SATURDAY, AUGUST 21, 2010 SWIMMING
Hoff, Sutton earn Team USA spots
Ziegler puts up No. 2 400-meter time
at event but is left dry BY AMY SHIPLEY
irvine, calif. – Drama and intrigue blanketed the women’s 400-meter freestyle competi- tion Friday at the Pan Pacific Championships, an event in which one of the night’s biggest winners did not even jump in the pool. Only two U.S. women com-
peted in the night’s final. But a total of four Americans had a huge stake in the outcome: A spot in next year’s world cham- pionshipmeet in Shanghai. Intheend,ChloeSutton,who
trainedfor twoyears inMcLean, and Towson’s Katie Hoff—who watched from the stands in a Team USA tank top and sun- glasses—earned those spots. Sutton got the gold with her
finishin4minutes 5.19 seconds. Hoff stayed dry and still got a world championship slot. Kate Ziegler of Great Falls put up a blazing time, the second-fastest of the night (4:05.52) — but got nothingoutof it.Shedidnotwin thesilvermedalbecauseshehad onlymanaged to qualify for the evening’s consolation final; she watched the final from edge of the pool. To make matters worse, she
missed out on a world champi- onship slot because her time was a mere .02 of a second too slow. “It hurts,” she said. “It’s frus-
trating. But I’m excited to see Katie on the team.” Hoff, the reigning Olympic
silvermedalwinner intheevent, had swum poorly in the morn- ing heats, surprisingly failing to advance to the final or consola- tion final after dominating the eventat
theU.S.championships. That left her hoping that the
Americans competing, Ziegler in the consolation final and Sut- ton and Allison Schmitt in the final, would win — but with slower times than shemanaged in the U.S. championships, when shewent 4:05.50. If her time stood up, she
would represent the United States in the event in Shanghai. “It was so nerve-racking,”
Hoff said. “Iknewitwasgoingto be close. I didn’t know it was going to be two-hundredths close.” Here’s how it all went down:
Ziegler, who like Hoff, had no chance to claim a medal or Pan
Pacifics title, led off the night with a stunner. She put out a time that surpassedher effort in themorning bymore thanthree seconds. It seemed likely that she had
laiddowna timeneither Sutton, who until last yearwas an open- water specialist and who fin- ished second earlier in theweek toZiegler inthe 800, or Schmitt, a 200 specialist, could touch. “I wish I could have been in
the final, because I think I could have gone [even] faster” with a stronger field, Ziegler said. “It’s a lesson learned.” For Sutton and Schmitt, the
finalwasn’tamatterof, justwin, baby. They had to go fast, too. Sutton did. She fended off challenges
fromAustralia’sKatieGoldman, who finished second in 4:05.84 — slower than Ziegler swam — and Blair Evans, who came home in 4:06.36. Schmitt got fourthwith her time of 4:06.73. “I couldn’t have asked for
anything more,” said Sutton, who will compete in Sunday’s open-water 10-kilometer race. “I was a hardcore open-water swimmer; I couldn’t do any- thing under 10K two years ago. I’m learning to handle my nerves. . . . These races just have somuch at stake.” When the result registered,
Ziegler spun aroundwith disap- pointment. But she smiled later when talking about how close she had come. “Getting another medal for
the U.S. would have been nice, but really, at thismeet, I think a lot of people are racing to get on theworlds team,”Ziegler said. “I would have liked to do that, too —to say the least.” Hoff had failed to advance to
Friday’s finalwhen shewas out- raced to wall in her morning heat by Ziegler. Her time of 4:08.93 seconds was the fifth- fastest Friday morning, but it was surpassed by Sutton (4:07.64), Schmitt (4:08.47) and Ziegler (4:08.63). At this meet, only two swimmers from each nationcantakepart intheeight- person final. ThoughHoff,who grewupin
Towson, secured a spot on next summer’s world championship team as a member of the 200 freestyle relay, she desperately wanted to compete in Shanghai in what had been one of her signature events. She climbedoutof the stands
shortly after the race, grinning with relief. “I just stopped shaking,” she
said. “I’mextremely excited.”
shipleya@washpost.com
PANPACIFICCHAMPIONSHIPSNOTEBOOK
Lochte takes fourth gold and couldwin onemore
BY AMY SHIPLEY
irvine, calif.— U.S. swimmer RyanLochtewonthe 200-meter backstroke at the Pan Pacific Championships on Friday to claim his fourth gold medal of themeet—with a chance to add another in a relay later in the night. Lochte finished in a champion- ship-record time of 1 minute 54.12 seconds, topping U.S. teammate Tyler Clary, who touchedthewall in1:54.90. Lochte will get a chance to face Michael Phelps — who won his third gold medal earlier in the 100 butterfly – in the 200 indi- vidual medley Saturday, but he arguably secured his stature as the male swimmer of this meet with a gritty performance a night after hewon the 400med- ley relay and anchored the U.S. men’s 4x200relay team. The year “is going good,” Lochte said. “It’s just a steppingstone fornext year andthentheOlym- pics. I’m right where I need to be.” Both Lochte and Phelps were expected to compete on the 4x100relay lateFriday. Lochte and Clary also secured slots on the world champion- shipteaminthe200back, swim- ming faster than seven-time Olympicmedalist Aaron Peirsol mustered in the consolation fi- nal. Peirsolwontheconsolationfinal in1:56.67, fallingshortonhisbid tosneakintothe event inShang- hai. Peirsol once again misfired on a morning heat Friday, but unlike onWednesday,noAmeri- canwaswillingtoofferhimagift entry into thenight’s final.
