ISHOF News Archives - Page 119 of 136 - International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF)

Karen Moe Set Her First Of Four World Records Over 200m Butterfly 50 Years Ago, Bound For Olympic Gold

by CRAIG LORD – SWIMMING WORLD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
11 July 2020

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the first of four World records Karen Moe set over 200m butterfly, the last of which was good for Olympic gold at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.
When 17-year-old Moe, clocked 2:20.7 in her home pool at Santa Clara this day half a century ago, she ended the five-rear reign on the clock of Dutch ‘gentle giant’ of butterfly, Ada Kok, the 1968 Olympic champion who had left the World record at 2:21.0 when she raced at Blackpool’s Derby Baths in England on August 25, 1967.
If Kok wiped 5sec off the standard in four chunks between 1965 and 1967 unchallenged by the pace of others, Moe’s four record between 1970 and 1972 are accompanied by the constant spur of American rivals, first Alice Jones in 1970, as the first inside 2:20, on 2:19.3 in August, and then Ellie Daniel, three times in 1971, the last of her marks a 2:18.4 in Minsk a year out from Olympic Games in Munich.
At U.S. Olympic trials in Chicago, Moe, coached at Orinda Aquabears by Ron Richison and then at Santa Clara by George Haines left no-one in any doubt that she was queen of pace once more: 2:16.62, the first World standard to be timed to to a 100th. Come Munich, the first heat saw the Olympic record fall, to Rosemarie Kother, of the GDR, in 2:18.32. The heat was on. Daniel chucked the gauntlet back with a 2:17.18 in the second prelim to grand lane 4 in a final featuring four swimmers inside 2:20 in qualification.
In the final, Kother and Daniel set the pace over the first 100m, turning in 1:05.46 and 1:05.62 respectively, to Moe’s 1:06.22. By the turn for home, the World record had drawn level with Daniel, in the lead on 1;40.83, Moe on 1:40.92, their teammate Lynn Collela now third in 1 :41.28, Kother on 1:41.55.

Karen Moe in full flight – Photo Courtesy: ISHOF

Moe had most left in the tank, scorched to the title in what would be the last solo World record of her career: 2:15.57, more than a second inside her trials time. That marked the first time the title had been claimed in a World record, after the event was introduced in 1968, and the last time it took a global standard to claim the crown until Beijing 20087, when China’s Liu Zige led an out-of-the-blue home 1-2 with Jiao Liuyang, 2;04.18 to 2;04.72, Aussie Jess Schipper third in 2:06.26.
In Munich, Moe led a USA sweep: Collela took silver in 2:16.34, Daniel bronze in 2:16.74, locking Kother out in 2:17.11. When she was inducted into the American Swimming Coaches Association Hall of Fame as a coach later in life, Moe noted that Haines taught his pupils that the winner would be the swimmer who could maintain the best and most efficient technique for the longest distance throughout a race.
Between 1973 and 1976, Kother would win the 1973 and 1975 World titles and take the World record down in five stages from 2:15.45 to 2:11.22. She entered the Montreal 1976 Olympic final as favourite but while her global standard survived for another two years, it was bronze for Kother, racing under her married name of Gabriel. Her 2:12.86 that day completed a GDR sweep at the start of the impact of the State Plan 14:25 systematic doping era in Olympic waters. Ahead of her were Andrea Pollack, in an Olympic record of 2:11.41, and Ulrika Tauber, on 2:12.50.
Moe was locked out in fourth on 2:12.90, just 0.04sec shy of returning to the podium four years after glory in Munich.
Moe would be a pioneer later in life too: she went on to coach women’s swimming at the University of California-Berkeley for 14 years. During that time she had tremendous success: three of her athletes – ‘fly legend and double ‘fly Olympic champion of 1984, Mary T. Meagher, Conny van Bentum and Hiroko Nagasaki – won nine NCAA titles (See Michael J Stott feature below).
Moe, the first person (man or woman) to be inducted into both the International Swimming Hall off Fame as a swimmer and the American Swimming Coaches Association Hall of Fame, she was forced to give up her coaching career and move into administrative roles after the death of her first husband, which left her as a widower with two children. She told Swimming World last year:

“I am sad that I had to give up my coaching career prematurely after becoming widowed with two young children. But, ‘once a coach always a coach,’ right? Just ask my friends at Masters swimming, where I am known to do friendly stroke interventions when my coaching impulses take over.”

Moe was serving as assistant director when she was terminated in 2004 after complaining about the treatment of women in the athletics department. Moe Humpreys (her married name) sued for gender discrimination and won a settlement of more than $3.5 million.

The Honors and a Very Meaningful and Insightful Speech At ASCA:

Last year, Moe Humpreys featured in Swimming World Magazine in our Lessons with the Legends series, with Michael J Stott. You can order the print copy of that Magazine, a version of the lovely feature reproduced here:

Lessons with the Legends: Karen Moe Humphreys
By Michael J. Stott
Before and after she became the first women’s head coach at the University of California-Berkeley, Karen Moe was a fighter. Born in the Philippines and educated in California, Moe emerged as a standout swimmer under Orinda Aquabears coach Ron Richison and Santa Clara’s George Haines.
Slight in build, Moe learned early that technical proficiency would be the key to her success. This despite the fact that from the ages of 15-17 she was required to wear a Milwaukee Brace 23 hours a day as treatment for the spinal conditions, scoliosis and spondylolisthesis. Her doctor made an exception to this protocol to allow her to participate in all of her swim practices.

