INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING LEAGUE OFF TO FLYING START IN INDIANAPOLIS
DC Trident posing at International Swimming League
Photo Courtesy: Peter Bick
by ANDY ROSS
06 October 2019, 03:11pm
The inaugural International Swimming League finished its first ever meet on Sunday October 6 in Indianapolis, Indiana as Energy Standard won the first meet, ahead of the Cali Condors, DC Trident and Aqua Centurions. These four teams will be flying to Naples, Italy tonight as they will compete in the second ISL match next weekend in Italy.
Sarah Sjostrom and Chad Le Clos (both Energy Standard) were named most valuable players of the first ISL match as the two Energy Standard team captains were a part of the driving force to get the ISL off the ground.
Katie Ledecky also nearly broke a world record in the 400 freestyle, as this was the first time she swam short course meters since the 2013 Duel in the Pool.
Swimming World’s Dan D’Addona was in the arena interviewing athletes and writing commentary as well as shooting photos with chief photographer Peter H. Bick. Splash through Bick’s photo gallery below.
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Final Scores
Energy Standard – 539
Cali Condors – 457
D.C. Trident – 330.5
Aqua Centurions – 300.5
Complete Results and Individual Scorers
Women’s Individual Scoring
Sarah Sjostrom – 55.5 points
Olivia Smoliga – 44 points
Lilly King – 31.5 points
Men’s Individual Scoring
Chad Le Clos – 43 points
Florent Manaudou – 41 points
Mitch Larkin – 30.5 points
Day 2 Winners:
Women’s 100 Freestyle – Sarah Sjöström, Energy Standard – 51.76
Men’s 100 Freestyle – Chad Le Clos, Energy Standard – 46.96
Women’s 100 Breaststroke – Lilly King, Cali Condors – 1:04.43
Men’s 100 Breaststroke – Ilya Shymanovich, Energy Standard – 56.71
Women’s 400 Freestyle – Katie Ledecky, DC Trident – 3:54.06
Men’s 400 Freestyle – Zane Grothe, DC Trident – 3:41.64
Women’s 4×100 Medley Relay – Cali Condors (Smoliga, King, Dahlia, Comerford) – 3:49.06
Men’s 200 Individual Medley – Mitch Larkin, Cali Condors – 1:52.93
Women’s 200 Individual Medley – Melanie Margalis, Cali Condors – 2:04.18
Men’s 50 Butterfly – Florent Manaudou, Energy Standard – 22.66
Women’s 50 Butterfly – Sarah Sjöström, Energy Standard – 25.16
Men’s 100 Backstroke – Kliment Kolesnikov, Energy Standard – 50.16
Women’s 100 Backstroke – Olivia Smoliga, Cali Condors – 56.38
Mixed 4×100 Freestyle Relay – Energy Standard (Rylov, Bilis, Sanchez, Oleksiak) – 3:18.45
Women’s 200 Butterfly – Hali Flickinger, Cali Condors – 2:05.42
Men’s 200 Butterfly – Chad Le Clos, Energy Standard – 1:52.66
Women’s 50 Freestyle Skins – Sarah Sjöström, Energy Standard (23.89, 24.32, 25.22)
Men’s 50 Freestyle Skins – Florent Manaudou, Energy Standard (21.24, 22.00, 22.97)
RENOVATION OF ISHOF COMPLEX AS OCTOBER 1, 2019
The latest renovation photos (thanks Leo). It looks like it is moving right along on schedule,,,,,,,The main competition pool that was built in 1965 has been demolished. (Sad for those who love history-wonderful for those who love progress!) Over half of the grandstands have been demolished. The gutter system on the eastern (newest) 50-meter pool has been removed to be replaced with a newer, better, more up to date system. And finally, all the pool deck around the original 50-meter pool has also been demolished. Stay tuned for more updates.
Main Competition pool and Grandstands Demolition
Pool Deck of Main/Original Competition Pool
New/East Pool with Gutter System Removal
View of East Pool
Removal of Original 50-meter Pool
Pool Deck Removal
TERRY BASSETT NAMED CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF USA DIVING
BY USA DIVING | SEPT. 26, 2019, 2:33 P.M. (ET)
INDIANAPOLIS – USA Diving announced Thursday that Terry Bassett has been named the organization’s Chief Executive Officer. Bassett, who will begin his new role on October 1, will bring more than 20 years of management experience encompassing finance, marketing, operations and revenue generation.
“I am honored to have this opportunity with USA Diving. This is an exciting time for the organization, and I am committed to supporting our athletes in every way possible as we look forward to Tokyo and beyond,” Bassett said. “I am excited to work with the diving community to grow the sport and promote a safe environment for our members.”
His career experience also includes stops at several other privately owned, non-profit and publicly traded entertainment/sports properties, including the NFL Miami Dolphins, NASCAR/International Speedway Corp., Roger Penske’s Motorsports Division, Professional Bull Riders, and most recently with Nitro Circus.
He has a solid record of success in client relationship cultivation, membership growth/retention, interpersonal communication at all levels, and coordination of teams, with a proven record in staff management, development and leadership of up to 90-plus people.
“We are delighted to have selected Terry from the list of dozens of qualified candidates. He has a proven track record of success in several positions which require similar skills, knowledge, and abilities,” said Dave Gascon, Chair of USA Diving’s Board of Directors. “We have been very impressed by his diligence in working with our outgoing acting CEO Jack Perkins and staff as he gets up to speed. We look forward to Terry hitting the ground running on October 1.”
Bassett is originally from Bowling Green, Ohio, and now lives in Colorado Springs, Colo., with his wife, Michelle, and their three children, 18-year-old Nicholas, a college basketball student-athlete, and 15-year-old twins Isabella and Logan. He enjoys sports, fishing, sports cars, coaching youth sports and most importantly spending time with his family.
