Thorpedo is back!
Discussion
The Thorpedo is back in the water! This is excellent news, I always thought he retired too young, but he was obviously bored by it all then and had enough. Now though he wants a crack at London 2012 and I suspect with Phelps putting putting the Beijing run together he feels he wants a challenge. Thorpe beat Phelps over the 200 free in Athens, so rematch time...
f
k me a swimming thread in the sports section, oh well, here goes, he'll be lucky to even medal at London in 2012 (ok he should get something in the relay teams). That many years out can not simply be made up, and swimming has moved on with out him. I'd imagine he'll make a decision based on the Aussie trials next year they normally hold them early in 2012 (March).
k me a swimming thread in the sports section, oh well, here goes, he'll be lucky to even medal at London in 2012 (ok he should get something in the relay teams). That many years out can not simply be made up, and swimming has moved on with out him. I'd imagine he'll make a decision based on the Aussie trials next year they normally hold them early in 2012 (March).Edited by OneDs on Thursday 3rd February 13:13
OneDs said:
fk me a swimming thread in the sports section
I know, I think this is only the second swimming thread I've ever seen on PH!k me a swimming thread in the sports sectionThorpe is a measured, intelligent guy. This comeback is not driven by emotion, but by calculated facts - he's done 6 months training now and he must feel he's got enough to challenge in 2012.
This will be so interesting as only Phelps has gone faster than Thorpe in the 200 free of swimmers not using the 'shiny' suits or those now legal.
I don't think its as clear cut as Thorpe vs Phelps in the 200; you've got Biedermann, Tae-Hwan Park, Yannick Agnel, Daniil Isotov all of which will see themselves as potential challengers to Phelps in the 200 free and then there's always someone else to come through in the next 18 months.
In the 100 though, I can't see it somehow. I know he got bronze back in Athens, but up against the pure sprinters such as Cielo, I think it'll be tough.
I've also heard that Ian Crocker is back training.
Yeah , I think it will more interesting to see who comes through to challenge Phelps and possibly Thorpe, I think they both had an air of invincibility about them that could get shattered by some upstarts who don't care about their past glories, rather than the guys who have been competing against them in previous games & major championships. Don't really follow the times as much as I used too so not sure on the noted names to beat them at the moment but the US & Aus trials will be interesting to see who comes through, European SC in December might throw up some surprises as well but you can't always count on winter shorts course meets for anything.
The Aussies don't really have anyone of note at the moment in the 200 free. They have Eamonn Sullivan in the 100, but he's been out injured over the past year.
Biedermann is my bet to upset the apple cart. Suit or no suit, he is the world record holder and beat Phelps convincingly to set that time. I was also really impressed in how he won the World SC in Dubai in December, cruised to the 100 in lane 7 and then went absolutely ape and stormed the second 100 (I know you can't read too much into SC though).
Agnel the French lad could be really good, he's very young but has the size and great technique.
I guess we'll find out more at the Worlds in Shanghai in the summer.
But no matter what way you look at it, Thorpe vs Phelps will certainly be a crowd puller.
Biedermann is my bet to upset the apple cart. Suit or no suit, he is the world record holder and beat Phelps convincingly to set that time. I was also really impressed in how he won the World SC in Dubai in December, cruised to the 100 in lane 7 and then went absolutely ape and stormed the second 100 (I know you can't read too much into SC though).
Agnel the French lad could be really good, he's very young but has the size and great technique.
I guess we'll find out more at the Worlds in Shanghai in the summer.
But no matter what way you look at it, Thorpe vs Phelps will certainly be a crowd puller.
Competitor (sort of). I had 15 years off from swimming after giving up as a teenager. Got to 30 rather fat and unfit and decided it was time for a change. Now have got back to reasonable competition shape in Masters competitions and won my first National medal for 20 years last year, I'm now 33. Coach a bit with my club too.
I see you're from Dorset - did you swim down there when you were younger? I swam for Ferndown from the mid 80s through to mid 90s, gave up when in my mid-teens.
I see you're from Dorset - did you swim down there when you were younger? I swam for Ferndown from the mid 80s through to mid 90s, gave up when in my mid-teens.
Good on you, masters nat champion is some achievement after that long out. I'm just round the corner from Ferndown in Colehill(Wimborne), in fact my brother-in law is the GM of Ferndown Leisure centre where the otters used to train, not sure where they go now.