Karen Moe Humphreys – Photo Courtesy: Tim Morse Photography

And what success it was—producing world records in the 200 meter butterfly in 1970 (at age 17), 1971, 1972 (twice) and an Olympic gold medal in Munich (and fourth in the 100 back.) Moe later re-emerged after a 40-month retirement (except for three college seasons), trained for 10 weeks, then made and was named a captain for the 1976 Olympic team. In the first heat, she set an Olympic record, only to finish fourth in the 200 fly final (with an American record 2:12.90) just behind a trio of steroid-fueled East Germans.
In 1978 at age 25, with a bachelor’s and master’s degree from UCLA, Moe was hired as the Golden Bears coach. While at Berkeley, she compiled a dual meet record of 89-42-1, mentored six Olympians and 39 different NCAA All-Americans. Three athletes – Mary T. Meagher, Conny van Bentum and Hiroko Nagasaki – won nine NCAA titles. Her 1982 team finished fourth in the AIAW championship meet. In 10 NCAA year-ending competitions, her Bears had six fourth-place finishes and a fifth, and never ended the season worse than 12th. In 1987, she was named the women’s NCAA Division I Coach of the Year.
As Karen Moe Humphreys, she accrued additional honors when she was inducted into the International Swimming (1992) and ASCA (2010) halls of fame.
Looking back on her coaching, she recalls:

“I think the challenges I had when coaching were primarily because we were poorly funded. There were very few full scholarships. A lot of people were on very small scholarships or none at all.”

With the conclusion of her Cal coaching career, Karen Moe Humphreys assumed a variety of athletic administrative duties at Cal (1992-2004). Moe sued the university after being laid off abruptly. A three-year litigation was settled with her reinstatement with back pay and reimbursement of her legal expenses.
For an illuminating chronicle of her frustrating battle with the school administration, consult Karen Moe Humphreys: Oral Histories on the Management of Intercollegiate Athletics at UC Berkeley: 1960-2014.

In her own worlds

Karen Moe – Photo Courtesy: ISHOF

“I was fortunate and greatly influenced by two terrific technical coaches: my first coach at Orinda Aquabears, Laurabelle Bookstaver, and George Haines at Santa Clara Swim Club and at UCLA. Laurabelle taught me how to properly execute every stroke and kick so that mindful practice became natural for me. As an age grouper—in part because I was smaller than my competition—I came to believe that to be successful, I had to swim technically better and work harder and smarter than others.

“In 1970, at 17, I set the first of four world records and made the move to SCSC to train with others shooting for the Olympics. It was there that I learned the importance of specificity, mental training, race rehearsal and proper stroke mechanics.

“Despite being a world record holder when I graduated from high school in 1971, I was not recruited to swim in college. I retired after the 1972 Olympics and enrolled as a regular student at UCLA. By 1973, there were whispers of athletic scholarships becoming available for women. I decided to go out for the team, and in 1974, I was awarded one of the first athletic full rides for women at UCLA. This ultimately led to being in position to try out for my second Games at the ‘old age’ of 23, while attending graduate school.
“My UCLA degrees were in kinesiology with a specialization in exercise physiology. My graduate work was centered around a comprehensive study of all of the factors contributing to peak performance, building upon what I had learned at SCSC. I had just started grad school in the spring of 1976 when I decided to try out for the Montreal Games—I had swum only during the collegiate seasons the previous three years.

“In those brief 10 weeks, I trained with Coach Haines and focused intently and specifically on doing everything possible to qualify in the 200 butterfly. It was fun to feel like I was applying what I had been studying to my own performance. After the Olympics, I completed my studies and was able to do research with the UCLA men’s swim team. I worked as a teaching assistant and coached the Beverly Hills Swim Team.

“When I was hired as head coach at Cal, I was thrilled to be able to work with intelligent women and create a program where they could be successful by training smarter and believing in continued improvement. Back then, many believed women/girls peaked at 17. The environment on the pool deck shared with Nort Thornton was positive, stimulating, creative and groundbreaking. We also benefited from round-table discussions with coaches of other sports. It wasn’t until long after I left coaching that I realized that what we were doing was unusual and ‘ahead of our time.’
“My swimming and coaching careers were greatly influenced by the timing of – and opportunities created by – the 1972 passage of Title IX of the Civil Rights Code. I started coaching a summer league team while in college and also took a club position while in grad school. In school, I thought I was preparing for a career as a research physiologist, not in coaching. However, in the mid-’70s, universities were required to show compliance with Title IX, resulting in the formation of new college teams and many job openings. I knew that I had something unique to offer in this new field of coaching college-aged women.

Karen Moe, 1970 – world record Photo Courtesy: ISHOF

“While there were many more opportunities for jobs in women’s athletics, surprisingly few women were hired. Often in my career, I was the only woman involved, be it on a committee, a board of directors or the USA national team coaches list. Too many times I was ‘the first woman’ to be named the NCAA coach of the year or a head coach of a national team. I was even outfitted in men’s clothing for USA coaching assignments!

“I never questioned my right to coach in a field dominated by men although it was often annoying to be ‘the only.’ Perhaps this was because I had three wonderful women coaches as examples: Laurabelle Bookstaver, Claudia Kolb Thomas at SCSC and Colleen Graham at UCLA. Thankfully, I never thought that women shouldn’t or couldn’t coach. – Karen Moe Humphreys

“I am proud that I was the first person – not just woman – to be inducted into ISHOF as a swimmer and the ASCA HOF. I am sad that I had to give up my coaching career prematurely after becoming widowed with two young children. But, ‘once a coach always a coach,’ right? Just ask my friends at Masters swimming, where I am known to do friendly stroke interventions when my coaching impulses take over.”
Thank you to Karen Moe.
Michael J. Stott is an ASCA Level 5 coach whose Collegiate School (Richmond, Va.) teams won nine state high school championships. A member of that school’s Athletic Hall of Fame, he is also a recipient of NISCA’s Outstanding Service Award.

