Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} The 50 Meter Jungle; How Olympic Gold Medal Swimmers Are Made by Sherman Chavoor Swim Bits – How I Came to Appreciate Mark Spitz — Part 5 Munich, Jager and Afib 2. Most of us remember that Mark Spitz won seven gold medals with seven world records at the 1972 Munich Olympics. What most don’t know is that Spitz almost did not swim his first event, the 200 butterfly. After the Mexico City Olympics four years earlier when he finished last in the final of the 200 fly, he hated the event. He didn’t swim it in college. Even when he decided to go for the Munich Games, he didn’t want to swim the 200 fly, which would be the first of seven swims. Spitz, however, had committed to Munich and had returned to Sacramento and Arden Hills Swim Club, coached by Sherm Chavoor, to train for the Olympics. This is all told in Chavoor’s book, “The Fifty Meter Jungle,” a most aptly named book for swimming at the Olympic level. Chavoor was subtle. He didn’t argue with Spitz about the 200 fly. He merely had workouts where everyone, Spitz, Mike Burton and the rest, swam repeat 200 flies long course. Eventually Spitz came around, and said that he would swim the 200 fly at the Santa Clara meet that summer and consider it for Munich if he hit a certain time. Of course, Spitz did so, and the rest is history. After Munich Spitz had a dilemma. He had always said he wanted to be a dentist, but Hollywood and personal appearances beckoned. He appeared on TV with Bob Hope and other celebrities, and it quickly became apparent that his water performances were better. However, it has been estimated that Spitz made over $7 million dollars after 1972, through public appearances and advertisements. His poster alone with all of the gold medals around his neck was immensely successful. Spitz did keep up as a swimmer. In 1990 he was tested in a flume at Colorado Springs along with a bunch of other Olympic swimmers and was found more efficient in the water than any of them. It was then he thought about a come-back at 41 for the 1992 Olympics. He was encouraged by an offer to compete in a 50 meter fly against a current world class swimmer, Tom Jager, for $10,000, and it would be televised. On screen the difference in size between Jager and Spitz was striking. Jager was 6’2’, weighing close to 200 pounds, while Spitz was 6’ and maybe 180. In 20 years much more intensive training and weights created a different swimmer. Spitz also had the handicap of still using an old style start, relatively flat and no porpoise action into the water. In the actual race Jager was a half body length ahead at the start and won convincingly, 24.92 to 26.70 for Spitz. Spitz had gone out in 25.38 when he won the 100 fly at Munich. Spitz later had a time trial for the 100 meter fly and only went a 58.03. The 1992 Olympic dream was over. When I thought of this effort, though, I eventually recognized that in 1992 those times were marvelously fast for a 41 year old. I gave Spitz credit for even trying to make the 1992 Olympics at 42. Swimming had changed so much since Munich. Since then Spitz has been a developer in southern California and semi-retired. He graciously congratulated Michael Phelps when Phelps won eight golds in Beijing. Just recently Spitz was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (Afib), and he has become a spokesperson for finding other older athletes who may have the same problem. Over the years it has become obvious that Mark Spitz became the face of US Swimming after 1972. He was the one with whom swimmers were compared. Until Phelps, no one thought anyone else would win seven or more gold medals in an Olympics. Spitz set the standard for others to shoot for. In addition, Spitz has become a genial example of how to carry oneself after such Olympic glories. Even in his defeat by Jager he was gracious and complimentary. I can see in Phelps the same qualities. But Mark Spitiz was first. Why Olympic Swimmers Win the Most Medals. Michael Phelps may collect gold medals like they’re Brazilian centavos, but he’s not the only swimmer dominating the all-time medal tally. While no other Olympian has won more medals than Phelps, his fellow swimmers account for eight of the top 10 spots on the list of America’s most- decorated Summer Olympians. The reason is simple: U.S. swimming has long been strong and the sport has ample opportunity to win medals. Whereas a sport like basketball offers only one one set of medals for men’s and women’s teams, swimming will give away 102 medals to men and women in Rio. Track and field (or athletics, in official Olympics parlance) offers more, at 141, but swimmers tend to be more versatile