Technical Swimsuit Primer

John Leonard of American Swimming Coaches Association wrote a primer (click here) on the technical swimsuit issue that is currently creating a storm in the swimming world, especially among pool swimmers at the 2009 World Swimming Championships.

The issue in the open water swimming does not seem as large as in the pool, but this primer can be useful for individuals who may want to know the collective opinion of some of the leading swimming coaches in the world.

The American Swimming Coaches Association's board of directors includes many illustrious swimming coaches including Bill Rose (President), Richard Shoulberg (Vice President), Peter Daland, Jennifer Gibson, Peter Malone, David Marsh, Mark Schubert, Richard Shipherd, Jim Tierney, Bill Wadley, Tim Welsh, George Block and Eddie Reese.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Spreading the Word about Open Water

British Swimming has long-term strategic plans to develop its top open water swimmers. So do many of the most competitive national federations, but these plans take on many different forms. Today, USA Swimming is sending out an educational open water swimming DVD to its registered 2,800 swim clubs as a means to develop interest in the sport.

Written by Steven Munatones with Dave Thomas (shown on left) and filmed at the USA Swimming National Open Water Select Camp and the Open Water Festival in Ft. Myers, Florida, the DVD provides commentary from national team coaches such as Bill Rose and Rick Walker. The DVD covers open water swimming drills and skills, drafting, feeding, starts, finishes, buoy turns, setting up an open water race and safety.

Open Water Preview of London 2012?

Notwithstanding the young and accomplished open water elite like Larisa Ilchenko, Ana Marcela Cunha, Chad Ho and Chip Peterson, Guam will play host to some very fast young guns in the Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships 10K race on January 12th.

To compete against battle-tested Kane Radford from New Zealand, Australia’s fast Belinda Bennett and a top contingent from Canada including Zsofia Balasz and Craig Dagnall, USA Swimming will send 5 teenagers to Guam.

Eva Fabian of Greenwood Memorial Swim Club (coached by Jack Fabian), Kelly Baird of Winston Salem YMCA Swim Team (coached by Mike Brady), Deni Cullom of Mission Viejo Nadadores (coached by Bill Rose), Sean Ryan of Scenic City Aquatics Club (coached by Stan Corcoran) and Harry Stephenson of Gulf Coast Swim Team (coached by Don Henshaw) will race 4 loops of a 2.5K triangular course in Tumon Bay, Guam's most popular beach.

Going mano-a-mano, goggle-to-goggle and shoulder-to-shoulder around 12 buoy turns will not only be exciting, but also an excellent proving ground for those with dreams of representing their country in London 2012. The winner will undoubtedly balance great aerobic conditioning and fast closing speed with excellent race tactics and a high degree of navigational IQ.

Despite her size, diminutive Eva Fabian, who can be seen in the red cap (towards the left) on the November 2008 cover of of Swimming World Magazine, will be someone to contend with. "I love competing in the open water," said Eva after doing well at the 2008 RCP Tiburon Mile.

Up-and-coming athletes 18 year and under swimmer from Canada, Australia, China, USA, Japan, New Zealand, Bermuda, Mexico, Guam, El Salvador and Costa Rica will compete at the 2009 Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in January.

Three-peat for Radford in the Harbour

Scott Rice, one of the nominees for the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year (see below), is one of the few people who can halt all marine traffic in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city.

But, it was 18-year-old Kane Radford who was the talk of the town after his surprisingly powerful win over Trent Grimsey who won the Waikiki Roughwater Swim, the RCP Tiburon Mile and the Eyeline 1000 Noosa Ocean Swim earlier this year.

In only its fifth year, Rice has built up the Sovereign Harbour Crossing, to be the biggest ocean swim in New Zealand, attracting 1,440 entrants to the 2.8K race from Bayswater to downtown Auckland. The Sovereign Harbour Crossing is the first of five races in the popular Sovereign New Zealand Ocean Swim Series. In a country of only 4.1 million people, this is equivalent of having 103,000 swimmers in a single open water swim in the U.S.

Radford was not given an opportunity to qualify for the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim, but he apparently has plans to rectify that situation for London in 2012. Radford will soon start training with Olympian open water swimmer Chloe Sutton and the famed distance training group at the Mission Viejo Nadadores under Bill Rose, the head open water swimming coach for the US. "This is an amazing chance for me. To train with Bill Rose and his squad who focus on long-distance training is incredible."