Peirsol won a goldmedal in the 100backstrokeWednesday after Lochte relinquished his spot in the final to preserve his body for the rest ofhis events. Lochte topped the field Friday morningwithhis timeof 1:55.26, just ahead of Clary’s 1:55.56. Peirsol’s time of 1:56.22 was fourth-best overall. “Nothing I cando about it,” Peir- sol said. The time “I had to do wasn’t easy.”
to showprogress Phelps wasn’t thrilled with the time – 50.86 — he posted in winning the 100 butterfly final, but hewas happy to come home with the victory a day after fail- ing toqualify for the400medley final. “To be able to still be under 51 wasn’t terrible,” he said. “But I think there are a lot of little thingsIcanworkontoimprove.” Phelps said after topping the field in the morning heats he appreciated starting the day witha shorter race. “I feel a little bit better today than I have the last couple of days,”hesaid. “Probablybecause there are only two laps [in the event] insteadof four.” ElizabethBeiselwonher second gold medal of the meet in the women’s 200 backstroke, finish- ing in 2:07.83 seconds to edge Towson’s Elizabeth Pelton, who touchedthewall in2:08.10. . . . American Dana Vollmer claimed the gold in the 100 but- terfly, winning in 57.56; Jessica Hardy grabbed gold in the 50 breaststroke.
Phelpswould like
shipleya@washpost.com eLindsay.com
KLMNO
EZ SU PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL
Wall, rookies learn that life in NBA is more than just about hardwood
BY MICHAEL LEE
palisades, n.y. — In the four monthssince he took his last final exam at Kentucky, John Wall has quickly discovered there is a lot to learn that he can’t get in a class- room. He has received an education
in finance (he has become a mul- timillionaire after signing a con- tract with the Washington Wiz- ards and endorsement deals with Reebok and Panini); in how peo- ple roll in Washington (he had a police escort for his red carpet introduction); in basketball (he earned most outstanding player honors in the Las Vegas summer league); and in real estate (he recently bought his mother a house and found an apartment a short drive from Verizon Center). But this week, Wall was back
in a classroom setting, scribbling notes and listening to lectures during the NBA’s rookie transi- tion program. Wall, the No. 1 overall draft pick, joined nearly 50 other rookies in an intense, secluded, three-day schedule of seminars and workshops de- signed to help them understand that being a part of the NBA requires more than an ability to dribble, pass and shoot. “It’s a lot of stuff you have to
learn,” Wall said. “Everybody say they think they know everything, but we really don’t know noth- ing.” For a corporation such as the
NBA, which generated almost $4.2 billion in revenue last sea- son, it is imperative that the face of the business — the players — have a full grasp of the challenges ahead. The program, which was created in 1986, focuses on sub- jects such as the stresses that come from playing an 82-game season, dealing with peer pres- sure, how to say no to family members and friends seeking handouts, being fiscally responsi- ble, legal education, sexual health, the anti-drug program, anger management and gam-
sentation by NBA deputy com- missioner Adam Silver. Silver showed a poll from fans that revealed that NBA players have the greatest image problem of athletes in the three major sports. “That ain’t good,” said Wall,
who has been conscious of his image since he was 14 and joined the D-One Sports AAU program. His coaches and now advisers Brian and Dwon Clifton had a strict policy of no cornrows or tattoos. Wall, who had braids at the time, was initially reluctant, but came around at the urging of some of his friends. “When I first cutmy hair and
NBA/GETTY IMAGES
“It’s a lot of stuff you have to learn,” the Wizards’ JohnWall, above, said of attending this week’sNBArookie transition program.
bling. Since the average NBA ca- reer ends at age 27 and after nearly five seasons, a portion of the program also was focused on preparing for life after basketball. Panelists included currentand
former players such as Bill Rus- sell, EarlMonroe, AlonzoMourn- ing, Amare Stoudemire, Spencer Haywood and Jarrett Jack, and various experts in their respective fields. The knowledge passed along doesn’t come across like a TV after-school special, as pre- senters often use frank and direct language. The curriculum is the result of input from players, and it is reinforced throughout the regular season as the NBA meets with teams twice a year for player development programs. “Now, we don’t expect them to
retain all the information, but I think it helps for them to see that there are somany layers to this, so many different things that you can get hung up on and that you have to be aware of, the financial aspect, the social aspect, image,” saidMichael Bantom,NBAsenior vice president of player develop- ment. “A lot of people see this as a one shot deal, but we use this as an introduction to the relation- ship-building process to show them what we do and that you
don’t have to figure it out on your own.”
