SW Biweekly March 7, 2022 Issue by Swimming World Magazine

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CONTENTS 008 WISCONSIN’S PHOEBE BACON “PUMPED” FOR OLYMPIC BACKSTROKE REUNION AT NCAAs by Matthew De George As a freshman at last year’s women’s NCAAs, Wisconsin’s Phoebe Bacon emerged from a competitive field of backstrokers to win the 200 back. The affirmation of NCAAs helped catapult her to a runner-up result at the U.S. Olympic Trials and a fifth-place performance in Tokyo. Now, she returns to NCAAs this year with even bigger goals. 010 ASU’s LEON MARCHAND IS WIELDING A DANGEROUS PITCHFORK AHEAD OF NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS by John Lohn Frenchman Leon Marchand, who is now swimming for Arizona State University, put together performances at the recent Pac-12 Conference Championships that confirmed his status as one of the world’s rising stars. 012 HOW MUCH LONGER WILL THE INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING LEAGUE LAST? by Jesse Marsh Swimming enthusiasts have longed for an avenue to revolutionize the sport, thinking that the ISL was the answer. However, in this commentary, the author doesn’t agree, saying that the ISL has constantly been embroiled in conflict with FINA, damaged relationships with outside stakeholders, and has struggled to garner fulltime commitment from the sport’s most elite athletes. 014 VLADIMIR PUTIN STRIPPED OF FINA ORDER; RUSSIA & BELARUS CAN COMPETE AS “NEUTRAL” ATHLETES by Liz Byrnes Following the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin was stripped of the FINA Order awarded to him in 2014. The world governing body also said that swimmers from Russia and Belarus could compete as neutrals at December’s World SC Championships in Kazan despite the call of Ukrainian athletes to suspend the Russia and Belarus National Olympic Committees while barring athletes from competing at the Paralympic Winter Games in March.

SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY MARCH 2022 | ISSUE 05 022 LIKE FATHER, LIKE DAUGHTER by David Rieder Katharine’s Berkoff’s dad, David, is an Olympic medalist and former world record holder. Today, Katharine, a junior at North Carolina State, is experiencing her own swimming success. 024 GRANT HOUSE PURSUING EXCELLENCE FOR ARIZONA STATE AFTER TWO YEARS AWAY FROM COLLEGE SWIMMING by David Rieder Many believe that this year’s men’s team at Arizona State is the best it has been during Coach Bob Bowman’s tenure. With significant m eets o n t he horizon—specifically, the Pac-12 Championships and NCAAs—23-year-old Grant House knows that both his performance and his leadership as an upperclassman will be critical. 028 NAVY SWIMMING HERO CHARLES JACKSON FRENCH TO HAVE POOL NAMED IN HIS HONOR by Matthew De George Charles Jackson French, the Black Naval sailor who swam 15 shipmates to safety during World War II, will have a training pool at a naval base in San Diego named in his honor. 029 USA SWIMMING FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES TIM BUCKLEY, JON KOSSOW, GREG PINCHBECK TO BOARD The USA Swimming Foundation, the philanthropic arm of USA Swimming, announced the addition of three new members who will serve on its Board of Directors through 2024. 032 2022 SWIM CAMP DIRECTORY 035 HOW THEY TRAIN SAM BARON by Michael J. Stott 036 HASTY HIGH POINTERS 037 PARTING SHOT

015 FINA CONDEMNS “ALL ACTS OF AGGRESSION” AND PLEDGES TO PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR AQUATIC FACILITY by Liz Byrnes FINA has condemned “all acts of aggression and is extremely concerned by the escalation of conflict in Ukraine” following the military invasion by Russia.

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016 USC HEAD COACH JEREMY KIPP RESIGNS AFTER FIVE MONTHS ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE by David Rieder Five months after he was placed on administrative leave, University of Southern California head swim coach Jeremy Kipp has announced his resignation. Lea Loveless Maurer, a two-time medalist at the 1992 Olympics and former head women’s coach at Stanford, will lead both programs until Kipp’s replacement is hired.

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018 TYR SPORT SIGNS OLYMPIC MEDALIST CLAIRE CURZAN by Ashleigh Shay

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020 ASTERISK NEEDED: SYMBOL WOULD DEFINE LIA THOMAS’ UNFAIR ADVANTAGE AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS by John Lohn In this commentary, the author suggests that wherever transgender swimmer Lia Thomas finishes at the women’s NCAA Championships, her name, for historical purposes, must be accompanied by an appropriate symbol, an asterisk that denotes a lack of fairness and disrespect for an entire sex.

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Wisconsin’s Phoebe Bacon ‘‘Pumped’’ for Olympic Backstroke Reunion at NCAAs BY MATTHEW DE GEORGE

s the NCAA postseason spring of 2021 turned toward an Olympic summer, Phoebe Bacon was squarely in the pack of American backstroke contenders.

seconds after prelims, then Bacon blasting a 27.90 final 50 that was the fastest in the field by a clear half-second – boded well for what she’d replicate in Omaha.

She’d worked hard to place herself in that conversation, via the Nation’s Capital Aquatic Club pathway that landed her at Olympic Trials at age 14 and twice atop the Pan Am Games podium just before her 18th birthday. But over a minute and 48.32 seconds at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in March, the University of Wisconsin freshman transformed herself not just into an NCAA champion but vaulted to the fore of the American backstroke field.

There, again, she entered as an underdog. Again, she got the better of a favored swimmer who had earlier won the 100 back (at NCAAs, it was Katharine Berkoff; at Trials, Regan Smith). And again, she rocketed through a stellar final 50 meters, her 32.39 split nearly a second quicker than Smith to shock the world-record holder and drop her to third.

“I was definitely really happy with my performance at NCAAs,” Bacon said last week. “Being a freshman, that was a pretty cool thing to happen. I do think it helped my confidence going into Trials because it helped to show that I made a good decision coming into college instead of deferring a year, and it helped me put a lot more trust – I trust Yuri (Suguiyama) and I trust the coaching staff here – but that was a boost to confidence, a boost to my trust and got me really excited for the long-course season.” The affirmation of NCAAs helped catapult her to a runnerup result in Omaha at U.S. Olympic Trials and fifth place in Tokyo in the 200 back. It also means a more seasoned Bacon will return to NCAAs this year, with even bigger goals. Bacon wasn’t a longshot at NCAAs last year. She’d had a tremendous freshman season for the Badgers and swam in a pair of A finals at NCAAs before the victory, taking fourth in the 200 individual medley and third in the 100 back. How she won the 200 back – with the top four seeds clustered with .15 8

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Growth begets growth for Bacon, and the experience of the Olympic stage and all the training around it has made her a wiser swimmer. “For me, it was definitely a little terrifying (at Trials), but at the same time, it’s prepared me for everything else the swimming world can throw at me,” she said. “Walking on the deck at Big Tens and having the stands packed with people, it’s not going to be a new feeling. It’s going to be like I’m right back where I was competing at Trials or in Tokyo, and it’s just going to get me fired up and ready to go.” One of those details is the backstroke reunion that NCAAs will serve as. Among a historically young Team USA in Tokyo, the college contingent of backstrokers managed to stand out. Smith will be there to represent Stanford, along with Rhyan White of Alabama, who made it to Tokyo over both distances. Bacon treasures the dynamic that group fostered in Tokyo and in the training trip preceding it. She’s learned valuable lessons in leadership that she’s tried to impart in Madison this

season, trying to reflect the general sense of positivity that pervaded that camp. But when the races start in Atlanta, friendships will take a backseat to the competitiveness that drove that group. “I know as soon as we get to NCs and we’re down on deck with each other, it’s going to light a fire under all of us and get us really pumped,” Bacon said. “There’s some rivalry going on. Of course I don’t want to let Rhyan beat me, and Rhyan wants to beat me, and you have Regan in there. It’s going to be a fight, but I think it’s going to have all of us going some very fast times.”

It’s yet another dimension in which the version of Bacon that steps on deck at NCAAs will have grown from the one last spring. “I knew since I was younger that I always wanted to be some big athlete in the world,” she said. “I had a love of soccer, ice hockey, you name it – I love it. But I don’t think I ever could’ve imagined that I would’ve been going to the Olympics for swimming when I was that young.”◄

She’ll bring momentum into the meet, off a stellar Big Ten Championships. She did the backstroke double, was third in the 200 IM and could swim up to four relays at NCAAs with the Badgers, who in finishing fourth as a team notched their best team finish in five years. For Bacon, all of that growth comes in perspective. Some of her formative swimming memories involved looking up to her NCAP teammate, Katie Ledecky. Not even halfway through her college career, she’s on the other side of that, the athlete being invited to talk to school groups or that young swimmers idolize.

