Pool and Open Water Swimming: Do Not Swallow the Water

[Rinaldo]

7 hours ago, Domenicholas said:

I thought it was because they were checking on Cody Miller because he was feeling lightheaded.  I think?

The antipodean commentators on the live feed said that, and we saw a moment in the waiting room, with only three of the team present while everyone (other teams too) just milled about waiting. I don't think they mentioned Miller by name, they just said "one of the team" required medical attention. And they only went into it once; otherwise they kept finding ways to fill time with lore of records and medals, and replays, and personal memories and thoughts.

[MyAimIsTrue]

Speaking of Cody Miller, since NBC was kind enough to allow him to get some post-relay screen time last night (and say a word or two!) before moving on to the all powerful Phelps I finally had a chance to notice how cute he is.

[selkie]

Someone over on SwimSwam drily suggested that Miller was overcome with the stress of actually limiting himself to the one allowed dolphin kick on the start and turn instead of sneaking on additional dolphin kicks on the pullout like he normally tends to do.

[jjj]

No one commented on the start of the Phelps leg of the relay -- he waited so long to enter the water (to make sure that Miller had tagged) that even one of the commentators noted that Phelps was being extra safe.  And at the end of the race, China was disqualified for that exact reason -- one swimmer entered the water too soon, so there were only seven teams listed in the results.  I don't know how often that happens in finals of swimming relays, but that would have been a horrendous outcome! 

[tanyak]

 Yikes, Ryan!

 

ETA: His mom says he was robbed. The IOC says he wasn't. What the what??

Edited August 14, 2016 by tanyak

[againstthewind]

Guys, I already missing swimming and Nathan Adrian's smile.

[galaxygirl76]

13 minutes ago, tanyak said:

 Yikes, Ryan!

 

ETA: His mom says he was robbed. The IOC says he wasn't. What the what??

I'm at the point where I don't understand anyone leaving the Village because he's not the first one this happened to(but I'm a big wimp so there is that).

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, galaxygirl76 said:

I'm at the point where I don't understand anyone leaving the Village because he's not the first one this happened to(but I'm a big wimp so there is that).

Ryan's not staying in the village.

[andromeda331]

After watching them in so far ahead in their 1500 and 800 respectively. I want to see Paltrinieri and Ledecky race each other.

[galaxygirl76]

54 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

Ryan's not staying in the village.

Fair enough.

I'm reading that there were three more US swimmers with him.

[photo fox]

Methinks the IOC is covering their ass.

[biakbiak]

Ryan to gunman with gun pointed at his head: Whatever!

[mightysparrow]

3 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

Ryan to gunman with gun pointed at his head: Whatever!

I find it hard to believe that ANYONE is going to say 'whatever' to someone pointing a gun at their head unless it's 'whatever you want to keep you from shooting me in the head'.

I think Ryan is a sad figure.  He's so desperate for attention.  His dyed hair look embarrassing on a thirty-something man.  Phelps is taking the elder-statesman route but Lochte seems to have lost his way.  I don't know if he's any more of a self-absorbed idiot that Phelps is but clearly Phelps is getting better advice.

[jjj]

I have to say, if I were a robber in Rio, the Olympics influx of athletes and spectators and staff in one concentrated location would be like a buffet ready to be picked over.  I assume there is considerable security right outside the venues and Village, but after that, it is probably more dicey than usual.  I'm sure we will get the true Lochte story soon -- and I am glad he and the other swimmers were okay. 

[mightysparrow]

Just now, jjj said:

I have to say, if I were a robber in Rio, the Olympics influx of athletes and spectators and staff in one concentrated location would be like a buffet ready to be picked over.  I assume there is considerable security right outside the venues and Village, but after that, it is probably more dicey than usual.  I'm sure we will get the true Lochte story soon -- and I am glad he and the other swimmers were okay. 

 

I'm sure the athletes and officials are told to stay in a certain area.  But Ryan Lochte is just the kind of fool to go outside that perimeter.  Someone should remind him that he's not in the US and nobody in Brazil cares that he had his own reality-tv show.