Wizards rookie Trevor Booker
also participated, but fellow first- round pick Kevin Seraphin was unable to attend while he awaits a work visa clearance from France. The 12-hour sessions were drain- ing on the players, with Wall using a lunch break on Wednes- day to sneak in a short nap. He wasespecially attentiveonThurs- day asMonroe, theHall of Famer and former Baltimore Bullet, shared stories during an early morning legends panel with Mourning, Haywood and Sam Perkins. Monroe spoke of his playing
dayswhenhe earned $20,000 as a rookie and jokingly said teams traveled to games “on an ark.” Monroe also told the players about the importance of being well-rounded and well-connect- ed, saying, “When people see you out there, they see you as a player, but do they see you as a person?” Players were warned to be
careful with what they do and say on social media such as Twitter and Facebook, and how fans per- ceived them. Wall said the importance of
image and public perception was hammered home during a pre-
AUTO RACING Even Bristol proves susceptible to down economy ASSOCIATED PRESS
bristol, tenn. — Rob Stiens won two tickets to Bristol Motor Speedway as his company’s em- ployee of the month. Unable to find affordable lodging close to the track, and unwilling to stay in a hotel three hours away, his seats will go empty Saturday night. Once the toughest ticket in
NASCAR, Bristol is now just like every other track that’s strug- gling to attract fans in a tough economy. The track’s streak of 55 consecutive selloutswas snapped during itsMarch race, and Satur- day’snight race—one of themost beloved on the schedule — will also fall short of capacity. “My last race atBristolwas the
spring race [in 2009] and we decided that it’s just too much money to continue going,” said Stiens, a Fayetteville, Ohio, milk- man who gave up his season tickets to Bristol Motor Speed- way last year after 14 years. “I got these tickets from my
company two weeks ago, tried to find somewhere reasonable to stay, and the nearest place was $189 a night,” Stiens said. “Any- thing cheaper was in Knoxville, and that’s about three hours away. It’s easier to justwatchit on TV at home.” There won’t be a full house at
Thunder Valley on Saturday night when the speedway cele- brates its 100th Sprint Cup race with the Irwin Tools Night Race. Kevin Triplett, vice president of Bristol’s public affairs, did not release ticket sale information but said if everyonewho bought a ticket shows up, “it’s going to look pretty close to full.” Still, anything less than capac-
ity was unheard of during a massive growth spurt in the 1990s, when track officials had a lengthy wait list and ran ticket sales much like the NCAA does
for its annual basketball tourna- ment. Fans signed up for a pack- age of four, and if something came available, names were picked through a lottery. Now, with 160,000 seats and
only about 6,000 hotel rooms in the immediate Tri-Cities area, Bristol officials are having to launch creativemarketing strate- gies for the first time in over two decades. The sellout streak began in 1982 when the track had just 30,000 seats. Bristol officials this year gave
tickets to four drivers active on Twitter, as well as Red Bull Rac- ing, to give away through social media efforts.RedBull gave its 10 sets out through weekly trivia sessions, but even some of those will go unused Saturday night. With the top 11 drivers in the
standings pretty much locked into the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, they won’t have to play it safe asmany contenders have done since the format began in 2004. Needing to ensure strong finishes, drivers would tone down the aggression that so often reared itself at Bristol. Now, those 11 can race hard
for wins and coveted bonus points to be used in Chase seed- ing.
Johnson wins pole Jimmie Johnson has won the
pole for Saturday night’s race. The four-time defending NA-
SCAR champion turned a lap at 123.475 mph in Friday’s qualify- ing to put his Chevrolet on the front row. Johnson bettered Carl Ed-
wards, who earned the second starting spotwith a lap at 122.937 in a Ford. Joey Logano has quali- fied third in a Toyota. Tony Stewart qualified fourth
and David Reutimann bounced back from a bout with food poisoning to qualify fifth. . . . Kyle Busch won the Nation-
wide Series race Friday night to give himtwo wins in two races at Bristol. He won the truck series race thisweek, andwill try towin the Sprint Cup race on Saturday. Busch had a lengthy battle
with Brad Keselowski for the lead, and passed the Nationwide Series points leader with 31 laps to go. But contact after the pass caused Busch to slide back to second. He immediately caught Keselowski, tapped him back, and caused Keselowski to wreck.
all that and didn’t get any tattoos, that was the main thing, having a clean image coming into this,” saidWall, who admits that he has been tempted to get a tattoo to honor his late father on his chest. “That’s what they want, to help you to bemoremarketable.Andif you don’t stay in the league a long time, it helps you get jobs after this.” Mourning, the formerGeorge-
town star and NBA champion with the Miami Heat, congratu- lated the rookies on making it to the league but wanted them to understand that being a basket- ball player is “temporary” and told them that success wasn’t guaranteed, using the example of former No. 2 overall pick Jay Williams, whose career was de- railed when he was injured in a motorcycle accident after his rookie season with Chicago. “As fast as you come in this
league, this league will spit you out of here,” Mourning said. “I knewthere was a clock that start- ed as soon as I came into the league.” The clock has started forWall,
who is taking it all in. “You can learn so much from them, from guys that was in this way before we probably was even born,”Wall said. “Then, you have people that’s going through it right now that can really help you. It means a lot.”
leem@washpost.com
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