Radford swam across the Waitemata Harbour (Auckland) in 33:00, easily out-swimming Australian Grimsey (34:12) and young Aucklander Brett Newall (34:14). Double world championship bronze medalist Kate Brookes-Peterson, a native of New Zealand who is now an Australian citizen, came back home to win in 34:25 far ahead of Penelope Marshall in 36:51 and Charlotte Webby in 37:21.

Rice says the five-year milestone is a special one for the event. "In the five years of the Sovereign Harbour Crossing, we have built up real tradition and history in what is now an iconic event on the Auckland sporting and recreation calendar. Anyone can drive across the harbour bridge, take a ferry from wharf to wharf and some of us are lucky enough to have sailed in pleasure craft on the harbour. But it is a rare opportunity to be able to swim across the harbour with the support of Surf Lifesaving New Zealand, the Coastguard and the port authorities. That is part of what makes this event so special, the rare nature of it and the sheer challenge of it. For many people this is the biggest and most demanding event they will take on in their lives. Consequently the sense of achievement upon making the finish line is huge. The smiles on the faces of all who make it bring as much joy to us as organizers as it does to them as individuals."

One of the finishers was 74-year-old Dick Smith who completed his first open water swim in 1951 and finished this race in 1:00:36.

Upper photo of Radford at finish line. Middle photo of Kane after race. Lower photo of Kate Brookes-Peterson at the 2007 World Swimming Championships.

Reminder: the World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year and the World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year voting continues. Click here for more details of the male nominees and here for the female nominees.

Glen S. Hummer Award Winners

USA Swimming has awarded the Glen S. Hummer Award since 1978. The Award was named for an Olympian and coach and is presented to the person or group making the greatest contribution to open water swimming.

Award winners represents Hummer's attitude toward life and his dedication to the sport of open water swimming.

1978: Glen S. Hummer and and Cliff Brown
1979: Don Watson and Betty Talbot
1980: La Jolla Town Counsel and Swim Swim Magazine
1981: Neal and Sue Shepard
1982: Huntington Indiana YMCA Booster Club
1983: Buck Dawson
1984: Luke (Mac) Tesky
1985: Penny Lee Dean
1986: Dale Petranech
1987: Keith Barnes
1988: Dotty York
1989: George Haines
1990: Jimi Flowers
1991: Wilton YMCA Wahoos
1992: Rick Walker
1993: James Whelan
1994: Jennifer Parks and Gail Dummer
1995: International Swimming Hall of Fame
1996: Sid Cassidy
1997: Bob Duenkel
1998: Dianne Limerick
1999: Dave Thomas
2000: Brian Schrader
2001: George Bare and Jacque Grossman
2002: Denny Ryther
2003: Dr. Jim Miller
2004: Julie Bare
2005: Rick Walker, Steven Munatones, Denny Ryther, Mike Shrader, Catherine Vogt, Jeremy Vail and Dr. Jim Miller (2005 USA Swimming Open Water World Championship Team Staff)
2006: Gregg Cross
2007: Steven Munatones
2008: Bill Rose

Photo of Hummer from the Hummeralums blog.

USA Swimming Honors Its Best

USA Swimming honored Bill Rose, head coach of the Mission Viejo Nadadores, with its 2008 Glenn S. Hummer Award.

The Glenn S. Hummer Award winner is given to the person who had made the greatest contribution to the sport of long distance swimming. Rose's contributions included not only his role as the head coach of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Open Water Team, but also his coaching over the years at local ocean races, national open water championships and international FINA World Cup races. Over the last 2 years alone, Rose has coached open water swimmers competing in races from Melbourne, Beijing and Dubai to Portugal, London and numerous states across America.

Chloe Sutton, one of Rose's elite swimmers at Mission Viejo, was also honored by USA Swimming as its 2008 Female Open Water Swimmer of the Year. Sutton was the sole U.S. representative in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim and demonstrated her pool speed by placing third in the 800-meter freestyle in the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials.


Mark Warkentin, from the Santa Barbara Swim Club, was named the Male Open Water Swimmer of the Year for his outstanding open water performances over the past year, including an 8th-place finish in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim in Beijing and his silver-medal performance at the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Championships where he was just out-touched by the 6'-7" Maarten van der Weijden in the 25K race.

These awards are decided upon by the Open Water Committee of USA Swimming whose members include Dale Petranech, chairman of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, Sid Cassidy, chairman of the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee, Mark Schubert, USA Swimming National Team head coach and General Manager, professional swimmer and former 5K world champion Erica Rose, Catherine Vogt, USC assistant coach, Paul Asmuth, John Dussliere and Steven Munatones.

