SwimSwam Pulse is a recurring feature tracking and analyzing the results of our periodic A3 Performance Polls. You can cast your vote in our newest poll on the SwimSwam homepage, about halfway down the page on the right side, or you can find the poll embedded at the bottom of this post.
Our most recent poll asked SwimSwam readers if any Wave I standouts would choose not to swim in Wave II of the U.S. Olympic Trials:
RESULTS
Question: Will any top-2 finishers at Wave I Trials choose not to swim Wave II?
- Yes – 63.8%
- No – 36.2%
Almost two-thirds of voters expected at least one top-2 finisher from Wave I of U.S. Olympic Trials to pass on the chance to swim in Wave II.
The biggest factor might be cost: athletes who competed in Wave I already had to pay for four or more nights in a hotel in Omaha, plus meals out, and other expenses like car rentals. With six extra nights in a hotel between the end of Wave I and the start of Wave II, the cost could skyrocket for a swimmer who had to make emergency lodging plans at the last minute.
On the other side, the biggest complaint about splitting Olympic Trials into two waves was that the Wave I meet would be ‘watered down’ because young Olympic Trials qualifiers wouldn’t get to compete at the same time as established stars like Katie Ledecky or Caeleb Dressel. For a Wave I swimmer who finished in the top 2 to forgo the opportunity to move on and swim with those stars would perhaps undercut that argument against the split Trials format.
We may not know until meet day whether any Wave I wild card winners aren’t moving on – we’ll likely see them scratch off of Wave II start lists, or perhaps leave the token empty lane in the pool for prelims.
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks voters to pick the winning time of the Olympic women’s 200 breaststroke:
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ABOUT A3 PERFORMANCE
The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner
The problem here should NOT be an expense factor for the athletes to deal with. But an expense factor for the fat cats at USA swimming or the organizers! You charge an outrageous ticket price to see the competition and you are asking for the athletes to pay? Are you kidding me??? What idiots!
Amen!
I did not see the two men 800 qualifiers from Navy (McGovern & Johnson) on the psych sheet for Wave ll
Kyle Ponsler (400 IM/200Back) is roaming Omaha. He will be there. I am sure others will too.
Wow, what a surprise
So how many are skipping it?
Navy guys in the 800 are for sure not on the psych sheet, I believe the Arkansas girl is not listed either
Does that mean they are not swimming for sure?
The Arkansas girl is on the psych sheet!
wait maybe I was thinking William and Mary… one of them wasn’t on the psych
MIssy Cundiff, the William and Mary swimmer from Wave 1 is not on the pre-scratch psych sheet. As are a handful of others — if a swimmer isn’t on this psych sheet, does that mean that 100% aren’t swimming the Wave 2 meet?
Navy guys couldn’t get leave again was their issue I believe.