Swimming Australia Announce Investigation Into Performance

[ArdenSt]

I agree that this all goes in cycles, and this is every sport not just swimming. I know the two blokes your talking about, I know the backstroker and IM'er your referring too as well I've been blowing their trumpets for the past few days on this board but i feel its irresponsible to mention their names as they are quite young.

I remember at a swim meet a few years ago I was maybe 15 and one of the blokes you referred to in your post (the one from Nunawading) was in my heat. Now I was a national swimmer at this stage and probably at the peak of my swimming career and he almost beat me and this other bloke I swam with, take into account that he was maybe 11 or 12 at the oldest. I remember thinking from that day he was going to be a star, not an arrogant kid either. He went something like 1:00 that day which is unbelievable for a 11 or 12 year old in 100 backstroke (that time would stand up with 17/18 year olds), In fact I'd say only a half dozen people have ever done that at that age anywhere.

Another guy you mentioned (Jayden Hadler) is a ripper bloke and an absolute gun, I hope he goes places.

Yeah I didn't mention the names for the same reason. You are right about Jayden. Nice kid. As is Kenny To as well, so I hope he comes along as well in the next few years.

 

[chargers 09]

Yeah I didn't mention the names for the same reason. You are right about Jayden. Nice kid. As is Kenny To as well, so I hope he comes along as well in the next few years.

Not hard for people to find out I spose, I just had a look at the heat I mentioned earlier he was 12 and went 1:00:5 which would easily have been a Australian record for 100 back for his age. I think the most important thing is finding a way to keep talented juniors in the sport- which is easier said then done. I know in my age group a lot people dropped out at around 15/16.

 

[Alfonz]

It is perfectly fine to say it goes in cycles and we have some youngsters breaking records. But what really needs to be answered is why our swimmers were so s**t on turns/starts/finishes, and why our swimmers couldn't peak for the Games. This has nothing to do with the talent/ability of our squad. I think we could have won 2-4 more gold medals with proper coaching of the talent available.

 

[Slax]

This has nothing to do with the talent/ability of our squad. I think we could have won 2-4 more gold medals with proper coaching of the talent available.

This is getting to the crux of the matter. We appear to of got caught up in funding athletes when the primary focus should be on getting the best coaches. Great Britain is a prime example of what happens when you go out and recruit elite coaches, they can extract more from those with talent. Elite athletes have opportunities to get money through endorsements, public speaking and doors open because of their profile. Coaches don't have the same opportunities so we need to make sure they are well taken care of so they don't walk out and start coaching else. I wouldn't blame a single coach who did it, because clearly we don't value them as much as we should.

 

[blackcat]

So what am I really trying to say. I am heavily involved in swimming, as a coach, a parent and an official, so I have some knowledge on the subject. These things go in cycles. At the moment we do not have the superstars we have had over the past 15 years or so. Our depth below that is just as it has always been, and they are the ones that are making finals, and winning silver and bronze medals. Australian swimming is looking good in the near future. This is definitely the case with the men. JM will lead the team going forward with swimmers like Cam McEvoy being great support. In junior ranks we have an amazing 1500m swimmer coming through. He is currently 15 yrs old, and nearly qualified this time. He is a future world champ somewhere down the track, and is considered the best prospect since Hackett. He will have the greatest distance swimmer in Sun to contend with but hopes are high. There is an exceptional 15yr old who is an IM and backstroke swimmer. He has been smashing all National Age records for the past couple of years, and is a star of the future. And in the past 18 months a 13-14 year old sprinter has emerged smashing every record in sight. So there are some real prospects coming through. It is not quite as strong in the womens but there are still some potential stars.

thnx for your contribution.

The media do not deal in nuance. OFcourse that glib response, is manifest. But anyone ask about how the talent and the catchment/pool of athletes is getting greater, and so it is normal that medals will be harder to come by. And it is normal that performances change in an olympic year, and taking 2011 performances as a schema, is too simplistic a formula to extrapolate.

They did "win"silver. But the problem is the definitions of "winning" v "losing" and the ends (colour of medal, or the expectation of a colour) should not define the perception.

