Pictures:
There is a slide show of the Encore Swim Spectaculare online at the Austin-American Statesman. They can be found here!
* Swimmers show lighter side
By John Maher
AMERICAN-STATESMAN
“... In another novel event, contestants swam a lap using the sidestroke, a recreational stroke that was clearly a mystery to Kirsty Coventry, an Olympic gold medalist from Zimbabwe and a volunteer assistant women’s swim coach for the University of Texas.
“For those of you who aren’t familiar with the stroke, you swim it on your side,” deadpanned Olympic gold medalist and world record holder Aaron Peirsol, who announced the race in a dead-on Australian accent. ...”
By John Maher
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Monday, March 10, 2008
If there was any doubt that the Encore Swim Spectacular would be a different kind of event from those typically held at the Jamail Texas Swimming Center, it was dispelled as soon as the national anthem was played. It was a guitar solo by Trent Turner and the Moontowers, who performed poolside throughout the afternoon.
The rock band was the pick of Ian Crocker, a world-record holder in the butterfly and one of the professional swimmers who train at the University of Texas and staged Encore. Those elite swimmers, and the friends they enlisted, were shooting for records Sunday, but they also wanted to put on an entertaining show for fans.
A couple of records were broken, as former Stanford University standout Tara Kirk topped short course American records in the 50- and 100-meter breaststrokes.
“I like it when it’s fun,” Kirk said.
In addition to the traditional swims, there were also fan-friendly events, including a retro race with swimmers competing with strokes from the 1970s or earlier.
In another novel event, contestants swam a lap using the sidestroke, a recreational stroke that was clearly a mystery to Kirsty Coventry, an Olympic gold medalist from Zimbabwe and a volunteer assistant women’s swim coach for the University of Texas.
“For those of you who aren’t familiar with the stroke, you swim it on your side,” deadpanned Olympic gold medalist and world record holder Aaron Peirsol, who announced the race in a dead-on Australian accent.
The swimming action was spiced with skits on the swim center’s video board that drew laughs from the hundreds in attendance, including many young children.
“I don’t think that intensity has to be the only emotion at a sporting event,” Crocker said. “Overall, I think it went great.”