GOLD MEDAL MEL

Megan Jendrick, GOLD MEDAL MINUTE

If you didn't notice, I absolutely cherish this young woman.  She reminds me of all my favorite female swimmers, the ones I traveled with on the USA Swimming National Team.

Megan's as sweet as they come, but by no means a push over. When she swims, she swims to win. She's the best kind of competitor; one you respect for their toughness, but also want to hang out with.  

My time has come and gone. I don't have much in common with this new generation of champions, other than a shared history and a mutual understanding of the time sacrificed to achieve--and, on occasion, the feeling that that time was lost. 

Megan understands losing. I don't think she'd like for me to dwell on her 2004 Trials swim, when she missed making the Olympic Team by a mere 11 one-hundreds of a second, but it makes my heart feel like bursting whenever I think of it... 

The emotion is all summed up in numbers; the years, days, and hours lost. The time lost. I can't speak for Megan, but I know (as many athletes do) how lonely and depressing it is when you lose. You do question yourself. You do wonder if you've wasted your time. (I've been watching network sports for decades, but I've never really heard an athlete speak from that place, that absolute bottom. There is always an "uptick" woven in thematically. The narrative's manipulated for an audience that will only pay attention for the two minute news-opera-bio before they disengage and leave...)  

In nontraditional sports (often Olympic sports) big moments to perform are so rare. You spend a lifetime to prepare for what may only be one, two, or if you're lucky, three life-defining competitions.  When you lose, it does feels like death. Many athletes describe it that way -- a part me died. I'd like to add that that part doesn't always heal or grow back. That hurt occupies a little part of your brain, and when it's electrically tapped, it cuts your breath away in pain. For me it feels like heartburn, followed by a very, very bitter acid-taste.  

Sounds awful, huh? It's not. Not really. In fact I don't fully trust any athlete (or any one for that matter) who hasn't been knocked back on their butt. Everyone has "eaten it" at one point or another. Even Michael Phelps. (Lest we forget, he lost in 2004 to Ian Thorpe in the 200 free--before he came back and ran away with that race in Beijing.)

As for Megan, I can't imagine winning gold at the Olympics, and then waiting and training and sacrificing for a full eight years before tasting it again. I know she had help. I know she loves her husband, Nathan, and I know how kind and loyal he was and has been. I think their story, as a couple, is as interesting as any I've heard. I wish I could write their book, but I have a feeling they're going to write it themselves... 

One correction. I have a little more in common with Megan and Nathan, despite the age gap. Aside from both being writers and married (as I am), they are mature beyond their years. Megan and Nathan also held my hand, so to speak, when I got my first tattoo, the Olympic Rings. I would not have done it without their help. Here's the vid:

Get to know Megan Jendrick more at her blog, meganjendrick.net (not dot com)!

And read Megan's weekly column at Fitness Rx Magazine.

To book Megan for a swimming clinic, go to acquaswim.com.

And buy Get Wet Get Fit! My wife, Tiffany, used their book to get in swimming shape, and she never swam competitively when she was young. 

Holiday Happiness Starring Ryan Lochte

Here you go, my gmm holiday gift to all the social-networkers who have supported swimming this year:

Now that I have your attention, I want to thank you all for your support of my life-defining sport.

When I swam, no one paid much attention, except at the Olympics, and even then it was only for the proverbial fifteen minutes. This year more than two billion tuned in to see Michael Phelps, and supporting stars like Lochte (aka Reezy), Aaron Peirsol, Matt Grevers, Katie Hoff, Dara Torres, Natalie Couglin and Cullen Jones.  It confirmed something I already knew. Billions swim. Billions go to the beach. Billions understand the appeal of good health through swimming and its rewards, aka "The Swimmer Body," illustrated perfectly by Ryan Lochte. 

Conservatively, more than 180 million people swim 3 times a week on the planet. Our numbers are huge. In terms of media-attention, I hope the interest in swimming will hold, but I'm positive it can and will with the support of bloggers and social-networkers around the globe. 

I've been asking since August how to make the most of this "tiger-by-tail" situation. I've gotten great feedback, and I've passed it along to the powers that be inside of USA Swimming. 

A CONFESSION: I used to be indifferent about my Olympic Governing Body. (FYI: swimming, track n field, and gymnastics operate under the US Olympic Committee). When I swam I was convinced they did absolutely nothing.  This year I worked for the USA Swimming Foundation (raising money for "learn to swim" programs), which gave me a peek inside the hallowed halls of power. What I saw surprised me. They work nonstop. They're forward thinking, always looking for opportunities to marketing swimming. 

ON DECK FOR 2009: USA Swimming is already prepping for Olympic Trials in 2012! Golden Goggles ended mere weeks ago, and they've already met in LA to set up the '09 gala weekend. And unless you've been hiding under a rock, you know NBC Sports will be broadcasting World Championships in Rome.

Rumors have been flying about a pro-swimming circuit. What I've learned is that USA Swimming intends to beef up the Grand Prix Series. What that amounts to is creating a series of competitions that are more audience and media friendly. Old ideas about the long three-hour finals-format may change. The old guard is listening! They know we need a new schedule to better present our stars in swimming. 

I will be on deck all year, and I will continue to follow stories that entertain. (I'm particularly interested in a new star, Dagney Knutson, from America's northern plain.) I'll also be doing ON THE ROAD, a show with my partner, Christopher LaBianco. Chris, or LaBi, is the Chief of the Swim Foundation, and he's all about everything swimming.  

I know Lochte's about to blow-up with his PR company PMK. I know Matt Grevers, Christine Magnuson, Gary Hall Jr., and many other star swimmers under David Arluck's banner, Arluck Promotions, will be tackling social-media in '09 brilliantly. (More news on that in February.)

David Arluck, the uber Olympic agent based in Miami, has surprised many this year. He continually creates marketing platforms for his athletes with a socially conscious background. 

Evan Morgenstein, based in Raleigh NC, reps almost everyone else, and I know he's always booking his swimmers on NBC prime-time shows and other media-outlets. Evan reps Cullen Jones, one of swimming's greatest assets. There are rumors about a major news network's interest in covering him monthly. (More news on that in March.)

For me this holiday season, I'm happier than I've been in 15 years. (I normally get down around December, with the shorter days, but not as much this year.) My daughter, Bay, has been swimming, and my wife, Tif, has been swimming (and I should also mention that she's been supportive of my work all year long). As a couple, with a young daughter, we're happy, but always looking to the future slightly concerned. We hope Bay continues swimming. We hope she benefits from all the positives of the sport. It's helps kids, especially young girls, develop so much confidence and discipline. 

In the meantime, while Bay is only 8 years old, still believing in Santa Claus, we'll celebrate her innocence. It goes without saying that I love swimming, but she's my greatest joy of all.  

SWIMMING NEWS TODAY, DEC 24TH:

My column GOLD MEDAL MEL: Merry Seasons Greetings just posted on swimnetwork.

US Masters Swimming nets partnership with Blueseventy. In his ongoing march toward making US Masters Swimming a force in the market, Rob Butcher, the executive director, signs a deal with the swimwear company, Blueseventy (considered by many to have the fastest suit on the planet). 

Michael Phelps' agent, Peter Carlisle, is overwhelmed by the Phelps Media Phenomenon!

Ous Mellouli and Kristry Coventry are named Male and Female African Swimmer of the Year!