Laurie Lawrence Takes A Jab At Jacco: Aussie Olympic Tough Cuts Would Have Left Armstrong & Sieben At Home

by CRAIG LORD – SWIMMING WORLD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

July 2020

Laurie Lawrence has never been shy about letting the world of swimming know how he’s feeling, as we came to learn from watching him slap a reporter across the chops several times in the heat of the moment after his Australia charge Duncan Armstrong caused upset with gold in the 200m freestyle at the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988.
Now 78, Coach Lawrence is not mellowing with age, it seems: he’s just labelled Swimming Australia’s departing head coach Jacco Verhaeren “a w****r” for implementing what’s been described as a “ruthless” selection policy for the Tokyo 2020ne Olympic Games, delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The language is what it is. The point is this: the first two swimmers home inside qualifying time get to represent Australia at the Olympic Games. Usually.
For next year, when the trials will be held late and in the same week as the United States Olympic Trials, there’s a new twist: the top two inside the time cut must also swim inside what could be a sharper target: the time it took to make finals at the 2019 World Championships.
Lawrence tells Julian Linden at the Aussie Telegraph:

“This policy is absolutely ridiculous, it makes me want to spew. It should be first and second and away you go. It’s cutthroat enough to finish first or second at the trials but plenty of swimmers are pure racers that will improve when they get to the Olympics.”

Laurie Lawrence, whose successes include two of the greatest upsets in Olympic racing, Armstrong’s effort couple by Jon Sieben‘s 200m butterfly victory over Micheal “The Albatross” Gross after entering the Games as No25 in the world. Says Lawrence:

“If we have the same policy then, neither Sieben or Armstrong would have even gone to the Olympics so neither would have won gold medals for Australia. The Olympics is about racing, it’s not about what time they swim because times change depending on the situation. You want racers so the trials should be about finding out who are the best two racers, then let them race again at the Olympics.”

Linden notes that, under the higher criteria, 2016 Olympic champion Mack Horton would not have been in the 400m freestyle at the 2019 World Championships had it not been for a let-out clause allowing him access to solo events if he made a relay.

Jacco Verhaeren – Photo Courtesy: SwimmingWorld.TV

Verhaeren, of course, also has significant Olympic success under his belt, as does Alex Baumann, the 1984 double Olympic medley champion for Canada and now Swimming Australia high performance boss. Baumann takes a different view to Laurie Lawrence at least for 2021, telling Linden:

“Our philosophy is to win when it matters to inspire a nation. That’s our vision and whether we like it or not, it is about medals. That’s what high performance is all about, you‘ve got to perform when it matters and you have to perform to make the team. Obviously that puts pressure on athletes during the trials but when you get to the Olympics, it’s a pressure cooker and you have to be able to deal with a lot of distractions and perform under those conditions.”

Whether through hearing the concerns off Laurie Lawrence and others or for other reasons, Baumann discussed the possibility of changing the policy with Verhaeren and the man who will take up the head coach reigns, Rohan Taylor. All agreed the higher bar would stay in place for 2021 Olympic Trials, set for Adelaide from June 12-17, pandemic allowing.

Helene Madison – 90th Anniversary Of The Advent Of The ‘Queen Of Waves’

Helen Madison with her Coach Ray Daughters, Photo Courtesy: ISHOF

by CRAIG LORD – SWIMMING WORLD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

06 July 2020, 12:10am

This year marks the 90th anniversary of the advent of Helene Madison as a dominant force in freestyle swimming. By the time the American was done racing, she had gone down in history as an Olympic and World-record pioneer who set 16 World records on freestyle in just 16 months. This day in 193o she claimed the global 880y (800m) standard
Helene Madison (USA) was dubbed “The Queen of Waves“. Her pioneering achievements in the early 1930s live eternal: she was the first swimmer ever to hold every world freestyle record – from 100yd through to the mile – at the same time, a feat that has been matched only once since, by Shane Gould (AUS, 1971-1972).
Gould remains, technically, the first to ever be accepted as having held the official 100-1500m records simultaneously: Madison set the 880 yards world mark once in her career, in 1930, but the 800m distance was not an official world record until after the American’s swim, while the distance was not swum in Olympic waters until 1968.
Remove FINA bureaucracy from the education and Madison, who set her first world mark in March 1930 and her last in August 1932, was the first queen of waves over 100-1500-mile speed. She clocked 11.41.2 over 880 yards on July 6, 1930 in Long Beach. On August 23, 1931, Yvonne Goddard of France clocked 12.18.8 over 800m and that was, technically, the first official FINA world record over the specific distance of 800m.
Madison, who passed away in 1970, would never know but in 1973, FINA revisited its world-record history lists, removed Goddard and a swim by American Lenore Kight, from 1933, and accepted Madison’s mark as an official world 800m record. Not long before its decision on Madison, FINA had stopped accepting the 880 yards distance for world-record ratification over 800m, leaving Debbie Meyer, the pioneering 1968 triple Olympic gold medallist for the USA, as the last (and therefore, technically, reigning, world record holder over 880 yards, at 9.44.1 from a swim in 1967.
The official FINA lists suggest Madison established seven World freestyle records between 1930 and 1932 but the actual count was 16 in a period of just 16 months. The records including yards standards and distances official in those days but no longer counted: the 300y distance dropped in 1938, the 500m and 500y dropped in 1940 and 1942 respectively, the 1000y in 1938 and the 1000m in 1941; while the 1760y, mile, record passed into history in 1955.

Helene Madison and Johnny Weissmuller in 1932 – Photo Courtesy: ISHOF

The Madison Pantheon Of Pioneering Pace

100 yards: 60.8, 60.0sec
100m: 68.0; 66.6
220y: 2:35.0; 2:34.8
200m: 2;34.6
300y: 3:41.6; 3:39.0
300m: 3:59.5
440y: 5:39.4; 5:31.0
400m : 5:31.0 – Olympic Gold, Los Angeles, 1932
500y: 6:16.4
500m: 7:12.0
880y: 11:41.2
1000y: 13:23.6
1000m: 14:44.8
1500m: 23.17.2
1760y: 24.34.6

On March 6th, 10930, Madison broke the first of the seven World freestyle records she would break between 1930 and 32 that remain on the books of official FINA World standards. Four years earlier, fellow American Martha Norelius had left the 200m freestyle standards at 2:40.6. Madison stopped the clock at 2:34.6 in St Augustine that March day.
A week later at Miami Beach, she crushed the 100m freestyle World record set at 1:09.4 by American Olympic champion of 1928, Albina Osipowich, with a 1:08.0. On April 20, 1931, in Boston, Madison’s pioneering took the pace down to 1:06.6.
Over 400m, she stormed inside Norelius’ mark of 5:39.2 from 1928 with a 5:31.0 effort in home, Green Lake, Seattle on February 3, 1931. Local crowds flocked to see her that day. Later that year, she downed Norelius’ 1500m free mark of 23:44.6 with a 23:27.2 global standard in New York.
The following year, on August 13, 1932, she set the last of her World record with a 5:28.5 for Olympic 400m gold in Los Angeles.
Madison, who hailed from what was once written up as “the tiny town” of Green Lake – a district of Seattle, with the lake at its heart – competed for the Washington Athletic Club in Seattle her entire career, the protégée of coach Ray Daughters.

