Soca Warriors Online Discussion Forum
Sports => Other Sports => Topic started by: morvant on August 11, 2008, 09:16:21 AM
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what de arse goin on with that feller
de man cyar loose
like he genetically more advanced than we
bowell drop out ah de 200 cause he know he cyar beat ah mutant
i want to believe iz drugs but he seen too genuine to me
ato do meh ah favor and try to drown him, i want to see if he have tuna in he family.
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Freak of nature.
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what de arse goin on with that feller
de man cyar loose
like he genetically more advanced than we
bowell drop out ah de 200 cause he know he cyar beat ah mutant
i want to believe iz drugs but he seen too genuine to me
ato do meh ah favor and try to drown him, i want to see if he have tuna in he family.
:rotfl: :rotfl:
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Tuna in he family good 1 morvant. Must laugh when I come yes
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what de arse goin on with that feller
de man cyar loose
like he genetically more advanced than we
bowell drop out ah de 200 cause he know he cyar beat ah mutant
i want to believe iz drugs but he seen too genuine to me
ato do meh ah favor and try to drown him, i want to see if he have tuna in he family.
lmao... :rotfl:
Nah, but I give Phelps full props.. I didn't understand what was going on with him until reading ah SI article last week on his training and thing. He is blessed in that there's a very talented pool of individuals training at Michigan, and as well as with the club that he swims with... including several Olympians (American and non-American).
So to go with the talent he has naturally... he has the type of competition around him that keeps him on his toes, he was saying in one of the NBC pieces that no one in that group dominates the others, guys take turns besting each others. So that keeps them pushing each other.
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Wehn yuh nickname is SUPERfish....dey name yuh dat for ah reason
De man is ah chlorine beast
Ay Morvant dais serious talk dat Bovell drop out de 200??
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Wehn yuh nickname is SUPERfish....dey name yuh dat for ah reason
De man is ah chlorine beast
Ay Morvant dais serious talk dat Bovell drop out de 200??
Bovell stopped doing the 200IM a couple years ago after he injured his knee playing paintball. His injury still limits him so he changed his event from the 200IM to the shorter sprints - the 50m and 100m freestyle. I think the fact that Phelps and Lochte are virtual locks for 200IM medals also influenced his decision to switch to the sprints where the field is somewhat more wide open
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Ah!! :beermug: I had no idea about the paintball ting
Thanks for clearin that up
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How George Bovell doing allyuh??
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Ah!! :beermug: I had no idea about the paintball ting
Thanks for clearin that up
Yeah the paintball injury really set him back from a real medal shot in 2008. Even though the times in the 50m and 100m freestyles are fairly close among the field I think it's unlikely George will medal -- he's not even top 20 ranked in either event for 2008. I really wish him the best of luck though and I hope I'm in for a pleasant surprise.
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Allyuh real trusting boy. Ah mean...i might sound like palos eh...buh.....de man basically setting records at will. In a matter of 3 days. My brethrin who is a national swimmer telling me that usually people would be tired after the season for olympics...buh JEEZ! I could be cynical..buh.....something eh adding up.
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Allyuh real trusting boy. Ah mean...i might sound like palos eh...buh.....de man basically setting records at will. In a matter of 3 days. My brethrin who is a national swimmer telling me that usually people would be tired after the season for olympics...buh JEEZ! I could be cynical..buh.....something eh adding up.
well from what I readin here...de suit actin like ah flotation device and de pool smaller, ah kinda technological teefin
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/11/sports/olyrecords.php
(http://img.iht.com/images/2008/08/11/11olyrecords-phelps550.jpg)
dem eh go aks him to pee in ah cup doh..dais dey golden boy
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And he gets gold #3................. he breaking them records real easy.............