[DollEyes]

Re Michael Phelps, to say that he left on a high note would be an understatement. Not even NBC's fawning over Phelps-sometimes at the expense of his teammates-could ruin it. I don't think that Phelps is bad; just NBC's perpetual fawning over him was. However, Phelps has done so much for swimming and vice versa that his accomplishments shouldn't be ignored. After Rio, if Phelps decides to comeback at 35 ala Anthony Ervin I wouldn't be suprised, but I think that Phelps' desire to be with his family and get more kids involved in swimming is the perfect legacy for him. 

Quote

Who wouldn't want to lay their head on Nathan Adrian's chest....

Among other places... ;)

 

Quote

Wow, I didn't realize that Nathan was such a giant!

 He's 6'6 and fine, thank you. 

Edited August 14, 2016 by DollEyes

[galaxygirl76]

17 minutes ago, photo fox said:

Methinks the IOC is covering their ass.

Lochte's mom: He got robbed

IOC: No he didn't, never happened

Brazilian swimmer: Ryan told me it happened

IOC: Oopsies, we were wrong, he totes was robbed.

[biakbiak]

4 minutes ago, galaxygirl76 said:

Lochte's mom: He got robbed

IOC: No he didn't, never happened

Brazilian swimmer: Ryan told me it happened

IOC: Oopsies, we were wrong, he totes was robbed.

To be fair even Ryan's coach denied it before his mom conifrmed it.

He was leaving a party with a bunch of swimmers from around the world.

13 minutes ago, mightysparrow said:

 

I'm sure the athletes and officials are told to stay in a certain area.  But Ryan Lochte is just the kind of fool to go outside that perimeter.  Someone should remind him that he's not in the US and nobody in Brazil cares that he had his own reality-tv show.

Edited August 14, 2016 by biakbiak

[mightysparrow]

I have to add my voice to the chorus of Nathan Adrian admirers. Six foot six inches of fine AND he seems like a nice guy too.  I was so mad at NBC for running after Michael Phelps and not spending a little more time on Adrian.  After all, just how many times do we have to look at Boomer?  Every time I see the little thing, I can't help feeling sorry for him because his parents are more interested in appearing to be cool than to finding a decent name for their child.

[photo fox]

25 minutes ago, mightysparrow said:

I'm sure the athletes and officials are told to stay in a certain area.  But Ryan Lochte is just the kind of fool to go outside that perimeter.  Someone should remind him that he's not in the US and nobody in Brazil cares that he had his own reality-tv show.

So it's the victims' fault that they were robbed? I can't agree with that.

Four swimmers, taking a taxi together to/from a party attended by many athletes, including Brazilians who would presumably know if it was a safe area? I don't think they're stupid for thinking they'd be okay.

It sounds like there may be more to the story, but as it's being reported now, they did nothing wrong and are lucky they weren't hurt.

[againstthewind]

39 minutes ago, mightysparrow said:

I have to add my voice to the chorus of Nathan Adrian admirers. Six foot six inches of fine AND he seems like a nice guy too.  I was so mad at NBC for running after Michael Phelps and not spending a little more time on Adrian.  After all, just how many times do we have to look at Boomer?  Every time I see the little thing, I can't help feeling sorry for him because his parents are more interested in appearing to be cool than to finding a decent name for their child.

I read an article (here: http://www.espn.com/olympics/summer/2012/swimming/story/_/id/8224097/2012-olympics-nathan-adrian-becomes-feel-good-story-olympics) that talked about how he's not only one of the nicest guys on the team, but one of the nicest guys in the world. Ooff. Call me Nathan. Please come back for 2020!!!!! I will be crushed if he doesn't.

Edited August 14, 2016 by againstthewind
A word

[jjj]

This is the most extensive piece I've seen on the robbery (which the IOC now says did occur) -- and is also has some remarks about the safety alerts the athletes were given in advance (but no details for security reasons), especially about traveling around the city in taxis.  The party Ryan attended was a house set up to entertain Olympic athletes and had police security at the house, so it is not like they were wandering around like a tourist like me might do:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/15/sports/olympics/ryan-lochte-and-three-teammates-robbed-at-gunpoint.html?action=click&contentCollection=Fashion %26 Style&module=Trending&version=Full&region=Marginalia&pgtype=article

18 minutes ago, againstthewind said:

I read an article (here: http://www.espn.com/olympics/summer/2012/swimming/story/_/id/8224097/2012-olympics-nathan-adrian-becomes-feel-good-story-olympics) that talked about how he's not one of the nicest guys on the team, but one of the nicest guys in the world. Ooff. Call me Nathan. Please come back for 2020!!!!! I will be crushed if he doesn't.