Helene Madison, Queen Of Waves At Los Angeles 1932
At the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Madison claimed three gold medals in the pool, over 100 and 400m freestyle and as a member of the 4x100m freestyle with USA teammates.
Her victory over 400m freestyle was the last of the three and produced a World record. She celebrated the moment by dancing with Clark Gable at The Coconut Grove, a haunt of the rich and famous of American society.
Here’s how Madison’s campaign panned out:

100m Freestyle – August 8, 1932
In 1929, Albina Osipowich, the 1928 Olympic champion, had set a world record of 1:09.4. A year later, Helene Madison, 17, moved the event on in a big way, with a 1:08.0, before lowering her own world record again in 1:06.6 at a 25-yard pool in Boston in 1931. In Honolulu the same year, she had also set a world-best time of 1:08.2 in a 50m pool. No-one else had come close.
In the second Olympic heat in Los Angeles, 1928 bronze medallist Joyce Cooper lowered the Olympic record in 1:09.0, before Madison, 19, shaved 0.1sec off that in the third heat. In the next heat, Eleanor Saville (nee Garratti), second in 1928, improved the standard to 1:08.5.
In the semis, a shooting star called Wilhelmina den Ouden (NED), 14 years old, roared down the pool and set a world best time in a 50m pool of 1:07.6. Madison, 19, responded with a spectacular sprint down the first length of the second semi-final, in 29.2 that suggested a 1:04 was possible well before its time.
Madison faded to a 1:09.9 on the way home, scraping through in fifth place for the six-lane final. But having given warning of her potential for pioneering speed and having heaped pressure on the shoulders of 14-year-old Den Ouden, Madison delivered on promise in the final: in and Olympic record of 1:06.8, Madison claimed her first Olympic crown a second ahead of Den Ouden.

4x100m freestyle – August 12, 1932
Helene Madison was joined by Josephine McKim (who had swum in the heats in 1928), Helen Johns and Eleanor Saville (nee Garratti) Lenore Kight, for a world record relay victory of 4:38.0, almost 10 sec inside the 1928 world best time of the 1928 champion team from the US, which included Garratti. FINA recognised relays for official world-record status from 1932 onwards.

400m freestyle – August 13, 1932

Helene Madison, right, and Lenore Kight, 400m pioneers of 1932 – Photo Courtesy: ISHOF

In 1931, Helene Madison had clocked a world record of 5:31.0 in the 400m, 8.2sec inside the standard that had been set by 1924 and 1928 Olympic champion Martha Norelius (USA). Madison’s best in a 50m pool before the 1932 Games was 5:39.4, set at Long Beach in 1930 and a league ahead of the world at the time. In the third heat at the Games, Lenore Kight (USA) set an Olympic record of 5:40.9.
At a time when third place in heats often meant that a swimmer would not progress to the semi-finals regardless of whether their time (as opposed to place) merited it, Marie Phillipsen (nee Braun, NED), 1928 100m backstroke champion and silver medallist in the 400m freestyle, lost out in 5:50.5.
In the final, Madison and Knight raced stroke-for-stroke. At 200m, they split in 2:38.0, not far from the 2:34.5 at which Madison held the world record over 200m. Thin air could hardly split the two for the rest of the rest and at the wall, it was Madison who had the longer reach, taking the gold in 5:28.5, 0.1sec ahead of Kight and 4sec under her own world mark.

When The Racing Was Done
Helene Madison’s homecoming to Seattle was something modern celebrations for Olympians can barely compete with. Greeted by the largest ticker-tape parade in Seattle history, she was idolised and lionised, feted and banqueted. With no challenges left in swimming, Madison turned “pro”, endorsing cereals and – gasp! – Camel cigarettes.
She moved into films but was not a success. She applied for a job at Green Lake beach as a swim instructor but she came up against city rules that barred women from teaching swimming.
During the 1936 Games in Berlin, Madison could be found at Green Lake, serving at the hotdog stand. She was unlucky in love too: she married three times. Madison later became a Licensed Practical Nurse. Sadly, she contracted diabetes and throat cancer in her fifties. At 57, she passed away in the basement apartment she shared with her parakeet and a Siamese cat, across the street from her beloved Green Lake.

Coach Ray Daughters
In a 48-year career as a swimming coach (1916-64), Colorado-born and then lifelong Washington state resident Ray Daughters taught nearly 50,000 people how to swim. A swimmer himself, he earned the undying admiration of the aquatic world in the Pacific Northwest as well as the national stage, writes Michael J. Stott.
Daughters mentored five Olympic swimmers, who trained out of his home base, the Washington Athletic Club (WAC) in Seattle. Four were freestylers who competed during the 1930s:
• Helene Madison (1932, three gold, 17 world records)• Jack Medica (1936, one gold and two silver, 11 world records)• Olive McKean (1936, one bronze and a sixth-place finish)• Mary Lou Petty (1936, one fourth-place finish)
His fifth Olympian, Nancy Ramey, also was a world record holder (butterfly) and won a silver medal in 1956, bringing his swimmers’ Olympic medal total to eight.
Once described by Seattle Times sports editor Georg N. Myers as “a Svengali in a bow tie,” Daughters was a “big man who was brusque and burdened by an unceremonious and indestructible sense of humor.” He also had an eye for talent, preferring it over just native speed. Before he retired to become WAC athletic director exclusively, Daughters worked closely with each swimmer, setting their practice hours and competitions. He emphasized conditioning, timing and rhythm, working meticulously during long practices to refine swimmers’ strokes. He also advised on dietary habits and insisted on 10 hours sleep a night, knowing his athletes were going to bed exhausted.
His methods produced results, earning swimmers at least 30 world and 301 American records as well as 74 national championships. Daughters liked to win, and he was not above scheduling swim meets to have his swimmers break national records. For instance, on Nov. 7, 1931, he conducted a meet specifically so that Madison could go for American records at 600, 700, 800 and 880 yards, while Medica aimed at the Northwest 220-yard standard.

