandro Cisneros got the silver, 2:00.78, and Jimmy Yoder won bronze, 2:01.12.  In other words, they kicked-ass.  

(Clark Smith, 200 butterfly winner)

HERE'S THE RACE:

I wonder if their parents were there. I wonder what the celebrations were like. Were there hugs and tears and cheers? I hope so. They deserve it, and if they keep it up, swimming has so much more to offer them, so much more to experience and see. 

Rich Abrahams, 66 years old, a swimming super-star who defies age

Rich Abrabams, 66 years old, is an anomaly, a retirement-age athletic super-star with abs a 16 year old would envy.  

But is Rich really an anomaly of health and fitness? Sure, he's at the top end of the scale, but his level of health is achievable for anyone with the discipline to swim and train hard consistently.  (I'm certain Rich would tell you the same thing.)

It's been known for thousands of years that water is healing and swimming is the best activity for physical fitness.  It's low-impact, taking the weight off of your joints, and it works all systems.  Period.  You don't need to know much more. Just swim!

Rich swims. That's his fountain of youth; physically, emotionally, spiritually.  When you meet Rich, you feel his power. He's full of energy and life. 

I was lucky enough to meet Rich by accident, and it's a story I share often and enthusiastically.  During the 2008 Olympic Trials, I dropped in on a masters swim practice, a solid 3,500 yard workout. In the next lane was this guy, a fast guy, one I couldn't shake. I could dophlin kick off each wall and get a nice margin on him, but he always managed to catch me at the other end of the pool. This guy looked older, but I couldn't place his age, 40, maybe, I thought, prematurely gray.  

At the end of practice, I wanted to do a 25 yard fly. I do that from time to time as a check, a measure of my own age and mortality.  I feel I should always be around 10 seconds flat. If I can't clock a 10 flat, I need to practice more. 

As I stepped up onto the blocks, the guy, that guy who I couldn't shake in practice asked, "Mind if I race next to you?"

"Sure," I said, seeing upclose that he was ripped, in absolutely phenomenal shape, but closer to 50, not 40 years old. I can take this guy, I thought. No mercy. Hammer time!

Some perspective. I swim 25 flys because my sprint fly is faster than freestyle. While the guy was swimming free, if  I wanted to race to win, I would choose fly anyway.

We raced. I dolphin kicked long, past the 15 yard mark, cheating because I saw that I wasn't leaving this guy behind. He was right there, off my shoulder.  I popped up about 18 yards in, and sure enough he passed me, touching in about 9.6.  I was sub 10 seconds, barely...but the loser.

Getting out I shook his hand and thanked him for the race. He must've seen my disappointment (and slight depression). Very sincerely and compassionately, he said, "It's okay, I'm a masters national champion."

The guy, I later found out, was Rich Abrahams, a swimming legend, truly one of the greatest swimmers in history. That's a real distinction we, in the swimming community, must make in this age of the masters swimmer.

Rich has achieved more than many Oympians, on balance, career-wise: 37 FINA Masters World Records, 10 gold medals from Masters World Championships. 

Rich is a true super-star, and a great ambassador for the sport...and, one day, when I growup, I hope to be just like him. 

Congratulations Rich for recently being inducted into the International Masters Swimming Hall of Fame. You deserve it and every accolade that comes you way.   

2012 Olympics may be rocked by the riots in London over economic hardships

The mass of riots in London, spreading to Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol, has left many wondering whether or not the city is fit to host the 2012 Olympic Games. 

THE RIOTS WERE TOUCHED-OFF by a police killing. False rumors spread that Mark Duggan was gunned down executive-style by law enforcement. But protestors say the country-wide outcry goes far beyond that.  

LONDON ERUPTED because British Prime Minister David Cameron cut social programs to the bone in a desperate attempt to reduce the nation's debt.  Anger has been rising ever since. British media has been reporting discontent among the poor in urban areas, specifically where the latest riots brokeout. Back in June, nearly 50% of the public schools in Britain were shutdown by an enormous demonstration, nearly 800,000 strong, against public pensions being slashed. 