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ASU’s Leon Marchand Is Wielding a Dangerous Pitchfork Ahead of NCAA Championships BY JOHN LOHN

little less than two years ago, Leon Marchand took to social media and flashed the Forks Up sign while wearing an Arizona State t-shirt. Even without reading Marchand’s words on Instagram, the message was clear: The young Frenchman was committing to the Sun Devils and putting his future training in the hands of ASU coach Bob Bowman. While Marchand enjoyed a strong regular season, his performances at last week’s Pac-12 Conference Championships confirmed his status as one of the world’s rising stars. Sure, some individuals will argue his efforts over the weekend are lost on much of the world, due to their shortcourse yards nature, but talent is talent, and the 19-year-old possesses considerable ability. As the Sun Devils finished third in the team standings, marking their best showing in 27 years, Marchand walked away from the meet with a trio of individual titles, which led to Swimmer of the Meet accolades, and as a member of the triumphant 800 freestyle relay. With the tandem of Grant House and Marchand, Bowman features one of the country’s premier tandems, and a squad on the rise. “I couldn’t be prouder of our guys,” Bowman said. “They are fully invested in our system and culture and we are just beginning to see what they can do. Congrats to Léon for his Swimmer of the Meet honor and to our 400 free relay for posting the fifth-fastest time in history. We are now fully focused on preparations for the NCAA Championships in 17 days.” Marchand has long been a known factor in the sport, jumpstarted by his bronze medal in the 400 individual medley at the 2019 World Junior Championships. His prowess in the 200 breaststroke and 200 butterfly has also been known, and the youngster put his skill set on full display at the Pac-12 Champs. Consider these accomplishments:

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En route to the title in the 400 individual medley, Marchand posted the No. 2 time in history with an effort of 3:34.45. That mark trails only the 3:33.42 that Chase Kalisz produced on the way to the 2017 NCAA title for Georgia.

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Marchand added a Pac-12 Championships meet record in the 200 individual, thanks to a swim of 1:39.65. And for good measure, he claimed the conference title in the 200 breaststroke behind a school record of 1:50.39.

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In relay action, Marchand was equally significant for the Sun Devils, as he anchored the 800 freestyle relay to victory with a split of 1:31.16. The squad’s time of 6:07.51 set a meet record. Meanwhile, the French star anchored the 400 freestyle relay in 41.26 as the Sun Devils went 2:45.95 for the fifth-fastest time ever, and just a hundredth of a second back of Cal for the conference title. He, too, was the anchor of the runnerup 400 medley relay.

It can be argued that, from a team-standings perspective, Arizona State is set up better for the NCAA Championships than it was for its conference champs. Bowman features a team with not only top-end firepower, but five relays capable of making noise. As ASU chases a top-five finish later this month in Atlanta, Marchand will certainly play a feature role. More, the freshman can be expected to factor into the medal picture in the 400 medley at this summer’s World Championships, which have been rescheduled for Budapest. Last summer, Marchand was a finalist in the event at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, placing sixth overall. He also advanced to the semifinals of the 200 butterfly. Expect bigger moments ahead. ◄

[ Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto ]

How Much Longer Will the International Swimming League Last? BY JESSE MARSH

hen Russian-Ukrainian businessman and billionaire Konstantin Grigorishin announced the creation of the first-ever swimming league, fans of the sport were extremely excited. The league meant more opportunities for athletes beyond the collegiate level and another revenue stream for professional swimmers. It was supposed to be a landmark achievement that revolutionized the sport worldwide. Three seasons later, it has been anything but what aquatic stakeholders envisioned. The International Swimming League (ISL) has been marred with controversy from its inception. As a precursor event for the league, Grigorishin and his Energy Standard Group sponsored an Energy for Swim meet in Italy in late December 2018, only a few days after the World Short Course Championships that year. Many elite swimmers, such as Olympic champions Adam Peaty, Michael Andrew and Sarah Sjostrom, signed up for the meet, with some like Peaty opting for the meet instead of World Short Course. As more and more high-profile athletes signed contracts and pulled out of the World Short Course Champs, FINA did whatever it could to block the meet from happening. The world aquatic governing body refused to give the approval the meet needed as an international competition to proceed and threatened athletes with one to two-year bans if they participated. After negotiations broke down between the two parties, Grigorishin canceled the meet and turned his attention to developing the International Swimming League. Its first season unfolded fairly well, with many top-level swimmers like Caeleb Dressel, Chad Le Clos and Ranomi Kromowidjojo going all in and competing at most, if not all the regularseason stops. With a seemingly successful first year, it looked like the league would only grow and attract the attention of every elite athlete and major corporate sponsors.

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The following season, though, commenced a steep downward spiral for the ISL. In June 2020, French newspaper LaPresse claimed the league owed them around 200,000 Euros from season one. Shortly after, another vendor, Flying Fish Productions, made a similar claim about not being paid. The ISL never responded to the accusations and, a few months later, announced a 2020 season in a COVID-19 safe bubble environment in Budapest, Hungary. Swimmers and fans were ecstatic as it brought light to a year that saw little competition in any sport and gave athletes a chance to salvage some earnings from a financially devastating year for most. Things appeared to be running smoothly before reports came out that the league owed digital agency LiveWire Sport a “six-figure sum” for content it created for ISL Season One. A few weeks after that, former Energy Standard General Manager (GM) Jean-Francois Salessy abruptly resigned from his post the same day his team qualified for the Season Two final. In an open letter to Grigorishin, he heavily criticized how he was running the league and said he “no longer wishes to be part of (Grigorishin’s) fake movie.” In the days that followed, LiveWire Sport instructed its lawyers to begin legal proceedings on the debt owed, and another report came out that IMG Media was still awaiting payments from Season One, the fourth company to make such an accusation. To further worsen matters, it was also revealed that multiple athletes had not received the solidarity payments promised at the beginning of the pandemic. In light of the dire financial and governance situation, managing director Herbert Montocoudiol joined Salessy in resigning. While Grigorishin tried to continue building the league with innovations like a draft, the controversy persisted. Last September, Salessy and Montocoudiol claimed that

the debts the league owed to the various companies were still unpaid. Not long after, veteran journalist Phil Lutton of the Sydney Morning Herald reported that athletes were considering boycotting the ISL Playoffs due to non-payments dating back to Season Two. The playoffs ended up taking place, as, according to two-time Olympic medalist Cody Miller, the league was able to pay most of the athletes in full. About a week before the ISL Final, Peaty put Miller’s statement into question when he revealed that he had not received full compensation for his participation in the 2020 season. The London Roar athlete told Swimming World: “I am still not paid for everything. I’ve been part-paid but not for all of it, and that is from last year.” Considering Peaty is one of the most high-profile athletes in the sport, one would think he would be one of the first to be paid. He shared similar beliefs, questioning how many athletes had actually received payments. “If I’ve not been paid, then who else hasn’t?” asked the double Olympic champion. Roar GM Rob Woodhouse (who has since resigned) said Grigorishin assured him that the world record holder’s payment was coming, but it is uncertain whether that has actually happened. Amid mounting debts and continued controversy, the ISL recently announced its Season Four plans. The league is set to begin in June with a 24-match schedule, consisting of 15 regular season matches, six playoff matches, and one final, in addition to a wildcard match in both the regular season and playoffs. It also promised increased prize money and an option for athletes to be either a “pro” or “semi-pro” to give them more flexibility in planning their 2022 schedules. A few days after the ISL announcement, FINA revealed that it would be having an “extraordinary” World Aquatic Championships held in late June in Budapest. With FINA postponing the World Championships previously scheduled for May in Fukuoka, Japan, to next summer, there were initially no plans for global international competition in 2022. But, according to the governing body’s announcement, it wanted to ensure “athletes have a global aquatics championships to target in the summer of 2022.” While it is welcome news for American swimmers who had no international meets to target in 2022, it poses another challenge for the ISL as the meet conflicts with the regular season. The following days brought further blows for the league. Within 72 hours of FINA’s announcement, Woodhouse and Olympic gold medalist Kaitlin Sandeno stepped down from their respective roles as the GMs for the Londor Roar and

