Hurricane Relief

All of our Southern BHOer's need to check in if they can. I know we have at least a few in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi.

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T-Shirt Contest Final

There was a tie for 3rd as of Midnight so you get a choice of 4 designs. Go Vote!

You can see the final standings of the 1st phase of voting here.

Brown's on a Golden Quest

Brown came into the world aquatic championships last month ranked fifth in his specialty. But only world record holder Brendan Hansen of the U.S. touched the wall first in Montreal.

snip

His plan for Beijing has also gotten much more ambitious. Montreal accelerated his thinking, though he's still very aware just how much it's going to take.

"Athens really opened my eyes about how hard it is," said Brown. "It was my first Olympics, and I got a taste of the final. But I really wanted to get on the podium. "I can see myself there (in Beijing). I see no reason why I can't be on top of the podium." (<---- says Canada's Mike Brown)

Summer Analysis: The Lost Awards Go To...

By John Lohn

Sweet Revenge: At the Athens Olympics, Brendan Hansen earned a silver medal in the 100 breast, finishing behind Japan's Kosuke Kitajima. But, in claiming silver, Hansen fell victim to Kitajima's use of an illegal dolphin kick off the start and turn. Now, that outcome is part of history as Hansen toppled Kitajima at the World Champs.

Blasting the second-fastest time in history, a 59.37 that trailed only his world record (59.30), Hansen cemented his status as the premier breaststroker on the globe. After holding off Kitajima in the 100 distance, Hansen went on to route the field in the 200 breast when he touched the wall in 2:09.85, the sixth-fastest performance in the event's history.

Hansen and Kitajima account for one of the top rivalries in the sport and the men own 10 of the 12 sub-minute times in the history of the 100 breast, with Hansen boasting the top three times ever produced.

T-Shirt Contest

Wheeee! So many great entries. Y'all go vote!

Brendan wants you on his team

IRVINE, Calif. - USA Swimming, the national governing body for the sport of competitive swimming, announced the launch of its first annual "We Want You on Our Team" campaign.

The educational initiative, which runs throughout August and September, is a multi-faceted promotion to encourage youth participation on swim teams and raise awareness of the social and health benefits of swim team membership.

By partnering with Olympic swimmers Michael Phelps, Ian Crocker, Brendan Hansen, Amanda Beard, Aaron Peirsol and Lenny Krayzelburg, the campaign will use in-school promotions, Public Service Announcements (PSAs), a unique web site, a Teen Choice Awards contest, and local club events across the country to bolster swim team membership among youths ages six to 16.

"Swimming is a team sport and a fun way for kids and teens to stay healthy while making lifelong friends," said Rod Davis, chief marketing officer for USA Swimming. "USA Swimming's 'We Want You on Our Team' campaign will educate and motivate youths to become active and join a swim team, ultimately helping grow the sport of swimming at a grassroots level."

And just to keep everyone updated on the t-shirt contest - we now have 10 excellent submissions and it's going to be tough to choose a single favorite. Those of you who want a chance to participate still have until Midnight tomorrow (that's Central time y'all) to submit something. I'll get all the submissions up and start a poll on Friday. I can't wait to see what everyone chooses!

Just a reminder of what's on the line...

Another way you can support Brendan's cause - the Leukemia Research Foundation

I got this in my email this morning.

Do you sell on eBay? If you do you now can help raise funds to battle leukemia, lymphoma and the other forms of blood cancer every time you place an item up for auction. Just log on to www.missionfish.org to learn how. When you are ready to select your charity please choose the Leukemia Research Foundation.

The mission of the Leukemia Research Foundation is to conquer leukemia, lymphoma and myelodysplastic syndromes by funding research into their causes and cures, and to enrich the quality of life of those touched by these diseases. To contribute to the mission of the foundation please click here.

Many months back we had a little pledge drive to raise money for LRF but really haven't done much in the intervening months. It would be great if those of you who can afford to do so would make a small donation to LRF this month in honor of Brendan's 24th and BHO's 1st Birthday. (You know, in ADDITION to the chocolate and gifts you were already planning to lavish upon me. )

Thanks to everyone who has submitted T-shirt designs. I've received a few now and they are all fabulous. I can't wait to see what the rest of you come up with. Those of you submitting designs - don't tell people which are yours. We'd like to keep the submissions anonymous until after the voting as lala fears it will just become a popularity contest and she will win. She wants her victory untainted by politics, and instead won purely through bribery.

