Pip Taylor wears our new Nest Pro Nano as she enjoys the photo shoot.
August 25, 2008
2009 Triathlon Photo Shoot
After Timberman 70.3 Triathlon, triathletes Chrissie, Pip Taylor and T.J. Tollakson joined the TYR crew for the 2009 Triathlon Collection photo shoot in New Hampshire.
Timberman 70.3 Triathlon
Champion Chrissie Wellington not only won the woman's race, she beat all but five men. Even more she beat the old race record by more than 18 minutes. She's undefeated since Ironman Hawaii. That's 4 for 4.
Go Chrissie!
Timberman 70.3 Triathlon
Competitors lined up early on August 17 for the Timberman Triathlon in Lake Winnipesaukee. Wetsuits were needed for the chilly waters.
Olympic Open Water Recap by Mark
Mark Warkentin reflects on his Olympic 10k race.
“At the beginning of the historic race, levity triumphed over tension at the starting dock.
Nothing of significance happened in the first lap of the race and all I really remember was trying to establish a good drafting position, which I believe I did. The race was physical from the start with a lot of jostling for position within the pack for the entire first lap. At the start of the second lap I was the unfortunate recipient of an elbow to my shoulder blade that, now 2 days later, still hurts.
I don’t know who it was that got me, but I must have made an aggressive retaliation move because I was given a Yellow Card a few moments later. The race official blew his whistle at me, held up a yellow flag and produced a board with #18, my number, written on it. The only thing you can really do is adjust your race strategy accordingly, knowing that a second infraction will result in a disqualification from the race. A Yellow Card makes the athlete more apprehensive at the critical moments, and there was one critical moment where I had to back down when I normally would have stood firm.
Going into a turn on the third lap the Russian and I were battling for position. I had an inside position (technically the better position) but the Russian was making it clear that he was going to try and angle me inside the course. His goal was to try and slam me into the buoy instead of going around it cleanly. I knew what he was trying to do and, under normal circumstances without a Yellow Card, I would have held my position. However, holding position would have required a lot of physical contact, and I didn’t want to draw the attention of the race officials. So, I backed down, lost my position, and had to try and scramble to get back into the thick of the pack.
At the start of the 4th lap the pace picked up tremendously, and this is when I knew that I was in trouble. My heart rate shot up, my technique started to flag, and my mind lost a bit of coherency. This isn’t abnormal to 10K races, in fact it happens every time, but in good races I can usually keep my composure at least until the 9,000 meter mark. I fought like crazy from the 7,500 to the 9,500 to stay in the race but I kept getting tangled with the Dutchman (the eventual winner) the Russian (previous world champion) and a whole bunch of other swimmers.
I scrapped my way through the last very painful 800 meters, and the closer I got the more it became apparent that I wasn’t going to win a medal. I won a small battle by out-touching a few of the other competitors at the finish line, but my 8th place finish was about 20 seconds behind the winner. I put my hand on the touchpad 1 hour 52 minutes and 13 seconds after the start of the race.
Looking back on it now I feel good about my race experience. No I didn’t win a medal, but I was in the race the entire time and I gave it my best effort. To wrap up the race analysis I thought I’d share the Olympic Creed:
The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as in life the most important thing is not the triumph but the struggle, The essential thing is not to have conquered, but to have fought well.”
August 14, 2008
Amaury Leveaux Sets Olympic Record
One of France's most prominent athletes and TYR team member, Amaury Leveaux has been breaking records left and right this year. His spontaneity brings a smile to fans' faces.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Amaury set a new OLYMPIC RECORD in the 50m Freestyle in the prelim event. He swam faster than any swimmer has in the history of the Olympic Games. He helped fellow Frenchmen set 2 European Records in the 4x100m Freestyle (one in prelims, then one in finals).
Amaury is the 2nd Fastest Man in History in the 50m Freestyle, swimming an incredible time of 21.38. Just last year, Amaury was ranked 74th in the world in the 50m Freestyle. Now he's 2nd!
Watch Amaury swim in the 50m Freestyle Prelims and Final at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
The Today Show - Tracer Rise
USA exclusive Tracer Rise Full Body appeared on The Today Show on August 13.
This segment ran during the most watched Olympic morning show and featured on The Today Show website as a top story.
The Today Show - Tracer Rise
Men's Health Magazine worked with TYR to get a Tracer Rise within hours of the Today Show airing this piece. Matt Zimmer in Beijing scrambled to get to the Water Cube in time for the messenger to pick up the elite swimsuit technology.
