Wednesday Feb 17 2010.
Hi everyone,
Last weekend I raced at the NSW State Champs and came away with a 1st in the 50 (23.85) and a 5th in the 100 (54.0).
NSW States 50m Fly
Saturday Nov 28.
After 6 weeks on the road, it’s the smaller thing I enjoy the most – sleeping in my own bed, using my own washing machine and most importantly for a swimmer, having a fresh clean towel!
The tour was everything I could’ve dreamed of. I had a great preparation in Flagstaff then I was able to execute our plan or our “map” at the World Cups. I finished the tour with 5 new PB’s and rocketed my way back up the world rankings.
After Berlin we headed to Singapore where I finished 3rd in both the 50m and the 100m Fly (both PB’s). I can’t explain how good it felt. I then went to Canberra and raced long course at the Speedo International Meet. My plan was to go there and race hard. For me it was a good indicator of the years work and it was my first real hit out in the supersuits.
I finished with a gold in the 50m (23.11 PB) and also posted the 4th fastest time by an Aussie for the year in the 100m (52.0).
I also want to take the time to give you a wrap up of the 13 months since my announcement of returning to competition.
When I started with the squad at NSWIS I weighed in at 115kg’s with skinfolds of 140mm (7 point pinch test). As of this morning (being the last time I will ever race in the supersuits) my weight was 95kg’s and skinfolds were 42mm. Sub 50mm is acceptable for Olympians.
My previous best times were;
50 Fly – Short Course (25m pool) former WR @ 22.74 (2001) after 13 months back it’s now 22.50 and ranked 8th in the world
100 Fly – Short Course 50.9 (2001) after 13 months it’s now 50.4 and ranked 16th in the world
50 fly Long Course (50m pool) former WR @ 23.44 (2001) after 13 months back it’s now 23.11 and ranked 13th
100 fly LC PB (2000) – 51.99 and after 13 months back it’s now 52.0 which even thought it’s 44th – I’ve only had 1 shot because I didn’t go to Worlds and the suits were banned during Mare Nostrum.
The best thing about the long course times is I’m currently the 3rd fastest Aussie for the 50m and also the 4th fastest for the 100. So I will go into the trials in March ranked well for both events.
Saturday Nov 14
When you have a brand new VW coupe up for grabs for the best performance of the meet, you’re sure to have a day of amazing swims.
7 World Records were broken tonight including 1 in the final of the 50 fly. Once again to managed to get up in the morning and fight my way into the finals with a heat time of 22.6. It was tight; if you swam a 22.71 you were watching from the stands.
My final was fast, I had an ok swim just .03 slower than Stockholm but unfortunately my race was rushed and over 22 secs, its enough to slip down into the minor placing’s.
Tomorrow I’ll have the 100; I’m really looking forward to racing it again.
Friday Nov 13
Firstly I just want to apologise for not keeping you all up to date over the past few days. The downside to traveling in a big group is that when there are over 300 coaches, swimmers and officials all staying in the same hotel with free Internet, it’s bound to breakdown and be slow.
When I last spoke to you all I was preparing for the final of the 50. What a final that was. I got off to a great start and swam well, I even equaled my PB time but unfortunately the race came down to a touch on the wall and I was pipped for 3rd and finished 4th. Overall it was great, as I mentioned earlier I still equaled my PB (first PB since 2002) and it was a good benchmark for the remaining races of the tour.
On Wednesday, I had the 100 fly and in the heats I swam a 51.1, same time as the 1st meet we competed in. Unfortunately you had to swim 50.8 to make the final, even Michael Phelps missed it with a time of 51.06! It wasn’t a bad swim; you just had to be firing in the heats. The upside was I had the final session off, the downside was not only did I not get to swim the final, I also had to do weights and train!!!!!
Yesterday we were up at 4:30 and had to be on a bus at 5am for our flight to Berlin. It was early but to be good to get the travel out of the way. We got into our hotel at 10am then at 11, we went to the pool for a long swim. It was good to have a long stretch and to just paddle along and swim out the sore spots.
