Matthew De George - Duels in the Pool: Swimmings Greatest Rivalries

Duels in the Pool

Swimmings Greatest Rivalries

Matthew De George

THE SCARECROW PRESS, INC.

Lanham Toronto Plymouth, UK

2013

Published by Scarecrow Press, Inc.

A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.

4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706

http://www.scarecrowpress.com

Estover Road, Plymouth PL6 7PY, United Kingdom

Copyright 2013 by The Scarecrow Press, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

De George, Matthew.

Duels in the pool : swimming's greatest rivalries / Matthew De George. -- Scarecrow swimming series. pages cm. -- (Scarecrow swimming series s)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-8108-9175-3 (cloth : alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-0-8108-9176-0 (ebook) 1. Swimming--History. 2. Sports rivalries--History. I. Title.

GV836.4.D44 2013

797.2'1--dc23

2013009112

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

Printed in the United States of America

I owe the opportunity of a writing lifetime to John Lohn for presenting me with this project and at every step encouraging me to run with it how I saw fit. More than the mere chance to work on such a project, the trust and belief in me is beyond anything I could have hoped for as I sojourned into this undertaking.

I also have to thank everyone at Scarecrow Press for their faith in a first-time author. I hope that what follows has justified that trust and that it is the first of many times I have to pen this sentence. Im also grateful for my colleagues at the DelawareCountyDailyTimes for their support, from putting up with the demands this project put on my day job to not telling me I was out of my mind for venturing out to do this. Whether or not they know it, they push me every day to be better, as a writer and a reporter, and I hope someday to fully understand how beneficial a nursery this has been for my career. I must also thank the many people at Saint Josephs University, mentors like Dr. Jenny Spinner and Michael Bradley, who have helped me immeasurably along the way.

I am also indebted to the men and women who came before me in seeking to understand and disseminate the exquisite essence of swimming, people who enthusiastically and comprehensively chronicled events that might otherwise have slipped through the cracks and been lost to time. I hope this book captures the joy and excitement that moved the pens of Bob Ingram, Al Schoenfield, Kari Lydersen, P. H. Mullen, Daniel Chambliss, Jerry Kirshenbaum, Leigh Montville, Craig Neff, Phillip Whitten, and so many others upon whose shoulders I dare to stand. More than mere facts and figures, their writing through the decades contained an inspirational quality, a grasp of the core of the sport that I sought to express. I appreciate the time given to me by Anthony Bijkerk and Rowdy Gaines in illuminating two of the most complex chapters and sharing with me their personal experiences.

They may think Im exaggerating when I say this, so perhaps if I put it in print, it will be more clearly understood: I couldnt have dreamt of a project such as this were it not for the special people in my life. My mother, Roseann, who has helped us as a family to weather so much tumult, provides the drive to soldier through whenever I may foolishly think the road is too tough to continue. The tenacity with which my sister, Daniella, approaches life is reason to never stop in the quest for my goals. And then theres the person without whom none of this would exist, the love of my life, Samantha Koch. Im grateful every day that you supported me in making a decision to pursue this career and that you believed in me when I hardly believed in myself. It is my sincere hope that you are the first reader of every story I write for the rest of my life.

Finally, I need to thank someone who will never get the chance to read this book. My father, Rick, helped develop the love of sports and competition that continues to inform my career pursuits. It is his competitive drive in all aspects that I hope to emulate every day.

It is human nature to develop rivalries. Brothers and sisters vie for their parents attention and affection. Classmates vie for the best test scores. Friends constantly try to one-up one another. There is something natural about wanting to be the best, or at least wanting to be better than the person next to or across from us.

The sports world, perhaps better than any other realm, offers an ever-present view of rivalries. Some are friendly. Some are hostile. Some are one-sided. Some are hotly contested. Many are individual in nature. Many are team vs. team. As Scarecrow Press continues to unveil the initial entries in its swimming series, it made perfect sense to present a collection of the rivalries that have defined the sport.

Swimming, for the most part, is a solitary sport. Athletes at the elite level cover countless miles in training in their pursuit of international acclaim. For hours, they follow a black line on the bottom of the pool and are alone with their thoughts. During that time, it isnt unusual for motivation to be derived from a foedomestic or foreign.

DuelsinthePool takes a comprehensive look at the greatest rivalries the sport of swimming has seen, some creeping close to 100 years of challenges while others have just concluded. It would seem that Michael Phelps, given his credentials, had his way with any competitor with whom he clashed. The pages that follow say otherwise and offer a close inspection of how Phelps was pushed to the title of greatest swimmer in history. The focus on Phelps accounts for just a small portion of the rivalries that have dotted the aquatic landscape.

The author, Matthew De George, does an exceptional job presenting the rivalries in complete context. Yes, he provides an overview of how the various rivalries unfolded, but he also looks at the rivalries using a larger lens. His analysis is thorough and impeccably researched, and his ability to gain a broader appreciation of each rivalry is what makes this work complete and entertaining. From individual showdowns to political battles, DuelsinthePool captures the essence of swimmings rivalries.

John Lohn

Series Editor

The great thing about swimming compared to other sports is that your time tells all. You dont have to be in the lane competing against that other person to tell who was better on that specific day. If youve got the times, and youve both swum in 50-meter pools, then you knew who was best.

Sue Walsh, 1980 Olympian