A nationwide search to fill the CEO position was conducted and led by Chip Novick of Boyden Executive Search.
SWIMMING FINDING ITS MOJO IN FLO MO & CO: THE SEA-CHANGE IN A SWIM LEAGUE
by CRAIG LORD
22 September 2019
Sunday Essay – Swimming Finding Its Mojo
Two weeks to the start of a new era. Expects bumps, turbulence, settling in, fun, thrills, spills and something new. Don’t expect an overnight leap for swimming in the pecking order of sports, professional or otherwise, at the heart of a trillion-dollar-a-year sports industry.
For swimmers and swimming this first season of the International Swimming League progress can already be measured before racing begins: swimmers, not just Olympic champions but swimmers deep down the ranks of the best in the world, will have access to a regular season of wage-earning racing.
The format matters: it’s about team, the emphasis not on the individual and not on a winner-takes-all culture of one or two big peak moments a year, the Olympic final the only moment that draws the wider audience in to a sport that has been sliding down the ‘who cares’ ranks more than it has cared to admit in between the only event that has ever mattered to the bigger crowd: the Olympic Games.
Olympic culture comes with a demand to be at the peak of peaks once every four years; to have the world record in your sights and know that the world expects that because that is how swimming has long sold itself; and a format that means the very best in the world often go unseen, unheard of beyond their backyard pool.
Two swimmers per nation has, for many generations, meant that all but the top two in any country got a shot at the big stage, a shot at any real recognition for their skills and speed at all in many cases.
World rankings history confirms that the world top 10, top 20, in any passing season has long been flooded with Americans, Australians and others who were 3rd, 6th, 7th, 9th, etc., in the world. However, they never got to race in global waters. Calls for FINA to recognise that and make the World Championships a place where the best 20 (for example), from wherever they came, had a right to a place at the global showcase, fell one deaf ears.
Why? The reality is that two Americans or 10 Americans in the water makes no difference to the votes at Congress and the top table: the USA still gets the two governance votes in common with all those other well-known swim nations such as Anguilla, Andorra, Burundi, Benin, Congo, Curaçao … run the letters … Kuwait … and on through the alphabet to Tonga, Togo, Togo, Vanuatu, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Uruguay, Yemen and Zambia.
There are 209 FINA member nations. Outside the top 40, 50 at a stretch, you’re looking at teams with more officials than world-class swimmers, and often more officials than athletes full-stop, period.
So, for the votes, no need to consider the third best swimmer in the world if he or she happens to come from a powerhouse of swimming. “World” does not mean world-class in FINA world: it means “universal”, not “excellent”.
Galling, that, for those swimmers who attend college in the USA from home programs and nations such as Australia, Britain, Canada, Germany and beyond and know that much slower college teammates from other countries are off to the Olympics one summer, the Worlds the next. And that in the midst of international careers two or more Olympic cycles deep that bring recognition as “an Olympian” for never getting past a heats swim while their American college teammates, world top 5 and 10 swimmers back home, stay home.
The World Cup is Dead
The World Cup had a chance to be a terrific vehicle for change and promoting the sport in between Games. Ultimately, under the dead hand of FINA control, it failed to fulfil its potential as a showcase and shop window for world-class swimming, complete with a guarantee of a wage and the chance for swimmers to capitalise on their careers in the pool.
Neither FINA nor domestic federations properly backed the cup, invested in the cup, debated through what the cup should be to provide a different format, a different take on swimming, one that would benefit athletes, in that between-Olympics zone.
Debbie Meyer – Photo Courtesy: International Swimming Hall of Fame ISHOF)
Shane Gould – Photo Courtesy: Kevin Berry/Swimming World Archive
A World Cup in name only, the participation event is dead as far as promoting swimming through excellence goes (read more in the October edition of Swimming World Magazine).
At recent rounds of the event, the world record that Shane Gould set for women over 1500m freestyle in 1973 would have been good for fifth place in the men’s race at something called a World Cup. The class of ’64, with Donna de Varona and Don Schollander, the class of ’68, with Debbie Meyer and Mike Wenden, and on through Mark Spitz, past Mary T and Janet E, Tamas Darnyi, Krisztina Egerszegi and down the stream of superstars of their era: all of those greats would have made finals in the FINA 2019 World Cup.
Little wonder that we arrive at a moment in just under two weeks from today when the ISL will stage its first show of eight international, branded, teams stocked and stacked with more of the very best swimmers in the world than the World Cup has managed to attract in more than 20 years under FINA control.
Bottom line: the athletes want it; a very wealthy man called Konstantin Grigorishin harnessed ideas long out there in the swim world but ignored by FINA and added his own twist to that vision, putting his money where his mouth has been. The ISL challenges the notion that swimming will only even be a sport for Olympic heights once every four years; the time was right and ripe.
The Trick Is Team, A Different Mindset, Expectation and … A Pay Packet
The trick is team, with some other essential ingredients in the mix. The ISL has created a new home for world-class swimming by:
getting rid of flags, creating new banners under which swimmers from many nations can compete;
placing emphasis on teams not individuals;
promising a 50:50 share of all revenues with athletes and teams;
creating a season that fits training schedules aimed at the big championship moments;
pointing out to swimmers that they have rights and should have a say in the way their sport is shaped;
And through legal challenge that has shown FINA it can no longer bully athletes and others into submission.
That new home includes a new direction, new opportunities for swimmers, new stages, showcases and a shop window, complete with the potential for branded merchandise and dedicated shops and a market for … not FINA but SWIMMING. Broadcasters and other media – as well as swimmers an d coaches and all concerned, audience, too, can look forward to a show that means a few hours of entertainment, not endless hours of endless racing, all day and all weekend long in formats that make the eyes gaze over just reading the start list.