No one in our NSWIS team has had a good night’s sleep since we left Sydney. We usually get to sleep ok maybe around 9 or 10, then wake at say 1 or 2am and then get back to sleep again at 7am when it’s time to get up. The jet lag has got us all, so in the afternoon at lunch we all decide to fight having an afternoon sleep so we could have a good sleep that evening. Andrew had told us about an art exhibition to commemorate 20years since the fall of the wall. It was along the river where parts of the wall were still erected. Artists were selected and given a space of about 5m to do a mural. There were some amazing pieces.
After spending a few hours sightseeing we had dinner out then made our way back to the hotel, everyone was completely exhausted. I was showered and back in bed by 7pm best nights sleep of the tour.
Tuesday Nov 10
They were predicting 3 hours of heats for the morning session and the 50 fly was to be the last race of the morning so, I had time to relax and take my time walking to the pool (as the last bus had finished before I needed to get there). On the way I stopped off for an espresso, which I hadn’t had for a while so that really made my morning!
I usually try to get to the pool about 2hrs before I have to race, this gives me plenty of time to relax and soak up the atmosphere. About 80mins before my race I begin stretching and generally about 60mins before my race I get into the water start my warm up.
Knowing that I had to be on my game in the morning I was ready, physically and mentally. I was ranked 5th fastest and had the World record holder, Roland Schoeman next to me so the plan was simple, get out of the blocks fast and stay with him. Nail the wall at the turn, smash the next 15m under water and then finish hard.
I finished 2nd behind Roland with a new PB time of 22.51. This was my first PB since 2002 !!!! So in tonight’s final I will go in as the 2nd fastest qualifier.
Monday Nov 9
After sleeping in we were picked up and taken to our new hotel and joined not only the rest of the Australian team but also the rest of the competitors that will be racing at the World Cup.
We had a few hours to relax and chill before we headed off to the pool for a light swim. As our time here is short, Matt Abood and I decided to take a short stroll into the old town with one of the Canadian swimmers, Brent Hayden and have a look around.
The pool is about a 10 – 12 min walk away from the hotel and there are busses that leave every half hour but this evening we all decided to walk.
It was great being at the pool, the place was alive and the atmosphere was electric. The pool was packed with swimmers from all nations. World record holders, Olympic and World Champions were ploughing up and down the lanes all fighting for a bit of clear water to train in.
This meet is going to be a fast meet; you really need to be on your game in the heat session as there’s no semi final, the top 8 qualifiers only will get a swim at nighttime.
Sunday Nov 8
Success.
After the disastrous day yesterday, I got off to a great start today !!
I decided that the best way to tackle the situation with the blocks was to take a towel with me and really dry the block down before the start of the race and go back to my normal track start which really paid off. I had the final of the 100m fly and finished with a gold in a time of 51.0.
Because of my unfortunate incident yesterday, I thought it would a great opportunity to practice that 50 fly I missed out on, so, in the heats of the 50 free I did fly…… and qualified 6th fastest for the final with a time of 23.38. So 20mins after the 100, I was back behind the blocks for the final of the 50m free/fly.
Overall, it was a better day today. It was good to have that warm up meet before we begin racing at the World Cup on Tuesday. Tomorrow we’ll have a sleep in before we pack our bags and move to a new hotel and join the other Australian’s that will be competing.
Till then,
Be your best.
Saturday 7 Nov 2009
Hi Guys,
Since we last spoke I was ploughing my way through a heavy training camp in Flagstaff, Arizona and what a camp it was. The best thing was being able to get a good 3 weeks of solid training in with out any outside distractions.
On Tuesday it was time to make our way to the second part of the tour. We left Flagstaff on our way to Stockholm but it wasn’t as easy as you think.
Firstly our flight from LA to London was 3hrs late which meant we missed our connecting flight to Stockholm so not only did we wait for an extra 3 hrs in LA we had to wait another 3 hours in London…… The joys of international travel !!!!!