Britain is economically stressed, creating a tinder-box of anger and resentment that erupted in voilence.  

IT IS ALL VERY SCARY, BUT UNDERSTANDABLE. The middle-class and the poor are carrying the burden of bringing Britain back to solvency. They're being sequeezed at a time when they are already struggling to meet basic needs; groceries, rent, clothing their children. This burden is a bitter pill to swallow when the upper-class, the truly wealthy, seemingly remain unaffected.  

THIS ISSUE IS NOT UNIQUE TO LONDON. With more riots erupting across the world because of econmonic hardships, a global push-back is mounting among the masses, bringing them into the streets.

PROTESTS ACROSS THE GLOBE:  China has been hit by aggressive inflation, increasing 12%, affecting food and fuel. Of the few reports that get out, we know thousands of cab drivers in Southern China stopped traffic, congesting cites over the fuel prices. In March, in Portugal, nearly 200,000 protested spending cuts to social services. In May, in Spain, thousands protested over the 21% unemployment rate. In June, riots brokeout in Greece after the government voted for another round of deep cuts in social services.  

I "DO NOT" THINK LONDON IS UNFIT TO HOST THE 2012 OLYMPICS. The issue is obviously global. However, I do believe it's difficult to watch the pagentry of the Olympics, knowing Bristish pounds have been spent to make it glorious, when your family is struggling financially. 

THE OLYMPICS IS "SEEN" AS A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ELITE, the ruling elite; multi-national corporations, government leaders, powerful non-profits. I wish that wasn't the case. The heart of the movement, the day-to-day, is driven by thousands of volunteers, chaities, and dedicated moms and dads who understand one truth:

SPORT IS A WAY TO A BETTER LIFE. 

Sports teach you discipline, confidence, teamwork. For me, personally, the Olympic Dream was a way out of financial hardships.

I came from a lower middle-class family that periodically dipped below the poverty line. My parents couldn't afford to send me to competitions or pay for my education. Friends, coaches and swimming clubs supported me financially along the way. (I also recieved government support; free school lunch, healthcare.) Excelling in athletics meant more opportunity, a college schollarship, and, ultimately, the means to support my own family.

I AM UNSETTLLED BY THE RIOTS because the Olympics is seen as flashpoint, feared by organizers and governments to be a potential platform for the disenfranchised to demonstration with more volience. Instead, the Olympics could be, and should be, a vehicle for hope.  As of today, the biggest story is Are the athletes safe? Would they they feel safe competing in London? 

I WISH THE WORLD SAW THE OLYMPICS as a movement that supported the hopes and dreams of the poor and middle class.  I wish the Olympic community made it a top priorty to reach-out to the economically disadvantaged first and foremost. They already do, to a degree, but their efforts are, understandably, sports-specific (and I'm sure I'll recieve emails about other examples). However, that's not the message that's coming across for the International Olympic Committee (IOC). 

A MASSIVE EFFORT TO DO GOOD--good where there is no hint of a return; development of future Olympic athletes, positive media for corporate sponsors who will renew their partnerships--would make the Olympic movement far stronger.  

WHAT IF THE IOC FOCUSED ITS GOODWILL on the upcoming host city? For three or four years leading up to the Games, the Olympic community could make specific efforts in the poorest parts of the host city to support sustanted job opportunites, education, shelters, food banks. What if the Olympic community made an investment in the least among the city's popluation, leaving them better off than before?  

THE IOC COULD RAISE EXTRADINARY SUMS for an effort like this, for every host city. Rio could be the first. It could be an positive narrative woven through the Olympic telecast.  The human story is what makes the Olympics satisfying and uplifting to watch.  In the best stories, we identify with the athlete who has come out of suffering and achieved success. The IOC could be a champion for the disadvantaged in the host city, helping them to lift themselves out of poverty. 

I could be wrong, have misplaced guilt over others suffering. Maybe it's not the Olympic Committee's place to do good.  But I do believe the Olympic Committee is a guest in each host city, and if your host is distressed, you should standup and offer help.

