Freestyle

We're at the finale already (didn't this season seem short?). I'll say it right here at the top of the episode - unless William falls repeatedly on his keister, requiring the judges to give him 5's across the board, there's no way he's not winning this thing. That being said, I'd be OK with any of the three finalists winning, even though I'm personally Team Driver. Tonight's show will have each couple dancing two dances:  1. Judge's pick, which are new routines danced to new music, but in a style the couple has previously danced and in which the judges would like to see them improve.  2. Freestyle Tomorrow night, the couples will be doing some sort of third scored dance, details about which we'll learn later.

The Maryland swimming community welcomed Montgomery County schools to their first state Class 4A-3A championships on Saturday. The new teams proved to be up to the task, sweeping all 22 of the events. The newcomers also set 4A-3A state championship records in 16 events. The meet's top individual finisher was Walter Johnson's Garrett Powell. The senior won the 500 freestyle (4 minutes, 27.83 seconds), the 100 backstroke (51.79) and the anchor leg of the 400 freestyle relay (3:12.25)

Tom opens calling it the "hardest fought season ever. " I'm not sure about that, but I will say that this is one with a lot of strong competitors, few loathsome personalities, and a satisfying final three. It starts with the pro dancers (the "real" pro dancers, not just the troupe) dancing to a song I would probably know if I were 20 years younger, but I'm not and the only 16-year-old in this house is a cat. At the end of the song, we get the pros walking the floor with their celebrity partners.

All good things must come to an end, and in this case it was a streak of 18 consecutive championships that finally ran its course for Loyola's swim team in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association championship meet. After easily winning the dual meet between the teams in January, McDonogh completed the season sweep by dethroning the Dons Saturday in the Eagles' home pool in Owings Mills. It was McDonogh's first A Conference title since 1939 in the old Maryland Scholastic Association.

"Off the dome, man! We don't need phones. We don't need notepads," exclaims Los last week after ripping his Toca Tuesday freestyle live on Sirius XM's Shade 45. (Watch it in the above clip.) He had reason to be excited - the Baltimore rapper, who has been gaining traction nationally, could turn heads with performances like this. And yes, we can use the word "freestyle"* because Los is clearly going off the top of his head with these rhymes. Sure, some bars might be stored away, waiting for the right moment, but it's a true freestyle nonetheless, and it's another piece of evidence that Los might be the Great Baltimore Hope to make an impact outside of the 410. Another interesting moment from the clip: Los shouts out his long-time girlfriend and rising D.C. rapper Lola Monroe ("Shout out to my old lady / Ay, Lola, I see you / I do it and I hold it down")

MELBOURNE, Australia -- For a man with so much on his mind, Michael Phelps has had a relaxed air about him the first two days of the FINA World Championships. He's gushed about his English bulldog puppy, Herman. He's poked fun at his disappointing first-day performance two years ago at the world championships in Montreal. He's admitted that he was bored the first day without a morning swim. He's even shrugged off talk from the South African swim team that American swimmers were overrated.

LILLEHAMMER, Norway -- Freestyle ski jumping, in all its twisting, turning, backbending glory, landed squarely on its feet for the first time yesterday as an Olympic medal sport.Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the Americans, who for years championed the sport for inclusion in the Winter Games.Trace Worthington, considered to have the best chance among U.S. freestyle jumpers to win a medal, saw his inability to stick a good landing on the first of two leaps spoil solid routines that had him in contention.

ATLANTA -- Gary Hall Jr. could not get the Russian bear off his back last night. He swam another heart-stopping race and suffered another heartbreaking loss to perennial sprint champion Alexander Popov in the Olympic 50-meter freestyle at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center.Hall, who twice lost to Popov at the 1994 world championships in Rome and was out-touched at the wall in the 100-meter freestyle earlier this week, was dead set on ending the cocky Russian's domination of the short sprints last night.

The Baltimore Museum of Art resembled a scene from the children's book about a brother and sister locked in the Metropolitan Museum of Art all night. But in the local version, the lights were on and the children had plenty of grown-up company.On a soft spring evening, the BMA held its 26th "Freestyle" open house, which is free and open to the public from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. the first Thursday of every month."It's less museum as a cathedral, more a place to socialize," said Alan Hirsch, 42, co-owner of the Donna's at the BMA restaurant.

MONTREAL - Before every race at the FINA World Championships, held this year at Parc Jean-Drapeau, the competitors are introduced one at a time to the crowded stadium in both French and English. Many of the swimmers choose to smile, and most wave to the crowd or to the camera, but Michael Phelps did neither before last night's 200-meter freestyle final. He simply stared straight ahead, his jaw clenched, his emotions hidden. Focused and determined, Phelps swam the fastest 200 freestyle of his career, finishing in 1 minute, 45.20 seconds, easily holding off Australia's Grant Hackett by nearly a second to earn his second individual gold medal of these championships.