After 26hrs we finally made it to our hotel. So far Stockholm has been awesome, I’ve always had a soft spot for Sweden.
I had my first international competition in Gottenberg in 1997 at the World Short Champs where I came away with Silver in the 100 Fly and Gold in the Medley Relay in World Record time.
Today we kicked racing at a local swim meet, the first of four for the tour. It wasn’t the best of starts. One of the hardest things in racing is that you have to adjust to each pool accordingly.
Whist it’s a great pool the blocks in this pool are different to the blocks at home. They’re shorter and not as wide, also the grip is not a good, it’s quite slippery when it’s wet. So to be on the safe side, instead of doing my usual track start (one foot at the front of the block & the other at the back of the block) I opted for the more traditional feet together start.
Unfortunately as the start called “take your marks” I flinched and rolled forward a little which is classified as a false start, so I was disqualified……. Bummer! The worst thing though was that I was the fastest qualifier for the final by almost a whole second but that’s racing.
I guess that it was better that It happened at this meet instead of the World Cup… Lesson learnt.
Tomorrow I’ll have the 100 Fly and the 50 Free. It’ll be a good chance to practice all of the little things and fingers crossed I don’t make the same mistake again.
Till tomorrow,
Be your best.
Thursday 15 October 2009
Hi Everybody,
It’s been a while since I’ve chatted to you all and a lot has happened.
I’m currently in Flagstaff, Arizona USA. We’re here for 3 weeks on a high altitude swimming camp with the squad. Flagstaff is 2200m above sea level and the air is thin up here. The purpose of the camp is to build our aerobic fitness before we head to Europe to race.
Just like before I will be constantly updating my blog with pics, movies and funny stories to keep you all up to date with what happens whilst on tour.
We left Sydney at 11am on Wednesday and flew into LA. After we finally cleared customs we had 2 hours to kill to make our connecting flight. While we were sitting at our gate the call came over the PA stating that our direct flight into Flagstaff was now cancelled, so they put us all on another airline and we had to make our way to another terminal to catch another flight……. LA to now Phoenix then to Flagstaff. Hmmmmmmmm
After 24hrs of travel we finally got to our apartment. This time my roommates are Andrew Lauterstein and Garth Kates. Here’s a quick tour of the room.
I’m heading of to the pool now, will be back soon with some pics and movies.
Speak soon.
30 June 09
Hi Guys,
Sorry for the delay in getting an update to you all. Since returning home I’ve been bed ridden with the flu. After touring and racing for the past 4 weeks my immune system’s taken a bit of a hammering, then to return to this cold chilly weather, that’s really hammered the nail into the coffin.
Since I last spoke to you we competed our last of 4 meets in Paris. The pool was at a private country club near Roland Garros and was surrounded by clay courts that the professional players would use when they were warming up for the French Open.
It was a great meet to finish on, I finished 9th in the 100 clocking a time of 54.0 and then 5th in the 50 swimming 23.99 in the final.
Having time now to look back on the tour I was really happy with the results and the outcomes. It’s been 5 years since my last international competition and it’s like I never ever walked away. As you could all see from my results I was improving with every race and fine-tuning all of my skills. I’ve always said that 4 weeks of competition is equal to 6 weeks of training; you can’t replicate the emotions and the racing at this level. Also the experience you get from a tour like this will stay with you forever.
From here I start swimming now with a new squad in Sydney. I’m really looking forward to learning some new skills and to also be able to share my knowledge and experience to a bunch of young up and coming swimmers as we get ready to race in Hobart for the Australian short course in August.
I’ve added a video and some more pics for you all to enjoy.
18 June 09
Hi Everybody,
Wow what an amazing week. Since I last spoke to you all a lot has happened.
I finished of the series collecting a bronze in the 50m Fly clocking a series PB of 23.89 and also a 54.2 in the final of the 100. Overall, I was really happy with my performances. Although it’s been 5 years since my last international competition, as the meets were progressing I was achieving my goals of improving with every swim that I did. It was so good to be back.
