USA Swimming Profile

There is a really great profile at USA Swimming tonight on Brendan. It is a nice article well worth the read.

"Even though I had a great year with best times, I am still striving for that 'perfect race,'" said Hansen, who was recently named the 2006 USA Swimming Athlete of the Year for his efforts this year. "I always look back on a season of races and see where I can improve, and I have yet to find nothing.

"In reality, I think the perfect race is a myth that every swimmer believes can happen or else they wouldn't train as hard as they do for as long as they do."


Hansen cites his world-record-setting 200m breaststroke at Pan Pacs this summer as an example of the "almost-perfect" race. Being the consummate perfectionist, however, even his approach to establishing the fastest time in history still wasn't up to his own expectations.


"The second time I broke the 200 breaststroke world record, I swam the race completely different (than the first time at Nationals)," Hansen said. "So after the meet, I was thinking that if I took a little from the race at Nationals and the one at Pan Pacs, it might be the perfect race. But I know I didn't swim the perfect race yet. That's a fact."

Maybe some of you who saw this race at Pan-Pacs can attest to that statement. But it seemed pretty perfect to me. I had to watch it on Omegea Timing. What I found so exciting about that race was he did it completely differently than I have seen him race it before. (Laying back for the first 150m, then becoming Rocket-Man in the last 50m.) It just shows that he was playing with his technique and not at all worried about that guy in the other lane.. ol' what's his name. Thanks Brendan, for keeping it exciting for those of us who like to watch.


I have to apologize for not checking in on Birthdays, I completely missed Atrophy's last week. So I want to say a belated Happy Birthday to Atrophy, and on-time Happy Birthday to our Circleboy Alxcar, and an early Happy Birthday to Kimberly. Hope you all have or had great ones!