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U.S. TEAM OLYMPIC TRIALS: SWIMMINGJune 24, 2012Frank BuschOMAHA, NEBRASKA THE MODERATOR: Hello everyone, thank you for joining us after our brief break. We have Frank Busch up here, USA Swimming National Team Director, joined the staff in Mayof 2011 and is the head of the National Team overseeing our National Team division, sports performance and basically the general outlook of the team. Frank, heading into Olympic Trials, how would you say the U.S. contingent looks going into this eight‑day meet? FRANK BUSCH: From everyone that I've seen, they look great. I think athletes and coaches come into this building in one of two ways. They either come in feeling a lot of pressure or they come in with excitement, and the majority that I've come across have come in with a lot of excitement. There is this phenomena of the Olympics every four years, and many of you have covered it for a long time. It's something that words can't describe, and it's different for everybody, their experience. I think the American team looks great, I don't know who is going to be on it, but I'm going to be there. The head coaches are excited. THE MODERATOR: We have named our two Olympic head coaches, Teri McKeever and Gregg Troy who will be with us later this afternoon, and as for the assistant coaches, we have named Dave Salo and Bob Bowman, with the rest of the staff to be named at the end of the Olympic Trials. Q. Frank, there has been talk about the number of swimmers here, 1800 plus, and the fact that the time standards haven't changed in I think it's three years. I've heard it said that there was resistance to doing that because of the suit controversy. Is that true? Where are the discussions? Do you have any concerns about the number of swimmers impacting the way this meet goes? FRANK BUSCH: Well, first of all, the time standards are set with each quad and they have changed over every four‑year period; they've gotten faster. What made this so difficult this time around was the technical suits. It became a bit of a guessing game as to what their influence and impact was. So when the best minds in the business put their heads together to try and figure out what to do with it, I think two things were recognized as we look back in hindsight. Number one, in our sport I'm not so sure there is more of a competitive sport than swimming. As a former coach I wanted my athlete to beat your athlete every time, and athletes are very competitive people as well. So when you place a bar, they go for that bar and they get over it. Hence, the first year after the suits, the technical suits were banned, swimming slowed down a little bit. The following year, swimming exploded, hence all these 1850 athletes here. So it's no one's fault. It's to the credit of the athletes and the coaches for what they have done to achieve these standards. The standards will continue to get faster. In 2016 the standards will be significantly faster than these. As far as the number of athletes and how it will impact negatively or positively, I see it as being positive because of the size of this venue. They reconfigured the warm‑up pool, which makes traffic flow so much better. The main area of the pool hasn't changed a bit, but it's in such a grandiose fashion the way they've set it up, it has plenty of deck space and the only area of "squeeze" will probably be the athletes seating because there are so many athletes. All the coaches I have talked about so far are excited about the event, and we've seen ‑‑ this day should have been one of our biggest days from a warm‑up standpoint, and everything worked great. Is 1850 ideal? Probably not. Is 1000 ideal? That might be too small. As long as the venue can handle a number, I think that's probably the most important thing. The most important thing is we choose the best team and our athletes are the best chance, and I think the second thing is that we give to the spectators the show they are expecting and want. I know that was kind of a long‑winded answer, but I wanted to make sure that everyone knew how excited everyone is to be here, and numbers don't seem to be a factor at the moment. Q. Following up on Bonnie's question, if you look at the length of the morning heats period, because of the sheer number of swimmers, is that not going to have an affect on the elite athletes, if you will, the couple hundred with the best chance of making it, who may be here longer, may have shorter time between heats and the evening finals which aren't going to be changed in terms of numbers? FRANK BUSCH: John, thanks for being here. One of the nice things about our sport is we have the time lines and when the officials get together, and they'll have the final scratches this evening at 6:00, they will be able to put a timeline out. It will be online right away, and all the athletes will know when their event starts so they can come over and warm up at any time. It won't affect them. They will plan it. Q. You said 1000 might be too small. When