The Toyota Grand Prix at the Ohio State University gets underway tomorrow in Columbus, OH. That is very good news for me because I live in Columbus. So not a lot of effort is required in order to see some fast swimming. I’m thrilled so many Swim Stars are coming to me, so to speak!

This meet also marks my return to the deck as a credentialed media member. The last meet I covered, in depth, was the ConocoPhillips Summer Nationals in Indy last summer. I’m hoping I’m not too rusty and can jump back into things tomorrow morning! We’ll see!

If you want to see all the latest, visit Swim Stars Live throughout the day. I’m flying solo for this meet, so I will most definitely have my hands full. Bear with me. I’ll be sure everyone is kept updated!

I’m sure many have wondered what the deal is with Mr. Phelps. It’s been on an indefinite hiatus for nearly a year now.

It used to be part of Swim Stars, but I made the decision to remove it last year.

As it stands right now, the site is not completely dead. I have been in talks with Michael and Octagon and there will be some sort of collaboration in the future. There’s a lot of red tape and shifts in MP’s business environment that are slowing things down. It’s not anything I can control. All I can do it wait.

So, while I can’t speak definitively on a timetable for the site’s return, just know that it will return. I just have to wait for things to work themselves out. Obviously, Michael, his family, and Octagon would all like to see the site back before the big Olympic push. So, if we can make that happen, we will.

I’ll be honest. When I was away at college, I didn’t even know where the campus pool was. I still don’t. At least I think I don’t. I now know what building it’s in, but other than that, don’t ask me about WashU Swimming.

Head coach Brad Shively joins the Michigan crew every summer at the Wolverine Swim Camp in Ann Arbor, and one of my sorority sisters used to be on the WashU team; something I did not discover until recently. Seriously, where was I?

Anyway, I read the latest WashU Student Life email edition after it landed in my inbox, and there was a nice little write-up about the swimming programs performances at the UAA (University Athletic Association) last weekend. The women were 2nd and the men 4th. It made me laugh because it is another instance of how I keep seeing how close the sport of swimming was to me, throughout my life, and yet I paid no attention to it.

I was thisclose to becoming a swimmer when I was 3. I broke my leg and the Dr. suggested to my parents that I do gymnastics, ballet, or swimming to build up the strength in my leg again. I chose ballet. I wanted to rock the tutu and be a ballerina. Close, but no cigar.

Remember now, Athens is what sucked me into the sport. During my college years, I really only paid attention to basketball, volleyball, and baseball because those are the sports my friends played.

Well, just thought I’d share. But aren’t you all glad that I’ve since seen the light?

What’s everyone else’s stories on getting sucked in?