Redneck Olympics faces epic legal battle with the United States Olympic Committee

ACCORDING TO THE SUNJOURNAL, the Redneck Olympics could face legal action by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) over the legal rights to the word Olympic.

WHO WILL WIN?

Harold Brooks, the Redneck Olympics organizer, apparently isn't budging. Sure the word "Olympic" is the legal property of the USOC, but Harold says, "I'm not basing it on your Olympics, I'm basing it on the Olympics in Greece. "

I think Harold could be in for an a&#-whoopin', but I admire his gumption.

Rednecks are a resilent culture, proud of their creatively earthy heritage.

(redneck pool)

I grewup in the South (North Carolina and South Carolina). I understand their often misguided pride, but I'm also a product of the Olympic culture and their rules are ridgidly strict. 

Even if you're an Olympic athlete with gold medals, you cannot use the word Olympic to advertise or market individual financial partnerships (unless it's listed with other accomplishments and not prominent in the advertising material). 

The USOC must protect their property, the world Olympic, to protect their financial partners and their revenues.  The Redneck Olympics, despite being a small affair (2,600 attendess) and wildly entertaining, is a obviously threat.

I'm sure your average Joe or Jim-Bo might not think that Rednecks would lose interest in gymnastics and only tune in for hog-tossing or toilet-seat horseshoes, but the issue isn't that simple.  

The USOC must protect its property as other ventures might proliferate across the nation like the Redneck Olympics video game. Yes, it's real. Click here to see. 

Harold, you're awesome, a true American with an entrepreneurial spirit, but the Redneck Olympics must became something else in name.  

How about The Redneck Cup or Redneck Grand Prix or Redneck World Games (Redneck Games was apparently taken by a more legally astute redneck).

I think your 2,600 plus event can continue, and I hope it does, but what you really need is an aquatic event...and a producer and announcer. Email me: mel@goldmedalmel.com. 

Diana Nyad swims 103 miles, from Cuba to Florida, for all of us

If you're an athlete or anyone who appreciates living for the dream, Diana Nyad's the coolest woman you'll ever meet; brilliant, funny, provocative and wise.  She's got it all, from a been there done that point of view. 

As an ultra-endurance, open-water adventurer, she's broken unfathomable bounds; swimming from Bimini to Florida (which remains the world's longest non-stop swim without a wetsuit), breaking the 45 year old record for circling Manhattan (7 hours 57 minutes). 

Outside of the water, she's been a highly respected reporter and contributor to NPR, network sports, New York Magazine, and the list goes on and on.  She's also a pillar of loving power for gay and lesbian rights and women's right in the sports arena. 

Diana newest adventure, however, the one she's on right now, swimming from Cuba to Florida, is much more broad and spiritual.

At nearly 62 years old, the 103-mile swim makes more sense to Diana. "My body's still strong but my mind is stronger," she said. And in quiet conversations she's explained it to me in greater detail.  

Diana was sexually abused in her youth.  She described it as a soul-crushing, an emotional death in many ways. She said she swam, in her early career, fuled by anger and hate. She's healed now. So, when she says her mind is stronger, that's a significant part of what she's referring to.

If you've ever been sexually abused or known anyone who's been sexually abused, you understand how difficult it is to come back from that kind of trauma. Something in you does, literally, die.  Diana's trauma, merely one part of her gripping story, doesn't define her. She's so much more than that. But, to understand the depth of her strength, you cannot leave it out.  

Spending time with Diana now, there isn't a hint of hurt or any evidence of scars. That woman shines with hope and positive energy. She walks into a room and suddenly everyone is smiling and laughing. If you know Diana, you love her. You simply can't help yourself.  

Yes, Diana's almost 62, and, yes, she's making this epic swim to show the world age is merely a number, but that's too simple an explanation of what she's doing.

Diana knows life is a struggle. She knows the fight is long and hard. She also knows, if you stay the course and keep at it, it's worth it and only good things will come. 

Diana Nyad is swimming for us all. She's a bright shining light of hope, and I pray the entire world watches her finish this historic swim. 

FOLLOW DIANA'S EPIC SWIM IN REAL TIME HERE.