Chloe's Corner - Under Picture Perfect Conditions

At the pre-race meeting in Beijing this morning, the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim athletes were told the water temperature is a near perfect 27ºC - 27.5ºC (80.6ºF - 81.5ºF). But the weeds in the Olympic rowing venue has grown a bit and come nearly to the surface of the water in some locations.

But, all in all, America's medal hopefuls Chloe Sutton and Mark Warkentin will have great conditions to compete in. There is forecasted to be a slight wind that will only cause minor surface chop and the humidity that dropped significantly. Coach Bill Rose of the Mission Viejo Nadadores and Chloe's personal coach said, "Everyone is feeling great and the conditions are good. At the pre-race meeting today, there was nothing new. The course is good and everyone is ready to go. Chloe's feeling great."

"The quality of the water is excellent. In fact, we were told it is actually drinkable. It was cool this morning after it rained in the evening. Tomorrow, we will leave the hotel at 6:30 am and head down to the venue for a warm-up between 7 and 8 am. At 8 am, Chloe will report to the Ready Room for numbering. The pre-race meeting will be held at 8:30 am and at 8:40 am, the swimmers will be introduced to the crowd for a 9 am start. The awards ceremony will be at 11:30 am."

"Paul Asmuth will be on pontoon #1, which is closest to the start, to feed Chloe. John [Dussliere of the Santa Barbara Swim Club will be on pontoon #2. With Paul and John on the pontoons, I will be on a bike going up and down alongside the course, " said Coach Rose.

"Because of the warm water conditions, we decided to allow each athlete to have two coaches on the course," explained Sid Cassidy, the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee chairman.

"The time has come," explained Nory Krutchen, the FINA Bureau Vice President at the pre-race meeting to the athletes and coaches. "The eyes of the world are upon you and the sport of open water swimming."

Photo by Pei Qingsheng at the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim qualification race start.

Copyright © 2008 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Chloe's Corner - with Kobe

During Michael Phelps' epic gold-medal surge, the USA men's basketball team went to the Water Cube to cheer him on.





But, not knowing all the details of swimming, Kobe Bryant asked Chloe Sutton to educate him while her coach, Bill Rose of the Mission Viejo Nadadores did his best to bring Jason Kidd up-to-date.

Copyright © 2008 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Chloe's Corner - on the Feeding Station

Bill Rose is Chloe Sutton's team coach at the renowned Mission Viejo Nadadores in Southern California, and one of the USA Olympic Swim Team coaches, but it will be Paul Asmuth who will be handing Chloe her drinks from the feeding station during the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim.

Asmuth, USA Olympic Swim Team's Open Water Chief of the Mission, knows very well what Chloe and her marathon swimming competitors are going through, both in practice and during a race.

BTO (before the Olympics), Asmuth traveled from Baja California to the Nile River to compete and win prize money as the world's dominant pro marathon swimmer for nearly a decade. While he is still widely-recognized in foreign cities from Quebec to Italy where he was so dominant in the 1980's, he came three decades too early for his own personal Olympic glory.

Asmuth was well-known at Mission Viejo where he also trained like Chloe and on the world's professional marathon swimming circuit for his ability to withstand hours of pain.

"I recall in 1984 when he was injured, he decided to swim the 22-mile Atlantic City race. The water dropped down to 55-57 in the ocean and he won the race going away," recalled one of his competitors. "It was amazing; his shoulders were shot before he got in the freezing water for hours and he still beat the world's swimmers."

That's what Asmuth did as an athlete and that's the experience that he can discuss first-hand with Chloe to help her prepare for her own Olympic glory.

Photo by Pei Qingsheng shows Asmuth handing Chloe a bottle during the Olympic 10K qualification swim on the Beijing course.

Chloe's Corner - Down the Straightaway

Chloe Sutton of the Mission Viejo Nadadores was asked a series of questions prior to departing for Beijing for the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim. Here are her first-person answers.

Q3. The straightaway finish at the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim is about 1000 meters from the last turn buoy. It is an easy-to-navigate straight-line shot from the turn buoy to the finish pads. What do you think about as you sprint down that straightaway in front of 37,000 fans?

A3. It will be such a thrill. It is in the last mile that the women are separated from the girls. In the beginning, I will stretch out my stroke. But, the crowds will get to me and it will be the most exciting thing in my life. I always have more adrenaline in the open water versus the pool. I have a long road ahead of me, but as Coach Rose, who is my personal coach and head coach of the Mission Viejo Nadadores, says“Happy swimmers swim fast.” And, I am pretty happy right now.

