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Is Getting Faster Slowing Down for Olympic Swimmers?
A review of swimmers’
times at the Olympic Games reveal diminishing reductions in times.
Although
world records in swimming are set at national and international events nearly every year, it is the Olympic Games that have
elevated the status of swimming. During their respective heydays swimming superlatives Johnny
Weissmuller, Mark Spitz, Janet Evans, and Michael Phelps helped increase and maintain the popularity of swimming. Their
triumphs would not be as memorable without their Olympic participation. So, rather than analyze world records, I have chosen
to review the finish times of Olympic gold-medal winners for selected events at the Summer Olympic Games.
Note:
-
The Olympic Games
are held every four years.
-
The Olympics
were not held during World War II (1936 to 1948).
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The United States
boycotted the 1980 Olympics.
Selected Events:
Men's 200 Meter
Butterfly
- 1956-Bill Yorzyk-2:19.30
- 1972-Mark
Spitz-2:00.70
- 2004-Michael
Phelps-1:54.04
- 1956 vs. 1972: 18.6 seconds
in 16 years; 6.66 seconds in 32 years.
Men's 100 Meter
Freestyle
- 1928-Johnny
Weissmuller-58.2
- 1972-Mark
Spitz-51.22
- 2004-Pieter
van den Hoogenband-48.17
- 1972 vs. 1928: 7.38 seconds
in 44 years; 3.38 seconds in 32 years.
Women's 100 Meter Freestyle
- 1924-Ethel Lackie-1.12.40
- 1964-Dawn Fraser-59.50
- 2004-Jodie Henry-53.84
- 1964 vs. 1924: 12.9 seconds
in 40 years; 2004 vs. 1964: 5.66 seconds in 40 years.
Women's
100 Meter Backstroke
- 2004-Natalie Coughin-1:00.37
- 1980-Rica Reinisch-1:00.86
- 1956-Judy Grinham-1:12.90
- 1980 vs. 1956: 12.04 seconds
in 24 years; 2004 vs. 1980: .49 seconds in 24 years.
Useful Websites:
USA
Swimming – Coaches
Topics within the
coaches section include training regimens, race analysis methods, and doping control.
Source: USA
Swimming, the national governing body for the sport of swimming.
Infoplease: Summer Olympics Through the
Years
This section of
the Infoplease site provides information on gold medal winners (and their times for Swimming and Track and Field) for each
event, beginning as early as 1896. Some results for the 2004 Olympics are listed but not all.
Source: Information
Please, a part of Pearson Education.
Official Site of Michael Phelps-2004 USA
Olympic Team Member and World Record Holder
This site has a
biography, photo gallery, text of articles, race results, a fan Q&A section, and links to sponsors.
Source: Michael
Phelps.
International Olympic Committee-Documents-Records
section
This section has
PDF files of current Olympic records, current world records, and progression of times for both by event.
Source: International
Olympic Committee.
Athens 2004 Olympics Swimming Results
Results
of all events, including preliminary heats and finals, for the 2004 Olympics. The results are searchable by event and
round (e.g., heats, semi-finals, and finals).
Source: National
Olympic Committee of South Africa.
Detection or Education? The Impact of Paper Mills on Teaching Strategies
The proliferation
of term-paper and research-paper mills on the Internet, combined with easy online access to expert information on the web,
may lead students to cheat or plagiarize sources.
Instructors are fighting back and turning to plagiarism detection products
such as
Turnitin (“turn it in”) or EVE (Essay Verification Engine). Robert
Harris, Ph.D., a former Professor of English at Vanguard University of Southern California, recommends a more understanding,
less legalistic approach:
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Create assignments that are
intriguing to students or allow them to do research on topics for which they have a special interest.
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Design research assignments
with due dates at key stages of the project.
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Specify the number, types,
and currency of sources.
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Require in-class writing along
with long-term research projects, which will allow for a comparison of writing styles.
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Emphasize the availability
of on-campus writing assistance.
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Provide detailed explanations
and examples of appropriate and inappropriate use of research sources.
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Require an oral presentation
of the research.
Useful Websites
PlagiarismCreated by Sharon Stoerger, MLS, MBA, this site is a collection of online
articles and resources on plagiarism of Internet-based and other traditional sources. Sections include resources for students
that help clarify appropriate use and citation of sources. The presentation is not polished and some of the links are broken
but the site provides thorough, balanced coverage of the topic.
Cheating 101: Paper Mills and You
This site was created by Margaret Fain and Peggy Bates of Kimel Library at the Coastal Carolina University in Conway, SC.
It encapsulates information presented at a 1999 seminar for instructors on the subject of research-paper mills and has been
updated recently. The coverage is not particularly balanced but primarily because it focuses on paper mills themselves rather
than the broader issue of plagiarism. Its list of Internet-based, paper mills is what qualified this site for inclusion in
my best resources.
Websites for Instructors
The Office of Effectiveness and Innovation at Clemson University presents a list of research, writing, and plagiarism-prevention
resources from colleges and universities nationwide.
Plagiarism in Cyberspace: Sources, Prevention, Detection, and Other Information
This site, created by Laura Boyer of California State University-Stanislaus, offers resources for instructors and students.
Balanced coverage includes links to university writing centers that aid in plagiarism education and prevention, discussion
of plagiarism-software sites for detection, and a bibliography with links to online articles as well as book recommendations.
Cheating, Plagiarism, and Other Questionable Practices
This site provides broad coverage of the Internet plagiarism issue, beginning with a link to an article on the incidence
of cheating and including information in methods of preventing plagiarism. The site was created by Phyllis Holman Weisbard,
the librarian for the University of Wisconsin Women’s Studies department.
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