Click to View:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/26153029#26178153
Time Magazine - 4 million Readers
Time Magazine
High-Tech Swimsuits: Winning Medals Too
August 13, 2008
Swimming in the Tracer I noticed the compression in my legs was greater than with any other suit I've worn. It made me feel explosive and helped me kick effectively. The suit felt light, like I was swimming in saltwater, and although it wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world — it took 20 minutes to get into — it was fast.
For this Olympics, TYR had to alter its design focus. Four years ago, the company had developed a suit called the Aqua Shift, using a technology borrowed from airplanes and Formula One car racing, but never before used on a swimsuit. It used a system of turbulators, or tripwires, that wrap around the chest and back and disrupt, or trip, the flow of water down the body. This was significant because in previous attempts to reduce drag, the water would run quickly down the body and then form an eddy that would literally pull the swimmer backwards. So, in effect, the turbulators reduced total drag by increasing (slightly) the amount of friction on the surface of the body.
And the Aqua Shift worked well. Too well, in fact. After the 2004 Olympics the governing body for international swimming, FINA, decided that tripwire technology was too extreme and, according to TYR, banned any form of protuberances from swimsuits.
After having battled with FINA over this and other technologies, the TYR team decided to take a more holistic approach to the suit for 2008. While it spent plenty of time in the lab developing fabric and design structure, TYR focused most of its efforts on the swimmers and in the pool. Eric Shanteau, a member of the American Olympic team, swam seven personal best times at trials in a suit that he helped design. (Yes, he's the guy who went to Beijing despite a diagnosis of testicular cancer.) Shanteau, for example, had about an inch and a half of material taken out of the waistband part of the suit to make it cling more precisely on his body. "That really helped the fitting for me," he says. That modification was eventually incorporated in the standard model which is being used by many of TYR's 200 sponsored athletes; others opted for custom-fit suits, an option that was offered to all.
You can wear the LZR or TYR and feel as fast as a dolphin — and don't discount the psychological effect of wearing something high tech.
August 12, 2008
A Moment To Remember Forever
Matt Grevers' performance in Beijing has been spectacular. He shocked the nation when he qualified for the backstroke event at the USA Olympic Trials. He was not even training for backstroke, but his speed and talent secured him a spot the USA Olympic Team.
Now in Beijing, he's grabbed the world's attention. Matt earned an Olympic Gold Medal, Olympic Silver Medal, a World Record and Olympic Games Record. He is yet to swim the 4x100 Medley Relay on Friday.
Way to go Matt!
Experiencing Beijing Culture
NBC filmed a special profile segment Mark Warkentin, the first American open water swimmer in history to swim in an Olympic Games. NBC wanted to show our elite athlete getting a taste of the local culture. The national television show invited a Tai Chi instructor to teach Mark the basics of the Chinese Tai Chi art.
The segment is set to air a few days before Mark's big race.
August 7, 2008
Leaping into Beijing
Follow USA Diving Olympian Nancilea Foster's daily journey in Beijing on her personal blog.
http://nancilea.blogspot.com/
Nancilea reflects on her first days in Beijing.
"Yesterday morning was our first trip to the pool. Before we got in the water, we took a bunch of pictures. I even climbed up to 10M and took some from there. The pool looks great.
I am finally here in the village. YAY! The last several days have been filled with all kinds of adventures. On Sunday night we had a send off gala that was quite fancy. We started the evening with a diving show. It was a little strange because we were marched out in front of the crowd, and in many ways it felt like a meet, but with no warm up time, and lots of down time in between march out and when we did our dives. Afterwards, we got showered and all dressed up (the event was casual elegant).
I found out what my Olympic Suit will look like! I am sponsored by TYR, and they have done a great job with my suit.
We made it to the village, and got our room assignments. We are sharing a suite with Judo one floor above the rest of the divers. I’ve just met the girls once this morning, but they seem really nice."
Leaping into Beijing
Indroducing Olympian Nancilea Foster!
My event is 3 meter diving.
My name is pronounced Nancylee.
I call the Woodlands, Texas home.
My husband and parents will be visiting me in Beijing.
My faith inspires me.
I just won Sr. Nationals before I left for Beijing.
I am Beijing Bound!
Leaping into Beijing
Meet USA Olympic Diving Coach Jeff Huber
3-Time USA Olympic Diving Head Coach - 2000, 2004, 2008.
I've placed a female diver on each of the last 3 Olympic Teams.
I'm head diving coach of Indiana University.
I coach all ages. It's my passion.
