Drugs @ Olympics

[PeterM]

Fandacious ? I support your concerned intro re cycling doping. ?? there is something rotten in the land ?? In all probabilities you are right. <?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 

An additional point: I am also in the business of Company-Analysis and there is something similar regarding fraud ? if too many do it, a dipping-point is reached. Then the others also have to cheat, just to stay in the game. Cycling seems similar, now ? it seems, and this is an assumption ? too much doping takes place (dipping point reached) and now even the real top talents need ?to do it/something? just to stay in the game. It is a default consequence.

 

PeterM2008-08-11 14:53:28

[Tumbleweed]

back to the original post?i stole this from my brother's story in the star this morning. maybe it puts things in perspective?

 

(Roland) Schoeman believed the dramatic change in world swimming was largely down to the new swimsuits that have been developed. He said, with a smile, they were worth half-a-second every 50m in the pool, which works out, neatly, to four seconds in a 400m relay.
?There was, though, more than just swimsuits to blame,? said Neethling.
?If you look at it, we?re the only team that had the same four guys from Athens. We didn?t have the squad that the Americans did; they could change in three guys for the final. We were always going to be up against it. We?re still proud of what we achieved. Keeping the guys together is kind of a miracle. We have to talk to the coaches to see what is going on, and what we can do to plan for the next four years. I think we?re on the ball, but we need to go back and work smarter.?

[epoh]

 

Source: http://news.rpi.edu/update.do?artcenterkey=2477

 

?Top Secret? Technology To Help U.S. Swimmers Trim Times at Beijing Olympics

 

Rensselaer researcher is using fluid mechanics to

help athletes sharpen strokes

 

http://www.rpi.edu/news/image/pr080808-wei.jpg Professor Timothy Wei, head of Rensselaer?s Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering and acting dean of the School of Engineering Photo Credit: Rensselaer/Kris Qua Watch the video of Professor's Wei's research.

Milliseconds can mean the difference between triumph and

defeat in the world of Olympic sports, leading more trainers

and athletes to look toward technology as a tool to get an edge

on the competition.

A fluids mechanics professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic

Institute in Troy, N.Y., is using experimental flow measurement

techniques to help American swimmers sharpen their strokes,

shave seconds from their lap times, and race toward a gold

medal in Beijing this summer.

Professor Timothy Wei, head of Rensselaer?s Department of

Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering and acting dean

of the university?s School of Engineering, helped develop

top-secret, state-of-the-art equipment and mathematical

techniques that USA Swimming coaches have been using to help

train Olympians. 

?This is the real thing,? Wei said. ?We have the physical

system, we?re taking flow measurements of actual swimmers, and

we?re getting more information than anyone has ever had before

about swimming and how the swimmer interacts with the water.

And so far, these techniques have contributed to some very

significant improvements in the lap times of Olympic

swimmers.? 

In years past, swimming coaches have used computer modeling

and simulation to hone the techniques of athletes. But Wei

developed state-of-the-art water flow diagnostic technologies,

modifying and combining force measurement tools developed for

aerospace research with a video-based flow measurement

technique known as Digital Particle Image Velocimetry (DPIV),

in order to create a robust training tool that reports the

performance of a swimmer in real-time. 

?This project moved the swimming world beyond the

observational into scientific fact,? said USA Swimming Coach

Sean Hutchison. ?The knowledge gained gave me

the foundation for which every technical stroke

change in preparation for the Beijing Olympics was based.?

You can see one of the videos, of 2008 Olympian Megan

Jendrick, here:

 

 

http://www.rpi.edu/news/video/wei/videos.html 

The secret, Wei said, is in understanding how the water

moves. The new system incorporates highly sophisticated

mathematics with stop-motion video technology to identify key

vortices, pinpoint the movement of the water, and compute how

much energy the swimmer exerts.

?You have to know the flow,? Wei said. ?To see how a

swimmer?s motion affects the flow, you need to know how much

force the swimmer is producing, and how that force impacts the

water.? 

?Swimming research has strived to understand water flow

around a swimmer for decades because how a swimmer?s body moves

the surrounding water is everything,? said USA Swimming?s

Biomechanics Manager Russell Mark.  ?The ability to

measure flow and forces in a natural and unimpeded environment

hasn?t been available until recently, and Dr. Wei?s technology

and methods presented USA Swimming with a unique opportunity

that United States swimmers and coaches could learn a lot

from.?

Wei has been working with USA Swimming for several years,

but the idea and design of the new flow measurement tool really

took shape in 2007. Most of the preliminary tests were

conducted in October 2007, and the coaches and swimmers have

spent the past several months incorporating what they have

learned into their training regimes. For any swimmer, it takes

time to make adjustments to their strokes and practice new

techniques, Wei said. 

One highlight of working on the project was when Mark

arranged for Wei to attend the 2007 and 2008 U.S. Summer

Nationals and be on deck with the swimmers. 

?How often does a researcher get to do something like this??

said Wei, whose young son and daughter also swim competitively.

?It?s been a journey into a world that someone like me would

have never before gotten the privilege to see first-hand.?

Wei began his research career as an aeronautical and

mechanical engineer, including hydrodynamics research for the

U.S. Navy. But lately he has expanded into bio-related

research, such as working with a vascular surgeon to study

effects of flow over endothelial cells, and partnering with a

neurosurgeon to understand the mechanisms behind hydrocephalus,

or excess fluid in the brain.