I feel like you are missing a word in your post!  maybe: "He's not ONLY one of the nicest guys on the team"?

[AimingforYoko]

1 hour ago, biakbiak said:

Ryan to gunman with gun pointed at his head: Whatever!

He's a Carl Hiaasen character come to life.

[Ohwell]

12 minutes ago, AimingforYoko said:

He's a Carl Hiaasen character come to life.

One of my favorite authors. : )

[cocobeans]

I'm so sad that swimming is over, I've enjoyed watching alongside so many posters :-)

I did notice that about 90% of the posts in this thread are about Phelps, even if they are complaining about NBC devoting 90% of their coverage to Phelps...LOL

[Ohwell]

6 minutes ago, cocobeans said:

I did notice that about 90% of the posts in this thread are about Phelps, even if they are complaining about NBC devoting 90% of their coverage to Phelps...LOL

Makes sense to me.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

2 hours ago, mightysparrow said:

I find it hard to believe that ANYONE is going to say 'whatever' to someone pointing a gun at their head unless it's 'whatever you want to keep you from shooting me in the head'.

I think Ryan is a sad figure.  He's so desperate for attention.  His dyed hair look embarrassing on a thirty-something man.  Phelps is taking the elder-statesman route but Lochte seems to have lost his way.  I don't know if he's any more of a self-absorbed idiot that Phelps is but clearly Phelps is getting better advice.

I think he's doing fine. He's only 32. Personally I like that he has some personality, even if I don't understand his choices sometimes. At least he hasn't gotten DUIs or needed to go to rehab, if we're going to judge people by their past actions.

[jjj]

This is an interesting article on competitive swimsuits, and why the full-body suits were banned after the Rome 2009 World swimming competition.  (The 2008 Olympics did not have such extremely engineered suits, although the teams did use full-body suits.)  I do not follow swimming outside of Olympic years, so had not kept up with all this.  It almost seems like the world records from the Rome 2009 competition should have an asterisk next to them, as over 40 world records were set in swimming in the fully rubberized full-body suits.  If one team is using them, all teams have to use them, so banning them makes complete sense.  Plus, I want to see the *swimmers* compete in the water, not their suits. 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-olympics-swimsuits-20160805-story.html

[MVFrostsMyPie]

2 hours ago, againstthewind said:

I read an article (here: http://www.espn.com/olympics/summer/2012/swimming/story/_/id/8224097/2012-olympics-nathan-adrian-becomes-feel-good-story-olympics) that talked about how he's not only one of the nicest guys on the team, but one of the nicest guys in the world. Ooff. Call me Nathan. Please come back for 2020!!!!! I will be crushed if he doesn't.

Every time they replay the last men's relay and the "and Nathan Adrian has given Michael Phelps' his 23rd (or whatever number) gold!" exclamation gets played, I can't help but roll my eyes.  Yes, Nathan did it for Phelps. Also hello, new WR by Murphy. Sigh.

2 hours ago, mightysparrow said:

 

I'm sure the athletes and officials are told to stay in a certain area.  But Ryan Lochte is just the kind of fool to go outside that perimeter.  Someone should remind him that he's not in the US and nobody in Brazil cares that he had his own reality-tv show.

Yes, let's victim blame. If it was any other athlete, I wonder what tune people would be singing.

Edited August 14, 2016 by MattDuffysCat

[mightysparrow]

14 minutes ago, MattDuffysCat said:

I think he's doing fine. He's only 32. Personally I like that he has some personality, even if I don't understand his choices sometimes. At least he hasn't gotten DUIs or needed to go to rehab, if we're going to judge people by their past actions.

I won't argue with you about that.  As the daughter of a man killed by a drunk driver, I have no sympathy for them.  

It's just that Lochte seems desperate for attention and I don't get it.  He has a bunch of gold medals and at 32 he was good enough to be on the Olympic swim team which isn't exactly made up of also-rans.  Why would you aspire to be a Kardashian when you're an Olympic champion?

