Odds and Ends Heading Into Rome

Column by John Lohn

CRANBURY, New Jersey, June 22. AS the summer begins to heat up, and with the World Championships in Rome just around the corner, it seemed an appropriate time for some random musings about the sport.

**As successful as Richard Quick was as a coach, evident in his Olympic guidance and the record 13 NCAA championships he collected at the helm of Texas, Stanford and Auburn, his impact as a man was even more meaningful. That much was clear last week, as many of those influenced by Quick, remembered their mentor in the days following his death from an inoperable brain tumor.

Days before Quick's passing, Rowdy Gaines took time to discuss his coach's immeasurable impact. Said Gaines, the three-time Olympic gold medalist from Los Angeles in 1984: "He cared so much about his swimmers and picked up so many little things to make his swimmers better. More than that, he was a father figure to a lot of people."

**Well, the first sub-50 second 100 butterfly seems to be around the corner, considering what Michael Phelps uncorked at the Canada Cup on Saturday. Phelps blazed through the water for a clocking of 50.48, just off Ian Crocker's world mark of 50.40 from the 2005 World Championships.

A 49-point performance in the 100 fly would be a magical swim, so it's appropriate that the greatest swimmer in history is the man who seems destined to make it happen. Look for the fireworks to pop at the United States World Champs Trials.

**Long known for producing top-flight teenage stars, a crop that includes Tracy Caulkins and Janet Evans, it seems the United States has its next big gun in North Dakota's Dagny Knutson. While she has yet to have starred on a major international stage, namely the World Champs and Olympics, her time to emerge on the global stage is almost here.

While Knutson must answer the call at next month's United States World Championships Trials in Indianapolis, there's a chance she could be the talk of the competition – non-Michael Phelps Division. Her 4:36 clocking in the 400 individual medley at the Santa Clara International was a major statement, and an indicator that bigger things are to come sooner than later.

**While Miss Knutson seems destined for stardom, so does Jimmy Feigen. Having just completed his freshman year at the University of Texas, Feigen tuned up for the World Champs Trials with a pair of quality performances in the 50 and 100 freestyles at the Texas Senior Circuit Champs at his home pool in Austin.

When Feigen competed at the 2008 Olympic Trials, he was a non-factor in the chase for Beijing berths. One of the reasons was his lack of long-course training, a fact that has changed since Feigen began working under Eddie Reese. Now that his training has been better geared toward the long-course realm, don't be surprised if Feigen lands a spot on the United States squad headed to Rome in a few weeks.

**Could we really go an entire column without mentioning the swimsuit issue? Nope. Once the World Championships come to a close, and countless more world records are undoubtedly taken down, the sport will be even more muddled. For what will probably be a long time, global standards will remain on the books that truthfully have no right to occupy a page in an almanac.

**The World Championships won't be the same without Australian Leisel Jones, who has decided to skip the event in Rome. An amazing talent, Jones' absence would be tough to accept had she opted to take the year off. But, it's even harder to swallow with the impressive performances she has recently delivered in Santa Clara and at the Paris Open.

Jones is a walking highlight film and her pursuit of a sub-1:05 effort in the 100 breaststroke would have been a major storyline in Rome. So, too, would have been her rematch with the United States' Rebecca Soni in the 200 breast. Oh well, guess we'll have to wait a little longer for another epic showdown between the world-record holders.

**Finally, who can't wait to see if Dara Torres will win the world title in the 50 freestyle? The 42-year-old continues to dazzle and inspire. Hopefully, she'll swim until 50.

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