SwimSwam Breakdown: Steve Jungbluth, Texas Men, and FINA Backstroke Rules

This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss Steve Jungbluth‘s departure from Florida, what’s happening with the Texas men, and why FINA can’t decide on a rule for backstroke finishes. See full list of topics below:

  • 0:00 SwimSwam Breakdown Introduction
  • 2:00 SMU Classic – Biggest Takeaways From the Annual Meet in Dallas
  • 11:21 Maggie MacNeil Drops the Fastest Unsuited 100 Fly in History (50.8) – Does this make her a lock for NCAA Champion?
  • 17:13 Why is it problematic when we don’t have transparency in a departure like Steve Jungbluth‘s from Florida?
  • 25:43 Is there a clear solution for FINA’s “backstroke finish” dilemma?

SINK or SWIM

  • 34:11 Are the Cal men a lock to win the 2023 NCAA title?
  • 36:37 Can Michael Phelps lead Michigan Football to a W against Penn State?
  • 39:06 Will Hwang Sunwoo drop a 1:43 200m Free in the next 12 months?

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Lui
2 years ago

There’s no way you should touch backstroke finish rule! Leave it the way it is!

Pirate
2 years ago

Saw in the jungbluth article that wes foltz was fired at uva. That true or fugazi?

Curious
Reply to  Pirate
2 years ago

Details?

John26
2 years ago

In a world where a 1:55 200back and 1:54 200fly can still win a medal, I don’t think we should be all that surprised in 1:45 winning a medal in the near future.

Although 1:44’s have gotten more common over the last year, it’s been over 10 years since the world watch Agnel swim a 1:43.1. If his secrets were widely transferable to other swimmers, we would’ve seen more 1:43s in the interim. So I wouldn’t expect anything more than incremental progress in the event, maybe that means 1:43.9s are more possible, but not 1:43.1s

Riccardo
Reply to  John26
2 years ago

Weird considering we saw a 1:42.97 this year

Joel
2 years ago

I thought the front crawl as we know it with the arms and legs, originated in Australia. Hence it was once called the Australian crawl.

Troyy
Reply to  Joel
2 years ago

That was just an evolution of the front crawl. There’s evidence of something similar as far back as Ancient Egypt so multiple cultures probably discovered it independently.

Admin
Reply to  Troyy
2 years ago

Native Americans were the ones who introduced “elite swimming” to the flutter kick.

The Wikipedia page has a pretty thorough telling of the history of it, but it came to sort of the…aristocracy of modern swimmers either through native Americans or indigenous South African people.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Front_crawl

PK Doesn't Like His Long Name
2 years ago

I tend to think that running a paid advertisement/soft-ball interview with someone currently entered in the Safesport database is not the best journalistic ethics for this site. Comments being closed on said interview probably makes it worse.

Steve Nolan
Reply to  PK Doesn't Like His Long Name
2 years ago

I was just coming here to say the same thing. Y’all don’t have to take every paid submission! (Waiting for the “Shouts from the Stands” piece about how access to a prison pool has really helped Jerry Sandusky.)

The initial reason I was coming here was to praise Braden for his Jungbluth comments in this pod, so it’s nice how those two things are really at direct odds with each other.

Admin
Reply to  Steve Nolan
2 years ago

Yes, that was a mistake. We have strict firewalls between the editorial and advertising sides of our business, which is usually for good reason – but in this case, that created a gap where the advertising side wasn’t as acutely aware of why running that ad would be problematic.

That interview has been removed.

Steve Nolan
Reply to  Braden Keith
2 years ago

That’s a good point on the firewall, didn’t consider that.

But still good to hear.

PK Doesn't Like His Long Name
Reply to  Braden Keith
2 years ago

I think this is a wise choice, good on you guys.

snarky
Reply to  Braden Keith
2 years ago

I believe it was Pat Hogan who wrote the letter of recommendation for Uchiyama.

ScovaNotiaSwimmer
Reply to  PK Doesn't Like His Long Name
2 years ago

Who was the subject of the paid advertisement?

Admin
Reply to  ScovaNotiaSwimmer
2 years ago

Trenton Julian.

ScovaNotiaSwimmer
Reply to  Braden Keith
2 years ago

😬😬😬
Glad it was removed! I appreciate admitting the mistake, taking appropriate action and owning the action. 👍

PVSFree
Reply to  Braden Keith
2 years ago

Have we found out what he did to get on the SafeSport list yet? Still shocked that he was allowed to travel with the National Team to Budapest this summer being on the list

Troyy
Reply to  PVSFree
2 years ago

And Australia for Duel in the Pool.

Joel
Reply to  Troyy
2 years ago

And win and be celebrated.

MIKE IN DALLAS
2 years ago

I found the negative comments about UT/Austin to be an unrelenting requiem for a program that WON on the men’s side. It’s not until 7:45 in the tape that a single positive thing is said about Texas, and that was fairly muted. Just not balanced. PS: Texas was NOT rested and Texas was also whipping TCU down in Austin at the same time. Not a good set of interviews IMHO.

GoU
Reply to  MIKE IN DALLAS
2 years ago

Haha. Classic Longhorn attitude, clocking exactly the number of positive things and negative things that were said about them, and refusing to acknowledge anything but “Eddie will coach forever and Texas men will never lose.”

Wahhh the richest athletic department in the country is treated so unfairly waaahhhhh.

This is why nobody likes Longhorn fans.