2 hours ago, photo fox said:

So it's the victims' fault that they were robbed? I can't agree with that.

Four swimmers, taking a taxi together to/from a party attended by many athletes, including Brazilians who would presumably know if it was a safe area? I don't think they're stupid for thinking they'd be okay.

It sounds like there may be more to the story, but as it's being reported now, they did nothing wrong and are lucky they weren't hurt.

 

I don't think the victims were to blame for being robbed.  It just seems that there are a lot of different stories being told and my spidey senses are tingling.  And Ryan Lochte trying to make himself sound like a chlorine-scented Dirty Harry is a bit much, in my opinion.

Edited August 14, 2016 by mightysparrow

[legaleagle53]

8 minutes ago, MattDuffysCat said:

Yes, let's victim blame. If it was any other athlete, I wonder what tune people would be singing.

The same one.  I remember being warned by the concierge my first night in Rome ten years ago to watch out for pickpockets.  I went to bed that night wondering what the hell I had gotten myself into and praying that I would survive my first visit to Rome intact (and mind you, I had been wanting to visit Rome for 30 years prior to that!).  I resolved then and there that if there were certain parts of town that I had been warned not to go to, I wasn't going to go there, period.

And "he's only 32" doesn't cut it with me.  That excuse only works up through about one's early 20s.  After that, it's presumed that one is old enough to know better by virtue of having learned from one's mistakes.  If one is still making those same mistakes in his or her early 30s, they're no longer mistakes -- they're deliberate choices.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

Well, he hasn't gotten his lips injected and while he has a nice butt, it's not that curvy. ;) I guess to me, I don't see what the issue is. He's enjoying life, and it's harmless fun. What's it to us? Personally I hope everyone's had a time in their life where they let loose a little and made some questionable (not hurtful) decisions that you can look back upon and think, "haha, what was I thinking, but hey, I'm growing?" The rest of us just have the luxury of being goobers but not in the public eye. It's not like it affected him winning 12 medals and participating in 4 Olympics.

Edited August 14, 2016 by MattDuffysCat

[MVFrostsMyPie]

7 minutes ago, legaleagle53 said:

The same one.  I remember being warned by the concierge my first night in Rome ten years ago to watch out for pickpockets.  I went to bed that night wondering what the hell I had gotten myself into and praying that I would survive my first visit to Rome intact (and mind you, I had been wanting to visit Rome for 30 years prior to that!).  I resolved then and there that if there were certain parts of town that I had been warned not to go to, I wasn't going to go there, period.

And "he's only 32" doesn't cut it with me.  That excuse only works up through about one's early 20s.  After that, it's presumed that one is old enough to know better by virtue of having learned from one's mistakes.  If one is still making those same mistakes in his or her early 30s, they're no longer mistakes -- they're deliberate choices.

Okay, well good for you for being straight-laced. I'm sure Ryan really cares what you think about his choices. Although I'm not sure from 30-32 what horrible terrible choices has he made that incite this much judgment toward him, but as Ryan would say, "whatever". 

ETA: He was with three other people in a taxi. Going from an Olympic hosted location with other athletes back to the Village. I think that that is a little different than gallivanting around on the streets in a shady area.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents. :)

Edited August 14, 2016 by MattDuffysCat

[mightysparrow]

2 minutes ago, MattDuffysCat said:

Okay, well good for you for being straight-laced. I'm sure Ryan really cares what you think about his choices. Although I'm not sure from 30-32 what horrible terrible choices has he made that incite this much judgment toward him, but as Ryan would say, "whatever". 

I don't think he's made 'horrible' choices.  Phelps made horrible choices.  Lochte's made stupid, kid choices.  He's a grown-ass man.  

When I think of Ryan Lochte, I think of this.

[kili]

Quote

The same one.  I remember being warned by the concierge my first night in Rome ten years ago to watch out for pickpockets.  I went to bed that night wondering what the hell I had gotten myself into and praying that I would survive my first visit to Rome intact (and mind you, I had been wanting to visit Rome for 30 years prior to that!).  I resolved then and there that if there were certain parts of town that I had been warned not to go to, I wasn't going to go there, period.