Is Pope still the coach at VIS or MSAC/VicCentre?

 

[blackcat]

It is perfectly fine to say it goes in cycles and we have some youngsters breaking records. But what really needs to be answered is why our swimmers were so s**t on turns/starts/finishes,

"too much weights, not enough speed work bro"
Once Were Warriors

 

[blackcat]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19144983

 

[robstewart23]

rob you were very forthright with your opinion. Inside knowledge or just gut feel from studying the form guide?

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-08-...bitter-battle-with-swimming-australia/4183402

I was aware of the things contained in the article above, but these are only minor things, that could hardly be blamed for the peformances. I was also told the Stillnox affair may have an impact with a couple of the swimmers.

I have started another thread which I would love your thoughts on called "Olympics Funding".

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

7-30 last night had a good report on the issue.

http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2012/s3562792.htm

LEIGH SALES, PRESENTER: The Australian swimming team left Australia for the Olympics full of hope and optimism. Instead, it delivered its worst result in 20 years. Swimming Australia has now launched a post-mortem into what went wrong. Many people in swimming circles are angry, and tonight some of our past and present swimmers are speaking out for the first time against the current administration. Greg Hoy reports.

GREG HOY, REPORTER: Known as the Dolphins, the elite Australian swimming squad, both its athletes and their supporters, is in rebellion against the executive of its governing body, Swimming Australia Limited.

DANIEL KOWALSKO, AUSTRALIAN SWIMMERS ASSOCIATION: If the swimmers are being held accountable for their performances I think the administration needs to be as well.

GREG HOY: Former Australian Olympic medallist Daniel Kowalski heads the Australian Swimmers Association. He's angry that after all the pools of sweat shed at swimming clubs across the country in the long lead up to London, at the 11th hour swimmers and their supporters were dealt some brutal blows by Swimming Australia Limited.

......................................

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

There's not big secret these things go in waves, there's two young aussie males under 15 who are cleaning up Australian Age records left right and centre.

.....And in the past 18 months a 13-14 year old sprinter has emerged smashing every record in sight. So there are some real prospects coming through. It is not quite as strong in the womens but there are still some potential stars.

So basically we just need to be patient. We didn't get the golds this time as we didn't have a superstar or two like Thorpe, Hackett , a youger Jones etc. But they are just around the corner, and we will be fine for Rio.

Is the kid you guys are talking about, Kyle Chalmers??

Chalmers is from Port Lincoln in country SA, but his swimming has seen so good the family has moved to Adelaide. His old man is Brett Chalmers who played for Port in the SANFL, after the civil war of SA footy in 1990 he didn't want to play for the crows, wanted to play for Collingwood, sent out a letter to all clubs saying don't draft me I wont come, Collingwood got done for draft tampering, he ended up at the crows but was traded to Port in the AFL in 1997 after their first season.

But young Kyle has the pull towards Aussie Rules and is considering both swimming and footy.

Superfish Kyle Chalmers smashes global swim times

Tod Balym - From: The Sunday Mail (Qld) April 15, 2012
KYLE Chalmers is Australia's newest superfish teenager who could quite possibly be the fastest 13-year-old the world has ever seen.

Chalmers dominated the Australian Age titles in Brisbane last week, smashing four national records on his way to four gold medals.

His 100m freestyle time - of 52.29 seconds - was more than one second faster than the previous record and a whopping 3.54 seconds quicker than Ian Thorpe's time at the same age in 1996.

Chalmers' 200m freestyle time of 1:57.48 is 1.32s quicker than Thorpe, who as a 14-year-old made his first Australian open team.

Chalmers has re-written the record books with such authority that officials have even scanned US age group records where he is ranked fourth on their all-time list in the 50m and 100m freestyle times of 13 and 14-year-olds

......

Swimming is littered with shattered dreams of youngsters labelled the "next Ian Thorpe" only to never make it on to the big stage. But his feet remain firmly grounded and his future, though they could still go in another direction and follow in the footsteps of his father, former Adelaide Crow AFL player Brett Chalmers.