At last: relief from all that, all the things that the late Nick Thierry, father of world rankings and creator of SwimNews, called “athlete abuse”. Extend that to whole-family and audience abuse, too. The Olympic program is great at the Olympics,. It needed not ruin lives and prospects between Games.
Wealthy private investors have been a part of changes in sport such as that unfolding in the pool in various sports down the decades. Tennis (in which the weakest player on Grand Slam Tour earns more money in an average year than the vast majority of swimmers see from their sport in a lifetime) is a case in point. Swimbledon ahoy.
Keeping The Young In; Bringing Old Stars Back To Shine Once More
L’Equipe pointed to many of these issues in a piece this weekend, James Gibson, head coach to one of the eight ISL pro-teams, Energy (backed for several years as an international club by Grigorishin, head of the Energy Standard utility/power concern), telling the premier French sports paper:
“Olympic sports suffer stiff competition with the emergence of X-Games or e-sports. To survive and continue to attract young people, we had to change things.”
To attract big stars back into the water, too. Gibson’s charge, Florent Manaudou, 2012 Olympic 50m freestyle champion and a multiple World champion since then, retired after silver at Rio 2016. Silver. Who cares? Well, many in swimming do but even Flo-Mo got it: Olympic silver after vast hours and weeks and months and years of dedication to the black line won’t keep you in Ferraris, nor even Renaults, for the rest of your life.
Unless, of course, you are one of those rare cases that leap-frog universality, make it to excellent and become a hero forever-more in nations that look at the tally of Michael Phelps and know they won’t get there in 1,000 years of swimming.
Manaudou tells L’Equipe:
“Our sport needed top be dusted down. It was no longer viable to be a swimmer. The best are surviving with their sponsors but it is not normal to train like crazy for hours and hours and earning 1,500 euros when you are between the 8th and 16th in the world, for example.”
Ryan Murphy – Photo Courtesy: Becca Wyant
Precisely the point Grigorishin made after watching USA double Olympic backstroke champion Ryan Murphy at a social event of many stars from many sports. He noticed that fans asking for autographs of Pro-Sports athletes simply ignored the swimmer. They just didn’t know who he was.
Grigorishin turned to Murphy and asked “are you stupid?” – before explaining that Murphy could live by a different law and have his skills and speed recognised, celebrated more often in formats that did not demand world records of him for a decent return and turned into income. He told Murphy:
“You should be earning a wage, raising your market value, capitalising on being the very best in the world in a great sport.”
L’Equipe made other points, noting that the ISL will have no heats and other aspects of the traditional championship program. Here is how the French paper put it:
“So ends [with the ISL] the endless and boring series of small morning moments followed in the afternoon by semi-finals or finals for those at the top level”.
Again: boring series of small morning moments. Recognise it? I do. How many four-hour prelims sessions have swimmers and swimming families and coaches sat through down the decades? Far too many. While some say that’s part of what swimming’s about, others point out that even if that is the case, such things, like a set of 10x1000m swims in training, are best held in the privacy of your own company not shared with the world as an example of what swimming is about.
And all of that has gone on alongside an obsession with the clock. How about the … pure racing?
The ISL will use a team points system. In each race, first home (regardless of what the clock reads) gets the big points. It’ll be not far from the format that makes the NCAAs in the USA such a thrilling event. The fact that then rest of the world doesn’t care too much about any of that comes down to amateur rules and the yards pools not conducive to climbing over the ‘who cares’ threshold to a world beyond established audience.
“The vocabulary is important,” Gibson tells L’Equipe. “There’ll be many team matches against teams [knockout style]. The mood is completely different with that emphasis on the individual.”
Adam Peaty has noted that in this first season of the ISL alone, “a swimmer could earn $120 000”. For racing at four weekends (there rounds and a final as max demand) and helping their team to lift the top prize of almost $500,000, which in turn will be used to develop teams, their brands, their marketing, the net work and market value of swimmers and pay decent wages to swimmers down the ranks of the world’s best 5, 10, 15 and even 20. A structure to sustain an industry, to sustain professionals within that industry at the heart of that annual trillion-dollar marketplace.
Katie Ledecky – Photo Courtesy: Becca Wyant
Federica Pellegrini. Photo Courtesy: Patrick B. Kraemer
Little wonder we find Manaudou, Peaty, Federica Pellegrini, Katinka Hosszu, Caeleb Dressel, Nathan Adrian, Sarah Sjostrom and one of the all-time greats of swimming history, Katie Ledecky, among those signed up as ambassadors and racers on the first global pro-teams in swim history. Then there’s the likes of Michael Andrew, Tom Shields, Vladimir Morozov and others who have proven themselves as tough-as-it-comes on multiple race day in the short-course pool.
Their presence shows not only their desire to earn a living for themselves but create an environment in which many more of their teammates also start to earn a living from the sport in which they excel.
Of course, all of those swimmers named above are far enough out in the outer-orbit of super-excellence to capitalise from their swimming through old models that are still available to them, still part of the Olympic model.
Schooling In Lessons Old
Rohit Brijnath, at The Straits Times, points to the other way swimmers, only those who achieve what has been the ultimate prize in the pool, Olympic gold, have earned their money (and will continue to do so).
In his piece headed “The Professionals: Eking out a career in sports: Joseph Schooling; A model champion keeps a fine balance”, Brijnath highlights the commitment required by the Olympic 100m butterfly champion and other athletes beyond their day jobs if they want to capitalise on the many hours and weeks and months and years of largely hidden effort in the pool – not to mention the vast commitment of parents, coaches and local programs scarcely mentioned come the gun and gold.