than track athletes, who are either sprinters or long distance runners but not both. Swimmers learn all four strokes and tend to be comfortable with at least a couple, which means they’re entering more events. They can also compete in different distances, and let’s not forget the relays. If you throw in more than one appearance at the Olympics, the numbers start to add up. Oh, and any swimmer who competes on a medal-winning relay team––even if they only swim in a preliminary heat and the not in the final––also gets some hardware. The same is true in track relays, but again, swimmers are more likely to be racing in wider variety of events. Globally, however, gymnasts dominate the top 10 all-time medal winners. Again, it’s because a talented gymnast has a chance to win as many as eight medals for men and six for women. Gymnasts compete in not only the team and individual all-around competition, but in event finals as well; men compete on six apparatus while women compete on four. Cookie Consent and Choices. 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In semifinals, he missed it by 1.26. Coach Titley Discusses Penny Oleksiak’s Freestyle Focus Heading In Tokyo. Penny Oleksiak won a silver medal in the 100 butterfly in Rio but 5 years later has decided not to enter in the event at Olympic Trials. Pre-Trials Press: Markus Thormeyer Talks Mental Toughness In Abnormal OLY Year. Thormeyer will be swimming for Canada this summer at the Olympics and spoke about what it was like to have Olympic Trials re-scheduled 3 times. Viquerat Provides Answer To France’s Breaststroke Hole With OLY Qualification. Antoine Viquerat and Maxime Grousset became France’s newest 2021 Olympians on day 4 of the French Elite Swimming Championships. How To Watch / All The Links You Need For The 2021 Canadian Olympic Trials. Check out all the links you need for the upcoming 2021 Canadian Olympic Swimming Trials which will be held in Toronto, Ontario from June 19 - 23. 4 Storylines To Watch At The 2021 Canadian Olympic Trials. From up-and-coming juniors to a returning 2012 Olympic medalist, here are 4 storylines to watch at the 2021 Canadian Olympic Trials. Tokyo 2020 Round-Up: IOC Releases Third Edition of Athlete’s Playbook. The International Olympic Committee released their final set of rules and guidelines for athletes to follow prior to, and while at, the Olympic Games. 2021 French Olympic Trials: Day 4 Finals Live Recap. Follow along live with all the action on the fourth day of swimming at the 2021 French Olympic Trials in Chartres, France. by Olivier Poirier-Leroy 55. Olivier Poirier-Leroy is a former national level swimmer based out of Victoria, BC. In feeding his passion for swimming, he has developed YourSwimBook, a powerful log book and goal setting guide made specifically for swimmers. Sign up for the YourSwimBook newsletter (free) and get weekly motivational tips by clicking here. Mark Spitz may be synonymous amongst this generation as the guy who held “that record” before Michael Phelps came along, but for a generation Spitz was more than just the winningest Olympian of all time, he was also the first swimmer to make a transition into the world that is generally reserved for the major sports in the USA – the land of celebrities! Where Johnny Weissmuller laid the tracks – the 100m freestyle champion won 6 Olympic titles in the 1920’s and became a Hollywood star in the 30’s and 40’s – Spitz ran off with it. Appearances on various late night television shows followed, including The Tonight Show , as well as a slew of endorsement deals. Here are 10 things you might not have known about one of the all time greats: 1. He trained under George Haines at Santa Clara and Doc Counsilman at Indiana. Already a swimming prodigy at the age of 14 – he’d already broken 17 NAG records – Spitz was sent to train with George Haines at the famed Santa Clara Swim Club. After completing his high school swimming in Santa Clara, as well as an Olympic appearance where he medaled four times, Spitz fell out with Haines in 1969, leaving to train with Doc Counsilman at Indiana University. He’d win 8 individual titles while also helping the Hoosiers win NCAA’s each year he was there. 2. Spitz’ performance in 1972 was a perfect 7/7 in world records and gold medals. While Phelps did break Spitz’ individual Games medal haul record, he didn’t quite match Spitz’ 7 Golds and 7 world records, with Phelps coming up short in the 100m butterfly. In that race, which he narrowly out-touched Milorad Cavic for gold, Phelps missed Ian Crocker’s world record. The only time in Beijing that he would. Phelps would get a 7 th WR in the medley relay on the last night, putting him 7/8 in world record attempts. 