"Yeah I play footy, I'm playing for the school this year. I was going to play in the Port Adelaide Magpies development squad but I don't have much time. Swimming is more of a priority at the moment," he said.

"I still dream of being an AFL player. Rio Olympics in 2016, that's the dream. I've got a long way to go but it'd be great to one day represent Australia at the Olympics."

Superfish Kyle Chalmers smashes global swim times

That story is from the Sunday Mail in Brisbane, a similar story was in the Adelaide Sunday Mail. On a Port Adelaide Supporters Footy Forum I put some comments from the Adelaide SM article - His 100m Freestyle time of 52.29 is 1.7 seconds off a B qualifier and his 100m Butterfly time of 55.93 is also 1.7 seconds off a B qualifier.

So if Kyle keeps on improving and can handle the work load he could be pushing for a 50m, 100m and 200m Freestyle slot plus the 100m butterfly + 3 relays.

Oh and he has big feet, size 15 at 13 years old.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/meet-...ith-size-15-feet/story-e6frea6u-1226213201124

 

[chargers 09]

Is the kid you guys are talking about, Kyle Chalmers??

Chalmers is from Port Lincoln in country SA, but his swimming has seen so good the family has moved to Adelaide. His old man is Brett Chalmers who played for Port in the SANFL, after the civil war of SA footy in 1990 he didn't want to play for the crows, wanted to play for Collingwood, sent out a letter to all clubs saying don't draft me I wont come, Collingwood got done for draft tampering, he ended up at the crows but was traded to Port in the AFL in 1997 after their first season.

But young Kyle has the pull towards Aussie Rules and is considering both swimming and footy.

Superfish Kyle Chalmers smashes global swim times


Superfish Kyle Chalmers smashes global swim times

That story is from the Sunday Mail in Brisbane, a similar story was in the Adelaide Sunday Mail. On a Port Adelaide Supporters Footy Forum I put some comments from the Adelaide SM article - His 100m Freestyle time of 52.29 is 1.7 seconds off a B qualifier and his 100m Butterfly time of 55.93 is also 1.7 seconds off a B qualifier.

So if Kyle keeps on improving and can handle the work load he could be pushing for a 50m, 100m and 200m Freestyle slot plus the 100m butterfly + 3 relays.

Oh and he has big feet, size 15 at 13 years old.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/meet-...ith-size-15-feet/story-e6frea6u-1226213201124

He's one of them, the other prospect who I was talking about when I swam in the same heat as him, swims at Nunawading in Melbourne. This blokes more likely to be a big hit in the Backstroke and IM events though.

 

[blackcat]

Kyle Van der Kuyp was a better hurdler but

 

[chargers 09]

Kyle Van der Kuyp was a better hurdler but

What do you mean?

 

[blackcat]

What do you mean?

Kyle Chalmers < Kyle Van der Kuyp

at hurdles

literal. simple.

 

[Brad Goodman]

BC, you've been so lucid lately, don't regress!

 

[Buzzasto DaSilva]

Pretty big developments in this review today- it is going ahead and seems pretty strong.

Tomasso D'orsogna absolutely letting loose on an interview with channel 10 right now. Calling the behaviour unacceptable, going into details on the poor culture and poor behavior comparing it to a school rugby team (though he avoided the sleeping tablet issue, but his opinion of it was obvious to see). Most interesting I thought, was his comments on a couple of athletes seeing themselves as bigger than the team and claiming that the swimmers in question would not surprise anyone from the outside.

Came across really mature and like future leader. Genuine love for the support and not afraid to speak his mind

 

[blackcat]

[quote="robstewart23, post: 25141058, member: 133284"]I said before the olympics that we would win no gold medals in the pool. I was wrong. We won one. (Before you question that, check my posts on swimming thread and predictions thread for games)

I am not proud of that prediction BTW but I was confident at the time.

So now an independent investigation into our performances in the pool has been announced by Swimming Australia to be headed up by Susie O'Neill. I wonder what it will deliver in terms of findings? Interested in people's thoughts........[/quote]

pretty fricken omniscient robstewart

chapeau

medals are now won by the medical programs. Its an arms race. Gotta get good doping programs. Im serious