50 Freestyle

[DAK]

Foster clocks 22.95 in heats to qualify 11th for semi final. Popov clocks 22.74. Fastest qualifier Volynets with 22.50.

[londoner62]

Well, if we know MF is capable how come Bill doesn't? 22.64 to make the final.

[swimmer]

what's the time he has to do again?

[londoner62]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/3683625.stm plus get the sayso from the BOA

[swimmer]

thnx :)

[lane4]

Fos is lying 6th for the final after posting a 22.64. It's a very tight final, even for a 50, with 0.27 separating all 8 qualifiers with a certain Mr Popov in 8th on 22.68. I really hope Fos wins the race and sets a PB but he is going to look very silly if he doesn't win a medal and do the time!

[Bazza]

Oh dear.

22.57 - 5th.

[geochuck]

My goodness are these guys really that slow, my time of 25. flat 48 years ago does not look too bad.

[londoner62]

My goodness are these guys really that slow, my time of 25. flat 48 years ago does not look too bad.
George, to clear up a confusion I have, are you generally talking long or short, yards or meters?

Paul

[geochuck]

Always long course, we did not swim the fifty meters it was a split on the way to my 54.6 100 meter time. Which was my best time before I turned to marathon swimming. As an amatuer my training was very limited, my work outs were 200m warm up and 500m sprints with 5 sec rests and 200 cool down, and every one else said I let 1 & a half miles of water pass over my body in the shower.

I was actually faster on my hundreds later when swimming the marathon races.

[lane4]

Always long course, we did not swim the fifty meters it was a split on the way to my 54.6 100 meter time.
Sorry to pick holes in your posts again George but 48 years ago (that would be 1956 then) the Olympic Games were won by Australian Jon Henricks in 55.4. Eight place in the final was 58.1. There were no Canadians in the final. At the time of that race, the world record was held by Richard Cleveland at 54.8.

In addition, your website states that in 1955 you went a 51 at a time trial in the run up to the Pam Am Games in Mexico.

Thus I am wondering how the reporting of your times fits in with the recorded facts? Is my information wrong? Have you made one of your rare mistakes? Or are you telling pork pies? ;)

[lane4]

My goodness are these guys really that slow,
People are as fast as they are. I would not call it slow especially as the race included Popov, the current world champion and world record holder.

[geochuck]

Sorry to pick holes in your posts again George but 48 years ago (that would be 1956 then) the Olympic Games were won by Australian Jon Henricks in 55.4. Eight place in the final was 58.1. There were no Canadians in the final. At the time of that race, the world record was held by Richard Cleveland at 54.8.

In addition, your website states that in 1955 you went a 51 at a time trial in the run up to the Pam Am Games in Mexico.

Thus I am wondering how the reporting of your times fits in with the recorded facts? Is my information wrong? Have you made one of your rare mistakes? Or are you telling pork pies? ;)

Again I say you cannot read English. My 51 seconds was was for 100 yards so I decided to go to the Pan Am games which I swam in and came second to Clarke Scholes in not such a great time in the 100 meters. Richard Cleveland and I raced against each other many times. He always beat me. I swam in the 1956 Olympics but was hospitalized before the race and if you really looked at my web site you will find out what happened there. I never broke a worlds record but have swum the times I say. Also the results of the Fina meet after the Games if you can find those please let me know, I would like to see who beat Hendricks.

Your friend forever
George Park

[geochuck]

Lane four If you can read English this is what it said on my web page.

After the 54 games I retired from competition and only played water polo. In Feb 1955 my coach called me and told me I was selected to represent Canada in the Pan Am Games in Mexico, the selection was made on past preformances. I started training but was swimming very badly, I could not get my time below one min. for 100 yards (stinko). I decided not to go but the next day at a time trial I did a 51 second 100 time trial. I decided to go. It worked out fine I came second in the Pan Am games, just touched out by Clarke Scholes the 1952 Olympic Champion.

Did I say it was at the Olympics and did this time no. I did this at a time trial at a pool the same day as Hendricks did his swim but that means nothing.

See the 1956 Olympics on my web page and get the story straight for a change.
www.swimdownhill.com

Your friend forever
George

[swimbuoy]

Always long course, we did not swim the fifty meters it was a split on the way to my 54.6 100 meter time. Which was my best time before I turned to marathon swimming. As an amatuer my training was very limited, my work outs were 200m warm up and 500m sprints with 5 sec rests and 200 cool down, and every one else said I let 1 & a half miles of water pass over my body in the shower.

I was actually faster on my hundreds later when swimming the marathon races.

Wow George! You should have stuck to the shorter stuff, 54.60 was the world record up to 1961 so you must have been faster than all those guys?

What time did you eventually get down to for the 100m during your marathon days??