JASON LEZAK is One in A Thousand !!!

Jason Lezak, ISHOF Honoree and called the man who
made the greatest relay swim of all time, is special. He is One in a Thousand!

When asked why he wanted to join the
International Swimming Hall of Fame’s One in A Thousand Club, Lezak said, “I
made my first trip to the Hall of Fame when I was 18. Although I already had Olympic dreams, this
added inspiration to want to achieve like so many of the greats from our past. No matter what sport I did, I was always
appreciated the history that created the opportunities for me to succeed.
It was an honor to be inducted last year and
to now have a display for all the visitors to see. It’s very humbling to be a small part of
swimming history.”
Join the One in a Thousand Club by helping ISHOF on a monthly or
one-time basis.

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$10 Monthly Commitment
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Commitment
More about……JASON LEZAK
From the beginning, Jason Lezak
showed great promise in the pool, but he constantly butted heads with
his coach, Dave Salo, over his commitment to training. Recruited to swim at UC
Santa Barbara, Jason’s problems with authority continued until coach Gregg
Wilson finally dismissed him from the team. This was the wake-up call he
needed. He loved to swim and compete, and after promising to improve his
training habits, Jason rejoined the team. In his Senior year, Lezak was named
Big West Conference Swimmer of the Year.
At
the 2000 Olympic Trials, Jason finished fourth in the 100m freestyle. While he
failed to qualify individually, his result was good enough to make the 4x100m
freestyle relay team, an event Team USA had never lost in the Olympic Games. In Sydney, the Australians pulled off
the unexpected upset in their home pool and the USA settled for the silver.
Over
the next four years, Jason was the top sprinter in the world, and at the 2004
U.S. OlympicTrials
in Long Beach, he qualified for the Olympic Games in both the 50m and 100m
freestyle.
In
Athens, the US freestyle relay team was trying to win back the title it had
lost in Sydney four years earlier. Instead, they finished third behind South Africa
and the Netherlands.The next day Jason did not swim as well
as expected and failed to reach the semi-finals. Individually Jason finished
fifth in the 50 meter freestyle. Success came when he swam the freestyle leg
behind Aaron Peirsol, Brendan Hansen, and Ian Crocker to win the medley relay
gold medal, in world record time.
In
2006, Dave Salo left Irvine to take the coaching job at USC, leaving Jason
without a coach. Hebegan coaching himself and proved by
qualifying for his third Olympic Games that he had the discipline to train
daily without a team or trainer at his side.
When
he finished second in the 100m freestyle at the Olympic Trials in Omaha, he was
32 years old,the
oldest male swimmer to make the team and was selected by his teammates as a
captain.
At the 2008 Games in Beijing, his first
event was the 4x100m freestyle relay. The USA hadn’t won this
race since 1996 and this time the USA was not the favorite. That distinction
belonged to theteam
from France, with 100m world record holder, Alain Bernard as its anchorman.
Swimming last,and
starting nearly a fully body length behind, Jason chased down Bernard in the
final 20 yards towin the gold medal by
eight-one-hundredths of a second. Jason’s split time of 46.06, is still the fastest 100m split in history.

The next day, Jason won bronze in the
100m freestyle for the first individual Olympic medal of hiscareer.
On the final day of competition, he anchored the USA’s world record setting
medley relaythat
gave Michael Phelps his historic eighth gold medal.
Continuing to swim on his own after
Beijing, Jason passed up the opportunity to compete in theWorld
Championships to participate in the Maccabiah Games in Israel, where he won
four goldmedals
and celebrated his heritage as a Jewish athlete.
In 2012, at the age of 36, Jason
qualified for his fourth Olympic team by finishing sixth at theOlympic
Trials in the 100 free. In London, he swam in the preliminaries and helped earn
a spot in thefinal
for the silver medal winning U.S. team. In doing so, he became the first male
swimmer inOlympic
history to win four medals in the same event, in the 4×100m freestyle relay, in
fourconsecutive Olympic Games.
Jason ended his Olympic career with a total of eight medals,
four gold, two silver and two bronze.
Today Jason is a proud husband and father of three and a popular
motivational speaker who is balancing his family life with business
opportunities.

The
International Swimming Hall of Fame nts to know if you are One in a Thousand?
We think you are! Show how special you are and become a member of the
International Swimming Hall of Fame’s “One In
A Thousand” Club.
Help keep the International Swimming Hall of Fame moving forward toward a new
vision and museum by joining now!