3. Mark Spitz roasted Ronald Reagan. Along with Phyllis Diller, Dom DeLuise and Don Rickles, Spitz roasted Ronald Reagan in 1973 on Dean Martin’s Celebrity Roast. Reagan wasn’t commander-in-chief then, he was Governor of California at the time. 4. His moustache became a fashion trend amongst swimmers . Spitz’ look was classic 70’s–no swim goggles and a greasy moustache. When asked about his moustache by a Russian coach prior to the ’72 Olympics, Spitz’ reply was that his moustache didn’t slow him down, and that it even deflected water away from his mouth, providing the streamlining necessary to swim as fast as he had at the US Olympic Trials earlier that year. According to Spitz, the following year “all male Russian swimmers had a moustache.” It’s a good look! 5. He came close to settling for 6 golds and 6 world records. A couple lanes up from Spitz in lane 5 for the 100m freestyle final was Michael Wenden of Australia. Sporting a thunderous mohawk, the defending Olympic champion, and standing world record holder, Wenden had beaten Spitz in both the preliminaries and the semi-finals. For a brief period Spitz debated pulling out of the race, afraid that he would tarnish his golden streak. Peter Daland, coach of the US men’s team in ’72, called Spitz out, telling him that with the 100m freestyle being swimming’s blue ribbon event, that someone else would be crowned the fastest swimmer on the planet if he withdrew. Spitz listened, and broke Wenden’s world record by nearly a second. 6. The moustache was grown out of stubborness. The iconic moustache, which took four months to grow and which he took a substantial amount of pride in, initially sprouted in the same way that many great things happen – out of pride and stubborness. When a collegiate coach told him he couldn’t grow one, Spitz let his facial hair grow wild. 7. He predicted he would win 6 gold medals at the 1968 Games. Long before his exploits in Munich, Spitz brashly predicted he would win half a dozen golds in Mexico City. Although he came up a little bit short – winning two golds, a silver and a bronze, an 18 year old Spitz had accumulated the experience necessary to take another run at the mark four years later. 8. At the age of 41 he made a comeback attempt. Like many elite athletes, sometimes the bright glow of the spotlight continues calling long after you hang up the suit. At the age of 41, after having been out of competition for nearly two decades, Spitz’ comeback to the sport started with a pair made for-TV swim-offs against 80’s/90’s sprint stars Tom Jager and Matt Biondi. Spitz would lose both races, and the fastest he would swim in the 100m butterfly leading up to the 1992 Trials was a 58.03 (Pablo Morales won Trials in 54.05, with Mel Stewart second in 54.06). 9. The iconic poster of him wearing 7 golds sold over a million copies. Brandishing that trade mark moustache, a full coif of hair, and the 7 gold medals, Spitz’ poster sold into the 7-figures mark, making it up until then the most popular poster ever of an athlete. Regarding the picture, “The medals weighed a lot,” he told SI in 1976. “They have crazy, heavy chains… It was hard to stand up straight wearing them all.” 10. He hit the mainstream and cashed in following the Olympics . Sure, Weissmuller had the “Tarzan” gig, but in the years following 1972 Spitz became a bona-fide celebrity (or at least a celebrity spokesperson), becoming the first swimmer to make a monetary splash as a result of their Olympic performance. Beyond the typical swimmer sponsorships – Speedo, I’m looking at you – there was Schick, a waterproof Mark Spitz edition Swatch, and even more recently, a spot with Amanda Beard for GoDaddy and even a PlayStation commercial. Spitz continues to capitalize on his fame and swimming success, giving up to 30 motivational speeches in Olympic years. About YourSwimBook. YourSwimBook is a log book and goal setting guide designed specifically for competitive swimmers. It includes a ten month log book, comprehensive goal setting section, monthly evaluations to be filled out with your coach, and more. Learn 8 more reasons why this tool kicks butt. Join the YourSwimBook weekly newsletter group and get motivational tips and more straight to your inbox. Sign up for free here. The 50 Meter Jungle; How Olympic Gold Medal Swimmers Are Made by Sherman Chavoor. When we think of swimming as an Olympic sport, we picture an Olympic-size pool, diving blocks, decent water temperatures, both male and female athletes, as well as years of training. However, these modern Olympic swimming amenities are a far cry from what Olympic swimmers had 120 years ago. A Disorganized Affair. The modern