[geochuck]

My 54.6 was a time trial just outside of Hiedelberg Australia, The day of the Olympic swim by Hendricks. The timers were Tommy Walker, Dr Paul Hauch and a Russian coach but it was not a reconized time. It was not 100 meters but 110 yards in a pool that was 55 yards long. So of course I did not break the record at a later time. When I returned from the Olympics, I took a new job on the road and did not train anymore til 1958. I however did race and play the occassional game of water polo for my swim club. In 1957 my coach asked me to swim in a relay at the Provicial Champion ships, when I arrived at the meet he had entered me in every thing. I weighed 245 lbs. and in very poor condition. I won the 100 yards free and the 100 fly against Dan Sherry a Canadian who held the Canadian records at this time. The only reason I won these races was that Kurt Pluntke a German swimmer and friend of mine yelled out from the stands GO HOME FATSO.

Dan Sherry, broke the 100 yards butterfly world record in England. http://soloswims.com/jack-ramsden.htm

[lane4]

See the 1956 Olympics on my web page and get the story straight for a change. Sorry to hear of your bad luck at the 56 Games Geo.

I notive your website has undergone a few updates since yesterday one of which includes the insertion of the word "yards" after "51 second 100"

I am sorry I thought your 51 was metres not yards. My apologies. However, I deduced this after your answer to a question londoner62 asked you:


George, to clear up a confusion I have, are you generally talking long or short, yards or meters?
To which you quickly replied...


Always long course...

It was the use of the word "always" that threw me off course. Sorry once again.

[geochuck]

Lane 4 When I replied always LC meters It was a reply to any post I have made on this forum. If you had checked on the other pages of my web site you would have found it was 51 seconds for yards. Yes I moved the Olympic story from a page called my Sea Eagle and renamed it the 1956 Olympics. I am sorry for any confusion.

[swimbuoy]

My 54.6 was a time trial just outside of Hiedelberg Australia, The day of the Olympic swim by Hendricks. The timers were Tommy Walker, Dr Paul Hauch and a Russian coach but it was not a reconized time. It was not 100 meters but 110 yards in a pool that was 55 yards long. So of course I did not break the record at a later time. When I returned from the Olympics, I took a new job on the road and did not train anymore til 1958. I however did race and play the occassional game of water polo for my swim club. In 1957 my coach asked me to swim in a relay at the Provicial Champion ships, when I arrived at the meet he had entered me in every thing. I weighed 245 lbs. and in very poor condition. I won the 100 yards free and the 100 fly against Dan Sherry a Canadian who held the Canadian records at this time. The only reason I won these races was that Kurt Pluntke a German swimmer and friend of mine yelled out from the stands GO HOME FATSO.

Dan Sherry, broke the 100 yards butterfly world record in England. http://soloswims.com/jack-ramsden.htm

Thanks for that George. Sounds like you had a very colourful career. I guess there is nothing like a rude German to get one swimming faster eh? ;)

I was interested to read the training sessions that you did back then. Though they seem incredibly short & easy by todays standards they must have worked for you. You obviously had a lot of natutral talent.

What do you think of modern training approaches where young swimmers are required to swim 50-60,000m a week??

[geochuck]

During the years 1952 and 1958 I was suffering from mono and when I swam over 500 meters, hard swimming I would get dizzy and some times go unconcious.

Matt Mann11 had told me I was the most natural swimmer he had ever seen.

I was tested by a professor who came to the University of Western Ont. and he said he had never tested anyone up til that time that had as large a lung capacity as I had, I broke his apparatus. He also tested my floating abilty and he said he had never seen any male float as well as I did.

I did not get over the mono effects until 1962 when I started training to race the Marathon Races.

[Kaci]

He also tested my floating abilty and he said he had never seen any male float as well as I did.

ah thats just cos he hadn't seen chris, he floats with the best of them!

[Bazza]

George, could I just ask what mono is (the proper/full name)? I'm not familiar with the term.

Also, which Empire Games did you compete in?

[rogant stard]

George, could I just ask what mono is (the proper/full name)? I'm not familiar with the term.

Yank term for glandular fever isn't it?

[crawler]

...think I'll duck before our Canadian (I think) friend reacts to the 'Yank' tag!

[Katie]

Mononucleosis isn't it? Same as/similar to glandular fever. :)

Ok..ok... one of my better spelling mistakes!!

[mad4it]

...glangular...

thats a new one katie!! :D :D

correct tho, Infectious Mononucleosis, commonly known as Glandular Fever or mono

[lane4]

George had mono for 6-7 years (52-58) but did not fully get over it until 62. Being affected by mono for 10 years must have been terrible for the guy. He certainly has had his share of bad luck in his time. Fortunately for him though, during this difficult time he was still able to swim at various major championships and break the 100m freestyle world record (albeit in a unrecognised time trial). I don't think you would find any of today's world class swimmers who could be as tough as that. Well done Geo!