Here’s an extract from Brijnath:
What does it mean to be a professional athlete in Singapore? The Straits Times takes a hard look at the lives of some of the country’s sportsmen and women who earn a living doing what they love in this weekly series that ends today. He needs total focus in training and races but must manage multiple roles out of the water
Joe Schooling – Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Joseph Schooling is being lightly coated with the paint of stardom. A little bit of foundation, a little spray on his hair. He yawns in his chair and laughs: “You never get used to make-up.” His life is usually a stripped-down existence, just swimming briefs and goggles, a lonely lane and a clock. But this morning is another world and his second life.
For four hours he’s like a human mannequin, changing clothes and holding poses, a man of sweat in a room of designer cool as he models Hugo Boss’ autumn/winter collection. Is this fun? Perhaps. Mostly it’s a champion earning a living.
In a darkened room, music throbs and Tim White, a photographer flown down from Los Angeles, takes fashionable aim.
Click. Click. Click.
It’s the sound of professionalism.
Ten shots, 100, 500. Photographers are as demanding as coaches, just politer. “Lose yourself,” White tells Schooling who, as an athlete, is a creature of control. Still, he tries.
It’s a relentless morning but his easy charm doesn’t extinguish. During one quick break, he posts a shot of himself drinking Milo on Instagram where he has 168,000 followers. Every minute he’s either swimmer, role model, son or star.
He has eight sponsors and if he roughly earns over a million dollars a year then he deserves it because he’s shown us that Singaporeans can be scholars of the pool. He’s entitled to it because he committed himself to a life of unthinkable odds where on a given day, which comes only every four years, he crossed a pool – using a butterfly stroke – faster than anyone on this planet.
When Joseph and his parents, May and Colin, began their quest, it was only for gold, not money. “It (money) was the furthest thing from my mind,” says Colin now. “We never, ever thought of it.” Then he laughs and adds, aware of a swimmer’s limited earning potential: “If I have grandchildren I would tell them to take up golf or tennis.”
Schooling’s challenge is to perfectly compartmentalise his life. Be ready to stride a catwalk, yet find enough hours to sleep. He knows, if he’s not fast enough for long enough no one will pay him enough. And so even on a modelling day he’s disciplined about what he eats – chicken rice, no skin or bones; extra chicken or spaghetti Bolognese; blueberries and coconut water.
The feature is behind subscription at The Straits Times but here’s where to go if you want to read the full, excellent insight into Schooling’s world.
Balance underpins it all, says Schooling, who managed to navigate the U.S. college system and its amateur laws while making sure he had access to the riches Olympic gold can bring. Balance is harder to achieve, he suggests, telling the Straits Times:
“It’s the key in an athlete’s life. Balance is also one of the hardest things to attain.”
That’s what ISL managers and agents and coaches are therefore: their roles includes knowing how to navigate the need to be seen, the need to race for team, the need to fit that into training and preparation for the big championship season and the moment of “expectation” in any Olympic season. None of that is not about to wither on the vine. Says Schooling:
” … those expectations come from what you see on TV. But on TV you only see pro athletes when they’re playing their game, doing what they do best. You don’t see the other side of things, what they are doing 99 per cent of the time. The only time you realise this is when you’re going through it yourself.”
As Brijnath puts it with a nod to the difference in being from Singapore or the United States, say, as a swimmer:
“He’s had to learn to be a master juggler, adroitly managing body, fame, sleep, technique, pressure, pals, cameras, fans, exhaustion, dreams. His life cannot only be water and yet water has to always be first. Greatness asks for a hard price, it’s why very few get there. Schooling exerts a sort of irresistible force, we’re drawn to him because there’s only one of him. Strangers, media, politicians, sponsors, everyone wants a word with him. It’s a lovely affection but it’s also tiring, stealing away his time of which he has only so much.”
Schooling says that “saying ‘no’ is hard. You don’t want to be rude, but you’ve got to do what’s best for you. If they really support you, they will understand.” His manager, Ronda Ng, who says ‘no’ for him.
What If You Got Paid Just Because You’re Among The Fastest Swimmers Ever …
Meanwhile, swimmers will soon be earning money not as side-show, role model and promoter and bringer of feel-good factor after Olympic gold, but as … swimmers.
Posters for the ISL season ahead Photo Courtesy: ISL
Make no mistake: there will be challenges ahead, lessons for all concerned, the ISL’s organisers and visionaries included. Season 1 has already shown where steep improvements can and should be made even before the switch is flicked on the super-troupers and the stars of the show march out to their blocks to team chants and cheers in the bold new brands and colours of their international, multi-nation teams.
What will count in Indianapolis the week and weekend after next is that the show unfolds without visible hitch (there were hitches behind the scenes at every major meet I’ve ever been to), that the new shop window for swimmers and swimming is an eye-catcher, that team characters and profiles of swimmers, coaches and managers start to emerge.
And, most significantly, that swimmers (and coaches and managers) leave for the next round buoyed by a thought that many generations before them have barely been able to dream about: that was terrific fun, lessons learned on tactics and racing – and I’m actually getting a share of the dividend accruing from my efforts, I’m actually earning a living from the thing I’m world-class at, hard work honouring gift, talent and the support o all those who contribute to the process of unlocking the very best in the very best.
More Reading And Listening On Swimmers Heading For ISL Action:
ISL Managers Set Out Their Stall For Mentors At Dawn Of New Era In Swimming
In the lead-up to the first International Swimming League pro-team season, Swimming World is taking a look at some of the pioneers of a new chapter unfolding in the sport.