I haven't done anything since I gave it up in the 90's, I coached for a bit as well, but got fed up with parents of age groupers thinking they knew best and their kids not wanting to be there.
Made GBR team once and a few medals at national level one gold.
I haven't done anything since I gave it up in the 90's, I coached for a bit as well, but got fed up with parents of age groupers thinking they knew best and their kids not wanting to be there.
Made GBR team once and a few medals at national level one gold.
OneDs said:
Good on you, masters nat champion is some achievement after that long out. I'm just round the corner from Ferndown in Colehill(Wimborne), in fact my brother-in law is the GM of Ferndown Leisure centre where the otters used to train, not sure where they go now.
I haven't done anything since I gave it up in the 90's, I coached for a bit as well, but got fed up with parents of age groupers thinking they knew best and their kids not wanting to be there.
Made GBR team once and a few medals at national level one gold.
Not quite National champion - it was a bronze (though ex GB international won the event, that's my excuse).I haven't done anything since I gave it up in the 90's, I coached for a bit as well, but got fed up with parents of age groupers thinking they knew best and their kids not wanting to be there.
Made GBR team once and a few medals at national level one gold.
My folks are still in Ferndown, Otters now train at Canford School and Rossmore I think - a merger with Bournemouth Dolphins is on the cards I hear.
Must have been more than a little handy yourself, I expect there are a few guys swimming Masters now who you used to compete against. Did a 200 breast in the same race as Nick Gillingham last year and got whooped by Adrian Turner as well the year before that.
Swam many times against Gillingham & Turner, would beat them both over the 50m couldn't get close to Nick on a 100m but Adrian was solely great as a 200m Breaststroker so could beat him over the 100m as well. I focused on 50m & 100m Breast, 200 IM.
I suppose Laurie Dormer is long gone from Bournemouth Dolphins he'd be about a 110 now if he hasn't. I trained mainly at Beckenham and then City of Cardiff before I gave up and they tore down the pool to make way for the millennium stadium.
Fleetwood was always good age grouper club, I remember going up to watch the age groups Nationals at Blackpool once, too young to compete, we stayed in Fleetwood and trained there for a week, they were the fking hardest sessions I can ever remember from when I was a really young competitive swimmer. Not surprised you gave up if you had to put up with that day in day out.
I suppose Laurie Dormer is long gone from Bournemouth Dolphins he'd be about a 110 now if he hasn't. I trained mainly at Beckenham and then City of Cardiff before I gave up and they tore down the pool to make way for the millennium stadium.
Fleetwood was always good age grouper club, I remember going up to watch the age groups Nationals at Blackpool once, too young to compete, we stayed in Fleetwood and trained there for a week, they were the f
king hardest sessions I can ever remember from when I was a really young competitive swimmer. Not surprised you gave up if you had to put up with that day in day out.Edited by OneDs on Thursday 3rd February 16:49
OneDs]I suppose Laurie Dormer is long gone from Bournemouth Dolphins he'd be about a 110 now if he hasn't. [footnote]Edited by OneDs on Thursday 3rd February 16:49[/footnote said:
Strange you should say that. He has left Dolphins, but he was on poolside at the SW Masters last year with a group of swimmers from the Littledown Masters club. Saw him but didn't introduce myself, he never liked me when I was younger, primarily as I'd beat all his swimmers...Swam against guys from Beckenham a lot and Cardiff were always in the Speedo League against us, but I reckon I'm a few years younger than you. I think the nearest I can get to your standard is that I used to give Ian Edmond a run for his money, though he went onto much bigger and better things. I was also a breaststroker, though now that is the one stroke that I'm furthest away from my old times on.
Anyway, this thread has gone waaaaay off topic!
Edited by Highway Star on Thursday 3rd February 17:24
Going wayyyy OT but when will we see another swimming thread on here?
Small world, Dormer, I can't believe he is still around yeah I used to beat his son (think he was called luke) so he didn't like me until his son gave up and I got quite good at senior level. Ian Edmond, gosh these are blasts from the past, what year are you 78? I'm 74 my brother was 78 and he competed at county (surrey) and southern counties level, you probably swam against him, he made the age group nats just a couple of times.
Ian, Matt Kidd, Paul Belk, Darren Mew, were at southern counties clubs all these guys were about your age and I remember swimming against them for a year or so when they got out of the age group levels, I suppose I was kind of lucky in one respect as post Gillingham & Moorhouse breaststroke wasn't great in the UK for a few years so I did quite well for a couple of years.