Record Splits Name NOC Location Date
WR 1:43.86
24.47 51.00 1:17.73
PHELPS Michael
United StatesUSA
Melbourne (AUS) Mar 27 2007
OR 1:44.71
24.81 51.04 1:17.92
THORPE Ian
AustraliaAUS
Athens (GRE) Aug 16 2004
Event No: 8
Rank Lane Name NOC R.T. 50m 100m 150m Time Time Behind
1 6 PHELPS Michael United StatesUSA 0.73 (1) 24.31 (1) 50.29
25.98 (1) 1:16.84
26.55 1:42.96
26.12 WR
2 5 PARK Taehwan KoreaKOR 0.67 (3) 24.91 (2) 51.54
26.63 (3) 1:18.68
27.14 1:44.85
26.17 1.89 AS
3 4 VANDERKAAY Peter United StatesUSA 0.75 (4) 24.97 (4) 51.67
26.70 (2) 1:18.61
26.94 1:45.14
26.53 2.18
4 3 BASSON Jean South AfricaRSA 0.69 (7) 25.39 (6) 52.21
26.82 (4) 1:18.94
26.73 1:45.97
27.03 3.01
5 2 BIEDERMANN Paul GermanyGER 0.86 (8) 25.61 (7) 52.37
26.76 (6) 1:19.36
26.99 1:46.00
26.64 3.04
6 1 MEICHTRY Dominik SwitzerlandSUI 0.68 (2) 24.75 (3) 51.63
26.88 (5) 1:19.02
27.39 1:46.95
27.93 3.99
7 7 OKUMURA Yoshihiro JapanJPN 0.71 (6) 25.17 (8) 52.39
27.22 (8) 1:19.96
27.57 1:47.14
27.18 4.18
8 8 RENWICK Robbie Great BritainGBR 0.74 (5) 25.03 (5) 52.17
27.14 (7) 1:19.92
27.75 1:47.47
27.55 4.51
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Allyuh real trusting boy. Ah mean...i might sound like palos eh...buh.....de man basically setting records at will. In a matter of 3 days. My brethrin who is a national swimmer telling me that usually people would be tired after the season for olympics...buh JEEZ! I could be cynical..buh.....something eh adding up.
well from what I readin here...de suit actin like ah flotation device and de pool smaller, ah kinda technological teefin
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/11/sports/olyrecords.php
(http://img.iht.com/images/2008/08/11/11olyrecords-phelps550.jpg)
dem eh go aks him to pee in ah cup doh..dais dey golden boy
Not definitive... those are some of the accusations of the Speedo LZR suit. Most of it coming from competitors wearing competing brands themselves. The pool talk is actually that it deeper to dampen waves which slow the swimmers down...
I dunno one way or another, but almost 50 records have fallen since the introduction of the suit 6 months ago...
Phelps just set another one a couple minutes ago in the 200m Individual Freestyle.
Aaron Piersol just set another world record in the 100m Backstroke.
... I think if people suspecting doping then they can't just suspect Phelps, many of these athletes are setting personal best times. Cullen Jones (the black fella) actually had the fastest split in the 400m relay... so is not juss Phelps swimming fast.
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Allyuh real trusting boy. Ah mean...i might sound like palos eh...buh.....de man basically setting records at will. In a matter of 3 days. My brethrin who is a national swimmer telling me that usually people would be tired after the season for olympics...buh JEEZ! I could be cynical..buh.....something eh adding up.
well from what I readin here...de suit actin like ah flotation device and de pool smaller, ah kinda technological teefin
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/11/sports/olyrecords.php
(http://img.iht.com/images/2008/08/11/11olyrecords-phelps550.jpg)
dem eh go aks him to pee in ah cup doh..dais dey golden boy
Not definitive... those are some of the accusations of the Speedo LZR suit. Most of it coming from competitors wearing competing brands themselves. The pool talk is actually that it deeper to dampen waves which slow the swimmers down...
I dunno one way or another, but almost 50 records have fallen since the introduction of the suit 6 months ago...
Phelps just set another one a couple minutes ago in the 200m Individual Freestyle.
Aaron Piersol just set another world record in the 100m Backstroke.
... I think if people suspecting doping then they can't just suspect Phelps, many of these athletes are setting personal best times. Cullen Jones (the black fella) actually had the fastest split in the 400m relay... so is not juss Phelps swimming fast.