As a young researcher, Wei dreamed of measuring flow around

swimming whales, but the idea never progressed to fruition.

Recently, however, in the midst of his work with USA Swimming,

Wei worked with marine biologists Frank Fish and Terrie

Williams to measure the flow around swimming bottlenose

dolphins at the University of California, Santa Cruz. 

Wei said he?s confident that the United States will have a

strong showing in swimming at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, and

that he?s already thinking of ways to improve his technology to

be even more effective when training swimmers to compete in the

2012 London Olympics. 

?It?s been a wonderful, unique experience,? he said. ?It?s

everyone?s dream to make a difference, and I?m excited to keep

helping the team for as long as they need me.?

Wei is also currently working with the U.S. Olympic skeleton

team and looking at new flow measurement techniques to help

shave precious milliseconds off downhill times.

 

 

Published August 8, 2008

Contact: Michael Mullaney Phone: (518) 276-6161 E-mail: mullam@rpi.edu

 

[Sean Badenhorst]

 

So it's not only the suits, but also body positioning improvements in the water... I did a lot of swimming when I was a triathlete and my wife is a former member of the English national swimming team, so swimming is not a foreign topic to me.

 

But I still can't get to grips with that fact that after finishing one second behind SA in the 4x100 free relay in Athens, USA finished four seconds ahead of our guys in Beijing. SA improved by just under one second over their Athens time, while the US improved by five seconds! All our guys swam low 48sec times in the final, all the Yanks swam 47sec times except Lezak, their last swimmer who made up a body length on Amaury, the world 100 free record holder, to become the first man ever to break 47sec (he swam a 46.06!), which isn't considered a world record because it was in a relay (only the first swimmer in a relay can be awarded a world record due to the start gun environment similar to solo races).

 

The fact that another four countries also broke the world record in that event indicates that SA, winners by more than a body length in Athens, are now way behind. (Can't find what brand suits were worn by France, Australia, Italy and Sweden). Is it swimsuit technology only? Be interesting to see the times had they all been wearing Speedo briefs...

Sean Badenhorst2008-08-12 06:01:00

[fandacious]

from cracked.com

 

Also, what the ****is up with the ridiculous number of swimming events? Do we really need all these strokes? Just to recap, there?s the fast way to swim, and three slow ways. Why do they all get a dozen medaled events each? There aren?t separate medals for throwing javelins with your off-hand or bobsledding while half in the bag, so why the swimmers get hundreds of extra medals for swimming slowly is beyond me. Imagine the 100 meter sprint, only every competitor had to use a different funny walk from that old Monty Python sketch, and the whole thing is set to banjo music. That?s basically what the 100m butterfly looks like to me.

['Sop]

Cannot resist this: Ok, so then you advocate only one cycling event, no MTB, cyclocross, downhill, T/T, flats racing, BMX, etc?

 

 

As a swimmer (dormant) myself, I can tell you that the different ways the different styles tax one's body make it difficult to be an all-rounder in all events. One can and must specialise to become competitive in any one style. Each style also has its own unique joys of perfoming (think MTB's technical balsy flavour vs the fast paced bunch riding head games of roadie), such as the explosive surging power of butterfly or the dolphinesque breast stroke.

 

And all the events gives us more opportunity to ogle stunning athletes in body-hugging apparel!

 

 

 

[whitesox]

Whitesox' date=' do you anyone thats taken stuff? Maybe some ex teammates?(He rode Maties and CSC)[/quote']

 

Wll Well...How low can you go?

 

I find that to be a shocking comment by someone who is supposed to be respected in the S.A. cycling community.

 

Only two riders have ever ridden for Maties and then CSC, to my knowledge and recollection.

 

One of those being myself. As for me, I have always and will always be clean. I don't see the need or use in taking banned substances. I like to test my own capabilities, not the ability of a substance to enhance those capibilities.

 

Besides, I have a conscience, a clean one by the way. I like to sleep well at night and I do. Do you?

 

I take it though that you are talking about the other rider, as you say ex team mate of mine. This rider happens to be a very good friend of mine and someone you never took much of a liking to...

 

As for him, he was possibly one of the most talented riders to have come out of the western cape in recent years. Maybe instead of accusing him now or being suspicious, you could have taken a bigger interest in his career, tried to develop him and create oppertunities. Mybe then he would not have been lost to cycling...

 

As for him doping, the answer is NO! He shares much the same philosophy as myself when it comes to doping, he never did. In fact I think he would consider it quite funny and a compliment that anyone would think he was so strong that he was on something.

 

He didn't even have the finances to dope, so how could he? I remember him riding some pretty crap bikes from time to time, and kicking the arses of other riders too.

 

In fact, if you must know Mr Lemmer, the winnings and money he got paid for cycling was paid into a student loan on many occassions. Now, you and I both know that cycling in S.A. does not pay well enough to pay for dope and a University Education at the same time.

 

Respect to this rider. He was able to put himself through university and do a great job at cycling. Some rich daddy's boys can't even manage one of the two.

 

So to answer your question, NO, he did not dope, or use anything illegal.

 

There are however other riders I have ridden against and with who have used stuff. NOT the guy you refer to however.

whitesox2008-08-12 11:11:07

[masood]

The only way to deal with the cheats, is to test everyone at the olympics.

 

I personally think that most of the athletes are doping and praying that they don't get caught.