MIKE IN DALLAS
Reply to  GoU
2 years ago

Would that it were as simple as “clocking” negatives + positives! Rather, one listens for the better part of 7 minutes – a good length of time — and makes a balanced judgement like mine, period. In posts elsewhere, I clearly stated that athletes leaving Texas for better opportunities is fine for them. UT has a 40+ man-team. They’ll do just fine. And the tired ‘Eddie won’t retire meme’ is dead! We accepted his resignation a year ago, but he came back – so what?

Did not Cali UT
Reply to  MIKE IN DALLAS
2 years ago

Let them talk, I have a heard a number of false items printed by SS and in the comments section. Let the results in the pool speak for UT.

Ghost
Reply to  MIKE IN DALLAS
2 years ago

UT football has same complaints

MIKE IN DALLAS
Reply to  Ghost
2 years ago

UT/football doesn’t even exist for me — two different, parallel universes coexisting in Austin.

Chachi
2 years ago

A&M rested for Classic (Michigan, too). Texas dead tired, as usual. See you in March.

Grant Drukker
Reply to  Chachi
2 years ago

Ah yes, my team didn’t rest, your team did! Why would any team be resting 1 month in?

thezwimmer
Reply to  Grant Drukker
2 years ago

It seems like every team is both rested and not rested, depending on which side of the fence you are on.

Call that Schrödinger’s taper

Ethan
Reply to  Chachi
2 years ago

I did 36×100’a backstroke with a cord in the middle three days before the classic

Meathead
2 years ago

Its sad to see Jungbluth let go. I feel bad for all the kids born after 2000…so soft. A little yelling? some tough love? that’s how you get faster, but more important, that’s what prepares you for life. Read Jocko Wilnik’s comments on SEAL traing..they want it brutal.

Life is hard, it will be interesting to see how many current 20 yo’s are melting in 15 years when life isn’t fair.

Hope SJ gets another shot at a solid program. He’s a winner. Just listen to Finke’s comments post Olympic win. His last 50 credit went 100% to Steve

swimapologist
Reply to  Meathead
2 years ago

Imagine thinking that the same approach designed to prepare people for war is the same approach that should prepare people to deal with *literally anything else in life.*

I think this is what Braden is saying. Swim coaches have this warped perspective because they read too many pseudo-psychology books and live in too insular of a world. Go get a real job and tell me how SEAL training prepared you to do accounting.

Yikes
Reply to  swimapologist
2 years ago

Yeah, I’d like to see how this commentor would do with being treated at their comparatively low-stakes job like they’re preparing for war. The dismissive way people talk about young people as being too soft just because they demand to be treated with some modicum of respect is so lazy and tired. “These kids just don’t tolerate abuse like they used to” and shaking your head about it is just wild to me.

Meathead
Reply to  swimapologist
2 years ago

Work hard, handle adversity, not be effected by a bad boss, weak co-worker. Personal accountability. Handling a 5 am workout. A work day. Coaching kids sports. Helping kids w homework.

Life isn’t easy. College swimming is. Work out 3-4 hours a day. Nap. Hang w friends. If a determined coach breaks you, you aren’t going too far

Not so fast
Reply to  Meathead
2 years ago

.

Last edited 2 years ago by Not so fast
College swimmer
Reply to  Meathead
2 years ago

Looks like someone is shouting from the stands and was definitely never a college swimmer.

Admin
Reply to  College swimmer
2 years ago

Meathead is just trolling.

Willswim
Reply to  Meathead
2 years ago

“Actually, me being a jerk is what’s best for everyone. You’re welcome!” 🙄

Coach Tom
Reply to  Willswim
2 years ago

Sounds like a guy I used to work with who once told me, “You need to watch the movie ‘Whiplash’ to understand my coaching style”.

Great movie. Sad that the point went completely over his head.

PVSFree
Reply to  Meathead
2 years ago

I’ve said this a couple times in a couple different comments sections when this “kids nowadays are too soft” sentiment comes up, but I always think it’s good to bring up again.

One of the things that surprised me most when Eddie Reese was on Brett Hawke’s podcast last year was that Eddie said that kids nowadays are better able to discipline themselves than kids in the past.

He said kids nowadays don’t hear anything positive outside the pool with social media and increased academic/social pressures. That’s why he tries to maintain such a positive presence – swimming’s the only place where they get positive feedback. If anything, my takeaway from Eddie’s perspective would be that kids today are… Read more »

Taa
Reply to  PVSFree
2 years ago

You are misinterpreting the data. Kids are exposed to a lot more information so yeah they know its wrong when the coach throws a water bottle at them and they feel empowered to speak up. Not sure that equates to being tougher maybe smarter is more accurate.

Meathead
Reply to  Taa
2 years ago

Is a thrown water bottle a fireable offense? 👎

Steve Nolan
Reply to  Meathead
2 years ago

Read Jocko Wilnik’s comments on SEAL traing..they want it brutal.

Speaking of another group of people full of performance enhancing drugs!

ScovaNotiaSwimmer
Reply to  Meathead
2 years ago

One of the reasons life is hard is because people are treated badly by jerks. Wouldn’t it be better to remove the jerks so life doesn’t have to be as hard?

Or do you want life to be hard for people? 🧐🤔

About Coleman Hodges

Coleman Hodges

Coleman started his journey in the water at age 1, and although he actually has no memory of that, something must have stuck. A Missouri native, he joined the Columbia Swim Club at age 9, where he is still remembered for his stylish dragon swim trunks. After giving up on …

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