Olympic Swimming Musings

So you may agree with me, you may not.  You may be over blogs about the Olympics…you may not.  And finally you might be a swimmer or you might have absolutely no knowledge of swimming…either way I am still giving you my personal thoughts.  I hope it doesn’t offend you…I should have done a musings vlog with your main girl because she can say what she wants.

Here are just some basic thoughts I’ve had thus far about swimming and the Olympics.

  1. The only swimming rivalry is between Micheal Phealps and Ryan Lotche.  They are team USA.
  2. But it doesn’t matter because Ryan  Lotche swims for #lochtenation (ie: females who know nothing about swimming, other then male swimmers have washboard abs).
  3. Phelps missed his gold medal in a major event by a tenth of a second.
  4. But when Missy Franklin missed Bronze in the 200 free style by .01 in an outside lane (lane 8 swim) no one knew…or the fact that she got a GOLD MEDEL and has lived up to what she came to London to do…or the fact that she is 17.  Hmm sorry you were tapered and having an awesome meet Missy but #FranklinNation is just not the same.
  5. Natalie Coughlin has gotten a medal in every Olympic event she has entered for life.  (She is also my favorite swimmer).
  6. You cannot be a good swimmer without big hands.  I don’t care what you say, if your hands are small you are not a legendary swimmer.
  7. NBC likes to interview swimmers while they are still in Cardiac Arrest.  Give them five minutes.
  8. I have no problems when people discuss swimming via social media platforms (twitter) but please for dear god don’t waste my minified with your musings about how hot or good looking Lotche and Phelps are. (unfollow..unfollow…unfollow)  They are not going to be your boyfriends.
  9. Swimming (among many individual sports) receives lots of attention during the Olympics and then goes back to not existing for 4 years.  I don’t really care either way….I do it for myself not to impress people or to have ladies frolicking over my swimming men.
  10. Finally, it seems that people have this strange sense of either you swim because you are in the Olympics or you don’t swim.  There is no in between…yesterday I swam laps and someone asked if I ever competed.  I said yes, in college and then they promptly asked if I was going to the next Olympics.  You can’t just be a decent swimmer.

Bonus: There are also no other swimmers in any other country…USA is the only country allowed and in fact only Phelps and Lochte are competing in the entire thing…I forget why they have other heats of anything they are not in…probably some weird consolation heat or something…

*I would also like to point out that I truly love and thrive off of watching swimming.

Swimming will remain mysterious except for 1 month on a 48 month cycle and I have no problems with that.

Question for you: Are you watching swimming? 

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20 Comments

  1. I cant remember if I ever told you this, but once I had a date with a swimmer who *almost* made the olympic team (this is canada so almost doesn’t count) but on our first date he wanted to take me swimming. So I was home on vacation right before the date, so I pulled on a bikini and hit the pool here thinking I’d see how hard it was. I swam a few laps and wanted to die. I decided then and there my bikinis are for tanning and wearing on stage with stripper shoes and promptly decided on a coffee date.

    …. He did not look like a swimming god and was mucho boring. So my interest in swimming lasted about 45 minutes.

    Oh, and I don’t have cable, so I’m not watching anything haha

  2. Haha that is so funny about someone asking you if you’re going to the next olympics…people are so clueless! Whatever happened to just doing a sport? Not for the olympics or for competition but because you like it?! And also AMEN about NBC giving the swimmers a few minutes before bombarding them! They all sound like they’re gonna die when they get interviewed right out of the pool!

  3. Ahhh I hate the Olympics questions! Seriously are people stupid? At least you swim properly! I swim breast stroke with my head out the water like a fricken swan/ old lady 😉 when have you ever seen Olympic swimmers do that! Never! Ahh

    Sorry just one of my pet peeves if you hadn’t gathered.

    Michael phelps is not good looking.

  4. I have all the events DVR’d and watch them before bed! love them. Its pathetic that football/basketball/etc.etc. is plastered all over the media 24-7 and these sports with just as amazing talent only get recognition once every 4 years!

    I like Missy Franklin…. she’s had bad races, same coach since 7 years old. Good races same coach since 7 years old. Decline big money to swim with HS team, now a gold medal when they said you needed to move and switch coaches…loyalty right there.

    Ryan Lotche is so damn cocky I want to smack that smirk right off of his face.