DC Trident. While Sandeno never gave any specific reason for her departure, Woodhouse, an Olympic medalist himself, said he stepped down because he lost “belief in the vision and strategy of the league.” To add insult to injury, less than a week ago, the Dutch Swimming Federation (KNZB) prohibited its swimmers from competing in ISL Season Four, as it believes the schedule overcrowds the national and international sporting calendar. According to Ben Van Rompuy, assistant professor of EU Competition Law at Leiden University in the Netherlands, the KNZB also views the ISL as an “unreliable partner for its members.” Although legendary Netherlands ISL swimmer Kromowidjojo is now retired, many elite Dutch swimmers such Kira Toussaint (London Roar), Jesse Puts (Cali Condors), and Arno Kamminga (Aqua Centurions) have excelled in the ISL in the past. With international competitions obviously taking precedence, we may see other major federations imposing similar rules, at least for the first five matches. Looking at the near future, another thing to consider is the cramped international schedule in the lead-up to Paris 2024. With the addition of Budapest in June, athletes will have three World Championships in the two years before the Olympics. Thinking about how many championships there are in the already condensed Olympic cycle due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most athletes will be looking to carefully manage their schedules so that they can peak for the pinnacle event. This could leave many elite athletes limiting their participation or forgoing the league altogether. Overall, things do not look good for the ISL’s future. In its three years of existence, it has been constantly embroiled in conflict with FINA, damaged relationships with numerous outside stakeholders, and struggled to garner fulltime commitment from the sport’s most elite athletes. Additionally, it is not a good sign that multiple people formerly in high-level positions within the ISL have lost faith in the league and have openly spoken out about its poor management. As swimming enthusiasts, we have longed for an avenue to revolutionize the sport. While we thought the ISL was the answer, each season has shown how less and less likely that is.◄ All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff BIWEEKLY

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Vladimir Putin Stripped of FINA Order; Russia & Belarus Can Compete as ‘‘Neutral’’ Athletes BY LIZ BYRNES

ollowing the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has been stripped of the FINA Order awarded to him in 2014. The Russian president is the second man to have had a FINA honor withdrawn in recent months following Dr Lothar Kipke’s removal from the honors list in November 2021. Kipke was the chief doctor of the East German swimming team during the 1970s and 80s and he was presented with the FINA silver pin award in 1985. He was convicted in January 2000 of more than 50 charges of causing bodily harm after giving performance-enhancing drugs to young athletes. FINA had already cancelled the World Junior Championships set for Kazan in August although the World Short-Course Championships scheduled for the same city in December still remain. The world governing body has also said that Russian and Belarussian swimmers can compete as neutrals – be that as individuals or teams. Quite how that will be determined remains unclear and is at odds with the call of Ukrainian athletes – among them Andriy Govorov and Mykhailo Romanchuk – to suspend the Russia and Belarus National Olympic Committees while barring athletes from competing at the Paralympic Winter Games starting in Beijing on 4 March. The group said “aggressor countries should not have any rights to participate in sports events.” A statement by FINA read: “With Russian aggression continuing in Ukraine, the FINA Bureau has today made further decisions:

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“The FINA Order awarded to Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2014 has been withdrawn. “Until further notice, no athlete or Aquatics official from Russia or Belarus be allowed to take part under the name of Russia or Belarus. “Russian or Belarusian nationals, be it as individuals or teams, should be accepted only as neutral athletes or neutral teams. No national symbols, colours, flags should be displayed or anthems should be played, in international Aquatics events which are not already part of the respective World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) sanctions for Russia. “FINA remains deeply concerned about the impact of the war on the aquatics community and the wider population of Ukraine. FINA will continue to carefully monitor the grave situation and make further decisions as appropriate.” Putin was awarded the FINA Order by then President Julio Maglione at an international sport conference in Cheboksary, Russia. It happened in October 2014 – months after the invasion and annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula. The press release at the time read: “The FINA Order is granted to a Head of State or individuals of high dignity, who have achieved remarkable merit in the world of Aquatics. “In the case of President Putin, FINA recognized his important support in the organization of major FINA events in Russian soil, thus bringing additional development to FINA disciplines and providing increased value to Aquatics within the Russian society and worldwide.”◄

[ Photo by Becca Wyant ]

FINA Condemns “All Acts of Aggression” and Pledges to Provide Support for Aquatic Family BY LIZ BYRNES

INA has condemned “all acts of aggression and is extremely concerned by the escalation of conflict in Ukraine” following the military invasion by Russia. They have also cancelled Russia v Greece in the men’s Water Polo World League scheduled for 8 March and the Artistic Swimming and Diving World Series on 8-10 April. Kazan, Russia, is set to host the World Junior Championships in August with the FINA World Short-Course Championships scheduled for the same city from 17-22 December, the start date being notable as the day after Russia’s ban on hosting global sports events expires. However, FINA has not yet cancelled or relocated those events and it is unclear when they will make a decision which is at odds with other sporting federations. The Formula One Grand Prix scheduled for September in Sochi has already been cancelled while football’s Champions League final has been switched from St Petersburg to Paris. UEFA – Europe’s football governing body – has said that Russian and Ukrainian clubs and national teams in UEFA competitions will have to play at neutral venues until further notice.

The statement by FINA said: “While continuing to hold the view that sport should remain politically neutral, FINA condemns all acts of aggression and is extremely concerned by the escalation of conflict in Ukraine. “All athletes, including those preparing for the 19th FINA World Championships Budapest 2022, deserve to feel safe in their training and competitive environment, and importantly, to be heard. “Following consultation with many athletes, in addition to National Federations and concerned members of the FINA Family, the forthcoming FINA Men’s Water Polo World League game (RUS v GRE) will no longer take place as scheduled in St. Petersburg (8 March). “Furthermore, the cluster event of FINA Artistic Swimming and Diving World Series in Kazan will be cancelled (8-10 April). “Where alternative arrangements can be made for these events, they will be communicated as soon as possible.

The world governing body’s statement follows the expression of “strong solidarity and support” by European federation LEN.

“Other FINA events that are scheduled in Russia for later in the year are under close review, with FINA monitoring events in Ukraine very carefully.

The IOC has also called on international federations to cancel or relocate sports events that are currently being held or scheduled to be hosted in Russia or Belarus.

“FINA pledges to provide whatever practical support it can give to any member of our Aquatic family impacted by this situation.” ◄ BIWEEKLY

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USC Head Coach Jeremy Kipp Resigns After Five Months on Administrative Leave BY DAVID RIEDER

ive months after he was placed on administrative leave, University of Southern California head swim coach Jeremy Kipp has announced his resignation. The school announced the news in a press release Sunday afternoon, less than 24 hours after the conclusion of the men’s Pac-12 Championships. Lea Loveless Maurer, a two-time medalist at the 1992 Olympics and former head women’s coach at Stanford, will remain in the role of interim head coach. In October, the Orange County Register reported that Kipp was under investigation for “multiple allegations of abuse… including that he threw a water bottle at a swimmer.” USC declined to share details at the time but did confirm that Kipp was on leave. Now, his departure from the program will be permanent. There had been no additional news regarding Kipp’s status since then. Kipp, hired in May 2020, had completed one full season at USC in which the Trojans finished fourth out of seven teams at the women’s Pac-12 championships and fifth out of five teams at the men’s meet. After losing a wave of elite swimmers to graduation, including NCAA champion Louise Hansson, neither program finished inside the top-20 at the NCAA championships. At USC, Kipp replaced head coach Dave Salo, who led the Trojans for 14 years after Mark Schubert left to become the national team director of USA Swimming. Kipp had been an assistant under Salo until 2015 and then the head coach at Boise State for three seasons and the head coach at Northwestern for two years before returning to Los Angeles. Read the full press release from USC below: Jeremy Kipp, head coach of the USC men’s and women’s swimming teams the past two seasons, announced today (March 6) that he is resigning.

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“Due to the difficulty of these last few months, I have informed athletic director Mike Bohn that I believe it is best for me to separate from the program at this time,” said Kipp. “I’d like to thank Mike for giving me the opportunity to lead the Trojans during a most unprecedented time in the history of NCAA sports. I am proud of the staff that I assembled and what we were able to accomplish in such a short time. Both the men’s and women’s programs are again competing at the highest level while achieving academic success in the classroom. I look forward to watching the Trojans’ continued success at the Pac-12 and NCAA Championships for years to come. I am forever grateful for the support I’ve received from many of the athletes I’ve coached in my career.” Said Bohn: “We appreciate Jeremy’s nearly 10 years of service to our swim programs. We wish him well in his future endeavors.” Kipp came to USC after two seasons (2019-20) as the director of men’s and women’s swimming at Northwestern. Before that, he was the women’s swimming and diving head coach at Boise State for three years (2016-18). He spent eight seasons (2008-15) as an assistant at USC and eight years (2000-07) as an assistant at UC Santa Barbara. Both the USC men’s and women’s teams are currently ranked No. 11 nationally and have 5-2 dual records as they head into the NCAA Championships in Atlanta (March 16-19 for the women and March 23-26 for the men). The Women of Troy finished third at the recent 2022 Pac-12 Championships, while the men were fourth at the just-concluded Pac-12 meet. Associate head coach Lea Maurer will lead both programs until Kipp’s replacement is hired. ◄

