• My good friend Gary Hall Jr. is blogging for the Los Angeles Times from the Vancouver Winter Olympics. You can read his first post following this link  Watch out, readers, Gary Hall Jr. is back. Go to his personal section on the Olympics Blogs to keep up to date with all of his postings from Vancouver. (8) #
      • In previous international events, swimmers were allowed one false start and disqualified after two. One false start and you are out. That was and still is the rule adopted by FINA started back in 2000 for the first time at the Sydney Olympics. Watching the IAAF World Championships these days, I heard that by next year the same rule will apply to track and field. Although some swimmers certainly tried to play the false start game, I never felt it was use as much to intimidate your opponents in swimming as it is in track and field. Obviously, if your Usin Bolt you don’t need to worry about intimidating your opponents but I still wonder if it’s going to bring change for some of the track and field athletes. (0) #
        • Michael Phelps is back on the charitybuzz Auctions website. Place your bid for your chance to attend a swim clinic with the greatest Olympian in history. The proceeds for this auction will benefit the Volunteer Lawyers Project. Again the currently placed bid is already pretty high, so you might as well want to check out the Race Club website for an unique swimming experience. (0) #
          • Conservation International and National Geographic have teamed up with field research partner Canadian Sea Turtle Network to bring you the 2009 Great Turtle Race. This is the third event in a series that brings public attention to the critically endangered leatherback sea turtle and generates important research and conservation support. The turtles were being “coached” by U.S. Olympic swimmers such as Eric Shanteau who’s turtle, Backspacer, won this year’s race. The rest of the turtles continue to swim toward the finish and there are plenty of challenges still to be won. (0) #