Random Stuff

I've added some new things to the gallery. Alxcar aka circle boy sent a photo of the swim cap he picked up at Zones (pictured below). He didn't get me one. I wasn't happy about it. ;) He also sent a wallpaper he made that I've added to the gallery.



I've updated Brendan's schedule with two Ultimate Technique clinics that he's scheduled for. See the sidebar for dates and locations.

Also, just a reminder to all of you that the t-shirt contest ends this week on the 25th. I've yet to receive any submissions so I guess I'll get to keep this rockin' computer bag / backpack for myself.

Brendan featured in August's Swimming World Magazine

I've added scans of this months "How They Train" feature by John Lohn and Phillip Whitten to the Magazine and Newspaper scans gallery. Those of you looking for more information about Brendan's workouts should definitely click on the pages below.



And check out the new photo of John Lohn that Peter Bick sent to me. John was hard at work in Montreal, toiling away in the bright sun. Great photo Peter!

Happy Birthday Sean!

And Laura too!

Happy 24th Birthday Brendan!

Make a Wish!

Here's a thread for you guys to send him a message if you'd like or discuss all your favorite ways to celebrate birthdays. In my humble opinion good food, good drinks and good company = good times. I think Brendan has all of those today.

(thanks to lala for the lovely card)

Also, belated Happy Birthday's to Summer, Jessica and Maria who all celebrated this weekend.

Gallery Additions

Some amazing new photos from Bittersweet, PurpleFlipFlops, Sarah, _cesca_ and Alexandra, Verbal and Angie have been added to the Worlds Gallery. The photo above is the work of Verbal and Angie who had the GENIUS idea of bringing a whiteboard to Worlds and having a single recyclable sign that could be changed as needed. Check out the gallery for their Crocker and Peirsol creations.

Prediction Contest Results and NEW Contest

Janine barely squeaked this one out over Tinkerbell to win the Worlds T-shirt and autographed swim cap and with such a close victory I think Tink should get something too so I'm sending her an autographed swimcap as well. The full results are:

1. Janine 756
2. Tinkerbell 753
3. Jenny 720
Skye 720
4. Kate 709
5. Alex 707
6. Andrea 706
7. Ms of Arc 699
8. StephieMc 692
9. Kellypete 687
10. Jessie 665

Now, for the NEW - EXTRA SPECIAL Contest. This is such a great prize that it's going to take a great effort to win it. Most of you may not realize it but the 1st of September will be BHO's 1st Birthday. I'd love to have a great new t-shirt design for the fan stuff page to celebrate and I want one of you to design it. The rest of us will vote on a winner and the first place prize is an autographed computer bag/backpack from Brendan's Olympic collection (pictured below). Second place will receive an autographed swim cap and third place will get a USA Swimming pin and autograph card. There are no requirements, be creative. It can be an inspirational quote, a photo blend, a drawing...whatever you want. I'd love to see as many of you contribute as possible and you can even team up if you'd like, though I'm not sure how you'd share the bag if you won. Peter Bick has graciously offered the use of his photos in your designs and you should have no trouble finding inspiration in his collection.

Email your designs to me by August 25th, and we'll have 6 days of voting to determine the winner. Good luck!

Visitors to BHO over the past two weeks

So I must ask, as I do every time, why aren't you all posting?

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Peirsol, Cocker, Hansen all shine in pool duel with Australia team

The world's two preeminent swimming powers squared off in a head-to-head meet in Irvine, Calif., bolstering a rivalry widely considered the best in the sport. Like the 2004 Olympics last year, the swimming events were littered with former Longhorns.

The Australia Telstra Dolphins and Team USA competed in the 2005 Mutual of Omaha Duel in the Pool, which was aired on national television over the weekend, to see which country could stand atop the swimming pedestal.

Team USA garnered bragging rights for the time being, winning the meet 190-102.

While Michael Phelps and Natalie Coughlin headlined a star-studded field of American swimmers, which won 18-28 events, a strong contention of Longhorns played a key role in deciding the outcome.