During
these unprecedented times, the ISHOF Board is calling on every member in the
aquatic community to make a small monthly commitment of support to show how
special you are and how special the International Swimming Hall of Fame is to
everyone.
“Our
goal is simple. If we get 1,000 people to simply commit $10, $25 or $50 per
month, we will generate enough revenue to go beyond this Covid-19 Pandemic
Crisis.” – Bill Kent – Chairman of the ISHOF Board

“Those
that believe in our vision, mission, and goals can join us in taking ISHOF into
the future and be a part of aquatic history.” – Brent
Rutemiller – CEO and President of ISHOF

Since
1965, ISHOF has been the global focal point for recording and sharing the
history of aquatics, promoting swimming as an essential life-skill, and
developing educational programs and events related to water sports. ISHOF’s
vision for the future is to build a new museum and expand its reach by offering
its museum artifacts digitally through a redesigned website.
The
ISHOF Board of Directors is calling on all members of the aquatics community to
make a small monthly commitment to show their dedication to aquatics and how
special the International Swimming Hall of Fame is to everyone.
About ISHOF Take a Virtual Tour
The
International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) museum opened its doors to the
public in December of 1968 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. That same year, the
Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA) – the governing body for Olympic
aquatic sports – designated the ISHOF museum as the “Official Repository for
Aquatic History”. In 2018, Sports Publications Inc, publisher
of Swimming World Magazine and its multi-media platforms,
merged with ISHOF to expand the museum’s reach and impact. Today, ISHOF’s
vision is to be the global focal point for recording and sharing the history of
aquatics, promoting swimming as an essential life-skill, and developing
educational programs and events related to water sports. Show your support
for the sport of swimming by becoming a member of ISHOF.
ISHOF Vision Statement
To be the global focal point for recording and sharing the history of aquatics,
promoting swimming as an essential life-skill, and developing educational
programs and events related to water sports.
ISHOF Mission Statement
To collaborate with aquatic organizations worldwide to preserve, educate and
celebrate history, showcase events, share cultures, and increase participation
in aquatic sports.
The
International Swimming Hall of Fame, Inc. is registered as a 501(c)(3)
nonprofit organization, incorporated in the State of Florida. Contributions to
ISHOF are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. ISHOF’s tax
identification number is 59-1087179. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND
FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY
CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE OR FROM THE WEBSITE, www.800helpfla.com. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR
RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. You can find out more about us on guidestar.org under International Swimming Hall of Fame, Inc.

KLAUS DIBIASI is One in A Thousand !!!

Klaus DiBiasi, ISHOF Honoree and triple Olympic
medalist is special. He is One in a Thousand!

When asked why he wanted to join the
International Swimming Hall of Fame’s One in A Thousand Club, DiBiasi said, “ What I remember most about the
Hall of Fame is the first time I came to compete in the early 1970’s and the
important people who really showed a big friendship to all of us. I feel
a huge gratitude to all of them who really stepped in for our sport, and
organized the International Hall of Fame Diving Meet so we could come to Fort
Lauderdale all those years.
I remember my induction in 1981 and then again in
2006 for the induction of my father, Carlo “Papà” DiBiasi. The museum is a wonderful historical contribution to the sport of swimming and diving worldwide. With the induction ceremonies of the famous divers and swimmers every year, the Hall of Fame is the most famous water
sport historical collection in the world.
All this is why I am proud to be One in a Thousand, and
give back to help keep this fantastic project alive.   I am anxious
to return when the new pool construction will permit competition again in this
historical environment.”
Join Klaus in the One in a Thousand Club by helping ISHOF on a monthly or
one-time basis.

·
$10 Monthly Commitment
·
$25 Monthly Commitment
·
$50 Monthly Commitment
·
Make a One-Time
Commitment
Klaus DiBiasi. No other
man or woman has won an Olympic diving title in three consecutive Olympic
Games. He very nearly won four, missing
the first of what would have been four consecutive 10-meter platform titles by
1.04 points to Bob Webster (USA) at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. This Austro-Italian from Bolzano, Italy was
king of the tower from 1964 through his retirement in 1976. He was coached by his father, Carlo, fondly
known as “Papa”, and Olympian himself, 1936 Olympics. Klaus succeeded his father as National Coach when
he retired after his third gold medal in Montreal.

At the
first two FINA World Aquatic Championships, in 1973 and 1975 he won four medals,
two gold on the platform and two silver on the springboard. Klaus was a three-time European Champion,
twice on the platform and once on the springboard. Nationally DiBiasi won 11
platform and seven springboard titles. DiBiasi
was named Platform Diver of the Year nine times.
DiBiasi and the Italian
team were staples at ISHOF’s International/Can-Am-Max Meet in Fort
Lauderdale. They came every year in the
1970’s until Klaus retired. DiBiasi returned
to Fort Lauderdale in 1981, when he was inducted into the International
Swimming Hall of Fame as an Honor Diver.
Klaus DiBiasi is “One in
a Thousand.

The International
Swimming Hall of Fame wants to know if you are One in a Thousand? We think
you are! Show how special you are and become a member of the
International Swimming Hall of Fame’s “One In
A Thousand” Club.
Help keep the International Swimming Hall of Fame moving forward toward a new
vision and museum by joining now!

“Those
that believe in our vision, mission, and goals can join us in taking ISHOF into
the future and be a part of aquatic history.” – Brent
Rutemiller – CEO and President of ISHOF

About ISHOF Take a Virtual Tour
The
International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) museum opened its doors to the
public in December of 1968 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. That same year, the
Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA) – the governing body for Olympic
aquatic sports – designated the ISHOF museum as the “Official Repository for
Aquatic History”. In 2018, Sports Publications Inc, publisher
of Swimming World Magazine and its multi-media platforms,
merged with ISHOF to expand the museum’s reach and impact. Today, ISHOF’s
vision is to be the global focal point for recording and sharing the history of
aquatics, promoting swimming as an essential life-skill, and developing
educational programs and events related to water sports. Show your
support for the sport of swimming by becoming a member of ISHOF.
ISHOF Vision Statement
To be the global focal point for recording and sharing the history of aquatics,
promoting swimming as an essential life-skill, and developing educational
programs and events related to water sports.

ISHOF Mission Statement
To collaborate with aquatic organizations worldwide to preserve, educate and
celebrate history, showcase events, share cultures, and increase participation
in aquatic sports.

The
International Swimming Hall of Fame, Inc. is registered as a 501(c)(3)
nonprofit organization, incorporated in the State of Florida. Contributions to
ISHOF are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. ISHOF’s tax
identification number is 59-1087179. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND
FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY
CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE OR FROM THE WEBSITE, www.800helpfla.com. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR
RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.

You can find out more about us on guidestar.org under International Swimming Hall of Fame, Inc.

Happy Birthday STEPHANIE RICE !!!

Stephanie Rice (AUS)
2019 Honor Swimmer
FOR THE RECORD: 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (200m I.M, 400m I.M, 4x200m freestyle; 2007 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): bronze (200m I.M, 400m I.M.); 2009 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): silver (200m I.M, 4x100m medley); bronze (400m I.M.); 2011 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): bronze (400m I.M., 4x100m medley); 2006 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS: bronze (200m I.M., 400m I.M); 2006 COMMONWEALTH GAMES: gold (200m I.M, 400m I.M)
She first showed promise of being a great swimmer at 16, when she qualified for the 2005 Junior Pan-Pacific Championships. It was there that Stephanie Rice won two gold medals for Team Australia.
Rice burst onto the international senior scene in 2006 under coach Michael Bohl, winning two gold medals in both IMs at the Commonwealth Games in her home country. The next year at the World Championships also in front of a home crowd, Rice won two bronze medals in both IMs, lowering the Australian record in the 200.
In March 2008 at the Australian Olympic Trials in Sydney, Rice unexpectedly broke the world record in the 400m IM by a full second. Three days later, she broke the 200m IM world record that had stood for 11 years and qualified for her first Olympic team.
At the Olympic Games in Beijing, Rice became just the sixth Australian athlete to win three gold medals at a single Olympics when she won both IMs and led off Australia’s 4x200m freestyle relay team.
Stephanie became the first woman to break 4:30 in the 400m IM and lowered her own world record in the 200m IM later in the meet. To finish off her meet, she broke the Australian record in the 200m freestyle en route to Australia breaking the world record in the 4x200m freestyle relay. Rice was honored as the World Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World Magazine and in January 2009 was awarded the prestigious Order of Australia Medal.
After the Olympics, Rice started dealing with nagging shoulder pain while she swam. At the 2009 World Championships, she won silver in the 200m IM and bronze in the 400m IM, not quite as good as her Olympics performances.
In 2010, her shoulder pain had gotten so bad, she underwent surgery, causing her to drop out of international competition.
Her surgery was successful but nine months before the 2012 Olympic Games in London, she tore a tendon in her shoulder. She was going to need surgery with a six-month recovery, but with the Olympic Trials only ten weeks away, full surgery was not an option. She elected for a smaller surgery that would hopefully keep her healthy for the Olympics. Despite these injuries, Rice qualified for the London Olympics in both the 200m and 400m IM, posting times near the top of the world rankings at the Olympic Trials.
In the weeks leading up to the Olympics, the pain in her shoulder continued to get worse. She was cutting her work load in the pool to ease the pain, but it was still a struggle. With all the injuries behind her, Rice was proud of her 4th place 200m IM and 6th place 400m IM performances in London and announced her retirement in 2014 at the age of 24.
She co-authored the book, The Art of Wellness, and is an ambassador for numerous well-known Australian health brands. Rice’s passion in life is to share her wealth of knowledge and her insights to positively impact others’ lives and inspire them to be the best they can be.
She is now giving back to the sport of swimming with her coach Michael Bohl. They are planning to build Learn-to- Swim programs all throughout India. In addition, they plan to develop the “Stephanie Rice Elite Academy,” with the goal of producing India’s very first Olympic swimming medalist in the next decade.

Happy Birthday STEVE CLARK !!!

STEVE CLARK (USA)
1966 Honor Swimmer
FOR THE RECORD: OLYMPIC GAMES: 1960 (participant); 1964 gold (4x100m, 4x200m freestyle relay; 4x100m medley relay); WORLD RECORDS: 50yd, 100yd, 100m, 200yd, 200m freestyle.
Steve Clark was inducted in ISHOF’s second class of Honorees, which shows you how great he was. This was his bio back then, in 1966.
Steve Clark swam the 1960 Olympics out of Los Altos High School and the 1964 Olympics out of Yale and Santa Clara. He won five NCAA individual championships at Yale and six AAU titles for Santa Clara Swim Club. He won three gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, setting a world record of 52.9 for the 100 meter freestyle.
Clark is the first man in the world to have swum faster than 21 seconds for 50 yards, 46 seconds for 100 yards, 53 seconds for 100 meters, 1:50 for 200 yards and two minutes for 200 meters.
Clark’s nine world records would have been at least 29 in an earlier time when FINA was accepting short course times for 50, 100, 200 and 220 yard, 100 meter and 200 meter freestyle. Steve Clark was Santa Clara’s first great male swimmer at the time Hall of Famer Chris Von Saltza was Santa Clara’s premier woman swimmer. Whereas Chris’ father characterized Chris by saying, “The longer the distance, the better the Von Saltza”, he might have added, “and the shorter the distance, the better the Clark.”
Steve Clark was unquestionably the World’s fastest freestyle sprint swimmer for five years retiring to Harvard Law School with his records unchallenged.
In speculating on what might have been, swim buffs will always wonder on the fate that might have kept Steve from being the first man to win four gold medals in an Olympiad. Steve had tendonitis in his shoulder during the USA’s sudden-death Olympic Trials. His fourth place made the team, but only as a relay swimmer. By Tokyo, the tendonitis was gone, but U.S. rules limited Steve to three relays and three gold medals. He started off the 400 freestyle relay in the fastest gun start 100 of the Olympics. It was a new world record, but Steve didn’t get to do it when it would count for that fourth gold medal.
Clark’s book, Competitive Swimming As I See It , was a swimming best seller.

DARA TORRES: She’s One In A Thousand! Join her!

Dara Torres, ISHOF Honoree and five-time Olympic team member is special.  She is One in a Thousand!
When asked why she wanted to join the International Swimming Hall of Fame’s One in A Thousand Club, Torres said, “I first discovered the Hall of Fame Museum as a 12-year old California kid going to my first YMCA Nationals in Fort Lauderdale.    I didn’t know a place like this even existed. I didn’t know anything about Olympians of the past or the history of our sport and I was fascinated by it. The first thing I did when I was in Fort Lauderdale, was visit the Hall of Fame. It was filled with history, artifacts, stories, and treasures. I remember walking through the museum with my mom and coach, and it was amazing.”
“So, I want to give back. Swimming has been such a huge part of my life.   It touches my heart to give back to the sport that has done so much for me. If I can help even a little bit to preserve the history that I was so inspired by as a 12-year old, I absolutely will.”
Join the One in a Thousand Club by helping ISHOF on a monthly or one-time basis.

·         $10 Monthly Commitment
·         $25 Monthly Commitment
·         $50 Monthly Commitment
·         Make a One-Time Commitment
For larger corporate sponsorships and estate-planning donations, please contact us at customerservice@ishof.org
Dara Grace Torres grew up in Beverly Hills, California, where she learned to swim in her family’s backyard pool. At the age of seven, she followed her brothers to swim practice at the local YMCA. During her junior year of high school, Torres moved to Mission Viejo, CA to train with Hall of Fame Coach Mark Schubert, and in 1983 she broke the world record in the 50-meter freestyle. The next year, while not yet a senior in high school, she won her first Olympic gold medal as a member of the USA’s 4 x 100 freestyle relay team at the Los Angeles Olympic Games.
While swimming for Randy Reese at the University of Florida, Torres earned 28 NCAA All-American swimming awards and at the 1988 Olympic Games, she won two silver medals swimming on relays. She finished her collegiate athletic career playing volleyball and took two years off before returning to win her second Olympic relay gold medal in Barcelona, Spain during the summer of 1992.
After 1992, Torres lived what appeared to be a glamorous life. She moved to New York City, worked in television, and as a Wilhelmina model. She became the first model athlete in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. Then, in the spring of 1999, despite not having trained in a pool for seven years, she decided to give the Olympics one more try.

Dara trained with Coach Richard Quick in Palo Alto and Santa Clara, and made the Olympic team for the fourth time, at the age of 33. She returned home with five medals, more than any other member of the team, including three in individual events and retired.

In 2005, while pregnant with her first child, Dara began swimming three or four times a week at the Coral Spring Aquatic Complex, to keep fit. After giving birth to Tessa Grace, in April 2006, she entered two Masters meets and posted times that emboldened her to try another comeback. She asked Coral Springs coach Michael Lohberg, if he would coach her, and a little over a year later, she won the 100-meter freestyle at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. Three days later, she broke the American record in the 50-meter freestyle for the 10th time-an amazing 24 years after setting it for the very first time. In 2008, Dara qualified for her fifth Olympic team. At the Beijing Games, she became the oldest swimmer ever to compete in the Olympic Games. Dara returned home with three silver medals, including the heartbreaking 50-meter freestyle race where she missed gold by 1/100th of a second.

In 2009, Dara won the ESPY award for “Best Comeback” and was named one of the “Top Female Athletes of the Decade” by Sports Illustrated and became a best-selling author with the release of her inspirational memoir, “Age is Just A Number”.

Dara continued swimming after recovering from reconstructive knee surgery. With the encouragement of Coach Lohberg, she set her sights on making a record sixth Olympic team. When she barely missed making the London Olympic team by nine-hundredths of a second at the 2012 US Swimming Olympic Trials, Dara announced her retirement with a smile on her face and her six-year old daughter Tessa in her arms.

Olympian, television personality, fitness guru, queen of the comeback, best-selling author, ISHOF supporter and Honoree, and a mother. Dara Torres is many things to many people, but above all, she is an inspiration, and now, she is “One in A Thousand.” Won’t you join her?

The International Swimming Hall of Fame wants to know if you are one in a thousand? We think you are! Show how special you are and become a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame’s “One In A Thousand” Club. Help keep the International Swimming Hall of Fame moving forward toward a new vision and museum by joining now!

During these unprecedented times, the ISHOF Board is calling on every member in the aquatic community to make a small monthly commitment of support to show how special you are and how special the International Swimming Hall of Fame is to everyone.
“Our goal is simple. If we get 1,000 people to simply commit $10, $25 or $50 per month, we will generate enough revenue to go beyond this Covid-19 Pandemic Crisis.” – Bill Kent – Chairman of the ISHOF Board

“Those that believe in our vision, mission, and goals can join us in taking ISHOF into the future and be a part of aquatic history.” – Brent Rutemiller – CEO and President of ISHOF

The ISHOF Board of Directors is calling on all members of the aquatics community to make a small monthly commitment to show their dedication to aquatics and how special the International Swimming Hall of Fame is to everyone.

Today, ISHOF’s vision is to be the global focal point for recording and sharing the history of aquatics, promoting swimming as an essential life-skill, and developing educational programs and events related to water sports. Show your support for the sport of swimming by becoming a member of ISHOF.
ISHOF Vision Statement
To be the global focal point for recording and sharing the history of aquatics, promoting swimming as an essential life-skill, and developing educational programs and events related to water sports.

ISHOF Mission Statement
To collaborate with aquatic organizations worldwide to preserve, educate and celebrate history, showcase events, share cultures, and increase participation in aquatic sports.

The International Swimming Hall of Fame, Inc. is registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, incorporated in the State of Florida. Contributions to ISHOF are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. ISHOF’s tax identification number is 59-1087179. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE OR FROM THE WEBSITE, www.800helpfla.com. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. You can find out more about us on guidestar.org under International Swimming Hall of Fame, Inc.

ISHOF Honoree Gary Hall Sr.: Freestyle Technique- 6 phases of the Pulling Cycle

Click Here:

ISHOF Aquatic Complex Update June 12, 2020

For those of you keeping track….The Beat goes on…..
Thank you Hensel Phelps and Laura Voet for the photos and for keeping us up to date!
The dive well waterproof subfloor was poured on Wednesday.
The floor for the main competition pool will in next week Wednesday, June 17,
2020.

ISHOF Fans, Have you become “One in A Thousand ” Yet?

To Join,
Click here:

Category: ISHOF News