What did you see in Rome? I was warned the pick-pockets like to hang around all the tourist spots because tourists are easy-pickings. They call the bus from the train station to the Vatican the 'Pickpocket Express'. One has to balance being aware of one's surrounding with staying locked in your room. I'm not going to Rome and skipping the Colosseum because pickpockets fish in the crowds around it (I'll try to make it harder for them, be aware and deal with it if it happens). 

Ryan and his friends could have stayed locked in their rooms in the village and seen nothing of the Olympics. But, he chose to go to one of the other nations celebration houses - to participate in the Olympic scene and connect with athletes from other countries. If one can't take a taxi from one Olympic-related venue to another, the problem isn't with the one who got robbed. Thank goodness everybody survived - belongings can be replaced.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

Well, in regards to being warned about dangers in foreign countries, I'm still glad I traveled to Turkey despite everything you see on the news, and the usual "watch out for pickpocketers at the Grand Bazaar!" - it was one of the best experiences of my life and all the people I met were amazing and super friendly. Never once did I feel unsafe. Heck I've felt more uneasy in my own city of SF! 

I just hope everyone sprayed themselves with mosquito repellent ;)

Edited August 14, 2016 by MattDuffysCat

[VintageJ]

Lucky for me, I LOVE track & field.  So I get to enjoy the gymnastics, swimming, diving AND my track (sprints and relays) 

[Terrafamilia]

Why do they insist on trying to interview the winners before they've even had a chance to catch their breaths? Does NBC think it makes for great television?

[legaleagle53]

1 hour ago, kili said:

What did you see in Rome? I was warned the pick-pockets like to hang around all the tourist spots because tourists are easy-pickings. They call the bus from the train station to the Vatican the 'Pickpocket Express'. One has to balance being aware of one's surrounding with staying locked in your room. I'm not going to Rome and skipping the Colosseum because pickpockets fish in the crowds around it (I'll try to make it harder for them, be aware and deal with it if it happens). 

Pretty much everything -- but that doesn't mean that I didn't exercise a little common sense, including not staying out too late after dark or dressing or acting like a tourist.  I also kept discreetly checking my wallet and my passport every few minutes just in case -- and just as I did in New Orleans when I vacationed there one year.

[Cherpumple]

3 hours ago, jjj said:

This is an interesting article on competitive swimsuits, and why the full-body suits were banned after the Rome 2009 World swimming competition.  (The 2008 Olympics did not have such extremely engineered suits, although the teams did use full-body suits.)  I do not follow swimming outside of Olympic years, so had not kept up with all this.  It almost seems like the world records from the Rome 2009 competition should have an asterisk next to them, as over 40 world records were set in swimming in the fully rubberized full-body suits.  If one team is using them, all teams have to use them, so banning them makes complete sense.  Plus, I want to see the *swimmers* compete in the water, not their suits. 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-olympics-swimsuits-20160805-story.html

Very interesting! Just out of interest, I looked at Michael Phelps's list of world records again, and of the 7 (out of 39) that are still standing, two are from the Beijing Olympics, four are from the Rome World Championships in 2009, and one is from a meet in Manchester in December 2009, which supports the information in the article stating that Rome 2009 especially was more of farce than a competition.

[kili]

Quote

 but that doesn't mean that I didn't exercise a little common sense, including not staying out too late after dark or dressing or acting like a tourist.  I also kept discreetly checking my wallet and my passport every few minutes just in case

Pickpockets are pretty good at their jobs. Unless you buy new clothes in country, get a new haircut, learn the local language and stay away from the tourist sites, they are going to peg you as a tourist. They just don't hit up the guy in the New York Yankees T-Shirt. I saw them rip-off a German dude in his very European clothes and shoes. They were pretty slick and fast. They were gone. 

And they watch for those discreet checks. Better not to check at all. Just stow it and stop giving them clues. If they pick your pocket, they'll have handed it off to an accomplice within seconds. Just don't leave stuff hanging out and then enjoy your visit. The Coliseum all lit up at night is simply magical. 