Between heats and finals, finding a way to get our suits dry is always an issue. So when we noticed the air-conditioning at the pool we placed our suits on them to help them dry!
On the final night of the series, His Royal Highness Prince Albert invited everybody to a gala dinner at the Fairmont Hotel. It was a great way to end the series. The hotel sits on the edge of the coastline with amazing views of Monaco.
The next day the everyone on the team went on their separate ways again. The guys from Melbourne, Brisbane and the AIS all went home and our NSWIS team headed to Antibes on the French Riviera for 3 nights. It was great. We trained at the home pool of Alain Bernard and got to do a session with him and his team. It was good to be able to see how he trains and to learn a thing or 2 from him.
Tomorrow we all head to Paris to get ready for the 4th and final competition of the tour. I’m really looking forward to getting back into racing. I didn’t realise how much I’ve missed it until this tour.
I’ve added a few pics in the collage above for you all to enjoy.
12 June 09
Hi guys,
In the finals of the 100, technically it was the worst swim I’ve done since I’ve been away but funny enough it was my fastest 54.2!!
Yesterday I did the 50, finished 5th again in a time of 24.01 (24.2 heats). It would’ve been good to sneak under 24sec so that will be the goal for the next meet in Monaco.
We’ve now completed 2 of the 4 meets of the tour. Today we headed to the airport of Canet and caught a charter flight with the other competing countries and headed for Monaco. This place is spectacular, the swimming pool is situated underneath the football stadium and it’s only a short stroll over the road of the hotel.
The best thing about this meet is that they have a sprint knockout series for the 50m events. Once you swim the heats the top 16 go through to the next round. Then the top 8, then top 4 and finally the top 2 race off head to head. Awesome!
I’ve added a few more clips and pics for you all to have a look at… I hope you enjoy..
Bacra w/up pool
50 Fly Canet
Camet pool tour
10 June 09
Bonjour!
This morning I had the heats of the 100m Fly. I ended up 11th. (B final) so tonight I’ll at least get another swim. For me it was a good swim. 54.5 – remember in Barca I only went 54.8 (heats) and 54.4 (finals). Today’s swim was MUCH better and is the whole reason I’ve come away on the tour. To be able to practice and improve all the small things is something you cant replicate in training. Starts are becoming better, great speed off the blocks and the underwaters are good. Being able to get over the top of my stroke (driving forward with the top of my head) and also having good underwater work off the turn (gaining distance on competitors).
9 June 09
Today is a rest day for some. In the morning we had a pretty solid session followed by physio/massage. For some, racing kicks off in the afternoon……lucky for our guys we don’t start racing until tomorrow!
8 June 09
Today we caught a bus to head to Canet for our 2nd of 4 meets. Canet is in the south of France about 3.5hrs north of Barcelona and home to the Catalian Dragons (many NRL players now play here). Our bus was suppose to come at 8am but didn’t pick us up until 9.30. (It’s the little things that you have no control of that can throw you off for the day).
We finally arrived at the next hotel; the best thing is that it’s a short stroll over the road from the swimming pool. In the afternoon we headed over for a heavy weights session (remember season’s goals) and an aerobic session in the pool to swim out some of the soreness.
7 June 09
Today I had the 100. It has been 5 years since I’ve competed in this event in the international arena. It was a solid swim 54.8 in the heats and 54.4 in the finals. The positives are that my times are improving in the final swims (If your going to be in the hunt for medals you need to be swimming faster in the finals) also we’re all still in hard work. Our main goal for the season is to be swimming fast at Aus Short Course in August and for the others it’s Worlds. We don’t want to be tapering (swimming at our best) at this meet/series.
6 June 09
Hi guys,
Today I had the 50 fly. What a great way to kick of the series. In the morning heats I qualified 5th for the finals in a time of 24.33. For the finals I finished 4th with time of 23.95 which was a .4sec improvement.
I’m in lane 2 (second from the top).