Former Longhorns Ian Crocker, Brendan Hansen and Aaron Peirsol each won multiple events, while current Longhorn Garrett Weber-Gale won one race.

"It was fantastic," Peirsol told duelinthepool.com. "I couldn't ask for a better meet as far as the competition goes and the crowd. This was fun - the kind of stuff that keeps you rejuvenated and keeps you young. You're exhausted, but you don't think about it. You just go out and swim. It's a great meet."

Peirsol, an Orange County native, continued to dismantle his backstroke competition. He won the 100-meter (54.04) and 200m (1:57.31) backstroke as well as swimming a leg in the winning 400m medley relay.

A 2004 Olympic Gold medalist, Peirsol currently holds the world record in both backstroke events. He has swept both the 100m and 200m backstrokes 10 times now in major national and international meets.

Coming off of an impressive showing at the World Championships, Crocker, also an Olympic Gold medalist, won the 400m medley relay and the 100m butterfly (51.55), which he holds the world record in (50.40).

Back at the World Championships in July, Crocker shattered the 100m butterfly world record by .36 seconds, leaving Phelps in his rearview mirror.

Hansen, virtually unbeatable while in college, continued his domination at the highest of stages.

He won the 100m and 200m breaststroke and, like his former Longhorn teammates, also swam a leg in the winning 400m medley relay.

"As far as getting up for the meet and getting excited, Mutual of Omaha did a great job of setting up the venue, so the atmosphere around the pool and from the people in the stands didn't reflect that we were up by so much," Hansen told duelinthepool.com. "Their energy really carried us through."

Also making a splash in the meet was Weber-Gale, an incoming junior for Texas.

He joined former Longhorns and swimming veterans Neil Walker and Nate Dusing to win the 400m freestyle relay.

Kind of like the Olympics, the Duel in the Pool had plenty of swimmers in the lanes and on the medal stand by the time the event was over.

Peter H. Bick Photography (Home site of a Photo Rock Star!)

I just wanted to let you all know that Peter Bick has updated his Photography site to include his pictures from the World Championships in Montreal. We really want to thank him for all that he did for us here at BHO. He took the pictures we asked for (even feet) and gave them to Michelle before he had them up on his own site. And I don't know if you are all aware of this or not, but he also photographs OTHER swimmers! (what the bleep?) He got some really amazing shots of the entire meet and they are all there for our viewing pleasure. He put up with the squeeling fangirls as they looked at his pictures and then showed us more day after day. Most of the pictures at his site I had not seen before, and I am having such fun looking.
The way he caught these beautiful shots, some in such difficult lighting, is something to see.

Peter, thank you for sharing your art and your eye with us. Oh! Thanks for being such a huge part of our whole Montreal experience!

"Peter H. Bick Photography"

Duel In The Pool on TV

I hope you all were able to watch Part One of the television coverage on NBC of the Duel today. I was great how Brendan was covered. He and Micheal Phelps were pretty much the voice of Team USA. And once again Bren goes under a minute. There were some nice features of him Rowdy is such a Brendan Hansen fan. We need to invite him to chat sometime. Make sure you watch tomorrow, (NBC: 12:30 Eastern, 11:30 Brendan 9:30 Pacific) when Brendan will be swimming the 200m Breast. I don't want to give it away for anyone who wasn't watching or hasn't read coverage of the event.. But let me just say I think you all will be happy with the results. I don't know if they will show this or not but after his race Brendan left the interview area and came over to the grandstands and threw his cap to the crowd. None of the others had been over to our side of the pool at that point and it was a wonderful surprise. He is a role model for his team and he is generous with his fans as well. The man who cought his cap was teasing two young girls that he might let them trade off wearing it at swim practice. Nike missed an opportunity to use their swimmers in a few comercials during this broadcast. Although I guess this was a Speedo event. I will be watching tomorrow to see who wins. Right now I am off to the Nationals, where last night Club Wolverine set a new American record in the 4x200m relay. I can bet there will be no upsets in Breaststroke tonight.

Worlds Video on Swim.ee

For those of you interested Swim.ee has videos up from Worlds. For a closer look at Kitajima's starts and turns be sure to look in the Montreal - Special Technique Elements section.