"Off the dome, man! We don't need phones. We don't need notepads," exclaims Los last week after ripping his Toca Tuesday freestyle live on Sirius XM's Shade 45. (Watch it in the above clip.) He had reason to be excited - the Baltimore rapper, who has been gaining traction nationally, could turn heads with performances like this. And yes, we can use the word "freestyle"* because Los is clearly going off the top of his head with these rhymes. Sure, some bars might be stored away, waiting for the right moment, but it's a true freestyle nonetheless, and it's another piece of evidence that Los might be the Great Baltimore Hope to make an impact outside of the 410. Another interesting moment from the clip: Los shouts out his long-time girlfriend and rising D.C. rapper Lola Monroe ("Shout out to my old lady / Ay, Lola, I see you / I do it and I hold it down")

The sophomore won four events in Thursday's 121-49 victory over McDonogh, which boosted the Blazers' record to 6-0. She won the 200-yard freestyle in 1 minute, 56.67 seconds and the 500-yard freestyle in 5:10.62. Potis, 15, also helped the defending IAAM A Conference champion Blazers to wins in a pair of relays, the 200-yard freestyle and the 400-yard freestyle. Last season, she was second in the 500 free and third in the 200 individual medley in the championship meet while helping the Blazers win the 400 freestyle relay.

After suffering their first loss of the season on Friday night, the Havre de Grace Warriors rebounded during Tuesday's tri-meet at Magnolia Middle School for victories over the North Harford Hawks and Harford Tech Cobras. The Warriors came out on top of their matchup with North Harford, 113-75, and topped Harford Tech, 131-57. North Harford also beat Harford Tech, 102-86. Havre de Grace began the meet with a victory, with Hunter Infeld, Robbie Orzewicz, Renz Amato and Daniel Schoeberlein teaming up to win the boys 200-yard medley relay.

Eric and Alex Haufler have been swimming in the outdoor pool at the Four Seasons Sports Complex for several years. On July 27, the 18-year-old twins made a final splash, combining for seven top-four finishes to help the host Carroll Aquatics Blue Sharks hold off Meadowbrook and Waverly Woods for the boys' team title in the 2011 Straehle championship meet. The recent graduates of Francis Scott Key High School weren't the only Carroll swimmers to rack up the points. Three county teams finished among the top 13 squads in the combined standings at the Central Maryland Swim League championship event, which drew a record 1,150 swimmers from 50 teams to Four Seasons.

World Transplant Games Hood alum Atras wins 2 silvers in swimming Kyle Atras , a 2011 Hood College graduate who won letters all four years on the swim team, won two silver medals at the 2011 World Transplant Games in Goteborg, Sweden, last month. "The whole city of Göteborg was very aware of the Games," said Atras, who was competing in his third World Transplant Games after receiving a heart transplant when he was 81/2 months old. "I had one man stop me in the mall to ask about the Games and to tell me about the city.

Et cetera Phelps-led U.S. relay team 3rd in 400 free Michael Phelps of Fells Point and his United States teammates finished third in the 400-meter freestyle relay on the first day of the World Swimming Championships in Shanghai, China. The Americans were second after Phelps' opening leg, and Garrett Weber-Gale , Jason Lezak and Nathan Adrian completed the third-place effort. Australia won in 3 minutes, 11 seconds; France was .14 of a second back and the Americans .96 behind.

Michael Phelps concluded an eventful week with an outstanding performance in the 500-yard freestyle and two other victories at the Maryland Local Swimming Committee Championships at the U.S. Naval Academy's Lejeune Hall last night. On Thursday, Phelps suffered a rare loss, although it wasn't in the pool. In what the U.S. Olympic Committee called "a very close vote," five-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong edged Phelps for its Sportsman of the Year honor. Last night's program began with Beth Botsford, who won Olympic gold in 1996 for the North Baltimore Aquatic Club, handing out assorted Maryland Swimmer of the Year honors for 2003.

LOS ANGELES - Australian distance swimmer Craig Stevens has stepped off the blocks, opening the way for his friend and teammate, Ian Thorpe, to compete in the 400-meter freestyle at the Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Although the decision had been anticipated, Stevens made his announcement on Australian national television last night. Apparently, altruism wasn't Stevens' only motive. Several Australian media outlets reported he received payment for his TV interview. The controversial episode began when Thorpe lost his balance on the starting blocks and tumbled into the pool at the Australian Olympic trials in Sydney in March.

Atholton The Atholton Swim Club Barracudas lost their first dual meet of the 2011 season to the Summer Hill Stingrays, 245-234. Barracuda swimmers recorded 88 best times. Ally VanNetta (11-12) and Timmy VanNetta (9-10) each won all four of their individual events. Taylor Myers (11-12) and Ryan Murphy (7-8) each won all three of their individual events and swam for winning relay teams. Winning two individual events and swimming for a winning relay team were Will Essl (13-14)

Before Saturday's Class 4A-3A state championship swimming meet at the University of Maryland, Severna Park coach Mike McTammany looked at the seedings and tried to break down the potential point totals to see where his boys and girls teams might finish. McTammany knew his girls would have trouble toppling Urbana of Frederick County, but the boys had the depth to earn a second consecutive title. McTammany's prediction proved true as the Falcons placed well enough in the 11 events on the boys' side to take home the championship with 281 points, ahead of Broadneck (235)