4 June 2009
Hi guys,
Here’s a sneak peak of some of the things that happened earlier in the week on Monday when we first got into Barcelona……. Also, I’ve included a clip of the pool that we will be racing in. It was so good to catch up with the Sweed’s Therese and Johan who trained with us in Sydney for about 5 months. Enjoy!
Barcelona Pool Video
Room Tour
3 June 2009
Hola,
Because we only had 1 session yesterday, Andrew, Libby, Jess, Matt and myself decided to take the train for a short 30min journey to a little city south of Barcelona called Sitges, it is known for its much-frequented beaches, nightspots, and historical sites. What a beautiful city.
We spent half the day there just resting by the beach and soaking up the atmosphere. It really was nice to be able to get off the beaten track before the rest of the team arrived.
Today (Wednesday), was a busy day. We had 3 sessions, 2 x swim and 1 x gym. Also, another group arrived into the team from Brisbane. It’s always nice to have new faces in the group but it also brings us all back into reality as we’re realising that we’re now starting to really get into the serious side of the tour.
So, we’re now less than 3 days to the start of the series. From here on in we’ll be focusing on all the little things in the pool. Making sure we sharpen up on our skills, practicing our starts of the blocks (the blocks at this pool are ordinary. They have a plastic top which gets slippery in the wet so instead of doing my usual track start, I’ve been going back to doing the traditional 2 feet together start).
From here on in to the meet it starts to become groundhog day. Wake up – head to the pool for a swim, come back to the hotel and rest up for the rest of the day. Maybe have a second swim in the afternoon (depending on how we’re feeling in the water).
Before I head off I just wanted to say “Congrats to the boys from QLD”. After listening to the 1st State of Origin game online on 2GB, It’s good to be able to have bragging rights at dinner!!!
Be your best.
Geoff
1 June 09
Hi Guys,
What an amazing few days. Since I last spoke to you all alot has happened. On Saturday (our last day in Singapore) we ran a swimming clinic for the kids in the Southern Cross Dragons Swim Team at the Australian International School, what a day. We had an amazing turn out and spent about 4 hrs teaching the kids drills, skills, tips and techniques that will help them to get the best out of themselves and hopefully inspire them to want to swim for their country. I’ve attached a couple of links and pics from the day.
SINGAPORE PHOTO GALLERY
GEOFF’S VIDEO BLOG #1
GEOFF’S VIDEO BLOG #2
GEOFF’S VIDEO BLOG #3: STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE
Following the clinic the squad headed back to the hotel, packed our bags and then we were treated to a delicious feast from a local restaurant. I just want to say a BIG thanks to Trina, Ian and Darren, the coaches of the club for their hospitality whist in Singapore.
After dinner we all headed to the airport and made our way to Barcelona, where we begin our 1st of 3 legs of the Mare Nostrum Series starting this Saturday, 6 June.
Stay tuned and Be your best.
Geoff
29 May 09
Hi Guys,
Well……. what a flight!
We arrived to our hotel here in Singapore at about 12am and had a great sleep. Once we got up we made our way to the pool and swam through a leisurely 4km just to get the circulation moving. Then we hit the weights room for a light session.
Tonight, we’re heading to the International school for a meet and great with the young swimmers here. Should be fun.
I’ll have some pics for you guys when I log back in.
Be your best.
Geoff
28 May 09
Finally, we got through check in and customs. I’m sitting here in the lounge looking over this beautiful city of Sydney.
It’s been 5 years since I traveled OS for a swimming competition. The memories are starting to come back to me…..some good and some not so good though I can honestly say that the past 8 months have been some of the best months of my life.
The next time I speak to you all I’ll be in Singapore. Our NSWIS squad will spend 2 nights here training before we head into Europe. Whist here, we’ll be running a swimming clinic for the Aussie kids attending the international school. I’m really looking forward to it.
I’ve gotta go now, they’re finally calling our flight.
Until next time, be your best.
Geoff
25 May 09
Hi Guys,
I’ve set up my new website and I’m about to embark on my first international competition tour since 2004.
Stay tuned for constant updates and amazing interviews.
Bye for now & be your best.
