By John Lohn<\/p>\n
CRANBURY, New Jersey, January 2. HAPPY New Year gang. Well, the 2006 campaign certainly was an exciting season, filled with fast swimming on the long- and short-course scenes. Now, we can begin taking tabs on this year's exploits, expected to be equally impressive. After all, there's a World Championships just around the corner.<\/p>\n
To start the year off right, we'd like to hear from our readers. What are your expectations for 2007 in terms of the swimming world? We're going to break this endeavor into a few parts, and feel free to be succinct in your responses or to elaborate. You can e-mail to the address at the bottom of this piece, and the most intriguing responses will be posted on our site.<\/p>\n
Here's what we're asking:<\/p>\n
**What storyline do you think will emerge as the most notable or most intriguing of 2007?<\/p>\n
**Who will enjoy the biggest breakthrough, or will have a resurgence of sorts?<\/p>\n
**What, if anything, do you hope to see changed in our sport?<\/p>\n
To get things rolling, I'll tackle the aforementioned categories.<\/p>\n
**Now a mother and having long ago proven all she needs in the water, Dara Torres is still at it and going strong. Recently, Torres obliterated a pair of Masters world records in the sprint-freestyle events and showed herself capable of returning to form that will make her a contender on the national scene. It will be interesting to see the progression of Torres and how she positions herself a year out from the 2008 Olympic Trials. It would be dazzling to see the four-time Olympian make another Games into her 40s. Talk about an inspiration.<\/p>\n
**One of the top freshman in the nation, Ricky Berens headed to the University of Texas with a sensational resume. As a standout at the Mecklenburg Aquatic Club, Berens has been a known entity on the national stage. But, he might be poised for a monster season in 2007. Under the direction of Eddie Reese in Austin, look for Berens to be part of an NCAA championship charge by the Longhorns and for the youngster to further his reputation in the 100 fly.<\/p>\n
**There's no doubt that swimming has been plagued by drug issues in the past, most notably widespread doping by East Germany and China. But, last year watched Libby Lenton and Leisel Jones questioned about drug use, simply because their performances have been so stellar, coupled with the fact that they boast impressive physiques. The accusations were unfair and unfounded and our sport doesn't need finger-pointing toward athletes who have obviously put in the work to achieve their status. <\/p>\n