Olympic gold medalist visits Raleigh swim team

(RALEIGH)—There was a gold rush in Raleigh at a local swim club during the weekend.
Three-time Olympic gold medalist Aaron Peirsol helped more than 250 members of the new WAVE swim team kickoff their season Sunday. Last summer, he took home the gold in the 100 and 200-meter backstrokes and the 400-meter medley relay in Athens.

Click Link to watch the Video

* Peirsol named USA Swimming Athlete of the Year (9/17/2005)

Three-time Olympic gold medalist Aaron Peirsol (Irvine, Calif./Longhorn) was voted the USA Swimming Athlete of the Year on Saturday at the U.S. Aquatic Sports Convention (Sept. 13-18, Greensboro, N.C.).

“This is a pleasant surprise,” Peirsol said. “I guess I was the one who didn’t think I’d win this award. There were tons of great swims this year - (Ian) Crocker’s 100 fly, and Brendan (Hansen) in the breaststrokes. And Michael (Phelps) still swam eight events and won six medals. How often does one person get six medals at a World Championships?

“The way I look at it, not to downplay my accomplishments, but people break world records every year. So to win this award this year, I am completely humbled and very happy.”

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Three-time Olympic gold medalist Aaron Peirsol (Irvine, Calif./Longhorn) was voted the USA Swimming Athlete of the Year on Saturday at the U.S. Aquatic Sports Convention (Sept. 13-18, Greensboro, N.C.).

This award caps a stellar year that saw Peirsol win eight consecutive races, including three World Championship gold medals, and set two world records.

“This is a pleasant surprise,” Peirsol said. “I guess I was the one who didn’t think I’d win this award. There were tons of great swims this year – (Ian) Crocker’s 100 fly, and Brendan (Hansen) in the breaststrokes. And Michael (Phelps) still swam eight events and won six medals. How often does one person get six medals at a World Championships?

“The way I look at it, not to downplay my accomplishments, but people break world records every year. So to win this award this year, I am completely humbled and very happy.”

The California native began 2005 in style, breaking his own world record in the 100-meter backstroke at the World Championship Trials (April 1-6, Indianapolis), and then continued strong throughout the summer. At the FINA World Championships (July 24-31, Montreal), he won gold medals in the 100m and 200m backstrokes and the 400m medley relay to bring his career total to seven World titles. Additionally, he again broke his own world record – this time in the 200m back, an event in which he has not lost in an international competition since the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, where he was the silver medalist. At the Mutual of Omaha Duel in the Pool (Aug. 2, Irvine, Calif.), he posted first-place finishes in all three of his races, helping Team USA to a victory over rival Australia.

Peirsol was voted the 2005 Athlete of the Year by the USA Swimming delegates in attendance at the convention. He was chosen over fellow Olympic standouts Michael Phelps, Brendan Hansen and Ian Crocker, as well as up-and-comers Kate Ziegler and Katie Hoff. This is the first time that he has been recognized for this award.

On Friday night, Crocker was honored with the ConocoPhillips Performance of the Year Award for his world record performance in the 100m butterfly at the World Championships in July. In that race, Crocker shattered the world record by .36 seconds with a time of 50.40 to capture his second-straight World title in the event.

Other awards presented at the House of Delegates meeting Friday include: (click here for more information on each award)

ASCA Coach Award:  Eddie Reese

Developmental Coach of the Year Award:  Jay Benner

Athletes Appreciation Award:  Jon Urbanchek

USA Swimming Award:  Mark Schubert

Open Water Committee Award:  Sara McLarty

Glenn S. Hummer Award:  2005 Open Water World Championship Team Staff

Open Water Swimmer of the Year:  Chip Peterson

Disabled Swimming Service Award:  Don Watkinds

Adapted Swimmer of the Year Award:  Erin Popovich

Kenneth J. Pettigrew Award:  Jamy Pfister

About USA Swimming

As the National Governing Body for competitive swimming in the United States, USA Swimming formulates the rules, implements policies and procedures, conducts national championships, disseminates safety and sports medicine information and selects athletes to represent the United States in international competition. USA Swimming has more than 300,000 members nationwide and sanctions more than 7,000 events each year. For more information, visit usaswimming.org.