I believe these vids are from Eurosport. I don't suppose I could talk one of you lucky few who get Eurosport into making me a copy of the coverage? It's always so much better than what we get over here.

Birthdays!

Ok, so I got a little behind on the birthdays again. Sorry y'all! I was a little distracted by all the swimmers in their racing suits. So let me take this opportunity to amend...

Happy Belated Birthday StephieMc! The girl who originally coined the nickname "Cutie McHottie". Would BHO be the same without that?

Happy Belated Birthday to Sarah who I actually got to celebrate with live and in person in Montreal. It was a good time.

Happy Belated Birthday to Guppy23. Next year we'll have to celebrate yours live and in person in Vancouver maybe? Y'all start saving up for Pan Pacs!

Happy Belated Birthday to Avery June Goldblatt and congrats to her happy parents.

And finally, an early Happy Birthday to DanaJHD and Angie who will both be celebrating tomorrow and Janine who will be officially older on Monday.

Gallery Updates & News

Tons of new photos have been added to the gallery over the past few days. Not only do we have many new Worlds and Duel in the Pool photos but I've added several new ones to the blogger gallery as well (molly_mormon, Francesca and Alexandra with Brendan, Ms. of Arc with Brendan, Angie with Brendan, etc. I know Brendan took photos with many more of you so you have to send them in!) There will be more to go so keep checking back. And I'm working on the 31 pages of predictions so give me a few days to do the math on that and come up with a winner y'all.

Some articles:

Hansen erases Olympic sting

He's focused and feels great after his two victories at the World Championships.

By MARK WHICKER
The Orange County Register

The world wasn't necessarily watching Brendan Hansen last week, but that was fine. He was looking straight ahead.

"There was nothing in the pool except my lane," Hansen said after winning the World Championships gold medals in the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke.

"I didn't look at anybody else. I was looking straight down at the end of my lane, and that takes a lot of discipline because I'm usually getting out fast and then checking out where everybody is. But that's what it took to win."

Hansen brings that tunnel vision to today's Duel In the Pool in Irvine, the meet that matches the best of the U.S. and Australia.

The victories in Montreal reduced the sting of last year's Olympics. Hansen had set world records in the U.S. trials in Long Beach, but Kosuke Kitajima of Japan won both races in Athens.

Hansen finished second in the 100 and third in the 200 then picked up gold in the 400 medley relay.

"Along with my world records, that feeling of winning in Montreal last week was probably the best I've ever felt in a pool," Hansen said.

The loss in the 100 is best remembered for the "dolphin kick" controversy. After Kitajima won, Aaron Peirsol accused the Japanese swimmer of getting away with an illegal kick. The victory stood.

Ironically, the swimming authorities announced last week that they are relaxing their standards, and that a version of the butterfly or dolphin kick will be permitted.

"It'll probably increase the speeds by a tenth-of-a-second," Hansen said. "I'm going to have to keep working just to keep up. But the best thing about it is that it clears up the controversy."

Hansen won the NCAA titles in both breaststroke events for four consecutive years while at Texas. He, Peirsol and Ian Crocker all live and train in Austin now, and Hansen likes to recede into the nearby countryside to fish and hunt birds.

Those mornings of solitude helped him evaluate his Olympics.

"I said at the time that it was difficult to peak for the Trials (in early July) and then to peak again for the Olympics (in mid-August)," Hansen said. "I probably tapered too much for the Trials, but that's because I'd come so close to making the team in 2000, and I wanted to make sure I made it.

"This time there was a longer period of time between the qualifying and the Worlds, and I could see a difference. The whole thing should prepare me a lot better for 2008."

Hansen missed his 100 world record by .07 of a second and his 200 record by .01.

Brendan Hansen wins gold at World Championships

The latest news from the USOC - August 4

US swamp Aussie in Duel in the Pool

Thompson slams male swimmers

Festive Atmosphere Highlights Duel in the Pool

By Deena Al Shatti (aka Atrophy)

IRVINE, Calif., August 3. AFTER it was all over, Michael Klim and Aaron Peirsol swapped jerseys. The gesture was a good demonstration of how the atmosphere at the sold-out Duel in the Pool felt: festive and with a feeling of friendly competition.