I know. I conceed that. I found it amazing that 5 teams swam below the previous record which was set in a heat on that same day..but.....that shows an improved competition. However my concern is the time period that this being done. It isnt over a matter of months..is in the space of 3 Days...a man swimming so many events....and not showing the least bit of fatigue. In one instance he had a 50 minute break between races. Now....to swim faster than any human has done before.....twice in the same day..should take some drain on you. Maybe i thinking too much. Maybe the articles i read about EPO usage and hearing some of the whispers of the methods some athletes utilize to make their advantage count have me cynical. The man talented..no doubt. However..no drug can cause you to improve unless you working. EPO allows you to work harder and more frequently. It could be anything. But......innocent until proven guilty.
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d fact dat he knee double jointed ( accordin to nbc) an he jus more flexible dan most odder swimmers givin him a lil edge too. :-\.
but he schedule is eat, swim an sleep 4 d las 4 years. nbc bawl every day he goes to d pool 4 bout five hours an swims about hundreds a laps per day.
but it kinda impossible to believe one man cud swim so fast all d time so widout any hint of being tired.
bless!!
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First things first...
Phelps is that good. He has been that good for a long time. He set a world record at 15 years old. You want to talk about phenom, well this is the definition. As bakes say it ehn just him though. The suit cause real records to fall as it not only creating greater buoyancy, it not only reducing friction by repelling water, but it actually brings the muscle fibres closer together and is fused together rather than stitched. Combine that suit with the best swimmer in history and you are bound to see some ridiculous times.
That being said, Phelps isn't the only one with a demanding schedule. Three girls raced in two races tonight alone. Ryan Lochte's turn around between the 200 back and the 200 IM is only about 40 minutes should he make both finals. He is joint WR holder in one and the second fastest man in history in the other and he did this at US trials in June when he only had 27 minutes between both races. :o
As for George, yes he got injured from a misstep in paintball, but had he not been injured, he would be among the Phelps/Lochte region in the 200 IM. George is a lot stronger and faster now than he was four years ago relatively speaking. Had fate alllowed him to stay with his natural event he would be very scary and would be a legit threat in the 200 IM. Talk to anyone who has coached him and they will tell you that George is a late bloomer. He didn't have the age group records people associate with star swimmers in TnT. He only got to breaking records in the 13-14 age group. When he got to college he was still skinny. In 2004 he put on some muscle mass but comparatively speaking he would be a twig compared to what he is now. Granted you need more strength for the 50, the fact that he has already gone 22.17 without taper or the suit shows that what he has done to adjust to swimming the 50 rather than saying "ah get injured buti done get a medal already so I done" is nothing short of brilliant.
I don't know if he will medal, but i do know that after his 100 the picture will be a lot clearer. He seems to be ready, so lewwe wait and see.
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Allyuh real trusting boy. Ah mean...i might sound like palos eh...buh.....de man basically setting records at will. In a matter of 3 days. My brethrin who is a national swimmer telling me that usually people would be tired after the season for olympics...buh JEEZ! I could be cynical..buh.....something eh adding up.
well from what I readin here...de suit actin like ah flotation device and de pool smaller, ah kinda technological teefin
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/11/sports/olyrecords.php
(http://img.iht.com/images/2008/08/11/11olyrecords-phelps550.jpg)
dem eh go aks him to pee in ah cup doh..dais dey golden boy
Not definitive... those are some of the accusations of the Speedo LZR suit. Most of it coming from competitors wearing competing brands themselves. The pool talk is actually that it deeper to dampen waves which slow the swimmers down...
I dunno one way or another, but almost 50 records have fallen since the introduction of the suit 6 months ago...
Phelps just set another one a couple minutes ago in the 200m Individual Freestyle.
Aaron Piersol just set another world record in the 100m Backstroke.
... I think if people suspecting doping then they can't just suspect Phelps, many of these athletes are setting personal best times. Cullen Jones (the black fella) actually had the fastest split in the 400m relay... so is not juss Phelps swimming fast.
BTW bakes. Jones had the slowest time on the relay. Lezak had the fastest split of the flying starts and Eamon Sullivan (AUS) beat Phelps on the lead off to break the WR previously held by Alain Bernard (FRA), who got passed by Lezak on the anchor leg.
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D new suit is like d new tennis racket it helps a lot
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BTW bakes. Jones had the slowest time on the relay. Lezak had the fastest split of the flying starts and Eamon Sullivan (AUS) beat Phelps on the lead off to break the WR previously held by Alain Bernard (FRA), who got passed by Lezak on the anchor leg.
wheeyyyy allyuh men keeping man on dey toes boy... ah like dat ;D
Ah stand corrected... my fault fuh reading too fast and absorbing too little, had to go back and check. He recorded the fastest split with a time of 47.12, but in de pre-lims...
...but now ah have tuh aks...dai'z what yuh name means... "swimmer"?
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what de arse goin on with that feller
de man cyar loose
like he genetically more advanced than we
bowell drop out ah de 200 cause he know he cyar beat ah mutant
i want to believe iz drugs but he seen too genuine to me
ato do meh ah favor and try to drown him, i want to see if he have tuna in he family.
lmao... :rotfl:
Nah, but I give Phelps full props.. I didn't understand what was going on with him until reading ah SI article last week on his training and thing. He is blessed in that there's a very talented pool of individuals training at Michigan, and as well as with the club that he swims with... including several Olympians (American and non-American).
So to go with the talent he has naturally... he has the type of competition around him that keeps him on his toes, he was saying in one of the NBC pieces that no one in that group dominates the others, guys take turns besting each others. So that keeps them pushing each other.
Ah was never ah big fan of Phelps (doh know why). But I have started to really appreciate his extra ordinary talent, dat he is blessed wid. De man is ah boss, hopefully he keep de world admiring him for his talent and don't disappoint us wid any drugs scene later down de road, as we have seen on so many occasions before wid other athletes. CLICK-CLICK
BnS ah doh know how long yuh have dat Obama picture down dey, but ah just observed it. Well yuh know I doh hide nothing, yuh probably know by now I'm a democrat and huge Obama supporter. Well ah know we cah be talking politics here, so tuh make a long story short, who ever yuh vote for (if yuh cud vote :-\), just make a smart decision for your future, kids future (or future kids), de rest of your family and de rest of us in de USA :beermug:.
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BTW bakes. Jones had the slowest time on the relay. Lezak had the fastest split of the flying starts and Eamon Sullivan (AUS) beat Phelps on the lead off to break the WR previously held by Alain Bernard (FRA), who got passed by Lezak on the anchor leg.
wheeyyyy allyuh men keeping man on dey toes boy... ah like dat ;D
Ah stand corrected... my fault fuh reading too fast and absorbing too little, had to go back and check. He recorded the fastest split with a time of 47.12, but in de pre-lims...
...but now ah have tuh aks...dai'z what yuh name means... "swimmer"?
Correct Sir. Although these days it would be more accurately to call me "Coach".
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he doh wear no friggin suit
what tv allyuh watchin
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he doh wear no friggin suit
what tv allyuh watchin
Phelps wore the suit for that ridiculous swim of a 200 freestyle final. 1:42 .96 in the 200 free is otherworldly! Like he using it for certain events. We shall see what he uses in the 200 fly tonight. Remember that this is the event he swam at Sydney as a 15 year old. He broke the world record in it a few months later. God help the rest of them in that final.
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wat men not mentioning is phelps 6' 7" wind span and his high flexibility. u ever check the way he swings his hands on the starters block ....the man like ah rubber band. heard a commentator say he double jointed in the knee ???
i was really questioning his acheivements until i did a lil read up on him. h e is part ah the group that gets tested 4 drugs, refered to as the control group, they basically get tested very often and at random.
. the man jus have the talent the phsyical attributes and the commiment.
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check it out: phelps consumes 12 000 calories per day:
http://www.nypost.com/seven/08132008/news/nationalnews/phelps_pig_secret__hes_boy_gorge_124248.htm
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check it out: phelps consumes 12 000 calories per day:
http://www.nypost.com/seven/08132008/news/nationalnews/phelps_pig_secret__hes_boy_gorge_124248.htm
Not to sure about anything the NY Post says nuh... but I've read elsewhere (Sports Illustrated) that it's 4,000 calories per day... the RDA for the average Joe is 2,000 calories per day.
