I missed Monday night’s Olympic Swim Trials, and I’ll probably miss more—I am a sporadic TV watcher at best, and a bad sit-com viewer at worst–mostly because there are flat-out better things to do, but I’m glad I caught the mens’ 200 meter semi-final freestyles Tuesday night. With a medaled line-up that featured rivals and teammates Lochte and Phelps from the Beijing games, and training schedules much ballyhooed in the news, the qualifying event was as interesting to watch as the Olympiad itself promises to be. The events I catch, anyway.

According to our TV commentator, the men weren’t just ready to compete again: they were raring! Prepared and then some; Lochte by engaging in so-called Strong man training techniques on a bi-weekly basis, and Phelps by hitting it extra-hard in the high altitudes of Colorado Springs. (click Colorado Springs to read more about Phelps right here at: CHARRON’s CHATTER)

For the layabout there at home, let me elaborate: Strong man training usually involves lifting something unnecessarily heavy, dragging it some distance unnecessarily, to ultimately hurl it over something for no fathomable reason. A fallback skill to be honed, no doubt, in the event the swimming thing doesn’t work out.

As the 2 men entered Century Link Center, the Omaha arena hosting the event, they looked sleek as seals. The hi-tech swim wear lent to that effect, of course: both athletes sporting knee-length swim trunks and skull-hugging swim caps, though only Phelps appeared to be getting his iTunes on pre-dip, and God only knows what the other 6 competitors were doing. Sure, Conor Dwyer had already qualified for the Olympics in the 400 last night, and that third Mike guy in the race, Michael Klueh, was a swimmer to watch out for, too, but to me the only guys who mattered were the ones heading toward lanes 4 and 5. Continue reading →…