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TYR Sport Signs Olympic Medalist Claire Curzan BY ASHLEIGH SHAY

t just 17-years-old, Claire Curzan is a rising victor in the water. A 15x Individual NAG record holder and the youngest female athlete to hold an American Record, Curzan has been a facet on the national stage for years. She exploded onto the international scene at the 2019 World Junior Championships, battling her way to one gold, one silver, and two bronze medals. In 2021, Curzan made her Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games, where she competed in the individual 100m Butterfly and brought home a silver medal for her effort in the preliminaries of the 4x100m Medley Relay. She finished 2021 with an electrifying performance at the Short Course World Championships, finishing with two gold, two silver, and two bronze medals. By the end of the year, Curzan had cemented herself as a force on the international level. And she’s just getting started. Only at the start of her career, Curzan’s enduring dedication and tenacity will continue to defend her stance as one of the most elite swimmers in the world. “I am so excited to join Team TYR!” said Curzan, “We both value performance and have a true passion for swimming. Recently, I was able to set a new American Record in the 100 yard butterfly wearing the Venzo Phantom suit. I am looking forward to this journey with an amazing company who believes in me.” Curzan recently finished her last high school season, wrapping up her time competing for her high school, Cardinal

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Gibbons. She continues to compete with her club team, the TAC Titans. As the #1 high school recruit of her class, she will be continuing her athletic career as a part of Stanford University’s Class of 2026. Her unrelenting dedication to excellence and indisputable athletic prowess truly represent TYR’s mission. With Curzan’s signing, she will join a growing team of champions, including Torri Huske, Kelsi Dahlia, Annie Lazor, Lilly King, and Katie Ledecky. “We at TYR Sport are very proud to bring Claire aboard our team,” Matt Dilorenzo, CEO of TYR Sport, said, “She is a force to be reckoned with and is already such a powerful athlete. We know that she has an unstoppable career ahead of her, and we can’t wait to see where she will go from here.” Since its inception three decades ago, TYR Sport has grown to exist as one of the world’s most recognizable swimming and triathlon brands. Founded in Huntington Beach, California, the American company has garnered industry success for major technologies including the celebrated Venzo technical suit. Today, TYR has become synonymous with the most groundbreaking athletes in swimming and continues to be the choice of champions. ◄ The above press release was posted by Swimming World in conjunction with TYR.

Asterisk Needed: Symbol Would Define Lia Thomas’ Unfair Advantage At NCAA Championships BY JOHN LOHN

* * *

ee those symbols above? They’re known as asterisks, but you probably knew that. In mathematics, they can be used as a multiplication sign. They’re used when letters are omitted from an offensive word, typically a profanity. In the sports world, they’re used when a record or accomplishment requires a footnote. The most-famous instance of asterisk use involved Major League Baseball’s single-season home run record, specifically the 1961 chase of Babe Ruth by fellow New York Yankee Roger Maris. In 1927, during a 154-game season, Ruth launched 60 home runs for a team considered one of the greatest in the sport’s history. Thirty-four years later, Maris broke the record with a 61-dinger campaign. However, Maris benefited from a 162-game season, and Commissioner Ford Frick ordered separate records be distinguished. Alas, the asterisk came into play. Well, it might be time to break out that star-shaped symbol once again. There’s a reason three asterisks adorn the top of this column. One each for the events the University of Pennsylvania’s Lia Thomas will contest at the upcoming NCAA Women’s

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Swimming and Diving Championships. If the NCAA desired to conduct a fair championship competition, Thomas would not have received an invitation to Atlanta. By now, the Thomas saga is a well-known tale. She formerly competed as a member of Penn’s men’s squad for three years, before transitioning to a woman during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the beginning of the 2021-22 season, Thomas started to compete for the Penn women’s team, having met the NCAA’s transgender-participation condition of one year of hormone-suppressant therapy. That requirement, which was based on outdated science, has since been changed. The NCAA initially indicated it would follow USA Swimming guidelines for transgender inclusion, but when the governing body for the sport in the United States announced stringent parameters, the NCAA balked. Thomas is days away from racing against biological females, and the NCAA Championships will be defined by an uneven playing field. How can anything else be suggested? By undergoing male puberty, Thomas possesses several advantages over her competition. Body frame. Innate strength. Lung capacity. Larger hands and feet. Think these areas don’t provide an ample edge? Consider this statistic: Thomas was ranked in the mid-500s in the 200 freestyle when racing for the Penn men’s squad. She is now ranked No. 1 among women. “The very simple answer is that I’m not a man,” Thomas told

Sports Illustrated in an exclusive interview. “I’m a woman, so I belong on the women’s team. Trans people deserve that same respect every other athlete gets.” And biological women deserve respect, too, and the assurance they will head into a race not already at a disadvantage. With Thomas on the blocks, that scenario is a farce. Based on her times and comparative rankings, Thomas’ male-puberty advantage has not been mitigated. Not even close. And if she wins an NCAA title, it will deny the runnerup of a title that should be a crowning moment in a career. Heck, if Thomas finishes fourth in a race, she is robbing the fifth-place finisher of her proper placement. At last month’s Ivy League Championships, where Thomas won three events, she denied the opposition of rightful conference titles. By allowing Thomas to race in its championship competition, the NCAA has turned its back on biological females. It could have provided Thomas with an opportunity to exhibition or time trial, but to let her compete – with a scientifically proven advantage – on the biggest collegiate stage is an affront to the women who have trained for years, and do not benefit from male-puberty boosts. Really, it shouldn’t be surprising that the NCAA has placed its support behind Thomas and opted to abandon the bulk of its competitors. The Ivy League and University of Pennsylvania did the same thing and took a bully approach toward anyone willing to challenge Thomas’ presence in a female sport. Never mind that the discussion focused on fairness. If someone dared to argue that Thomas did not belong in women’s competition, they were immediately labeled transphobic. Call it a thinly veiled plan of attack by the Ivy League and Penn to muzzle opposing voices, and an approach that has worked. Numerous Penn swimmers and their parents have argued against Thomas’ participation, but their complaints were made anonymously. Why? They were told there would be repercussions. They were told future employment could be affected. They feared being canceled.

support it.” The NCAA Championships should be a celebration of the past few months, and the work done by athletes to reach their sport’s year-end finale. Instead, the women’s meet is going to be a circus, with media from all corners present to document a storyline that should not have reached this point. Again, Lia Thomas could have been provided suitable alternatives to display her ability in the pool – but not at the expense of biological women. Now, it’s too late. Who knows what type of results Thomas will post in Atlanta? If she can muster performances similar to those she produced at the Zippy Invitational in early December, she will contend for NCAA championships. The bottom line is that her performances are not legitimate for someone competing in a women’s sport. They are supported by considerable testosterone production of the past, coupled with other physiological advantages. When Thomas touches the wall at the NCAA Championships, she may claim victory and stand atop the awards podium. She might stand on the third or fourth step, too. As unlikely as it is, she might falter. Wherever she finishes, her name, for historical purposes, must be accompanied by an appropriate symbol, one that denotes a lack of fairness and disrespect for an entire sex. ◄ * * *

All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.

“While I was (researching the situation), my daughter and the rest of the Ivy League were getting another kind of education, the kind no one should receive,” the parent of a Penn swimmer SWIM MART recently told Women’s Declaration International. “The Ivy League released their statement dripping with sexism. Mandatory meetings were called by schools with scripts read by coaches. The girls, already caught off guard, and intimidated but upset, were now silenced. They were manipulated, coerced and emotionally blackmailed. They were told their leagues and their schools had spoken and made their positions clear. They, as athletes, had NZCordz.com made their decisions to be part of 800.886.6621 the school and the league and had to

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Like Father, Like Daughter Katharine Berkoff’s dad, David, is an Olympic medalist and former world record holder. Today, Katharine (pictured), a junior at North Carolina State, is experiencing her own swimming success. BY DAVID RIEDER

wo characteristics of Katharine Berkoff distinguish her from the majority of elite swimmers. First, she is the daughter of David Berkoff, a four-time Olympic medalist (two gold, one silver, one bronze) and four-time world record holder in the late 1980s/early 1990s. The elder Berkoff was the first man ever to break 55 seconds in the 100 meter backstroke, and he was a pioneer in swimming as he perfected the “Berkoff Blastoff,” kicking underwater for more than half the length off the start in his backstroke races. As Katharine has become an impact performer in her own right, she has never felt pressure to live up to her father’s impressive example. Instead, his success inspired Katharine on her own path, one that brought her within tenths of an Olympic spot as she finished fourth in the 100 backstroke as a 20-year-old at the 2021 Olympic Trials. “The only pressure I ever felt was from myself because I just wanted to do it for myself, and my dad was definitely a huge inspiration. I don’t think I would have had those Olympic dreams without him. He played a big role in my goal-setting, but it was never a negative thing,” she said. “Ever since I was old enough to care about swimming, I decided I wanted to make the Olympic team. And my dad was always very supportive of that and told me he knew I could do it.” David actually coached Katharine at one point while she was growing up, although Katharine admitted that “it just made me really annoyed when he told me to do things.” But later on, Katharine would rely on her father for race tips and analysis “because he knows me as a swimmer really well.” She admitted that perhaps she was destined to become a backstroker since that was David’s specialty as well as her mother’s and her brother’s best stroke during their swimming careers. So Berkoff’s bloodlines make her a rarity in U.S. swimming, where second-generation Olympians are rare but not unheard of. But her second characteristic is even more uncommon: She is an elite swimmer from Montana, a state with virtually no record of having produced elite swimming talent. Berkoff grew up in Missoula before heading to the opposite corner of the country for college at North Carolina State University. And she admits that she actually prefers the weather in often-frigid 22