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check it out: phelps consumes 12 000 calories per day:
http://www.nypost.com/seven/08132008/news/nationalnews/phelps_pig_secret__hes_boy_gorge_124248.htm
Not to sure about anything the NY Post says nuh... but I've read elsewhere (Sports Illustrated) that it's 4,000 calories per day... the RDA for the average Joe is 2,000 calories per day.
The NY Post is shady but this report is correct - he eats 4000 calories for breakfast alone! I've heard from several sources (ESPN radio, NBC on tv) - but unfortunately no links.
Doesn't surprise me too much though - you really need around 10,000 calories a day with the mileage him and other swimmers do every day.
I remember George doing an interview a while ago and he had a beastly breakfast also.
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check it out: phelps consumes 12 000 calories per day:
http://www.nypost.com/seven/08132008/news/nationalnews/phelps_pig_secret__hes_boy_gorge_124248.htm
Not to sure about anything the NY Post says nuh... but I've read elsewhere (Sports Illustrated) that it's 4,000 calories per day... the RDA for the average Joe is 2,000 calories per day.
The NY Post is shady but this report is correct - he eats 4000 calories for breakfast alone! I've heard from several sources (ESPN radio, NBC on tv) - but unfortunately no links.
Doesn't surprise me too much though - you really need around 10,000 calories a day with the mileage him and other swimmers do every day.
I remember George doing an interview a while ago and he had a beastly breakfast also.
The NBC piece I saw mentioned the 4,000 calories as well... 10,000-12,000 sounds excessive. But who knows...
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I just heard this news article on NPR. An expert say that Phelp ability to do the dolphin kick better than most swimmers, in addition to holding his breath longer while doing it, is the reason for his success. They also says his big feet helps.
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Swima, any thoughts on the Cullen Jones leg?
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Swima, any thoughts on the Cullen Jones leg?
Solid swim for him, but he was better in the prelims. To put it in perspective, he was passed by Fred Bousquet who was at the time the fastest relay swimmer in history, until Leazak seemingly found Jesus in the very next leg. Cullen is a front half swimmer who would have done some damage if had qualified in the 50. He was a medallist in that event at worlds last year.
He was actually the second best American at US trials in the 50 with his time from the semis, but ended up third in the finals and out of the individual 50. Nevertheless, he is young and could be back in London as an individual performer.
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thorpe had real big feet too....very flipper like
allyuh notice phelps reaction when he wins gold now....its like, ok cool nice ,umm when is my next race?
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Olympic Inflation
http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/humannature/archive/2008/08/13/olympic-inflation.aspx
Can we please stop fussing over every new Olympic record?
A new record means that an athlete using today's equipment outperformed an athlete using yesterday's equipment. It's not a fair fight.
In swimming alone, today's advantages include:
1. LZR Racer suit. It reduces friction (compared with skin) and is structurally designed to compress and streamline the body for maximum speed. Estimated drag reduction: 5 percent to 10 percent. Estimated average improvement in top swimmers' best times: 2 percent. Designed by NASA scientists and computers, among others. Cost: $500.
2. Pool depth. This is the deepest pool ever used in the Olympics. Depth disperses turbulence, reducing resistance.
3. Pool width and gutters. Two extra lanes at the margins disperse waves to gutters, reducing ricochet and resistance.
4. Lane dividers. The plastic ones in Beijing deflect turbulence down instead of sideways, reducing resistance.
5. Starting blocks. Nonskid versions have replaced the old wooden ones, boosting dive propulsion.
6. Video. Recordings and analysis identify target variables such as stroke distance and turns.
7. Medical tests. Swimmers are blood-tested after each race to measure lactic-acid buildup.
8. Sports scientists. They run the monitoring and analysis. The U.S. swim team has four.
And here's a partial list of advances in other sports:
1. Lighter shoes. The latest material is carbon nanotubes.
2. Asymmetric shoes. Stronger carbon base in the right shoe tilts you to the left to increase speed as you round the track. Left shoe is designed to stabilize you.