Used to do most 50m & 100m and had respectable times on most strokes but Breast & IM as mentioned were my events.
Small world, Dormer, I can't believe he is still around yeah I used to beat his son (think he was called luke) so he didn't like me until his son gave up and I got quite good at senior level. Ian Edmond, gosh these are blasts from the past, what year are you 78? I'm 74 my brother was 78 and he competed at county (surrey) and southern counties level, you probably swam against him, he made the age group nats just a couple of times.
Ian, Matt Kidd, Paul Belk, Darren Mew, were at southern counties clubs all these guys were about your age and I remember swimming against them for a year or so when they got out of the age group levels, I suppose I was kind of lucky in one respect as post Gillingham & Moorhouse breaststroke wasn't great in the UK for a few years so I did quite well for a couple of years.
Used to do most 50m & 100m and had respectable times on most strokes but Breast & IM as mentioned were my events.
As if to make this an even smaller world...another breastie here! Everyone always talks of free or fly, so the chances of 3 breasties actually having a swim convo are remote indeed!
Good to see some southerners came up north to see us aswell
Fleetwood have always been known as a hard training club and when you are 11, 12, 13 sod me it sucks. Train before school, train after school and evening training 3 times a week I think it was. When I started school and added rugby training on and swimming for school then it just got silly.
Good to see some southerners came up north to see us aswell
Fleetwood have always been known as a hard training club and when you are 11, 12, 13 sod me it sucks. Train before school, train after school and evening training 3 times a week I think it was. When I started school and added rugby training on and swimming for school then it just got silly.Yeah training wasn't my strong point, loved the competition and hated losing so that was the only thing that drove me to train hard really. Was in and out between the ages of 12-16, rugby, cricket, cadets & girls all got in the way somewhere along the line. Decided to give it one last go when I got to 17 and that was the first time I started doing 3x sessions a day, 5-7 swim, 12:30-1:30 gym & 5-7 swim, I also found that such an individual sport means that the team social activity you had at age groups level just disappears when you get serious at it in the senior age groups, you also become very single minded at the expense everyone else around you.
OneDs said:
Going wayyyy OT but when will we see another swimming thread on here?
Small world, Dormer, I can't believe he is still around yeah I used to beat his son (think he was called luke) so he didn't like me until his son gave up and I got quite good at senior level. Ian Edmond, gosh these are blasts from the past, what year are you 78? I'm 74 my brother was 78 and he competed at county (surrey) and southern counties level, you probably swam against him, he made the age group nats just a couple of times.
Ian, Matt Kidd, Paul Belk, Darren Mew, were at southern counties clubs all these guys were about your age and I remember swimming against them for a year or so when they got out of the age group levels, I suppose I was kind of lucky in one respect as post Gillingham & Moorhouse breaststroke wasn't great in the UK for a few years so I did quite well for a couple of years.
Used to do most 50m & 100m and had respectable times on most strokes but Breast & IM as mentioned were my events.
Yes, I'm a '78, no doubt I did swim against your brother, I did Western Cos rather than Southern, but did a lot of meets in the south and London, plus the Nationals every year. I was plateauing by the time I got to 14 and didn't stick with it as I found that the swimming base meant I could run track and cross country to a national level, so I did that instead and also biathlon which mixed the swimming and running. Won my last Western Cos title when I was 14 and did the Nationals that year and gave up.Small world, Dormer, I can't believe he is still around yeah I used to beat his son (think he was called luke) so he didn't like me until his son gave up and I got quite good at senior level. Ian Edmond, gosh these are blasts from the past, what year are you 78? I'm 74 my brother was 78 and he competed at county (surrey) and southern counties level, you probably swam against him, he made the age group nats just a couple of times.
Ian, Matt Kidd, Paul Belk, Darren Mew, were at southern counties clubs all these guys were about your age and I remember swimming against them for a year or so when they got out of the age group levels, I suppose I was kind of lucky in one respect as post Gillingham & Moorhouse breaststroke wasn't great in the UK for a few years so I did quite well for a couple of years.
Used to do most 50m & 100m and had respectable times on most strokes but Breast & IM as mentioned were my events.
Paul Belk was a year older than me and Darren Mew a year younger, but I swam against them a number of times.
Of guys who are still swimming Masters now and about your age; Dave Warren and Steven Mavin are still swimming very well indeed.
vonhosen said:
Oh dear. I never swam for him, always against his swimmers, but he always backed them 100%.Gassing Station | Sports | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff