By Duncan Scott<\/p>\n
PHOENIX, Ariz., December 28. SHORTLY after SwimInfo reported in a December 23 Premium Story by correspondent Craig Lord on the possible development of a dual meet between the USA and a European (LEN) select team, reaction was recorded from half a world away.<\/p>\n
Nicole Jeffery reported on December 24 in The Australian<\/i>, that Australian Swimming officials are upset, taking the possibility of a 2006 startup of a LEN-USA event similar to the USA-Australia Duel In The Pool as "an insult." <\/p>\n
Jeffery reported Australian officials saw the Duel in the Pool as a matchup of the world\u2019s No. 1 v. No. 2 — always a marketable concept — and convinced the Americans of the value of the event. The inaugural Duel took place in Indianapolis last year, with the Americans dominating an Aussie squad that competed without several of its biggest stars. Jeffery noted that a second dual meet is scheduled for Long Beach, California, next August, after the World Championships in Montreal, Canada. <\/p>\n
Jeffery spoke with Australian Swimming\u2019s national Executive Director Glenn Tasker and found him \u201cdismayed\u201d that the Americans have chosen to take the concept to the Europeans without even informing Australia. <\/p>\n
Is a dual meet an owned concept?<\/p>\n
"My initial reaction is shock," Tasker said. "Australian Swimming thought it was in partnership with US swimming. We have made a commitment to swim the second one in a row in their territory, giving them all the advantages. And now we find out they are dealing with another group of people via the internet." <\/p>\n
Jeffery then referenced the exclusive SwimInfo.com report, noting discussions between LEN officials and American coaching icon Peter Daland, expressing his excitement about the possibility.<\/p>\n
Jeffery reported Daland\u2019s reference to the Duel as follows, followed by Tasker\u2019s response: <\/p>\n
"America and Australia have a similar event but we're dealing with a country with a small population, albeit one that has a fantastic swim team. A competition with Europe would attract huge interest." <\/p>\n
Tasker said he was "insulted" by Daland's comments and interpreted them as a statement that Australia was not good enough to compete against the US.<\/p>\n
Tasker needs to step back and take a deep breath. <\/p>\n
Maybe if he were less easily insulted, and were instead truly interested in a strong, ongoing healthy Duel in the Pool, he could concentrate on assuring the top Australians commit to participate in top form in the event.<\/p>\n
If the concept was to decide whose best is #1 and whose best is #2, Australia didn\u2019t do its part in the first edition. <\/p>\n
The event lost a good deal of its allure before the athletes even hit the water when the Aussies failed to put forth their best, including world record holders Ian Thorpe and Leisel Jones. That pre-meet publicity letdown was only enhanced when the USA \u201cA\u201d team stomped on the team from Down Under.<\/p>\n
And contrary to Tasker\u2019s comments, crying about swimming two in a row \u201cin their territory, giving them all the advantages,\u201d whether Australia can make a meet of it depends entirely on who is in the pool, not where the pool is.<\/p>\n
Tasker should look more closely at Daland\u2019s statement and not be insulted by the truth. Australia is<\/i> a small country in terms of population. Australia has<\/i> a fantastic set of swimmers. A meet with Europe would<\/i> attract great interest. <\/p>\n
What construction of those statements can logically support the conclusion Tasker reportedly reached, that the USA was saying Australia is not good enough to compete with them? The answer is: none.<\/p>\n
Australia has a small population. It is not an insult to say that inevitably leads to less high-end depth generally being available on its national team than is available to the USA squad. If a top American decides against going to the Duel \u2013 a 2003 Gary Hall? \u2013 the US has a Lezak, Walker or Ervin to swim in his place. When a Klim is injured or a Thorpe drops out, it is not as easy for the Aussies to fill the spot with an essentially equivalent athlete. <\/p>\n
This is simple numerical fact. It is not an insult. <\/p>\n
A nugget area of high end depth for the Aussies may come along occasionally — in recent years men\u2019s mid to distance freestyle and the present group of female sprinters, and to a slightly lesser degree, current female breaststrokers \u2013 but the population factor has an unavoidable impact on having that broad depth consistently.<\/p>\n
But, again, Australia has a fantastic swim team. When they all show up they can be truly formidable. They can be proud of their Olympic and World Championship performances, especially over the last quadrennium, when, on several occasions, they out-performed the American team.<\/p>\n
They can legitimately consider themselves as world #1 or #2\u2026when they all show up.<\/p>\n
And finally, a meet with Europe would attract great interest. That, too, is simply a statement of fact. It has nothing to do with Australia and in no way interferes with the US-Aussie meet.<\/p>\n
In golf, the President\u2019s Cup, which involves Australia against the US, was added to the calendar not too long ago in alternating years with the longer running Ryder Cup. Both have prospered, with the Americans able to put up competitive squads against Europe one year and against the Aussies and the rest of the world the next year. <\/p>\n
The same can be the case in swimming. The Americans have enough quality depth to create a competitive team each year, even if their entire team isn\u2019t always able or willing to be involved.<\/p>\n
The Australians only have themselves to blame if the Americans felt the need to look elsewhere to be assured of consistently competitive dual meet opposition for their \u201cA\u201d team. If Australia can\u2019t consistently field their entire team for an international dual meet format, maybe they should take another page from the Ryder Cup, which really took off in popularity when continental European countries were added to the British Isles to more consistently balance the competition.<\/p>\n
Maybe if they could look to the value of the competition, rather than taking it as another insult, Australia could consider joining with the other founding countries of the Pan Pacific Championships (Australia, Japan and Canada against the USA) for the Pacific Cup dual series. <\/p>\n
Or maybe the Commonwealth versus the Colonies could consistently produce balanced competition (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, etc. versus the USA. Let Great Britain decide whether it prefers to be in the LEN meet or the Commonwealth meet).<\/p>\n
But if what the Aussies really want is nation against nation, they\u2019ve just got to both show up and be ready.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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