Pioneers Of Pro-Team Swimming
Olivia Smoliga
Katie McLaughlin
Ian Finnerty
Amy Bilquist
Ella Eastin
Ali DeLoof
Hali Flickinger
Breeja Larson
Siobhan Haughey
NOTES FROM A MEMORABLE START TO THE 2019 NCAA MEN’S WATER POLO SEASON
Leo Yuno and all the Gauchos have enjoyed a fantastic start to the 2019 NCAA season –
Photo Courtesy: Jeff Liang
23 September 2019,
BROOKLYN, NY. After a string of eye-opening developments—UC Santa Barbara beating #1 teams twice in one week and Cal losing three times in the season’s first two weekends, including to UC Davis for the first time in four decades—it seems right to delve into what’s going on with men’s water polo. And correct a wrong impressions about the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA).
Big Four No More?
Two weekends ago, USC (4-1) lost decisively to UCSB. Not only was it the mighty Trojans’ first loss to the Gauchos since 1990—a streak of 55 straight—they also dropped a match on their opening weekend for the first time since 1994. Last Thursday, the Gauchos beat Stanford, which had assumed top ranking from USC.
[#2 UC Santa Barbara Storms into Avery, Shocks #1 Stanford in Men’s Water Polo]
Adding to the Pac-12’s angst: Cal (7-3) has already lost three games to non-Pac-12 opponents—meaning five losses by MPSF team that constitute the “Big Four”—Cal, Stanford, UCLA, USC—in the first two weeks of the season.
To put this in context, in the three years since five teams bolted the MPSF for the Golden Coast Conference (GCC) prior to the 2016 season, members of the Big Four had lost five times to non-Pac-12 opponents. Three of those losses came in 2016, when Stanford was beaten three times; twice to Pacific and once by UCSB.
Stanford’s Ben Hallock; a hat trick against UCSB is not enough. Photo Courtesy: Bryan Williams
It’s perhaps convenient to point to the mercurial rise of of the Gauchos—with six wins over CWPA Top Ten opponents in a blistering 13-0 start to its season—but the overall gap between the Big Four and their non-MPSF opponents does appear to be narrowing. This weekend, Cal had to go to overtime to beat San Jose State 13-11. UCLA—which perhaps has an unblemished record (6-0) because they have yet to face the Gauchos—went down 5-1 to #6 Pepperdine on Saturday at home before rallying for a 14-12 win.
It’s still early in the season, but the losses that Pac-12 teams have suffered in 2019 are at least noteworthy—and the losing may continue in the 2019 MPSF Invitational, this weekend at UCLA’s Spieker Aquatics Center.
Slaying the Trojans and the Cardinal
The news out of Claremont for USC’s opening weekend was stunning. The mighty Trojans were derailed by a determined (and obviously talented) Gaucho group. Two months from now, it may not mean anything—especially for USC, which so far this season has missed Marko Vavic and Sawyer Rhodes, mainstays of last year’s national champion. Also missing: uber freshman Stefan Vavic. Reports suggest that Rhodes may struggle to return this season; if their issues are tied to an NCAA investigation of the program—which at the moment can only be speculated about—the Vavic brothers may not play at all.
Even if the program gets Marko back and his brother in the water, their father’s absence has to impact USC recruiting. If there’s one thing that Jovan was known for, it was his ability to entice foreign prospects to Troy. Last year there were four foreign freshmen on the USC men’s roster, including Australia’s Nic Porter, who emerged as the Trojan’s top goalie. This doesn’t include Jacob Mercep, the Serbian lefty who was enticed to USC by the prospect of a national championship—and became the Trojans leading scorer and 2018 NCAA final MVP.
For 2019? No foreign-born freshmen. Some may cheer this development; most would subscribe to the reality in NCAA polo that foreign athletes are difference makers.
Marko and Jovan Vavic after the 2018 NCAA final—a long time ago… Photo Courtesy: Catharyn Hayne
One needs look no further then UCSB, which was led last fall by Serbian Boris Jovanovic (77goals) and is now getting major contributions from senior Ivan Gvozdanovic, also of Serbia, as well as Sam Nangle of Australia and Tiago Bonchristiano of Brazil. Gvozdanovic and Nangle have been key factors in two Gaucho wins over #1 teams in a week—a remarkable accomplishment by any stretch.
Wolf Wigo’s team may have surprised the Trojans, but there’s no way they should have caught the Cardinal (6-1) by surprise last week—or, maybe they did because the Gauchos (13-0) broke out to a 6-1 lead on their way to a convincing 15-10 victory at Avery Aquatic Center. Leading the way was Leo Yuno, a (perhaps) unheralded attacker who scored three of those first six goals and assisted on two of them on his way to a seven-point afternoon (four goals, three assists).
Stanford rebounded against UC Davis on Saturday, taking a 16-8 win over the Aggies; The Cardinal may get another shot at the Gauchos at the MPSF Invite, but there’s no dismissing the huge implications of UCSB’s back-to-back conquests of #1 teams: it’s an impressive body of early season work that should give the Gauchos at least a share of the top spot in the polls this week.
UC Davis captures an historic victory
If the Trojans were tripped up by the Gauchos, it looks like Cal early on fell into a deep hole, especially against UC Davis. Losing to UCSB at the Triton Invitational in the first week of the season now seems understandable. Much harder to explain: a 16-13 OT loss to the Aggies—for the first time in more than anyone can remember.
The only record available is the Cal website, which has entries that date back to 2000. Over a span of 19 years—and 27 matches—Cal had not lost to their regional rival. But, UC Davis Head Coach Dan Leyson believes it may be much longer—as far back as 1976. After his team’s win against a Cal program that has represents a standard of excellence in the Bay Area, Leyson cited a total team effort.
