US WINTER NATIONALS
THE RETURN OF IRON MAN CHAD CARVIN

DECLINE IN THE PARTICIPATION IN BOYS SWIMMING EVIDENT
BUT WOMEN HAD GREAT INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES,
AND A CLOSE TEAM RACE

 

George Block


Spring training was just getting underway in Florida and Arizona, but it was decidedly un-springlike in Buffalo for the Phillips 66 National Swimming Championships.

Unfortunately, the politics of the meet overshadowed several outstanding individual and team performances. "Don't judge it (the decision to move the national championships off of their rule book date) by this meet. This is sort of three strikes and you're out. It's Buffalo; it's February; and it's long course," pleaded (USS National Team Director) Denny Pursley, while acknowledging that his decision to put the meet in Buffalo, in February and long course was vastly unpopular with the coaches in attendance.

But Pursley's strike-out had no impact on Chad Carvin, who ended up with some of the biggest hits of the meet. One year ago, people were saying "Carvin" in the same sentence as "heart transplant." In Buffalo, his name was most often mentioned in the same breath as "world ranked."


Carvin became only the second man since Mark Spitz to win four events at a single Nationals.
For larger 64k photo click on image. Photo © Marco Chiesa


Although Carvin's feat of becoming only the second man since Mark Spitz to win four events at a single Nationals was somewhat dimmed by the sparse male participation in the meet, the quality of his performances--and his iron-man, back-to-back wins in the 200 free and 400 IM--told everyone that, "He's back."

The men's meet, with the exception of a superb team performance by Coach Ray Mitchhell's Terrapins (Clayton, CA) and Carvin's individual heroics, was in large part pitiful. For many, this was the first real peek at the tip of the iceberg in US Swimming. Others hid behind the false security that the best men in the United States were at their college meets.

But those, like Todd Kemmerling of Eastern Express, who have been tracking the data for the past 15 years, have seen an accelerating decline in the participation in boys' swimming in the United States.


Jennifer Parmenter, was a one-woman gang, winning both medleys.
For larger 64k photo click on image. Photo © Marco Chiesa


For many years, the problem was (officially) hidden by United States Swimming's inability to use its own data. It had no idea what the real numbers were. Only in the last few years have they been able to report the real numbers.

Prior to that time, only anecdotal reports from coaches and the National Federation of State High School Athletic Associations' yearly report of composite national participation pointed out the decline.

"What I've heard walking around the deck is (that the typical age group club is) about 70/30 (girls-to-boys particiaption ratio). Some places are much worse. I heard about one (large) LSC (Local Swimming Community) where there are only 10 to 15 (actively participating) 11-12 year-old boys.

"It's scary, because I realize that one club can't fix it themselves. We have to change the whole system," said Kemmerling.


Beard's stroke looks even smoother.
For larger 64k photo click on image. Photo © Marco Chiesa


This conversation was repeated many times over the week in Buffalo and at this point would turn to the selection of an Executive Director for United States Swimming.

Hearing from Pat Hogan, Head Coach of (Women's Team Champions) Mecklenburg Aquatics and a USS Board Member, "The process is way behind the schedule that we (the USS Board) were given. I've been calling Andy Knox, but he hasn't returned my call," didn't do much to cheer his ffellow coaches. But Hogan had to be cheered by the way his girls swam to narrowly outpoint the Terrapins on the women's side.

The women's meet was much better than the men's. There were great individual performances, a close team race, stars who swam like stars, and a hometown girl who swam for the crowd.

Brooke Bennett, after a relatively short post-Olympic break, showed up in (supposedly) not her top form. Don't be fooled. Bennett looked good at the beginning of the meet and great at the end, which will be a skill she will need this summer for the 7-day format in Nashville.


Brooke Bennett looked good at the beginning of the meet and great at the end.
For larger 64k photo click on image. Photo © Marco Chiesa


Every time Bennett turned around, Diana Munz, of the Lake Erie Dolphins, was showing that she was for real.

Although neither Amanda Beard nor Jenny Thompson looked to be in peak racing form, both had the strokes and the race discipline to be the class of their events.

If anything, Beard's stroke looks even smoother, as Dave Salo has her on track for summer nationals. "There is only one nationals," clarified Salo. "Having two national championships, with the same name, in the same course is horrible marketing to the public and confusing, internally, for our sport."

Salo did not seem to be the least bit confused as he piloted his team to a third place combined (men's and women's) finish.


Olympian Kurt Grote swam away with his events.
For larger 64k photo click on image. Photo © Marco Chiesa


The Olympians acted like Olympians. Kurt Grote, Beth Botsford, Brad Schumacher, Brad Bridgewater, Tripp Schwenk, and Ron Karnaugh all swam away with their events.

Jennifer Parmenter, from Rose Bowl, was a one-woman gang, winning both medleys and chasing Bennett every inch of the 400 free, but the swims of the women's meet belonged to Misty Hyman.


Misty Hyman closing the gap with fly legend Mary T.
For larger 64k photo click on image. Photo © Marco Chiesa


The entire winter season has belonged to Misty Hyman: National High School records, US Open records, World Short Course records and two swims that edged her closer and closer to the mythical Mary T. Meagher.

It's a shame that she soon has to part company with her masterful coach, Bob Gillett, of the Arizona Desert Fox. Gillett has taken her, step-by-step, to the edge of greatness and with some obvious areas of improvement within her grasp, the pressure will be on her college coach (as yet undecided) next year.

But not even the college coaches can do much about the dismal shape of American boys' swimming. Their scholarship numbers keep getting sacrificed at the altar of political correctness and they look to foreign athletes to preserve their job security.

In Buffalo, every men's event was an automatic final and the Executive Director job search was "way behind schedule." As Kemmerling said, "We have to change the whole system."