February SW Magazine Worldwide Response to Open Letter to FINA to Correct Wrongs From DDR Era

PHOENIX, Arizona, February 4. THE February issue of Swimming World Magazine is now available for download to Total Access Subscribers!

On page 8 of the February Swimming World Magazine, Publisher Brent Rutemiller shares some of the comments from around the world expressing support of the Open Letter to FINA. We offer the contents of this page to our readers.

In the January issue of Swimming World Magazine, we published an open letter to FINA asking it to recognize all Olympic victims during the DDR era. We also solicited the worldwide swimming community to join our request.

Signatures and comments came from around the world asking FINA to do the right thing.

Here are a few of the most impactful comments:
“As a former Olympic swimmer (1972), I feel this would be a wonderful and fair way to put a line under the past and to show humanity and compassion to all ‘victims’ of this sad time in our sport.”Diana Nash, UK

“I was an announcer for ABC during the First World Swimming Championships in Belgrade and then during the Montreal Olympics—it was a sad time for the sport and for the victims on both sides of this issue. I also helped lobby for the establishment of WADA and USADA as a consultant to President Clinton’s Drug Czar General McAffrey. It is time to do the right thing and lead the way for other federations to follow. I love sport and swimming. We need to do what is right.”Donna de Varona, USA

“I honestly believe that victims are helped when the results (medals, records, etc.) obtained through deceit by their country and federation are no longer recognized. It’s like a burglar giving back what he has stolen!”Hans Elzerman, Netherlands

“The IOC should be consistent; it has been disqualifying Olympic athletes for many Olympiads for using illegal drugs. There is more than enough legal evidence available. This has been widely reported in German media, and there have been numerous court cases where this information has been made public. The entire private records of Dr. Lothar Kipke of the DhFK Leipzig were seized in his home following the collapse of the GDR, and in his carefully documented notebooks, the information is all there, in terms of days, dates, dosages, athletes. How much more evidence is needed?”Andrew Strenk, USA

“I, too, was a member of the ’72 and ’76 Olympic team as a diver. The injustices need to be corrected as best possible, and this is one way to act to do so.” —Cynthia Potter, USA

“I was the information officer for Canada’s swim team at the 1976 Olympic Games, saw the performances first-hand, and share the outrage for the Canadian swimmers who were wrongfully denied at least several medals, possibly gold. As a result, for many years, Canada held the dubious distinction, unfairly, of being the only host nation not to win an Olympic gold medal.” —Sheila Robertson, Canada

“Olympic glory should know no statute of limitations. Time passed should not be an excuse to deny those wronged the opportunity to taste that glory. I support the idea of duplicate medals and the formal acknowledgement that the IOC’s inability to monitor this widespread conspiracy allowed it to occur in the first place.” —Marc Carman, USA

“We cannot re-write history, but by acknowledging it, we can change the present and the future.”James Nickoloff, USA

These are only a few of the comments that have been pouring in every 10 minutes from countries such as Russia, Philippines, Ireland, India, Korea, Brazil, Denmark, Italy, Sweden, Uganda, Australia and Germany. We continue to ask athletes, coaches, parents, officials and governing bodies to join our efforts by signing the petition at Change.org
Brent T. Rutemiller
Publisher of Swimming World Magazine

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Curious about what you’ll find inside the February issue of Swimming World Magazine? Watch this month’s Inside Swimming World video to find out!

February Swimming World Magazine Table of Contents:

On The February Cover
Following his golden performance in the 100 meter freestyle at the 2012 London Olympics, the media dubbed Nathan Adrian as the “All-American Athlete.” Despite a disappointing performance at last year’s World Championships, the superstar sprinter still has great expectations for 2014 and beyond. [Photo by Peter H. Bick]

10 Dryland for Kids: Waiting on Weights (Part I) by Michael J. Stott
Swimming World introduces the first of a three-part series on dryland training for developing swimmers. It is designed to address the fundamental questions posed by parents and swimmers about when to start and what to expect once the process is begun.

14 Breaststroke Kick by Jeff Commings
Breaststroke times have gotten faster as athletes find ways to make the slowest stroke more efficient. The breaststroke kick is the latest segment to undergo an adjustment, as swimmers are leaning toward a more narrow kick. Although some power in the kick is lost, the reduced drag creates a smoother stroke and better speed consistency and maintenance.

16 Swimming Technique Misconceptions: Hip Rotation by Rod Havriluk

18 USSSA:The Singer, Not the Song by Casey Barrett

20 Overtraining in Elite Swimmers by Grant C. Smith

23 Nathan Adrian: Still the All-American Athlete by Shoshanna Rutemiller

29 Favorite Sets: Nathan Adrian

30 My “You-Had-to-Be-There” Moment! by Pamela Roberts
Swimming World contributor Pamela Roberts from Germany claims that the 2013 Duel in the Pool between the United States and the European All-Stars was a classic! And she should know: she was there!

42 Nutrition: Easy-to-Make Recipes for a Healthier You

43 Dryside Training: TRX Suspension Training by J.R. Rosania

44 Ask Dr. Shannon: Chest Stretches by Shannon McBride

45 Q&A with Coach Charles Yourd by Michael J. Stott

46 How They Train Yezan Alsader, Grace Ariola and Melissa Pish by Michael J. Stott

48 Survive and Thrive: Paying Tribute by Shoshanna Rutemiller
In honor of her coach and close friend who died from cancer, swimmer Alli DeFrancesco—herself a cancer victim who became cancer-free after surgery and chemotherapy—successfully crossed the English Channel in her memory.

56 Goldminds: Transition Points by Wayne Goldsmith
A transition point is a stage in your swimming career where your level of achievement is determined by the decisions and choices you make in your training every day.

DEPARTMENTS
06 A Voice for the Sport
35 2014 Swim Camp Directory
50 Up & Comers
52 Gutter Talk
59 For the Record
60 CSCAA Swimming Rankings
61 Parting Shot

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