– Quotes courtesy of Jason Spencer, UC Davis Assistant Director, Athletics Communications
“We had balanced scoring we had some guys step up and have hat tricks in the game and those guys had been working so hard, and trying so hard, and it hasn’t been happening for them and it finally paid off that game. Also, really timely goalkeeper play. There were a couple instances where we were exposed and, in that moment, Jonah (Addington) stepped up — especially in overtime — and made two huge steals where he was more aggressive in coming out. I think that was a big step. We need great goalkeeper play and we had it in that game and the result shows.
“I’m so happy for them. It feels great and I’m happy for the guys because they wanted it so bad but, you know what? It’s one game and it’s early in the season and we’ve talked about it already. Is this going to be our high point for the season? We’ve already learned about complacency and the negative things that come along with winning. Not everything that comes along with winning is positive and we’ve learned from that and we’re aware of that. So, we’re just going to keep going forward.”
Leyson also added this thought, which may have been most telling: “It was just an overall team feeling that felt better in that game. Now, the question is, can we keep that going?”
The answer this weekend was “No.” The Aggies (5-4) dropped a 14-10 decision to the Golden Bears on Sunday at their own tournament, a day after getting beat 16-8 by Stanford at Davis. In truth, beating Cal, or Stanford or any other non-conference opponent means relatively little in the bigger picture; what does count is how UC Davis does against Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) rivals, in particular, UC San Diego.
[Friday Rewind: UC San Diego Beats Princeton in Wild Men’s Water Polo Contest]
Victory after 40 years! UC Davis’ Dan Leyson celebrates. Photo Courtesy: Catharyn Hayne
In their first weekend of play Leyson’s squad dropped a 12-8 decision to the Tritons; luckily it was a non-conference match-up, but UCSD was missing Kacper Langiewicz, a senior center who has been nursing an injury early on—but should be back in the water on November 9th, when the two teams who have split the WWPA title the last six years meet in their final regular season match before the WWPA tournament.
The Tritons are NOT going anywhere
If UC Davis fans had hopes that their biggest obstacle to an NCAA berth might be going away, they—and this columnist—were sadly mistaken. Despite a move to NCAA Division I status, and an almost total migration to the Big West Conference that will be completed by 2020, the Tritons will be staying put in the WWPA for the foreseeable future.
[2019 Swimming World Men’s Water Polo Previews: Western Water Polo Association]
This was confirmed by Steve Doten, WWPA Commissioner; it makes sense because UCSD has grown comfortable getting to the NCAA tournament through the conference’s automatic berth—even though the conference is meant to be a haven for DII programs. the reality is more than half of its members on the men’s side are Division I programs. For the Aggies to get back to the big show this December, they’ll need to beat the Tritons—and maybe a resurgent Loyola Marymount program.
Fordham, beast (and best) of the East?
Harvard has gotten off to a fast (9-0) start, Bucknell has perhaps the best player (Rade Joksimovic) and La Salle (5-8) has demonstrated it’s no longer a bottom-feeder. But the real surprise team of the East has been Fordham. They’ve beaten #14 (T) Bucknell and #16 St. Francis, and pushed #12 Harvard in an 11-8 loss at the Princeton Invitational. At 9-2 and already 3-0 in the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC), the Rams, whose polo players do not receive athletic scholarships, are off to a fantastic start, including a 4-0 sweep last weekend at the Bison Invitational.
[2019 Swimming World Men’s Water Polo Previews: Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference-East]
Leading the way for Head Coach Bill Harris’ squad has been Jake Miller-Tolt, who will finish his career in the Bronx as the Rams’ all-time leading scorer. Helping out on both ends of the ball has been Oscar Nomura, who transferred this summer from MAWPC rival Wagner.
Fordham’s Bill Harris, Oscar Nomura and Brian Bacharach. Photo Courtesy: M. Randazzo
At the Navy Invitational, Nomura talked about moving from one New York City program to another.
“I had an epiphany over winter break. I was going to get stick with a major that I didn’t want. I really wanted to do a bachelor of science. Coming to Fordham and doing Environmental Science, which is not a program at Wagner, was my best move. Water polo-wise, this team and the culture fit me better than Wagner did.”
– You were a founding member of the Seahawk men’s program—and now you’ve moved literally to the other side of the city to play for the Rams.
“Those guys are my best friends—I spent pretty much every waking minute with them. It was definitely the toughest decision that I ever made.
“I still think about it but in the end, I think I made the right decision for me personally.”
– Chris Radmonovich, who recruited you to Wagner, has left the Seahawks.
“I got a text from one of my buddies at Wagner about Chris stepping down and I was in complete shock. I could never image that happening—it was surreal to me.
[Radmonovich Steps Down After Nine Superb Years Leading Wagner Water Polo]
“You can’t look back. We have a really good team here and I’m ready to move forward.”
And so the Rams have. Next up: George Washington, back-to-back MAWPC title-holders, come to the Bronx on Saturday.
DARA TORRES, RON O’BRIEN, ERIN POPOVICH TO BE INDUCTED INTO US OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC HALL OF FAME
by ANDY ROSS
The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced its 2019 induction class with nine individuals, one team, two legends, one coach and one special contributor. Swimmer Dara Torres, diving coach Ron O’Brien and paralympic swimmer Erin Popovich were among the 13 inductees that will be honored and inducted at an awards dinner Friday November 1 at the US Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
The rest of the inductees include:
Candace Cable (Para alpine skiing, Para Nordic skiing, Para track and field)
Lisa Leslie (basketball), Nastia Liukin (gymnastics)
Misty May-Treanor (beach volleyball)
Apolo Anton Ohno (short track speedskating)
Chris Waddell (Para alpine skiing, Para track and field)
the 1998 U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team
John Carlos (legend: track and field)
Tommie Smith (legend: track and field)
Tim Nugent (special contributor)
Dara Torres
Dara Torres; Photo Courtesy: JM STREINER
Twelve-time Olympic medalist
tied for most decorated female swimmer in history
first American to swim at five Olympics
at 41, set three American records en route to three silver medals at Beijing 2008
16-time national champion
Inducted into International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2016.
Ron O’Brien
Ron O’Brien (left) with Dick Kimball; Photo Courtesy: ISHOF Archive
Coached the U.S. Olympic diving team at eight straight Olympic Games between 1968-1996
his divers won 154 gold, 90 silver and 78 bronze medals in major Olympic, world, national, NCAA and Big Ten Conference diving championships in his first 25 years of coaching
all 12 U.S. diving individual national titles were won by his divers in 1988
inducted into International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1988
Erin Popovich
Photo Courtesy: Swimming World Archive
Three-time Paralympian and 19-time medalist, including 14 golds
won seven golds in seven races, setting three world records and four Paralympic Games records at Athens 2004
two-time winner of the ESPY Award for Best Female Athlete with a Disability
Greg Louganis: On this Day, September 18, 1988
On this day:
September 19, 1988 — Greg Louganis wins Olympic gold medal in springboard diving, one day after hitting his head on the diving board in the preliminary round.
Louganis, who needed five stitches, is solid throughout the 11-dive program. His 730.80 points wins the gold.
With a total of four Olympic gold wins, his record is unbroken to this day. Greg Louganis remains the greatest diver in history.
USA Diving Welcomes New Chair, Board Members At Convention
BY USA DIVING | SEPT. 18, 2019, 2:03 P.M. (ET)
As Olivia Rosendahl recounted her World Championships experience at the United States Aquatics Sports banquet in conjunction with USA Diving’s annual meeting in St. Louis, she closed with the following:
“Representing our country, having a blast, meeting new athletes, it was an amazing experience. That’s what we’re here for. This sport, this community. I’m proud to represent USA Diving athletes, and I’m looking forward to seeing what this next year holds for all of us,” Rosendahl said.
This next year will be a busy yet exciting one for USA Diving, and the 2019 convention was a great way to kick off the next 12 months. Athlete representatives provided inspiration. Committee meetings sparked discussion. Education sessions provided valuable information for coaches to take back to their clubs. New leadership was put in place.
Dave Gascon was elected as USA Diving’s new Chair of the Board as he and three other independent directors joined the Board of Directors after bylaw changes were adopted to meet USOPC requirements.
Alison Alfers, Peter Ban and Preston McAfee will join Gascon as independent directors on the board. Alfers and McAfee will serve through 2022, and Gascon and Ban will serve through 2024.
Gascon indicated he was very happy to be joining the Board with the other Independent Members.
“I am elated to be joining USA Diving at this critical moment in time especially with Alison Alfers, Preston McAfee, and Peter Ban. Alison and Peter are lawyers and Preston is a PhD in economics. They are all distinguished professionals in their fields and all obviously exceptionally smart people who are committed to helping the Board guide USA Diving. We are delighted to be joining the existing members of the Board who have decades of diving expertise,” said Gascon, who was Assistant Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department before retiring in 2002 after 31 years on the force.
McAfee has served as a chief economist with Microsoft and has also worked for Yahoo! and Google. Ban has worked for companies such as iHeart Media, HBO and Time Warner. Alfers has served as general counsel and chief legal officer for several organizations, most recently joining Cherwell Software after previously working at HawkEye 360.
Gascon said he has great sensitivity to the interests of athletes as his daughter Sarah is an athlete representative and captain of the USA Team Handball Women’s National Team.
“I believe we need to be committed to our athletes, listen to them, and ensure they have a seat at the table as we collectively deal with their concerns. We need to do all we can to enhance their development in their quest to become the best of which they are capable. If that sounds John Wooden like, it’s because it is. That’s how we achieve competitive greatness. We want our athletes to be at their best when their best is needed. However, that philosophy also applies to each of us, especially coaches,” Gascon said.
USA Diving’s best was needed at this summer’s World Championships, the first opportunity for countries to qualify their 2020 Olympic spots. The U.S. athletes came through with one of their most successful World Championships in recent years. Rosendahl told USAS banquet attendees that she was very nervous and intimidated by the atmosphere at her first World Championships. Previous international experience didn’t prepare her for what it would be like to stand on the platform next to an Olympic medalist she’d idolized for years or to sit in a waiting room for 20 minutes before being allowed to dive. She said the support the U.S. team members had for each other contributed to everyone’s success, including her own.
“My team was there for me and they were super supportive. I got fifth, and I’m really proud of that. Being a part of that team, watching us do better than we’ve done in years. Coming away with four medals, most of which were won by female athletes. Coming away with seven out of a possible 12 Olympic spots when at the 2015 World Championships, we came away with two. Being a part of that team that stood on the sidelines and cheered at every single event and every awards ceremony. It was amazing,” Rosendahl recalled at the banquet.
Although Gascon joins the board as an independent director, he has followed the sport closely and is very aware of the success the U.S. has had in the sport.
“I am someone who is a huge supporter of the U.S. Olympic movement and have fond memories of watching America’s best take on the world in diving. I was fortunate to spend time with the great Micki King this past weekend at the USAS convention. I told Micki I can vividly remember her winning the Gold Medal in the 1972 Munich Olympics. USA Diving has a fantastic legacy of success and I hope we recapture our rightful position as the gold standard for diving.”
USA Diving’s success in South Korea this summer is another step in that direction.
In addition to the four new independent directors, a Masters Diving Representative was added to the Board of Directors. Gerry Dunn will fill that seat. Previous chair Michele Mitchell will remain on the board as immediate past chair in a non-voting role.