  5. “NBC likes to interview swimmers while they are still in Cardiac Arrest. Give them five minutes” – Had to laugh about that. So true. I love watching the swimming despite the fact that I don’t know much about it. Some of my swimmer friends are so obnoxious about it though and complain about all the people watching. It’s not like people are watching many of the other summer sports through out the rest of the year, so I consider them lucky that swimming gets so much attention even for just these two weeks!

  6. NBC commentators need to be muted or replaced. Pointless questions, asking them right after they swam/competed their hearts out, panning to them when they’re upset/crying (i.e. Jordyn)..give em a break. I watch swimming and I like Soni’s and Franklin’s personality. Lochte needs to get rid of the grill. Andddd I find it looks/sounds weird when Michael slaps himself before he races…guess it works for him though, lol. Side note, along with swimming…you don’t really hear much about diving, gymnastics, track&field either…it’s always basketball, football, and baseball getting the most coverage I feel like.

  7. I have been watching the swimming! My 15 year old nephew is a national ranked swimmer and he has been loving it. He said, now everyone can see how hard swimmers train and how it is such a hard sport.
    In NZ, the focus really is rugby so for him to be doing a different sport means he gets a hard time from some narrow minded people. I am super excited for the marathon tomorrow though
    Happy Friday Holly 🙂

  8. Even though I’m not a swimmer, I totally agree with you. And I watch it for the sport of it; not because the guys are good looking. I give any swimmer a lot of credit. I couldn’t do that (never tried though).

  9. I’ve been watching swimming, but conveniently turning the channel whenever any of the Lochte/Phelps drama is played up. Lochte reminds me of a frat bro aaaand he kinda hasn’t lived up to what he’s talked up. Sodon’tcare. I’m in love with Missy Franklin and Katie Ledecky (who is from my area! 🙂 ) though, I cheer them on like crazy!

  10. Yeah, I’m tired of the drama with the male swimmers but I like Missy and Katie a lot. I’m looking forward to track and field too. Totally agree with you that no one cares much about swimming at all except during the Olympics and even then it’s just over a few people, they all train so hard and I admire that because I could never swim like that!

  11. ryan lochte is such a bro. I mean….his shoe collection…..???? lol. I love watching swimming cuz it’s just such an unnatural way to move for me, so seeing people do it that are really good at it is amazing. I do wish there were other swimmers in the world besides phelps and lochte though… 😛

  12. HA! These totally made me laugh out loud while reading. I thought the same thing – NBC interviews the swimmers while they’re basically still hyperventilating. Ridiculous. I liked Lochte for about 5 minutes (honestly for completely shallow reasons) but after I saw that cocky smirk I gagged a little. Phelps makes me proud though…he truly is one-of-a-kind but I hate how all the other swimmers basically live in his shadow (not his doing but the faults of NBC and other tv stations).

  13. Haha, I loved reading this. I think we’re a bit incredulous in Britain because we just don’t ‘get’ Ryan Lochte and his divaish ways. Phelps seems a lot more humble, though I don’t get the physical attraction to either of them. And I am also bored with reductive comments about their abs as opposed to appreciating the sport.

    I am more of a sinker than a swimmer but even before the Olympics people used to ask me whether I was training for an event…and be impressed that I was going like 1500m with my legs barely kicking (my form is terrible – I basically do not use my legs unless I’m forcing myself to by holding on to a float with my arms. I am sure there is a technical term for this but, as I said, I’m no swimmer!)

    Great to hear your perspecitve on this – I’m quite chuffed that I’ve had similar thoughts/opinions and I have no knowledge of the sport to speak of (or I thought I didn’t hehe).

    xxx

  14. I absolutely loved your thoughts on here Hollie, hilarious and all so true! I will admit to saying that both of the men are good looking, but yeah, the amount of tweets, pins and attention for it is driving me bonkers… glad to know I am not the only one! Natalie is also a fantastic person, and one of my favorites for years now too 🙂

  15. hilarious!!! I love watching swimming, but this rivalry between the two boys…kinda annoying. And I feel the women aren’t getting a lot of attention. Maybe that is because they are getting along and don’t have any TV drama haha.

  16. I haven’t watched ANY of the Olympics, I’m just totally missing them. I just can’t be bothered, so I guess I’m kind of lame? I just don’t really think any of the guys are all that attractive, either. On a random note, I *have* been enjoying the Sex and the City reruns that are on pretty much all the time these days…

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