[geochuck]

... Infectious Mononucleosis, commonly known as Glandular Fever or mono
Mono... never a yank term most Americans think we sound like Brits when we talk. I was hospitalised for 6 weeks before the trials for the1952 Olympics. The first event in the trials the 440 yards free. I was pulled from the pool out cold after 200 yards. That was it for the 1952 O...

I don't think I had mono for that length of time. But some people suffer the consequences for a long time. I had bad red blood cell production during those years. When ever the doctor checked me over he said my spleen was swollen.

[geochuck]

which Empire Games did you compete in?
I competed in 1954 in Vacouver BC, and Cardiff in 1958.

The memory I have from Cardiff, we stayed at the air base I think it was St Athens??? The first day of the heats I walked out of the quarters and stepped into a gutter and broke my ankle and twisted my knee. It was what they called a green fracture of the ankle and my knee was like a balloon. They tapped and froze my ankle, then I was off to the heats. Was it really bad luck, or me being stupid.

[DAK]

The first day of the heats I walked out of the quarters and stepped into a gutter and broke my ankle and twisted my knee. It was what they called a green fracture of the ankle and my knee was like a balloon. They tapped and froze my ankle, then I was off to the heats. Was it really bad luck, or me being stupid.

And some people think Mark Foster was unlucky not to make the Olympic team!

[lane4]

And some people think Mark Foster was unlucky not to make the Olympic team!
And some people say you make your own luck.

[geochuck]

1958 Games in Cardiff... My wife gave birth to our first of six just before I left for the Games. I did not leave for the games with the team, but flew in two days before the heats. When they were over and I was ready to come home our games comitee did not have a ticket for me to get home. I was stranded. I had to buy a ticket from my own pocket to get home. Since then I have asked for the money I put out for my ticket and the Canadian Games comittee has never responded to me. But do I really care, after that I decided from then on money was more important to me then representing my country for free.

[lane4]

1958 Games in Cardiff... My wife gave birth to our first of six just before I left for the Games. I did not leave for the games with the team, but flew in two days before the heats. When they were over and I was ready to come home our games comitee did not have a ticket for me to get home. I was stranded. I had to buy a ticket from my own pocket to get home. Since then I have asked for the money I put out for my ticket and the Canadian Games comittee has never responded to me. But do I really care, after that I decided from then on money was more important to me then representing my country for free.
It's a shame you turned into a mercenary Geo. But perhaps Canada reviewed your medical record (years of mono, hitting your head on the wall at the Olympics, breaking your ankle at the Empires) and decided you would be better off staying in the UK and competing for them in the future?

;) :p :clear:

[Bazza]

I competed in 1954 in Vacouver BC, and Cardiff in 1958.

And which events did you comepte in?

[geochuck]

1958 British Empire & Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Wales, silver in the 4x110 medley relay I swam the fly and bronze in the 4x220 freestyle relay I also swam the 110 free.

The R.C.A.F. gave fitness and strength tests to the atheletes at the games one of the strength tests was done on the legs. A wrestler from south africa had the strongest legs, I had the second strongest legs, a heavy weight, weight lifter was third. The poorest conditioned athelete they tested there happened to be me.

[lane4]

1958 British Empire & Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Wales, silver in the 4x110 medley relay I swam the fly and bronze in the 4x220 freestyle relay I also swam the 110 free.

The R.C.A.F. gave fitness and strength tests to the atheletes at the games one of the strength tests was done on the legs. A wrestler from south africa had the strongest legs, I had the second strongest legs, a heavy weight, weight lifter was third.
All this with a broken ankle and a twisted knee too. Incredible.

[geochuck]

Yeh hard to believe eh! but true.... R C A F - Royal Canadian Air Force developers of the 5BX and 10BX fitness programs.

George Park www.swimdownhill.com

[geochuck]

All this with a broken ankle and a twisted knee too. Incredible.
Just an after thought the test was done the day before I broke my ankle.

George

[rogant stard]

Just an after thought the test was done the day before I broke my ankle.

George

May I be the first to welcome you back George.

[geochuck]

Glad to be back after 4 months in Mexico. Had a pleasant time even though the crocodile at Boca De Iquana walked over the tent that my daughter was going to sleep in. He was fourteen feet long and went swimming where we worked out.

George

[stevenewman1]

me too - I look forward to more of your excellent episodes in life. If you were a horse they would have put you down - (perhaps you are the human form of Seabiscuit)

[GettingFaster]

May I be the first to welcome you back George.
Darn! Beat me to it!

I'm sure lane4 has missed you, let's see how long it is before he notices your return. Glad to have you back.