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Montana to the weather in the humid southeast. “Most people would disagree with me, but I really like when it’s super cold, like negative-10,” Berkoff said. NC STATE: THE RIGHT CHOICE Warm weather aside, the experience at NC State has been nearly perfect. Berkoff’s first NCAA Championships were canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but during her sophomore season last year, she captured an individual national title in the 100 yard backstroke. She won the race by almost a half-second while swimming a time of 49.74 to become the fourth-fastest performer in history. At the same meet, she led off a pair of Wolfpack medley relays that captured national titles, both with upset performances over ACC rival Virginia. Berkoff teamed with Sophie Hansson, Kylie Alons and Julia Poole to win the 400 medley relay on the second night of the meet, and a day later, after Berkoff had won her national title and Hansson had won the 100 breast, the team of Berkoff, Hansson, Sirena Rowe and Alons won the 200 medley relay. “It was such a monumental moment,” Berkoff said. “We got back to the hotel after winning the (400 medley) relay, and (head coach) Braden (Holloway) started crying. He was so proud of us, and everyone was crying, and we were all so excited. And after that, we just felt unstoppable.” Those wins were the first-ever national titles in swimming for the NC State women’s team—and the Wolfpack ended the meet with five wins, as Hansson added a second individual crown in the 200 breast on the final day. NC State’s program had taken off since Holloway took over the program prior to the 2011-12 season, capturing two ACC team titles during that span. But at this national championship meet, the Wolfpack women achieved the highest team finish in their program’s history by five spots. Having never before finished higher than seventh, NC State ended up taking second place behind Virginia, defeating Texas by just 9.5 points for runner-up honors. “Even though we got second, it felt like we won because that’s the best our team had ever done, and it’s just cool to have two ACC teams on top,” Berkoff said.

DISAPPOINTMENT AT OLYMPIC TRIALS Heading into the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2021, Berkoff was the reigning World University Games champion in the 100 meter backstroke, but she would be racing against the most competitive field at the entire meet. It included two previous world record holders (Regan Smith and Kathleen Baker), another swimmer who had won bronze in the event at the previous World Championships (Olivia Smoliga) and two others who had previously broken 59 (Rhyan White and Phoebe Bacon). Berkoff quickly gave notice that she would be in the mix when she clocked 58.88 in prelims, and then she finished third in the semifinals with a 58.60. In the final, Berkoff turned in second place at the halfway point, but she could not hold off White on the second length of the pool. She ended up fourth. Even though few considered Berkoff one of the favorites to make the Olympic team in the event, she was devastated. She had believed in herself and planned for that outcome, so simply swimming well at the biggest meet of her life was little consolation. “I just decided I was gonna make it. And so that was my plan,” Berkoff said. “I was really nervous going into it, and I think a little too nervous, and my finals race, I took it out a little too fast, and my last 15 meters were pretty vertical.” She added, “It’s just not the outcome I wanted or planned for.” COMPETING AGAINST THE WORLD’S BEST After that, Berkoff admitted, she had a hard time getting back into training, and she realized that she “needed to not think about swimming so much, so I decided I just needed to get over this because it’s not helping me to be sad about it.” Shortly after Berkoff began her junior season of college swimming, she got an invitation to make her debut at a worldlevel senior meet, the Short Course World Championships in Abu

Dhabi in late December, and Berkoff took full advantage of that experience. She earned a bronze medal in the 100 back, finishing just 2-tenths away from gold, and she won five medals on American relays, including a pair of golds as the third leg of the U.S. women’s 200 and 400 freestyle relays. “It was really exciting, and that was my first time ever being on freestyle relays for Team USA, which was a pretty huge step forward for my freestyle. It was my biggest international meet ever. And I think the lessons I learned at Trials really helped me in my 100 back final because I just tried not to let the nerves get to me, and not take it out too fast and just know that any outcome is fine,” Berkoff said. “I’ve always seen myself doing it, so it was awesome to finally be in that position where I’m racing other countries’ best 100 backstrokers. And I think it was a really good learning experience, just learning how to race people who are really, really fast.” FUTURE AMBITIONS Berkoff will take those lessons into her junior-year championship season for NC State, where the Wolfpack will again be favored for a repeat Top-5 finish on the national level, and she will be aiming to defend her individual 100 back title against a loaded field. She also will combine with Hansson and Alons to form medley relays that will again be dangerous. Beyond the college realm, Berkoff still has ambitions of coming through the always-grueling gauntlet of 100 backstroke qualifying races in the United States and eventually making an Olympic team— inspired by her father, but not because of him. Maybe Katharine inherited some of David’s brilliant backstroking genetics, but she has created her own legacy of swimming greatness. ◄

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[ Photo by Peter H. Bick ]

Grant House Pursuing Excellence for Arizona State After Two Years Away From College Swimming BY DAVID RIEDER

he last time Grant House competed in a college championship meet was in March 2019, at the NCAA Championships in Austin, Texas, where he topped out at a 10th-place finish in the 200 freestyle. At the time, House was 20 and already a solid performer on the national stage for Arizona State University, but his 200 free was one of just three individual scoring swims for the Sun Devils at that meet. Now, House is 23, one of the older swimmers and one of the most experienced swimmers on head coach Bob Bowman’s roster. House missed the 2019-2020 season to take an Olympic redshirt year and prepare for the Trials for the Tokyo Games, “doing my own thing with Coach Bowman and the pro group,” House said. Then, for the 2020-21 season, Arizona State redshirted the entire team. After the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Championships because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bowman and his staff did not want to risk swimmers losing a year of eligibility in case the pandemic ruined another championship season. During the fall of 2020, House began training primarily under Herbie Behm, hired as ASU’s sprint coach. The Sun Devils were out of college competition, so the team focused on simply training for the majority of the year. But once per

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week, the swimmers would suit up and race in a pseudo-meet designed to replicate normal racing conditions. “Every Friday, we would put touch pads in. We would go off the blocks. Sometimes we would set up the pool in full meet format. Sometimes it would be long course. Sometimes it would be short course. But making sure we don’t lose that racing element or racing environment,” House said. “We didn’t prepare at all. We didn’t shave or taper. We would put on suits wherever we were at, and we kind of just kept building on that.” Arizona State returned to college swimming in the fall, and the men’s team delivered a significant statement performance in November at the NC State Invitational in Greensboro, N.C.. At the forefront were IMer Leon Marchand, an Olympic finalist for France at the Tokyo Games, and House, a native of Mainesville, Ohio. At that meet, House crushed his best time in the 200 free with a 1:31.73, becoming the first man to break 1:32 during the 2021-22 college season, and he also posted elite times in the 200 IM (1:42.05) and 100 free (42.06). House was also a key member of Arizona State 400 and 800 freestyle relay teams that entered the conversation for a top-five finish at the NCAA Championships, along with Marchand, Carter Swift, Cody Bybee and Jack Dolan.

Since Bowman took over the ASU program in the fall of 2015, the Sun Devil men have shown significant improvements on the national stage, finishing as high as 14th at the NCAA Championships in 2018. But this midseason performance put them in the conversation for their first top-10 finish at the national level. “The goal was to show what we’ve been working on, what we’ve been doing this whole time and just get a glimpse of what we’re capable of. The world hadn’t really seen it yet. We hadn’t seen it on a stage like that either. It’s just kind of proving to ourselves and anyone who may be doubting us what we’re really capable of,” House said. “And competing with what is the best of our sport. Stanford, NC State, phenomenal teams, year in and year out, perennial powerhouses. Competing on a high stage and not just a mediocre invite where we would easily win but going up across the country, in an entirely different environment and competing with the best of the best and seeing where we fall.” Olympic Trials Opportunity Shortly before House left for Omaha and the 2021 Olympic Trials, the meet he had been focused on for two full years because of his own redshirt year and then the entire team’s redshirt year, House felt an old rib injury flare up. “It felt like someone was taking a knife and sticking it in my ribs. Something just triggered a huge pain response, and for five days, within two weeks of Olympic Trials, I wasn’t able to swim anything besides moderate freestyle,” House said, who laughed at the fact that he could not swim three of the four strokes he needed Continued >>