FOLLOW AND FAN DIANA ON FACEBACK HERE. 

(Diana Nyad, on GOLD MEDAL MINUTE, explains how she tapers and what goes through her mind on ultra-endurance swims.) 

Wang Meng, China's triple gold medalist, gets booted off the National Team

According to AP, China's biggest Winter Olympic star, Wang Meng, has been booted off the national team for a drunken scuttle with the team manager.  

Wang (photo below), is a female speed skater, a triple gold medalist from the Vancouver Olympic Games.

China's General Adminstration of Sport stated that Wang was booted because she violated the team's disciplines and jeopardized the sport's image. 

Wang apparently punched a team manager after being criticized for not making curfew.

PERSONAL NOTE:  National Team athletes, from all countries, complain about curfew during competitions, training camps, etc. Whenever National Team athletes travel, the issue pops up. However, I have never seen a fight over it, and rarely, if ever, I have seen an argument because of it.  

Wang sounds like a hell-on-wheels. Hopefully she'll rein in her anger before the next Olympic Games. 

SWIMMING LIVE STREAM: Watch Day 3 of the 2011 National Championships

Free live streaming by Ustream

Ian Crocker, 5-time Olympic Medalist, plays the guitar

Crocker, known among swimming analysts as the fastest butterfly specialist in history (in a fabric suit, see video of the race below), has interests beyond the pool. Crocker is a guitar man.  The video above is in response to his many fans who asked, Can Crocker really play the guitar?   Clearly, he can.

Questions about Crocker's guitar talent came as a result of his opening scene in the latest episode of SwimOutlet's Gold Medal Delivery video series. Crocker lounged, in bed, playing the guitar by candlelight. Take a look:

Crocker's career spanned three Olympic Games, 2000, 2004 and 2008. He won three gold medals, one silver and a bronze. He spends his time now helping kids improve their swimming skill and is widely known as a fantastic clinician, probably because of his laid-back style.  Crocker's very patient and kind. Never judgmental. I've seen him in action, and kids, especially the little ones, love him. They gravitate to him. 

If you met Crocker on the street (in Austin, his residence) and didn't know about his swimming background, he wouldn't tell you, and you'd never guess it. Ego, a personality trait common among Olympians, is undetectable in the guy.  

Crocker's lack of ego is almost beyond comprehension. World-class swimmers at his level are competitive animals.  Often they thrive on beating everyone else, which is slightly different from simply winning the race. I've asked Crocker about it, tried to pry into his head. He won't elaborate much, not beyond saying, "You know, I just love going fast...the feeling of going fast."  For Crocker that was obviously enough. Watch his most famous 100 meter butterfly, the fastest 100 fly in a fabric suit (2005 World Championships, Montreal):

 

And watch Ian Crocker's butterfly in slow motion, an underwater point of view:

Friday is "MAKE A SPLASH" night at the ConocoPhillips National Championships in Palo Alto

Make a Splash is a national water-safety initiative. Under the USA Swimming Foundation and executive director Debbie Hesse, the Make a Splash movement has reached nearly one million children. Through their Make a Splash Local Partners, swim lesson providers have given free or reduced cost swimming lessons to children across the country.  

Friday night, at the ConocoPhillips National Championships in Palo Alto, is MAKE A SPLASH NIGHT.  If you attend, you will be given a blue t-shirt to wear in the stands. During the NBC Telecast, the sea of blue shirts will be noted and the Make a Splash initiative will be explained to the television audience.

DROWNING is the second leading cause of death for children under the age of fourteen. African American children are three-times as likely to drown as caucasians 

SWIMMING LESSONS can be expensive for economically challenged families, especially during these tough times.

Make a Splash is funded by generous donations to the USA Swimming Foundation, a 501(c)(3). To support this cause click on this link. 

CULLEN JONES, 2008 OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST, NEARLY DROWNED AS A CHILD. CLICK ON THIS NY TIMES LINK AND READ HIS STORY. 

(PHOTO: Cullen Jones)

U.S. National Championships in Palo Alto: Watch Lochte and Grevers in the 100 backstroke

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