Ryan didn't go wondering off by himself into a crime ridden area with bling hanging out of his pocket. He went to an Olympic related venue (most nations have those official houses) and took a cab back with a group of people he knew. Sometimes, you can do almost everything right and still be the victim of crime. Now, the crime rate is so serious in Rio, things that should be safe aren't. Having your pocket picked is a pain - having a gun stuck in your face could end in tragedy. 

[jjj]

1 minute ago, Cherpumple said:

Very interesting! Just out of interest, I looked at Michael Phelps's list of world records again, and of the 7 (out of 39) that are still standing, two are from the Beijing Olympics, four are from the Rome World Championships in 2009, and one is from a meet in Manchester in December 2009, which supports the information in the article stating that Rome 2009 especially was more of farce than a competition.

Yes, this is one time the international organization acted rapidly to change the rules -- And with over 40 world records being set at the Rome 2009 world competition, that is a LOT of swimmers!

[Sew Sumi]

3 hours ago, Cherpumple said:

Very interesting! Just out of interest, I looked at Michael Phelps's list of world records again, and of the 7 (out of 39) that are still standing, two are from the Beijing Olympics, four are from the Rome World Championships in 2009, and one is from a meet in Manchester in December 2009, which supports the information in the article stating that Rome 2009 especially was more of farce than a competition.

I remember watching 2009 Worlds from my hotel room in Seattle. The one record that got the most side eye was Paul Biedermann's 200m Free WR, which still stands. He shaved EIGHT SECONDS off of his PB from 2008. The "suit era" was just ridiculous. 

Edited August 15, 2016 by Sew Sumi
because grammar

[kili]

Quote

This is an interesting article on competitive swimsuits, and why the full-body suits were banned after the Rome 2009 World swimming competition.  (The 2008 Olympics did not have such extremely engineered suits, although the teams did use full-body suits.) 

Beach volleyball and to change their uniform rules to allow people form more conservative countries to compete. There is a contestant from Egypt competing wearing a modified hijab, sleeves to her wrists and leggings to her ankles. Aren't the current swimsuit rules effectively barring women like her from competing in the pool? Is there a way to stop swimming from being about hi-tech suits and making the competition open to all cultures? 

[jjj]

I'm sure the IOC and USOC are addressing the issue of a hired taxi being stopped by fake police officers.  Really, that says no one should be going out in taxis -- so USOC can provide transportation to the official house parties.  Makes me wonder if the taxi driver was in on the scheme -- you'd think he would know real police from fake police.  And it is a shame for the athletes and their families, because part of the point of having a different city every four years is to showcase the city and let athletes see the world.  Shoving them into the Village and saying "don't take taxis" is like taking a cruise ship and only taking pictures from the ship, instead of disembarking. 

It really sounds like Lochte did everything right (taxi, official house party), and this could have turned very tragic in one second, so they are all fortunate. 

Edited August 15, 2016 by jjj

[photo fox]

2 minutes ago, Sew Sumi said:

The "suit era" was just ridiculous. 

And ugly! 

[Cherpumple]

4 minutes ago, Sew Sumi said:

I remember watching 2009 Worlds from my hotel room in Seattle. The one record that got the most side eye was Paul Biedermann's 200m Free WR, which still stands. He'd shave EIGHT SECONDS off of his time from 2008. The "suit era" was just ridiculous. 

Eight seconds off a 200m swim???? Yeah, that is a huge red flag!

[Ohwell]

I'm just gonna come back over here to swimming because I had mentioned I didn't like Phelps's finger pointing and urging the crowd to cheer after he'd won.  Well, Usain Bolt did that and more a few minutes ago and I loved it!  Which must mean that I like him much, much more than I do Phelps.  I'm sorry Michael. 

[InsertWordHere]

Bolt is just so charismatic that it makes his cockiness entertaining. 

[methodwriter85]

1 hour ago, Ohwell said:

I'm just gonna come back over here to swimming because I had mentioned I didn't like Phelps's finger pointing and urging the crowd to cheer after he'd won.  Well, Usain Bolt did that and more a few minutes ago and I loved it!  Which must mean that I like him much, much more than I do Phelps.  I'm sorry Michael. 

Eh, well, just keep reminding yourself that this is the last Olympics you're ever going to have to see him. Well, as a competitor. He's so going to wind up becoming an commentator despite not having the charisma and having mush mouth.