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a test of internal discipline for me,” House said “Every single night, I went to bed with my head on that pillow knowing I gave everything I could. I prepared the best I could and did as well as I could. Just the gratitude to be in that event and competing with the best and just proving to myself that I get to race against the best in the world and that I am part of that group as well. It’s the ultimate opportunity.” In his first race in Omaha, House ended up 17th in the 200 free, more than a second off his best time and missing out on a spot in the semifinals by just three hundredths, but he caught a break when two of the swimmers ranked ahead of him, Caeleb Dressel and Ryan Held, scratched to focus on other events. He took advantage of the opportunity in the semifinals and improved his time to 1:47.28, leaving him 11th and narrowly outside the top eight. Still, that performance was a strong indicator that House belonged in the conversation of the country’s top 200 freestylers. House ended up just missing out on two other occasions during the meet as he tied for 17th in the 100 free and then took ninth in the 200 IM, where he swam under 2:00 for the first time. Finally, “I got to end the meet with the 50 freestyle on my birthday at Olympic Trials. Like, come on. You can’t ask for much more than that. It was a great opportunity.” The Vision for Arizona State Swimming

for his 200 IM. “I remember telling Herbie, ‘I don’t care what happens. Nothing is going to stop me from performing at Olympic Trials.” House remembers walking into the venue for the first time with Carson Foster, a fellow Ohioan and someone House referred to as “basically a younger pseudo-brother.” As the two looked around the warmup pool, House thought, “It was just less of a big deal to me.” He credited his work on mental training with Behm over the previous year for putting himself into a spot where he could be calm and confident in his own training and abilities, despite a meet that yields high levels of stress for even the most elite swimmers. “All the practices the year before, I cannot thank Herbie enough because every day was just how I can be the best version of myself, what I can control, the factors that I internally control about myself without concern about anything else: waking up in the morning, journaling, reading, having the food that I want. I can control those factors, get my thoughts in line and handle the rest of it. It was really just 26

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When House committed to swim for Arizona State, he was coming to a program with very little history of swimming success, but the team was under the direction of Bowman, one of the most wellknown swim coaches in the world after he guided Michael Phelps to five Olympic Games and 23 gold medals, the most of any Olympian in history. Right away, House was galvanized to help Bowman bring that level of achievement to the college level. “It’s pretty inspiring and kind of almost incomprehensible sometimes,” House said of swimming for Bowman. “With the NCAA circuit being short course yards, we have our opportunity to do what hasn’t been the main focus of his career all the time, and I find that really empowering.” Bowman arrived in Tempe in 2015 with a vision for what success in swimming looked like and how to achieve it, and after almost five years in the program already, House has become a firm believer in those teachings. “Bob is a big believer that it’s not these miraculous moments that we rise to the occasion to every time,” House said.

House has been stymied on numerous occasions by illnesses and injuries, and this season is no exception. Following the midseason meet, House ended up battling both influenza and COVID, and just prior to the Sun Devils’ final dual meet against Arizona State, House hit his head on a doorframe and felt foggy for a few days after, and although he was not diagnosed at the time, trainers determined later that he probably had a mild concussion. But House was fine by the time he got to the meet, and he ended up swimming a 1:32.18 in the 200 free, faster than any other swimmer had recorded all season up to that point.

[ Photo by Peter H. Bick ]

“It’s that performance will ultimately sink to the lowest level that you maintain on a constant basis. And that’s been really inspiring to me. If I can make my worst day better than everyone else’s best day, that’s the key. That’s a level of excellence that we try and maintain here.” Unfortunately for the Sun Devils, their worst moments have come at inopportune times in past championship seasons, but House believes the key to overcoming those obstacles “is just staying healthy and doing what the coaches tell us to do.” He listed a myriad of circumstances that have derailed past ASU teams, including multiple swimmers contracting mononucleosis and the flu and even one swimmer falling off a bicycle and breaking an arm the day before leaving for the Pac-12 Championships.

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While he certainly hopes to have gotten his injuries out of the way prior to championship season, just being able to handle these challenges and stay on course has been encouraging. “I pretty much hit 50% of my December training which, in the past, would have freaked me out, but a lot of work with Bob and Herbie on my mental state, just handling things, going through a meet and a season, just maturing and developing, really brought a lot of ease and back to center for me,” House said. Now, it’s performance time, with the Sun Devils competing this week at the Pac-12 Championships in Federal Way, Wash., and then three weeks later at the NCAA Championships in Atlanta. This is the best men’s team that Arizona State has put together during Bowman’s tenure and thus the most significant meets, and House knows that both his performance and his leadership as an upperclassman will be critical in that effort. “If we can be the best version of ourselves every day, each individual, then as a collective group, we’re going to be the best version we can be,” he said. “What we can do is bring our best intent, our best practice, our best effort and our best focus every day, and outside the pool as well, to put ourselves in the best possible spot. The results have continually shown that ASU is getting better and better, and if anything gets in the way, we’ll adjust, adapt and address what needs to be. It’s exciting.” ◄

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CLASSIFIED CAMP COUNSELORS / COACHES The Michigan Swim Camp at the University of Michigan is looking for individuals seeking an opportunity to work with Olympic coach Mike Bottom and staff. Five sessions (June 5-9, June 12-16, July 31 – August 4, August 7-11). Room, board, plus $550/week salary and $125 travel expense help. Applicants must be 21 years or older, have attended at least two years of college and have experience as a competitive swimmer and/or coach. References, clean background check, CPR and First Aid certification are required. For more information email Lauralyn Bottom, lbottom98@ gmail.com. Candidates must be willing to work in an alcohol/drug-free environment. Michigan Swim Camp, LLC Jim Richardson, Camp Director 2062 Castello Circle Cell: 734-845-8596 Ann Arbor, MI. 48108 Fax: 734-929-2477 E-mail: umswim1@gmail.com Web: www.michiganswimcamp.com www.camps.mgoblue.com/swimming BIWEEKLY

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[ Photo Courtesy International Swimming Hall of Fame Archive ]

Navy Swimming Hero Charles Jackson French to Have Pool Named in His Honor BY MATTHEW DE GEORGE

harles Jackson French, the Black Naval sailor who swam 15 shipmates to safety during World War II, will have a training pool at a naval base in San Diego named in his honor. French, a Petty Officer First Class, served on the U.S.S. Gregory when it was sunk by Japanese forces during the Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942. The 22-year-old mess attendant was the only uninjured person. He loaded 15 injured men into a life raft and, tying a rope around his waist, towed the raft through shark-infested waters for more than six hours in the dark until a rescue craft spotted them. “I am proud to announce the Navy is dedicating a rescue swimming training pool here at Naval Base San Diego to Mess Attendant First Class Charles Jackson French in honor of his heroic actions,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday said in a press release in February. “Generations of Sailors will train there and never forget the values and legacy of such a brave American hero.” Honors have been delayed for French, who died in 1956. While he was recognized in popular culture through comics, poems and a radio drama, the military has been slow to recognize the “Hero of the Solomon Islands.” He was recommended in 1943 for a Navy Cross but received only a letter of commendation for “meritorious conduct.” A resurfacing of French’s name in history led in 2021 to official praise by Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon. Bacon and other congressmen have passed a bill through the House of

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Representatives seeking to rename the post office in Benson, Neb., in French’s honor. Former International Swimming Hall of Fame CEO Bruce Wigo continually highlighted French’s efforts and achievements, recognition that led to movements on French’s behalf in other circles. The latest naval honor is a more concrete step. The pool at the Naval Aviation Schools Command (NASC) is used to train Navy rescue swimmers in techniques for search and rescue operations at sea. A formal dedication ceremony is slated for May. French lived in San Diego following World War II. He is buried at Fort Rosencrans National Cemetary in San Diego. “We are absolutely elated and truly humbled to have our training pool dedicated in honor of Charles Jackson French,” said Capt. Edgardo Moreno, NASC commanding officer. “His brave and courageous actions embody the very best in our Navy and his story is a compelling example to all Sailors for generations to come.” “It is a privilege to be the regional commander at this time to endorse this key action in recognizing the heroism of Charles Jackson French,” said Rear Adm. Stephen D. Barnett, commander of Navy Region Southwest. “He exemplified the Navy’s values of honor, courage and commitment, and it is well past time that we recognize his actions in this way.” ◄

[ Photo by Peter H. Bick ]