you're picking a team of 50 people, what is too small about 1000 swimmers? FRANK BUSCH: Numbers are significant in all sports. I can imagine the number of baseball players‑‑ I had five children, four sons that played baseball as Little Leaguers, and when you think about the sheer number of people that get involved in sports and at some point everybody dreams about being the best they can be, and who knows where that winds up. My point is that when you‑‑ maybe the most significant numbers that we have are the people that actually don't make the Olympics. It's kind of like your alumni base. You want to‑‑ not everybody is going to be the clean‑up batter, not everybody is going to be the best pitcher. Does that mean she shouldn't try out for the sport? Absolutely not. It's such a great thing. What these athletes will take from this experience, it will be an experience that each one will be unique and where they go with it, so I look at it from a standpoint of you can't say, "Well, we're going to make the standard so tight that only 2‑ or 3‑ or 4‑ or 500 people get to come here" ‑‑ it's not a reward for their efforts, it's an accomplishment. When people accomplish things, they usually go on to accomplish other things. So I see this as being very important in how we make sure that our umbrella is big enough, but not too big. Q. In all your years in swimming, what is the rivalry you have seen that's most paralleled Ryan and Michael? Or is this unparalleled? FRANK BUSCH: Boy, our sport has changed! There is rivalries in all sports but our sport is‑‑ the fact that people are paying attention to the rivalry between Michael and Ryan or at least perceived to be the rivalry between the two because they're both such outstanding athletes and they both have a chance to win multiple medals. I remember when Matt Biondi and Jager were going at it, we had "Dash for Cash" all sorts of things going on back then, sprint events, and Tom and Matt were going at it, and it was a big deal. There have been other moments when other athletes have competed head‑to‑head. I don't know if it's so much‑‑ I'm just excited that you people are picking up on things like that. In all other sports it's always been a big part of writing about people's rivalries and the competitiveness of people. So it says a lot for where our sport is going. The fact that we're live eight nights on NBC, I remember you asked me about years ago, things that were going on, and I remember years ago swimming was lucky if it was way in the back of the statistics of the sports page. Now it's not uncommon to be on the front of the sports page nor on the front of the newspaper page in general, and to be a lead‑up on "Sports Center" or some other sports. So it's exciting having those two guys here. They make the American team that much better, needless to say, and it will be fun. People will enjoy watching these guys go at it, because they will go at it. Q. With Ryan and Michael you have two versatile swimmers that swim so many events but also have to pick a team here. Do these coaches check in and talk to you about the program, what they might have coming down the line? Both of these guys are going to swim seven or eight events and they're so good they could wrack up so many spots. You've got to pick a team, it's a good problem to have, but it's also‑‑ where are you in the loop and what do you know? What can you share with us about what they might be swimming at this meet? FRANK BUSCH: I won't share anything with you, I apologize for that up front. It would not be my place to let you know that. We'll see how the events unfold. You will know after the scratches tonight who is swimming what tomorrow. That's a great question as far as when you pick only two athletes from each event, and you think there are 1850 swimmers here and maybe 46 will make our team. So 1800 athletes are here for what reason? To watch Michael and Rebecca and Ryan and the great athletes swim? No, they're here with dreams. It can be a daunting task for someone to think, gosh, I'm not so sure I want to be in the IM nor the butterfly, nor the backstroke, because I don't have a chance, or you can come in with the idea that maybe I'm the one that pulls it off! These two athletes that have dominated for a long time. There have been a lot of male swimmers that probably went to early retirement in certain areas because of that, but there are a lot of young ones out there in the back of their minds they see themselves as being a "player" and as long as you believe you're a "player" you want to play. Q. Obviously your focus is on the American team, but I'm wondering if you could speak about the quality of the Australian swimmers. Obviously we have picked up the squad, do you think they're stronger or weaker than previous games we have headed into, what their competition is like in the pool? FRANK BUSCH: Angela, thanks for making the trip over. I'm going to assume you're a spy, so I'm not going to tell you much. I've seen just a little bit of the Australian results. I'm