Photo of Chloe Sutton with Dr. Genadijus Sokolovas taken at the USA Olympic Swim Team training camp by Colin A Gift.

Olympic 10K Marathon Swim Preview

Chloe Sutton will appear at the open water swimming presentation at the REI store in Huntington Beach, California on Friday, June 29th starting at 7 pm.

Chloen is a serious medal contender in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim. She has won the prestigious Tiburon Mile twice and is the two-time 10K national champion and 5K national champion. Chloe also won the 2007 Pan American Games 10K and the 2007 FINA 10K World Cup race in London.

A hard-working 16-year-old, Chloe is currently training under Coach Bill Rose in Mission Viejo, California and will compete in the U.S. Olympic Swimming Team Trials in Omaha, Nebraska in the 400 and 800 meter freestyles.

After the Olympic Trials, Chloe will head to an Olympic Team training camp in Stanford University and then will depart for another training camp in Singapore before checking into the Olympic Village.

Copyright © 2008 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Lasting Images from Beijing - Part 12

What Is a Parent To Do?

During the pressure-packed Olympic 10K Marathon Swim qualification race, live updates were posted from the Beijing venue and viewed by thousands of people in the open water swimming community. Because the qualification race was not televised or streamed online, friends, fans, teammates, coaches and family members read the real-time Twitter updates on their computers or mobile phones over the course of the 2-hour race.

Imagine the worry of a parent when waiting for these live updates. What is a mother thinking? While Chloe Sutton was trying to qualify for the 2008 Olympics in China, her parents were in Southern California waiting anxiously to hear the results of the qualification race.

So what did David and Wendy Sutton do?

They went out for a Mexican dinner (the race started on a Friday at 6 pm PT). Before leaving the house, Wendy sneaked a peek at the first few updates and knew the athletes were heading to the start. “My stomach sank,” recalled Wendy.

David, motioning her to the car, said "C’mon, let’s go, please don't torture yourself.”

At the restaurant, they ordered and then waited in silence, both lost deep in their own thoughts and fears. The bread basket came, then drinks and then the main course. The first half of dinner was quiet as they wondered what was going on in Beijing. They knew Chloe and her competitors must be in the second half of their race by now.

Suddenly, the phone rang and Wendy jumped. Chloe’s 72-year-old father was on the line with an update. “Chloe’s in the lead,” he explained calmly.

But the update did not result in relief – just additional anxiety. As they pecked away at their main course, a close friend called with another update. The lead pack was on their third loop of four and Chloe was just behind the leader. “I was glad she was drafting and resting, but I still worried,” said Wendy smiling as she recalled the moment. “But David knew I needed a margarita – even thought it has been years.”

Another call came before the margarita was served. The update was from Chloe's aunt. “Chloe has a strong lead," she screamed into the phone. Wendy couldn’t wait any longer, so she called Chloe’s coach, Bill Rose of the Mission Viejo Nadadores. “Have you heard where her competition is?” asked Wendy as she repeated the information provided by Chloe’s grandfather and aunt to Bill

“On the last lap, Chloe fed and is looking strong,” relayed Wendy to Bill who was still on the phone. “Don't count your chickens just yet”, counseled Bill, causing Wendy to turn pale. “My husband got me a second margarita and I have never had two. I just had to hear what was going on during the final lap.”

There would be no ordering of dessert that evening. Wendy and David simply worked the phones and set up a daisy chain among family and friends. While Wendy’s friend from Sacramento and Chloe’s grandfather dad kept updating her about the final lap, David was on the phone with his sister who was concurrently on two phones updating their four other brothers and sisters and Chloe’s paternal grandmother. The stress was unrelenting as the race neared its climax.

Around the last turn buoy, Chloe built up an insurmountable lead, but the tension was still apparent in the airways among Chloe’s family and friends sprinkled around the country.

400 meters to go. 200 meters to go. Chloe was entering the final finish chute.

When the live update came through that Chloe hit the touch pads to win the gold, cheers and yells were being relayed across dozens of phone lines.

The moral of the story?

One’s child can be a half a world away, but with modern technology, parents can feel like they are right there in the same venue.

And, Chloe will be swimming the Olympic 10K finals on August 19th at 6 pm PT. Stay tuned!

PHOTO: Kirsten Groome on left and Chloe Sutton on right before qualification race in Beijing.

Copyright © 2008 by World Open Water Swimming Association