Olympic Games date back to April of 1896. Internationally, word of the Games was not spread very well, and the competing athletes traveled to Greece and entered the Olympics on their own dime. They were not nationally chosen as they are today. In fact, there were even some tourists turned 11th-hour contestants. A total of 245 athletes representing over a dozen countries competed in these first Games. Swimming is among only five sports that have been part of every summer Olympic Games since 1896; the others are gymnastics, athletics, cycling, and fencing. In the 1896 Olympics, there were 13 total swimming participants. All were men, as was true of all Olympic events that year. Women did not swim in the Olympics until 1912. At the first modern Olympics in 1896, Hungarian swimmer Alfréd Hajós earned gold medals in the 100-meter and the 1200-meter freestyle events. Both events were held in the chilly waters of the Bay of Zea. Hajós later went on to win an Olympic silver medal in architecture in 1924, making him one of only two Olympians to medal in artistic and athletic events. No Olympic Pool. All swimming events were held off of the Piraeus coast at the Bay of Zea on April 11, 1896. Despite the organizers’ refusal to spend money to construct a swimming stadium, almost 20,000 spectators showed up to witness the swimming competition at the 1896 Summer Olympics. Among the witnesses was King George I. However, the swimmers faced much more difficult conditions than Olympic swimmers today. The Bay of Zea was extremely cold, impacting the performance of the swimmers. It was noted that the water temperature was between 53 and 57 degrees F; the air temperature was only 64. Hungarian swimmer Alfred Hajós reportedly said that his biggest struggle was against towering 12-foot waves; the cold water left him in fear of cramping. He famously said that his desire to live overcame his desire to win, inspiring him to two medals! There were no diving blocks in the first Olympics. The competitors were taken into the bay by boat to leap into the frigid waters. The first swimmer to reach the shore won. At the 1896 Olympic Games, only men were permitted to compete. For the swimming competitions, the glass ceiling wouldn't be shattered until the 1912 Summer Games in Stockholm, when the British 4x100 freestyle relay team, pictured here, were among the first women to compete. Four out of Six. Originally six swimming events were planned, yet only four came to fruition. Three of the four were open events: the men’s 100-meter freestyle, the men’s 500-meter freestyle, and the men’s 1200-meter freestyle. For the fourth, Greek Royal Navy sailors were invited to compete in a special event called the men’s sailors 100-meter freestyle. Eleven swimmers entered this special event; however, only three competitors swam. Interestingly, the winning time from Ioannis Malokinis (pictured, top left) was close to a minute behind the winning time of the open 100-meter freestyle. In general, the Olympic Games include only events that are open to all competitors, not just those of a certain class. No existing records indicate that Olympic organizer Pierre de Coubertin, or any other organizer, objected to the consideration of the sailor-only swimming event. The Bay of Zea, as it looks today. In 1896, this was the site of all four swimming events in the 1896 Olympics, the first of the modern era. Turnout was low, partly due to poor advance planning and partly due to chilly water temperatures. Stiff Competition. The 100-meter freestyle was the first swimming event. Ten swimmers entered. Alfréd Hajós, the youngest Olympic swimmer at age 18, beat Austria’s Otto Herschmann by less than a body length. There are no existing records to show the places of the remaining swimmers, seven of whom were Greek and one, Gardner Williams, was American. The 500-meter freestyle was won by Paul Neumann of Austria with more than a 90-second margin. Neumann, just shy of his 21st birthday, was the oldest of the Olympic swimmers. Taking third place was Greek swimmer Efstathois Chorafras, who competed in all three open swimming events. The 1200-meter freestyle event was held last, with nine swimmers. Hajós won by nearly 100 meters, despite it being his second race. Ioannis Andreou of Greece took second place. Neumann was unable to complete the full race. Williams competed, but his place is unknown. Interestingly, Hajós later went on to win a 1924 Olympic silver medal in architecture, making him one of only two Olympians to medal in artistic and athletic events. In all, Greece won six Olympic medals for swimming on April 11, 1896. The rest is history. 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