USA Swimming Foundation Announces Tim Buckley, Jon Kossow, Greg Pinchbeck to Board

he USA Swimming Foundation, the philanthropic arm of USA Swimming, today announced the addition of three new members on its Board of Directors. Tim Buckley, Jon Kossow and Greg Pinchbeck were elected during the December board meeting to serve on the USA Swimming Foundation Board of Directors through 2024. “We are excited to have these high-profile business executives join our board,” said David Shackley, Chair of the USA Swimming Foundation Board of Directors. “In addition to their love of swimming, they bring an array of experience that will enable the board to continue to ramp-up our fundraising efforts.” Buckley is the founder of Vintage Design LLC, a full-service design studio with numerous locations throughout California and Utah. He is also the CEO of 3B Capital LLC, an Investment Company in Newport Beach, California. Buckley is an active member on the Board of Directors for Servite High School, a Trustee for USA Swimming, a member of the USC Trojan Athletic Foundation, and the Building Industry Association. He has been married wife, Jennifer, for 45 years and had four children and eight grandchildren. An active U.S. Masters swimmer, Buckley is also a multi-national champion and current world record holder. Kossow is a Managing Partner at Norwest Venture Partners, a multi-stage investment firm with $12.5B of assets based in Palo Alto, California. He runs the firm along with the growth equity team, where he invests across a wide range of sectors including software, internet and consumer companies. Prior to Norwest, Kossow held investing roles at Goldman Sachs and TA Associates. He graduated with a degree in biology

from Harvard University, where he was a member of the varsity swim team. In the world of swimming, Kossow has been an athlete, coach and league president. He now enjoys all water sports with his wife and three kids. Pinchbeck is the Global Head of Enterprise Resiliency at Dell Technologies. Prior to Dell, Greg was the Head of Continuity of Business and Third-Party Risk for Global Consumer Banking at Citigroup for 7.5 years. A former collegiate swimmer and current U.S. Masters swimmer, Pinchbeck’s family actively participates in the USA Swimming Foundation’s Donor Athlete Partnership Program. He also serves as the Safe Sport Coordinator and a Board Member of the Connecticut Swimming LSC. Outgoing Foundation Board Chair, Dr. Cecil Gordon, was also reelected to serve a board term through 2024. New officers for the USA Swimming Foundation Board of Directors were also selected at the December Board of Directors meeting. The complete list of the USA Swimming Foundation Board of Directors can be viewed at https://www.usaswimming.org/ foundation#board-of-directors. The USA Swimming Foundation works to strengthen the sport of swimming by saving lives and building champions. In addition to providing learn-to-swim grants to programs across the country, the USA Swimming Foundation supports the U.S. National Team and its development efforts aimed at strengthening the future of USA Swimming’s programs and services. In 2020, the Foundation broadened its focus to include providing grants to local clubs in need and supporting efforts to open our sport to more people than ever. New needs in our swimming community came to the forefron ◄ BIWEEKLY

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STR SPEEDWEEK SWIM CAMPS

for more information please contact Rod Havriluk: 30

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Phone: 850-385-9803 Email: info@swimmingtechnology.com

(College or University Affiliated Swim Camp)

LONGHORNSWIMCAMP.COM • 43 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE • MAY 29 – JULY 1

Five one-week sessions from: MAY 29-JULY 1 | For detailed information, contact Longhorns Swim Camp Director: JON ALTER 512 475 8652 Complete camp information and registration at: LonghornSwimCamp.com | Email: longhornswimcamp@athletics.utexas.edu Per NCAA rules, sports camps and clinics conducted by The University of Texas are open to all entrants. Enrollment is limited only by age, grade level, gender, and capacity restrictions as specified by each camp.

(College or University Affiliated Swim Camp)

2022 CAMP DATES

WORLD CLASS COACHES:

WEEK 1 – JUNE 5-9 WEEK 2 – JUNE 12-16 WEEK 3 – JULY 31–AUG 4 WEEK 4 – AUGUST 7-11 Diving - JULY 10-14

CAMP HIGHLIGHTS:

Mike Bottom

Head Coach US Olympian & Olympic Coach

Functional Dryland Training Technique & Intensive Training Options 3 Instructional Sessions Per Day Individual HD Filming & 1:1 Analysis True Colors Assessment & Mindset Training Kistler Start and Turn Analysis Training Olympians & NCAA All Americans on staff

Dr. Josh White

Associate Head Coach NCAA All American

Ksenia Gromova Volunteer Assistant

Sam Wensman Assistant Coach CW Elite Coach

Roger Karns

Manchester University Head Coach

Cauli Bedran

Assistant Coach NCAA All American

Kurt Kirner

Hillsdale College Head Coach

Priscilla Barletta Assistant Coach

Jim Richardson

Camp Director NCAA Coach of the Year

Michigan Swim Camps are open to any and all entrants, limited only by age and specified number of participants

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SWIMMING WORLD PRESENTS

2022

SWIM CAMP DIRECTORY The listings on pages 32-34 are paid advertisements.

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY 2169 Field House Dr. USAFA, CO 80840 719-333-2116 afasportscamps@airforceathletics.org www.goairforcefalcons.com/camps Camp Dates: June 6-10 (ages 12-18) June 13-17 (ages 12-18) Thank you for considering the AF Swim Camps for your swimmer this summer. Our camp offers thorough analysis of stroke technique to include video analysis of the world’s best swimmers along with video of each individual camper. The session will offer challenging training programs and plenty of stroke analysis. Our camp is best suited for experienced swimmers with a good yearround training base. The Cadet Natatorium on the campus of the United States Air Force Academy, which recently underwent a multi-million dollar renovation, features all new bulkheads, starting blocks, scoreboards and lighting. The natatorium facilities offer video analysis, reaction time pads on the blocks, an adjacent state-of-theart dryland training room and more. In addition to its high-altitude location at 7,200 feet, this is a world-class facility matched by only a few in the country.

BOLLES SWIM CAMP Ryan Mallam The Bolles School 7400 San Jose Blvd. Jacksonville, FL 32217 904-256-5215 swimcamp@bolles.org www.Bollesswimming.org Bolles Swim Camp provides opportunities for campers to learn from Olympic-experienced coaches, to live and train on the beautiful Bolles riverfront campus with swimmers from around the world and to participate in classroom sessions, dryland training and fun camp activities. Elite Camps I and II June 5-11 and June 11-18 For intermediate-to-advanced swimmers 13 and older 32

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Elite Camp III and the June Classic Swim Meet June 18-27 For intermediate-to-advanced swimmers 13 and older who are prepared for the meet, a prelims-finals competition hosted annually Sprint Camp June 27-July 8 An extended camp experience focused on developing speed in the water Junior Elite Camp June 6-10 and June 13-17 (8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.) A training opportunity for swimmers ages 9-12 For the novice-experienced competitive swimmer For more information and to register, visit www.BollesSwimming.org or email swimcamp@bolles.org.

LONGHORNS SWIM CAMP Jon Alter, Camp Director The University of Texas P.O. Box 7399 Austin, TX 78713-7399 512-475-8652 • Fax 512-232-1273 longhornswimcamp@athletics.utexas.edu www.LonghornSwimCamp.com Headed by three-time Olympic and Texas head men’s coach Eddie Reese, 2019 World University Games and women’s coach Carol Capitani, former USA Swimming National Junior Team Director and assistant women’s coach Mitch Dalton and assistant 2018 Team USA Pan-Pac/associate men’s coach Wyatt Collins, the Longhorns Swim Camp is the most exciting camp in the country! The 2022 Longhorns Swim Camp is proud to feature multiple Olympians, American record holders and NCAA champions on staff. We welcome Olympians Ian Crocker, Colleen Lanné-Cox, Whitney Hedgepeth, American record holder Will Licon and 2019 NCAA champion/Team USA World University Games member John Shebat! Josh Davis, three-time Olympic gold medalist, returns for his 23rd year with the program. Josh coaches the Friday morning session. Camp is held at the Jamail Texas Swimming Center on the University of Texas at Austin campus, home to 23 NCAA team champions. Facility includes an indoor 50-meter by 25-yard pool, a 25-yard by 25-meter pool and the 50-meter by 25-yard Eddie Reese outdoor pool. Four training groups based on age and ability, with a 1:7 coach/swimmer ratio in technique sessions. Male and female swimmers (ages 8-18) of any level are welcome. It is highly recommended, but not required, that swimmers have competitive experience prior to attending. Training at the Longhorns Swim Camp focuses on intensive long-course conditioning and thorough stroke instruction and analysis. Camp is divided into four challenging ability groups based on age and 100-yard freestyle times. One-hour daily sessions focus on swim-specific dryland and strength training exercises. Long course training varies from one to two hours daily depending on ability level. Two 90-minute daily sessions focus specifically on technique work. Stroke drills, as well as start-and-turn mechanics are included along with classroom sessions and underwater video

analysis of each swimmer. Cost: Overnight Camp $1,090; Day Camp $990. Complete camp information and online registration available at: Longhornswimcamp.com. Per NCAA rules, sport camps and clinics conducted by The University of Texas are open to all entrants. Enrollment is limited only by age, grade level, gender and capacity restrictions as specified by each camp. NCAA guidelines prohibit payment of camp expenses by a representative of The University of Texas’ athletics interest. NCAA rules also prohibit free or reduced camp admission for prospects (9th grade and above). See display ad on page 31.