3. Ice vest. It lowers your temperature before the race so you can delay overheating for better performance.
4. Hypoxic tents. Sleeping in low-oxygen chambers increases red blood-cell levels.
5. Aluminum javelins. They reduce vibration compared with the old carbon ones.
6. Bicycle wheels. Front wheels with fewer spokes (eight instead of 32) reduce weight and air resistance. So do composite one-piece rear wheels. All frames are carbon.
Michael Phelps (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images) Michael Phelps' coach says the LZR suit is fair. "Everybody is in the suit so it's across the board," he argues. That may be true of today's top swimmers. But it's not true of yesterday's. So comparing today's performances to the performances of 20, eight, or even four years ago—which is what "new Olympic record" means—is generally unfair.
If you want to compare today's athletes to yesterday's, the ideal method would be an inflationary formula. We already calculate how much $1 in 1980 would be worth today, based on price increases. We ought to be able to devise a similar multiplier for each Olympic event, based on average year-to-year improvement among top athletes. Averaging would wash out idiosyncratic ups and downs. The effects of aging could be measured and factored out.
Olympic inflation indexing wouldn't devalue new records. It would isolate and elevate records that truly stand out. Scores of media reports have boasted that every team in this year's 4 x 100 men's swimming relay beat the time that won that event four years ago. But by inflationary standards, the British, who beat the 2004 winning time by three-tenths of a second in constant time, actually failed to keep pace with it. The Americans, who beat it by five seconds, produced a genuine achievement.
And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to watch the latest high-definition broadcast from Beijing on my 46-inch flat-screen TV. It beats the crap out of the 20-inch tube I was squinting at in 2004. But that doesn't make my eyesight any better.
Published Wednesday, August 13, 2008 7:41 AM by William Saletan
Filed under: enhancement, doping
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I was a lifeguard at a program at Hopkins in 1998 and I see him swim dey for the "summer program" Should have gotten his darn autograph back den....
B'more baby....! Go Michael opps I mean Bovel!
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Who is Bovel!
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If he was from China, they would accuse him of doping....
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Corrreck kicker now dey sayin d chiney gyul 2 young
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If he was from China, they would accuse him of doping....
Hardly... charges of doping in swimming are rare enough as it is. Having as much info out there on Phelps... his training routine, dietary practices, unusual physique... added to the fact that (like Tyson Gay among others) he has volunteered for additional testing.. all of it conspires to mitigate against the doping accusations.
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OK 8 is enough good nite Mr. Phelps
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Swima, any thoughts on the Cullen Jones leg?
Solid swim for him, but he was better in the prelims. To put it in perspective, he was passed by Fred Bousquet who was at the time the fastest relay swimmer in history, until Leazak seemingly found Jesus in the very next leg. Cullen is a front half swimmer who would have done some damage if had qualified in the 50. He was a medallist in that event at worlds last year.
He was actually the second best American at US trials in the 50 with his time from the semis, but ended up third in the finals and out of the individual 50. Nevertheless, he is young and could be back in London as an individual performer.
Good insight. Thx.
I gather he would have felt personally responsible if that gold had been silver. I also sense he could have been a scapegoat but for the result. I think his absence from the frame with his teammates (when he was watching the final leg from the other side of the pool) added a lil to the scene ... anyway, all's well that ends well ... swimming is the winner.
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Untouchable
Did Michael Phelps get a gold medal for a race he lost?
By William Saletan
Posted Monday, Aug. 25, 2008, at 8:19 AM ET
Did Michael Phelps really earn eight gold medals in the 2008 Olympics?
In his next-to-last medal race, the 100-meter butterfly, Phelps trailed Milorad Cavic all the way to the wall. Nobody who saw the race in real time, including Phelps' mother, thought he had won. Yet the scoreboard showed him beating Cavic by one-hundredth of a second.