Gascon expressed his appreciation for the efforts of his predecessor.
“I am grateful to outgoing Chair Michelle Mitchell for her incredible commitment to the athletes, coaches, and membership of USA Diving. I hope to continue with my partners on the Board to provide proper guidance and support as we head down the homestretch toward the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, as well as plan for the significant challenges leading to future World Championships and the Olympic Games of Paris and Los Angeles,” Gascon said.
Construction Update on ISHOF Aquatic Complex…..Moving right along
How lucky are we in the City of Fort Lauderdale?
Renovation update – The bleachers and two pools (one competition and the diving well) are being ripped out! One competition pool is getting a major overhaul. Great things in store for City of Fort Lauderdale.
One last look at the bleachers that have stood on the site of the complex for the last 50+ years. Oh, if those bleachers could talk…..They saw alot of world records fall: Mary T, Michael Phelps, Natalie Couglin, hometown boy, Andy Coan, Kim Linehan, Who will we see in the future ?
The newest on the pools (built in 1991 is getting an upgrade too!)
Stayed tuned for more photos and updates
FURNISS BROTHERS AND ISHOF HONOR COACH DICK JOCHUMS TO BE INDUCTED INTO 2019 AQUATIC CAPITAL OF AMERICA HALL OF FAME.
Long Beach, CA – Olympic swimmers Bruce and Steve Furniss, along with their Long Beach Swim Club Coach, Dick Jochums, will be inducted into the 2019 Aquatic Capital of America Hall of Fame September 19, 2019 at the Pete Archer Rowing Center in Long Beach. The ACOA Hall of Fame honors Long Beach, California’s rich history of athletes from various aquatic disciplines; Swimming, Diving, Water Polo, Sailing, Rowing, Surfing, Kayaking, Canoeing, Water Skiing and Lifeguarding.
The Furniss brothers were part of the powerhouse Long Beach Swim Club coached by Dick Jochums in the mid-70’s. Bruce was a 1976 Olympic double gold medalist setting world records in each race. One of the most versatile swimmers during his era, Bruce broke the 200m freestyle world record four different times, claiming the world record from 1975 to 1979. He also broke his brother Steve’s 200m. individual medley record in 1975, an event not contested in the 1976 Olympic program due to Cold War politics. Over Bruce’s career he set ten world records and was part of two NCAA National Championship team titles while at USC. He was named “World Swimmer of the Year” by Swimming World Magazine in 1975 and 1976. In 2004, he was recognized with the prestigious “Silver Anniversary Award,” by the NCAA, an honor bestowed
annually on six former collegiate athletes for their professional accomplishments and charitable endeavors in the 25 years since graduating from college. Bruce has been inducted into the International Swimming, the Orange County Sports, and the USC Halls of Fame. In 2000, Bruce was selected to USA Swimming’s “Swim Team of the 20th Century” and in 2016 was named a member of the Pac-12 All Century Swim Team.
Brother Steve was a two-time Olympian winning a bronze medal in the 200 IM in 1972 and was co-captain of what most sports historians consider to be the most successful Olympic team in history; the 1976 Men’s team that won 12 out of the 13 (92%) events contested and 27 of the 35 (77%) swimming medals awarded in 1976. During his career Steve set two world records, won four NCAA individual titles and was part of three NCAA team titles while competing for USC. Steve was named to Pac-12 All-Century Swim Team and was also a two-time All-American Water Polo player while at USC. In 1984, Steve co-founded TYR Sport, and was named Inc. Magazine’s “Entrepreneur of the Year” for Orange County in 1994. Steve is recipient of the 2014 Endurance Live Industry Award for his contributions to the sports of swimming and triathlon.
While swimming for Jochums and Long Beach Swim Club, Bruce and Steve teamed up with Tim Shaw and Rex Favero to set the 800m freestyle relay world record which currently stands as the last club team, which was not a national or Olympic team, to hold a relay world record, a feat not replicated in 44 years.
Dick Jochums was one of the most prolific swimming coaches of his time placing swimmers on every major USA international team from 1968 to 2006. He placed five swimmers and one woman on the 1976 Olympic swim team, more than any other coach and a team largely regarded as the best sports team in Olympic history. He coached 1975 Sullivan Award winner Tim Shaw who simultaneously held the world record in all four freestyle distances from 200m to 1500m. He coached 25 world record swimmers and two Olympic gold medalists (Bruce Furniss and George DiCarlo), five Olympic silver medalists, and five Olympic bronze medalists. An early proponent of high-quality interval training, he was considered to be among the best middle distance coaches in the world while at Long Beach, the University of Arizona and Santa Clara Swim Club. In 2017, Jochums was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame, and in 2004 to the American Swim Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He was ASCA’s Coach of the Year in 1974.
“It is a special honor to be part of the 2019 ACOA Hall of Fame class along with such distinguished athletes from other aquatic disciplines, but it is truly special to be inducted alongside my brother Steve and our coach, Dick Jochums,” said Bruce Furniss. “We were blessed to swim in an incredible era for men’s swimming and under the guidance of one of the best coaches of our time.”
The Furniss brothers and Dick Jochums will be inducted at the Annual ACOA Hall of Fame Dinner and Ceremony on Sept 19th in Long Beach, CA.
Aquatic Capital of America Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was formed in 2008 to promote the myriad of aquatic activities offered in Long Beach, California; to recognize, honor and support the City of Long Beach and its aquatic athletes, coaches, and organizations; and to promote water safety and education. The foundation also supports community and regional efforts to cleanse local waterways as well as to increase the number of local aquatic
facilities.
For tickets go to HTTPS://ACOAHALLOFFAME.FUNRAISE.ORG