MICHIGAN SWIM CAMP at The University of Michigan 2062 Castello Circle (office) Ann Arbor, MI 48108 734-845-8596 umswim1@gmail.com www.michiganswimcamp.com or www.camps.mgoblue.com/swimming Four sessions open to any and all entrants, limited to age and 215 campers per session in Canham Natatorium at the University of Michigan. A staff of 60+ and three instructional sessions per day ensure the individual attention necessary for significant improvement. Coaches Mike Bottom, Dr. Josh White, Sam Wensman, Cauli Bedran, Priscilla Barletta, Ksenia Gromova, Kurt Kirner and Roger Karns are directly involved in coaching and teaching campers. All campers videoed and receive a written stroke analysis. Optional custom video and/or Kistler start-and-turn analysis available for an additional fee. Choose the Intensive Training Track or the Technique Development Track. World-class staff provides leadership and mentoring that encourage each swimmer to strive for excellence in and out of the pool. Cost includes instruction, swim cap, T-shirt, color photo, instructional materials, “goody bag”: $690/week commuter no meals, $720 commuter and lunch, and $765 commuter lunch and dinner. See display ad on page 31. MOUNTAINEER HIGH ALTITUDE TRAINING CAMPS at Western Colorado University Vickie Fellows, Head Coach Western Colorado University 1 Western Way Gunnison, CO 81231 Phone: 970-943-2310 • Cell: 505-453-3514 vfellows@western.edu www.gomountaineers.com/sports/2021/12/2/ swim-camps.aspx Camp Dates: June 17-21 June 24-28

Mountaineer High Altitude Training Camps offer the most unique training experience in the country. Western Colorado University is located in Gunnison, Colo., at an elevation of 7,723 feet in the Rocky Mountains. Facilities include the highest collegiate pool in the country, a state-of-the-art weight room and private locker rooms. The university is situated in a high alpine valley, which makes it ideal for high-altitude training. Each athlete will receive a High Altitude Training T-shirt and cap. Additionally, meals will be provided, and athletes will be lodged in the college dorm rooms. All attendees will get to meet and work with collegiate athletes. Camps will focus on teaching, refining and reinforcing elite swimming technique as well as aerobic-based training at high elevation. Swimmers will walk away with a deeper understanding of their strokes as well as their starts, turns and finishes. Camps are open to swimmers ages 11-18 who want to take their performance to the next level. NAVY SWIMMING CAMPS & CLINICS 2022 Bill Roberts, Camp Director Navy Swimming Camps 2022 566 Brownson Rd. Annapolis, MD 21402 410-293-3012, 410-293-5834 navyswimmingcamp@usna.edu www.navyswimmingcamp.com or www.navysports.com https://www.facebook.com/NAVYSwimmingCamp https://www.instagram.com/navyswimcamp Camp Dates: June 14-18 Session I June 20-24 Session II Clinics: June 18 & 19 (see website for 2022 clinic offerings) Now going into our 24th season, expect direct results by being part of the 2022 Navy Swimming Camp this summer! Our principal goal is to provide you the very best in individual instruction, evaluation, camper experience and safety/supervision. The purpose of our camp is to offer you a unique environment to learn and develop your competitive strokes, including all related starts, turns and finishes. Navy Swimming Camp is a stroke-intensive camp. Swimming campers will receive individual attention. Additional training sessions are offered to all needing to maintain conditioning while at camp. Video analysis, dryland activities designed to improve individual fitness levels, performance, training, goal-setting, leadership presentations and the Severn River boat cruise are all part of the schedule for 2022. Also, outstanding and accomplished guest speakers and presenters all scheduled for this year’s edition of the Navy Swimming Camp. Campers will learn, train and reside in an amazing and unique environment on the grounds of the United States Naval Academy. Additionally, teamwork and leadership are important points of emphasis for every camper. The Navy camp is led by an experienced camp staff while providing the very best in 24-hour supervision. See www.navyswimmingcamp.com for greater detail, including brochure, application, daily schedule and frequently asked questions. Cost for each camp: $725/commuter camper (ages 8-18), $775/extended day camper (ages 8-18), $825/resident camper (ages 9-18). All campers receive a NAVY swimming shirt & an exclusive NAVY backstroke flag. Go Navy! CONTINUED ON 34 >> BIWEEKLY

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2022 SWIM CAMP DIRECTORY / continued from 33

NORTHERN COLORADO SWIMMING CAMPS Lisa Ebeling, Camp Director University of Northern Colorado 5716 W. 17th Street Rd. Greeley, CO 80634 970-451-1476 Lisa.ebeling@unco.edu www.uncswimmingcamps.com Camp Dates: June 6-10 Session 1 June 13-17 Session 2 UNC Swimming Camps are designed to teach athletes the technical aspects of swimming to help them achieve success at the next level. The main focus of our camp is on stroke analysis and technique for starts and turns through in-depth video review. We also provide elite high-altitude training sessions, team building activities, nutritional education, competition preparation tools and mental training. We group athletes according to skill level, and are able to accommodate swimmers of all levels, ages 8-18. UNC Swimming Camps are open to any and all entrants (limited only by number, age, grade level and/or gender). SPIRE INSTITUTE & ACADEMY | CAMPS 440-466-1002 info@spireinstitute.org www.spireinstitute.org

STR SPEEDWEEK SWIM CAMPS USING SCIENCE TO IMPROVE TECHNIQUE 850-385-9803 info@swimmingtechnology.com www.swimmingtechnology.com Are you: • Looking for a significant time drop? Serious about improving your technique? • Hoping to reduce or eliminate shoulder pain? • • Ready to compete at the next level? Interested in extending your swimming career to college? • If you are, then an STR SpeedWeek is your best swim camp option! We are the only camp with scientific studies that confirm the effect of our technique improvement strategies. In the morning classroom instructional session, swimmers learn specific cues to see and feel so they can swim like MONA, a biomechanical model of optimal technique. The following pool session includes deliberate practice strategies to help the swimmers optimize technique—short swims at a slow stroke rate with lots of individual feedback. In the afternoon, swimmers are tested in the pool and analyzed in the classroom with Aquanex—our patented system that captures synchronized underwater video and hand force data. This sciencebased analysis is unlike anything else in the world of swimming, giving swimmers the information they need to fine-tune their technique and make drastic time drops. You will learn to: • Optimize the non-breathing head position Control the base of support to minimize resistance and • maximize propulsion Benefit from elbow flexion at the beginning of the pull in all • four strokes Increase the arm index of coordination in freestyle • Minimize shoulder stress on the freestyle and butterfly arm • entry Reduce intracycle fluctuations in body velocity in breaststroke • and butterfly Gain extra propulsion on the freestyle push phase in freestyle, • butterfly and backstroke Practice deliberately to make technique changes quickly •

SPIRE offers three-day and five-day Stroke Camps, three-day Start & Turn Camps and three-day and five-day Training Camps for ages 10 and older. These swimming camps are either boarding or non-boarding, and are for competitive swimmers. Stroke Camps are structured around a philosophy of teaching skill acquisition and development in all four competitive strokes as well as starts and turns. Two daily water sessions are led by a world-class staff. Workouts are structured to improve stroke technique with a combination of drills, skills and training. Each athlete will have opportunities to enhance all phases of competitive swimming through individualized attention from our excellent coaches and counselors. Individual stroke analysis, dryland instruction and lecture sessions will give the campers one of the most comprehensive and up-to-date training camp experiences available in the United States. The Competitive Start &Turn Camp will only focus on starts and turns. Emphasis is about turning these often-overlooked skills into a true competitive advantage. Swimmers will receive intensive instruction on the forward and backstroke starts with safety being a priority. Fast, legal turns for all four competitive strokes and the IM transition turns will be covered. Each athlete will receive individual attention from a staff of outstanding coaches and instructors. SPIRE Training Camp offers a positive environment for swimmers to be challenged by intensive conditioning with daily training sessions on technique, race strategy and unique training methods.

The STR bottom line: We guarantee we can show every swimmer how to swim faster. SpeedWeek helps you make technique changes based on scientific data rather than opinion. Our campers make incomparable progress and learn practice strategies that help them continue to improve on return to normal training. Each SpeedWeek is limited to 12 swimmers to ensure maximum individual attention by Dr. Rod Havriluk, world-renowned biomechanist and technique expert. Dr. Havriluk is internationally recognized for his unique approach to accelerating skill-learning and preventing shoulder injury. He is widely published and a frequent conference presenter (ASCA, ASCTA, BMS, FINA, IOC, ISCA, USAS, USMS, USSSA). In 2015, he was selected by Swimming World Magazine as one of the top 10 individuals making an impact on swimming. Check our STR website for camp dates, locations and more info: swimmingtechnology.com.

See display ad on page 30 for dates and cost.

See display ad on page 30. v

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