I've been a part of Team TYR for over a year.
I have my PHD in Educational Psychology which helps me educate divers on this mental challenges in diving.
When I'm not at the pool, I spend time with my two grown children and my wife.
I can't wait for the Beijing Olympic Games.
Leaping into Beijing
Coach Jeff Huber works with divers at the 2008 Sr. National Diving Championship in Pasadena. His club team had 19 divers at the meet (all in TYR), more than any other team in the nation. This is just days before he left for the Beijing Olympic Games.
Go Hoosiers!
August 6, 2008
Olympic Voice from Beijing
"On Monday night we went to the Water Cube, which is only a couple of hundred meters away from our dorms, but takes 20 minutes to get to because you have to walk to the bus depot and then drive around the village to get to the venue. We’ve all seen the Water Cube and gawked at it for the past 2 years, but finally seeing it was pretty special. It really is different than any other pool I’ve ever seen because the architecture of the building was given more planning and thought than any natatorium before it. The interior of the Water Cube is beautiful, and the spectator seating goes up and up and up.
The dorm buildings are neatly organized into rows and each country has a group of rooms together in one building or, in a few cases, the entire building.
The Village cafeteria, think of a room the size of Costco. Now, put about 5 buffet restaurants in there and add a McDonalds. Throw in a couple of thousand chairs and you have your Village cafeteria. The food is excellent and there are Chinese people everywhere interested in making the experience enjoyable. Six people served me one piece of chicken and a scoop of rice, and when the sixth and final person handed me the plate they all looked at me, smiled and said “Enjoy your lunch.”
I’m enjoying everything."
Olympic Voice from Beijing
Olympian Mark Warkentin writes on his first day in Beijing.
"I’m having an incredible time so far. I don’t know what you’ve heard or read about this Olympics, but I can assure you that this place is about ready to burst with excitement. Everything is huge, everything is organized, everything is planned and prepared and just in case there’s a problem there’s 50 Chinese standing on every street corner willing to help. The people are motivated, friendly and well-spoken. The facilities are state-of-the-art. The food is spectacular.
We arrived in Beijing in the afternoon, and hundreds of people were waiting for us at the airport. We were hurried onto buses and taken by police escort through Beijing. In preparation for the Olympics, Beijing did a bit of an environmental makeover. Thousands of trees line the sides of the freeway from the airport, so much so that it felt like we were going away from a city rather than towards the city. A thick blanket of greenery was our only view until we were in the middle of Beijing.
The Olympics dominate every aspect of Beijing and for a tourist coming to the city you’d probably miss out on the typical cultural experience. The city in clean as a whistle and the streets are free of congestion. The planning for this event is obvious at every turn, and, with the barricades, high-tech name tags, and general security presence."
August 5, 2008
Arriving at the Water Cube
Matt Zimmer arrived in Beijing just days ago. He met with Team TYR USA swimmers Mark Warkentin, Eric Shanteau, Matt Grevers and TYR coaches for the first time on Monday at the Water Cube. The athletes are on a tight schedule with very little access. They are all in good spirits and health.
Just 3 DAYS until the Opening Ceremonies of the greatest sports event for swimming in the last four years. Remember on 8-8-08 the grand spectacle kicks off with TYR athletes from around the world at the same place at the same time.
Singapore Training Trip
Mark took time from his busy training session to visit the local culture in Singapore. He visited the Raffles Hotel, a famous historic landmark in the city. With a strict dress code for visitors, Mark ran back to the hotel to wear his finest attire.
Mark talks about the experience...
"Unfortunately I arrived too late to participate in the afternoon tea, but I wandered around the hotel lobby and courtyard and got a picture taken in the historic Billiard Room. I also went to the Long Bar (located in the Raffles Hotel), site for the creation of the Singapore Sling. As a member of the USA Swimming Swim Team I am bound by an honor code not to consume any alcoholic beverage until after the Olympics, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity completely, so I ordered the famous drink virgin style. This may be my only time in Singapore and as the local saying goes: “Where else should one partake of the Singapore Sling but at the Raffles Hotel.”
Singapore Training Trip
Mark Warkentin trained for the last two weeks with the rest of members of the USA Swimming Team in Singapore.
Mark tells about the young children eager for autographs at the pool.
"The autograph books themselves are incredibly impressive. Many of the people would take a picture one day then return with the developed photo the next day. All the athlete photos would be organized alphabetically and next to each photo was an accompanying athlete biography. It’s not hard to see why Singapore is an incredibly successful country."
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