"The scoreboard said I got my hand on the wall first," Phelps declared afterward. The Boston Globe, like other American newspapers, agreed: "Phelps got his hand on the wall first." Cornel Marculescu, head of the world swimming federation, FINA, confirmed the verdict: "There is no doubt the first arrival was Michael Phelps." The race referee added: "There are no doubts. It was very clear that [Cavic] touched second."
Sorry, but none of these assurances holds water. The scoreboard doesn't tell you which swimmer arrived, touched, or got his hand on the wall first. It tells you which swimmer, in the milliseconds after touching the wall, applied enough force to trigger an electronic touch pad. As to whether Phelps touched first, there's plenty of unresolved doubt.
The human eye, in real time and basic video replay, suggests Cavic won. But that could be an optical illusion. Cavic takes one big stroke toward the wall, then glides to it with fingers extended. Phelps does the opposite: He shortens his stroke so he can squeeze in one more truncated stroke. He gambles that the speed he gets from the extra launch will make up for the additional time it requires. Cavic leads but closes the distance to the wall slowly; Phelps trails but closes the distance fast. In ultraslow-motion replays, it looks as though Cavic has reached the wall while Phelps is still closing. But these replays break down Cavic's glide to such short increments that you can't really tell whether he has stopped.
Marculescu says there's ''absolutely no doubt'' who won, because the clock registered Phelps' arrival first, and "the touch stops the clock.'' Not true. A touch doesn't stop the clock. The touch pad is designed to require a certain degree of force, because otherwise, slight pressure from the water would trigger it. "You can't just put your fingertips on the pad, you really have to push it," the race timekeeper explains. A FINA vice president says the crucial moment is "the instant of depression, of activation of the touch pad, not contact with the pad."
On Saturday, a week after the race, FINA tried to squelch the controversy by releasing four pairs of digital frames that track the two swimmers side by side as they reach the wall. "In the third set of images, with Phelps on the left, it is clear he is really pushing hard, while Cavic, on the right, is just arriving," the timekeeper told the Associated Press.
Again, not true. In the pictures, Cavic appears to have arrived by the second frame, if not the first—at a minimum, tying Phelps. (See for yourself.) And Phelps is moving so much faster and more forcefully that you have to wonder: Given the delay between contact and pressure, if the touch pad recorded Phelps' pressure only one-hundredth of a second before Cavic's, how likely is it that Cavic made initial contact before Phelps did?
Technically, the question of who touched first doesn't matter. FINA and the Olympics honchos agreed beforehand to use the touch pads; the touch pads require pressure; all swimmers and their coaches should know this. But that technical argument leaves two ugly, unresolved problems. One is that FINA, the timekeeper, the referee, and the media keep telling us, falsely, that Phelps "touched," "arrived," and "got his hand on the wall" first. "In our sport, it's who touches first," Marculescu told the AP on Saturday. Bull. It's not who touches first. It's who triggers the sensor first.
The other problem is that even FINA isn't sure how much pressure the touch pads require. On Saturday, Marculescu told the New York Times that the threshold was 3 kilograms per square centimeter. But in the same article, a FINA vice president said the threshold was 1.5 kilograms. If FINA's executives don't know the correct number, is it reasonable to expect Cavic to know it? And if he had realized how much pressure was required, would he have shortened his stroke as Phelps did, trying to trigger the sensor first, instead of trying to touch the wall first?
I'm not saying the touch-pad system is fishy. It beats the heck out of the old stopwatch method, not to mention the mysteries of judging gymnastics. It's the fairest, most precise system around. And that's the point: Even the most precise system leaves a gray area. In this case, it's the area between touching and pressing. Did Phelps beat Cavic to the wall? We'll never know.
William Saletan is Slate's national correspondent and author of Bearing Right: How Conservatives Won the Abortion War.
Article URL: http://www.slate.com/id/2198502/
Copyright 2008 Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive Co. LLC
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^^^^^ shit article.
The underwater phot was shot by a Sports Illustrated photographer and in this week's edition the photo was shown. You can clearly see where Phelps has already touched the wall while Cavic is a mere centimeters behind.
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Everybody has to put their 2 cents worth. But, FINA will have to do some reviews of the touchpad and underwater cameras.