being very honest with you. I learned something as a coach, at least what I followed. That was: Pay attention to what I have control over, or potentially have control over, pay no attention to what I have no control over. I have no control over what's happening in Australia. I love the sport of swimming, I like to see fast swimming from anyone, I especially like it when I see Americans swim fast. I've coached athletes from all different countries, and I understand how important it is and dreams of people and how hard they work, so I'm not trying to dodge the question, the Australians, have ‑‑ historically they have a great swimming program, they're one of the best in the world. We have had great rivalries with them over the years. Where they are right now, I'm not sure. And I hope they do very well in London, but not too well! Q. You kind of touched on Ryan and Michael before and both of them spoke yesterday about wanting to elevate the sport, that they're friendly rivalry and any success in London would do that. I'm wondering your thoughts about the ability of them to do that, beyond just in an Olympic year and beyond the immediate aftermath of the games. FRANK BUSCH: They have already done it. We are in mainstream media now, and they're both‑‑ they have major sponsors you see their face on television commercials frequently now. I don't remember that ten years ago. There have been some people in our sport that have made contributions for years and years and years, but now, just because of the timing, I don't know how else to say it. It's almost like, well, there are some great, great players in other sports 30 years ago that played for 10 or 15 or $20,000, and now players are playing for 5, 10, 15, $20 million a year. I guess when I look at what they are doing to our sport right now, they are elevating it in ways that I don't think any of us dreamed of. Whoever thought we would be on live television with our Trials. Whoever thought the sport had such significance that we were able to convince the IOC to change the finals in Beijing from night to morning so we could see them live in this country. It's exciting times for our sport. We get a guy like Cullen Jones who has probably touched more athletes than anyone in "Learn to Swim, Make a Splash" so people like that, we're hoping it continues. And we hope it gets bigger and bigger, because not only do we want to save lives with our younger kids, but we want our sport to be more vibrant and be more identified by the American public, and those two guys are doing a great job of that. Q. Along those same lines, are there any statistics you can point to as to the number of swimmers who have joined the sport since Michael Phelps became so popular? FRANK BUSCH: I don't know, since I've only been involved with USA Swimming for a year, and research has been a big part of what I've done because I feel like if I don't know the history how can I make a decision about the future, but our sport continues to grow. I wish I could quote you the exact percentage, but it continues to grow as a lot of traditional sports particularly aren't growing. I think when people see athletes like Michael and Ryan and Rebecca, just some of the great ones that we have, I think parents look at that and go, "Swimming is obviously a healthy sport. It's a good thing to do. It's an individual sport but it's a team sport, too. My son or daughter can be involved in this and grain tremendous physical opportunities and tremendous learning about sportsmanship and drive and determination and all that stuff, too." I think they look at swimming as a clean sport, stupid thing to say, but it's an honest sport. You work hard, there are a lot of benefits to it, individual benefits, group benefits, as opposed to maybe another sport that doesn't ask for that much activity. THE MODERATOR: We do have numbers on that, so if anybody needs that, we can get you guys numbers on that. See us afterwards. Q. Frank, I have two questions. Give your opinion on the longevity of the careers now, and whether or not Michael Phelps has another four more years. He is planning on retiring? Could you talk about the process that's going to happen at the end of the Trials with the selection of the remaining coaches and where you will be taking the team on their way to London? FRANK BUSCH: Back in the day, the window of opportunity if you studied the sport was two or four years, a four‑year window was considered to be something pretty special. Now we're watching athletes compete for 8, 10, 12 years and longer. The demographics have changed, our sport has changed. Is that a good thing? Is it a bad thing? I have no idea. I think it can be‑‑ does it deter an 18 year old from thinking they have a chance to make the Olympic team when maybe the average age for the male's side might be 23 and on the women's side might be 22? I don't know. Does it drive 'em on? It's been fun to watch this window open, stay open longer, and as far as what Michael is going to do for the next four years, all indications