The USA Swimming - 2006 Calendar is available now.

List of featured athlestes:
Official 2006 USA Swimming 12-month calendar. The 2006 calendar features:
Maritza Correia , Natalie Coughlin , Meghan Quann , Kaitlin Sandeno , Diana Munz , Tara Kirk , Aaron Peirsol , Brendan Hansen
Michael Phelps , Ian Crocker , Erik Vendt , Klete Keller
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Big Update:
Articles
* added a new article about Aaron’s apperance on the 10th Peirsol preaches hard work big dreams
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FanSection
* I managed to resize the two fan vids I already had on the site and put them back online again.
Latina’s videos can be found in the Fansection under Fanart

The Mutual of Omaha interview will follow once I managed to resize that a bit as well.
It is big!
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Pictures
* I finally managed to get new screencaps of the races in Indy 2004 and uploaded them here:
200 back race screencaps
200 back race interview screencaps
200 back race victory ceremony screencaps
In announcer booth screencaps -> medley relay screencaps

* More picture updates in:
- Athens 2004 Gallery
- Mis 2004 Aaron at the Stanford camp right before Athens
- Indianapolis 2004 Gallery
- Barcelona 2003 Professional Pictures (the first three pics in the gallery are new)
- Pan Pacs 2002 (the first five pics in the gallery are new)
- Fukuoka 2001 (the first two pictures are new)

Fan Pictures Montreal:
Montreal 2005 Fan Pictures Gallery
Big Thank you to Caite

Big Thank you to Eiregirl

Fan Pictures Duel 2005/Misc2005
Misc 2005 Gallery
Big Thank you to calisweetie15

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Thanks to Ang who informed me that Aaron will not take part in the Surf Jam.
It is official now and confirmed.

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2005 Golden Goggle Award ticket info

This year will be just as exciting. We are expecting over 100 Olympians, including legends Mark Spitz, Janet Evans and Summer Sanders as well as our entire 2005 World Championship Team, including Michael Phelps, Natalie Coughlin and Aaron Peirsol.

Dear USA Swimming Members,

On behalf of the USA Swimming Foundation, I would like to make a special offer exclusively to USA Swimming members…our swimming family. On Nov. 14, 2005, the USA Swimming Foundation will host the 2nd Annual Golden Goggles Awards in New York City at the historic Hammerstein Ballroom.

Last year our inaugural event was a smashing success with more than 600 dignitaries in attendance, including the entire 2004 Olympic Team, host Bob Costas of NBC, Olympic legends and celebrities. This year will be just as exciting. We are expecting over 100 Olympians, including legends Mark Spitz, Janet Evans and Summer Sanders as well as our entire 2005 World Championship Team, including Michael Phelps, Natalie Coughlin and Aaron Peirsol.

We would like to make this special limited-time offer on a first-come, first-served basis for you to attend and get up-close-and-personal with the greatest swimmers in history and at the same time support our foundation. To be assured of a seat at the event, our guaranteed tables are $8,000 each and individual seats are $1,000. An Olympian or World Championship Team member will be seated at each table. Last year we were completely sold out!

We are offering a limited number of spots determined by a lottery system at $500 a seat. We only have a certain number of seats that we will be able to accommodate with this offer exclusively to our swimming community. To be put in the lottery for the sale tickets, I need to hear from you by Oct. 5.

The USA Swimming Foundation Board of Directors has decided that a portion of the proceeds from the 2005 Golden Goggles will go to help displaced family members and their loved ones from Hurricane Katrina. We had over 2,000 USA Swimming family members affected by this terrible tragedy and we want them to know our thoughts and prayers are with them. The Golden Goggles is being administered by the USA Swimming Foundation, a 501C-3 corporation, so your Golden Goggles ticket is also a tax-deductible donation.

For more information about attending the event, please contact me as soon as possible. My Olympic dream came true because of the generous support of the American public. Our Foundation is dedicated to making dreams come true not only for our future Olympians but also for those that are less fortunate and have a dream of just taking part in our wonderful sport. 

Chief Fundraising and Alumni Development Officer
Olympic Gold Medalist
USA Swimming
1 Olympic Plaza
Colorado Springs, CO 80909

Ph. 719.866.3613
rgaines@usaswimming.org
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