The day began with the AquaZone, a place where fans could mingle, shop for swim gear and meet athletes, including Amanda Beard and Janet Evans. At 3 p.m., the teams entered the Woollett Aquatic Center, much to the delight of the fans screaming in the stands. Signs were held up all over the arena, sending out words of encouragement to the athletes, as well as some declarations of love.

Grant Hackett and Jason Lezak opened up the meet, giving the crowd some background to the two countries and the "fierce rivalry" they have had for the past fifty years. Lezak then gave Hackett a "real" football, signaling the beginning of the meet.

As expected, the U.S. men dominated the meet, winning 13 of the 14 events. Backstroker Aaron Peirsol and breaststroker Brendan Hansen, both world record holders in their respective events, won their races easily. Ian Crocker defended his 100 fly title, while Michael Phelps swept both the 200 and 400 I.M. events. Grant Hackett, meanwhile, gave the Australian men their only win in the 400 freestyle.

The announcers encouraged the fans to cheer loudly, especially when a swimmer would get close to breaking a world record. "I couldn't have asked for a better meet," said Peirsol, noting that the swimmers can hear the crowds while swimming, which helps give them an extra push.

The U.S. women held their own, but ultimately lost to Australia, 76 to 70. Katie Hoff, one of the USA's rising stars, swept the 200 and 400 I.M. events. The Australian women set three U.S. Open records in the 100 breast, the 400 free relay and the 400 medley relay. Jessicah Schipper of Australia helped the women win the 400 medley relay, just minutes after she won the 200 butterfly heat. Lisbeth Lenton won the 100 and 200 freestyle events, and helped the Australians win the 400 freestyle relay.

No records were broken yesterday, but several swimmers came close, including Jones in the 100 breast, as she was a hundredth of a second off Jessica Hardy's world record time, set at the World Championships in Montreal. Jones touched in 1:06.21.

Overall, the event was relaxed for both fans and swimmers alike, even though most of the athletes were exhausted, having just returned from the World Championships. "My body felt extremely tired.... I was crunching to get into second without a clutch. It was a tough day," said Hackett.

"You get through it by saying that (the Duel in the Pool) is just an extension of the World Championships," said Natalie Coughlin. "Everyone's exhausted - the United States, the Australians, the coaches, everybody."

But exhaustion didn't deter the athletes from putting on a stellar show. Throughout the meet, the Mutual of Omaha Cheer Squad would race over to the crowds and get it to cheer "U-S-A". Though the Australians were small in number, they were strong in voice. Each time an Australian would win an event, chants of "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!" could be heard.

"You just think about how much fun you're having," said Peirsol. "(This is) the kind of stuff that keeps you rejuvenated and keeps you young. You're exhausted, but you don't think about it. You just go out and swim."

The teams also got involved in the cheering: Jessica Hardy, Jeri Moss, Mary DeScenza, Kaitlin Sandeno and Kelsey Ditto of the United States all encouraged the crowd to cheer on the United States, while the Australian team had one of its members covered in body paint with a flag tied around his neck.

"We wanted to give something back to the crowd," said Phelps. "The home crowd and the excitement that we have helped carry us to victory."

Duel in the Pool

Results

Maybe if you're all nice to her Lala will share her photos from Duel with us. She sent me this one last night.



Television coverage provided by NBC Sports. Saturday August 6 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. ET Sunday August 7 12:30 - 2:00 ET

Check local listings for the time in your area.

ETA: More pics from Duel in the Pool

I know it's a little late but just to get caught up....

United States win men's 4x100m medley relay

Swimming: Hackett underlines golden reputation

Former Longhorns continue to shine at FINA World Championships

Crocker collects another Gold

High-water marks - US dominates world meet again

World Champs, Day 8 Evening Session: U.S. Closes Out Meet with Dominating Showing in Men's 400 Medley Relay

U.S., Australia to Clash in the Second Annual "Duel in the Pool"

I just got in from Montreal and had to post before going to bed. We had such a great time - I don't think many of us were ready for it to be over and to go home. The Hansen's were very warm and gracious to all of us. John Lohn and Peter Bick were both total rockstars and I can't wait for another opportunity to hang out with them. All the girls from BHO were fabulous of course and so much fun to spend a week with. We are looking at World Cup in New York next and then Pan Pacs in Vancouver. I hope more of you are able to join us at one of those.