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Team effort New format, new goals for swimming at Goodwill Games
Posted: Wednesday July 29, 1998 08:58 PM
NEW YORK (CNN/SI) -- Quick ... think competitive swimming and what comes to mind? Maybe it's Jenny Thompson winning four gold medals at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, or perhaps Janet Evans setting records at Seoul in 1988. If you're a little older, Mark Spitz's seven golds at Munich in 1972 leap to mind. The bottom line is swimming always has been an individual sport. That is, until this year's Goodwill Games. A points system was instituted to turn an individual sport into a true team sport. In individual events, teams get five points for a first-place finish, three for second and one for third. Winners of relay races pick up seven points. A total of 62 points wins the meet. In the first night of competition on Tuesday, the women took center stage and the United States, led by Thompson and six straight 1-2 finishes, dismantled China, 88-34. This came after South Africa's Penny Heyns and Holland's Inge de Bruijn helped the World All-Stars top Germany, 64-58. "I think [the format] is a very good thing because it's a new competition," Germany's Franziska Van Almisick said. "Swimming normally is a sport where everyone swims for themselves. Now the team is the most important thing." The men will take over the pool when they hold their first day of competition today. The United States will battle Germany, followed by the Russia against the World All-Stars. Individual accomplishments are not totally forgotten. Team members can earn US$1,000 for the fastest time per event and if a world record is broken -- it has not happened yet -- the athlete walks away with $50,000. For some, like de Bruijn, who set Goodwill Games records in the 50-meter freestyle and the 100 butterfly, the new format is a good thing because it promotes what the Games signify: team unity. "This is totally new to me," she said. "The fact that it's different makes it very exciting to me. I did a meet in France that had a similar format. This is a great idea. I'm used to swimming as an individual. I enjoy the team concept." Heyns also set Goodwill records in the 100 and 200 breaststroke. She agreed with her teammate, but knows that the new format might not appeal to all. "This format is tough," she admitted. "I swam at the University of Nebraska for four years, so I've done it before. I haven't done it for two years, though. With this format, the focus is more on the team, which is different for me." Heyns also didn't think she would swim in New York because she did not have the competitive fire. "After the World Championships, I was at Nebraska and was considering retiring. I just didn't want to get in the water," she said. "I prayed about it, and asked the Lord for a sign. I am very Christian. Then my coach [Jan Birdman] from Calgary called, which was the sign." Others do not like the format. Swimmers from China, which often has been accused of using performance-enhancing drugs since an unprecedented run of records four years ago, looked lethargic in their first meet. "No one really tried that hard. We were not prepared. Our goal was to test out our opponent," China's Qian Yan said. "We lacked the strength because we were not used to the food here." Just a week ago, four Chinese swimmers were suspended for two years each after testing positive for banned substances. But Thompson, who has been one of the most outspoken team members regarding China's alleged doping, tempered her remarks following the meet. "China's tough but they have their ups and downs, even though we always consider them a tough opponent," she said. While the United States' swimmers appear to be the class of the field, it will be interesting to see how they match up with the World All-Stars when the squads face off on Thursday. May the best team win.
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