are that, for now, he's going to step away from it, but I don't know, he's a pretty competitive person. He'll figure something out, I'm sure. We're going to go from here to‑‑ you asked about coaches and athletes. The athletes will, by their finish, decide whether or not they make the team or not, and as far as the remainder of the coaches are concerned, that will be an effort by myself and the two head coaches to fill the remaining four spots on the staff. We'll go from here to Knoxville and from Knoxville to France and from France to London. So we've got some days ahead of us to come together as a group and to sort of recharge and reready ourselves for the Games. It's an exciting time to be with the athletes and obviously get to know 'em pretty well. Q. Besides Phelps and Ryan Lochte you have other swimmers doing multiples, Coughlin, Franklin, is there an understanding or commitment from them that if they make the team they won't scratch it in London because at that point they may decide the work load is too heavy? FRANK BUSCH: That decision will have to be made here, and we had a‑‑ I had an athlete last time in the Olympics that finished third, and Dara decided not to swim the 100 and Lacey Nymeyer got a chance to swim it, so it will be up to the athlete and the coach to determine what they will swim if they qualify for it. Unless it's something that just doesn't make sense, I'm going to back the coach and the athlete. Q. But they would have to make that decision here? FRANK BUSCH: Well, it would be‑‑ we would expect that, otherwise we're not‑‑ we don't know who is going to be on our team and we have a set deadline as to the amount of days before we have to have entries and that sort of thing. It's happened so rarely, John, I don't anticipate that happening here. These athletes are looked at the schedule and figured out exactly what they think they need to do in order to be the best, their best chance to go on and be on the podium. I'm not saying it couldn't happen because it did four years ago, but it's so infrequent that I haven't thought about it that much, but, yes, they will have to make up their minds. Q. Frank, every sort of four years the timing of this comes up and obviously it seems to work out pretty well having the Trials so close to the Games as opposed to what other countries do. Have you taken any thought to moving it up or do you like the system the way it is? Do most of the athletes and coaches seem to like the way it is? FRANK BUSCH: I think we have become pretty familiar and comfortable with anywhere from, in this particular case, it's 26 days from the last day of Trials to the first day of the Games. I think we're pretty comfortable with that and maybe even another week on top of that. So it's a window of opportunity that we feel comfortable with and feel like we can reprepare our athletes to continue to swim faster. Q. Frank, I know you can't play favorites in your current role but I wondered if you would reflect on Amanda Beard's career, whether you ever envisioned that she would be competing now and have you read her book? FRANK BUSCH: Bonnie, I did not read her book; my wife did in one day. No, I‑‑ if you look at Amanda's career being so good at such a young age, in Atlanta in '96, and she describes some of that and what happened in 2000 and for her to get a medal in 2000 after she had come to Arizona where I was coaching. You don't look at someone and say, "Boy, you're going to be in this sport for a long time." There is a competitive drive in Amanda and that's her real engine, very much like all the other athletes that have done well at the international level. There is a competitive part of those people that you can't necessarily‑‑ you can experience it by watching, but you can't always predict it. There have been a lot of great athletes with tremendous abilities in all sorts of sports that have not been that successful because they miss that small ingredient of no boulder standing in the way of their track; they will break through it. Amanda has defied all odds and she is bound and determined to do it again, so that's pretty exciting. You think about the people that have done some of the things they have done in our sport and how long they have decided to do it, like a Dara Torres and Michael. In 2000 he had no idea what he was doing, in 2004, and then in 2008 the most impressive performance of anyone in Olympic history. Here he is trying to do it again. Who would have thought back in 2000 we'd be talking about a guy that's going to four Olympics, and he's dominated the sport for the last eight years. It's easy for me to sit here and talk about how great these athletes are, but really all you have to do is open your eyes and watch 'em. This is a special time in a special sport and we're all lucky enough to be part of it, so thanks. THE MODERATOR: We will conclude and we have Teri McKeever and Gregg Troy waiting in the wings. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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