Swimmers

A recent Sunday afternoon at the normally sleepy Loch Raven reservoir played out like an episode of "Cops. " At its eastern point, a young man and woman who had been hiking made their way down to the infamous Loch Raven cliffs and jumped into the calm, beckoning waters to cool off. They were blissfully unaware that across the water, reservoir ranger Simon Phillips was watching, just waiting for the 'splash' to spring into action. "We have swimmers in the water," Phillips radioed a fellow ranger and jetted off to cite the swimmers $200 each.

Michael Phelps is the second-most influential athlete in the United States, according to data from surveys conducted by Nielsen and E-Poll Market Research and published by Forbes.com . Phelps ranks behind only Tim Tebow, a quarterback without a team, and ahead of sprinter Usain Bolt. While Tebow may be an example of marketing mattering more than on-field performance, Phelps and Bolt seem to be the product of Olympic greatness being paired with forward-thinking promotion. I caught up with Phelps' long-time agent, Peter Carlisle, last week to talk about his plans for jockey Rosie Napravnik, a new client he picked up on advice from people in Phelps' Baltimore orbit.

Monday was a big night for Gregg Troy, swim coach at the University of Florida and the U.S. men's team going to the Olympics. Ryan Lochte, Peter Vanderkaay, Conor Dwyer and Elizabeth Beisel all qualified for the Olympics on Monday, the first day of the swimming trials, and all are coached by Troy. "I think it's a true testament to how great of a coach he is," said Beisel, who won the women's 400-meter individual medley. "He truly is the best coach in the world. " Lochte, who won the men's 400 IM and qualified with second-place finisher Michael Phelps, said Troy's tough training has him ready for a big trials, and Olympics.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Baltimore lawyer Frank Morgan helped swimmer Michael Phelps , then 16 years old, select Peter Carlisle as his agent. Phelps was years away from stardom, but Carlisle aggressively marketed his client, hoping to eventually elevate him beyond the confines of an Olympic sport that mattered to a broad audience only every four years. Earlier this year, Carlisle signed another client - at the suggestion of Morgan - and put her on the Phelps plan. He's already signed a deal for jockey Rosie Napravnik to endorse Snickers - an agreement proposed before Carlisle learned that the candy bar was named for a horse - and has another in the works that could be announced before Preakness.

How could he have seen this coming? History wasn't supposed to repeat itself. Not like this. He'd done the research, double-checked the math, talked to the right people. There was no way, Anderson Sloan thought to himself in November, that this was happening again. Sloan had transferred to Maryland to make something of a swimming career befallen by the worst kind of misfortune: the elimination of a Clemson program he would have given everything to keep. What he found in College Park was everything, he thought, the Tigers did not have - security, a future, a chance at glory.

Swimmers at the MSP Polar Bear Plunge are in for a cold one. The event, to support Special Olympics Maryland, will take place at Sandy Point State Park, with plunges as early as 11 a.m. NOAA National Data Buoy Center 's buoy near Annapolis registers the water temperature at 35.5 degrees. The air temperature is expected to reach a high of 32, but it will feel more like 22 with the wind chill. The waves will be 2-3 feet near Sandy Point because of northwest winds of about 14 mph. Brave, warm-hearted plungers have another chance Feb. 23 at Deep Creek Lake.

Three swimmers got into trouble late Friday afternoon and had to be pulled from the waters near 90th Street and the beach in Ocean City. The distress call came in around 6 p.m., after lifeguards were no longer on duty. Officials said Ocean City police, fire, beach patrol and emergency services responded to the call, but witnesses were able to rescue two of the swimmers and another one was pulled from the water by an off-duty beach patrol member. All three swimmers were hospitalized and their condition is unknown.

In making decisions in how, when and where to spend, we know the Columbia Association applies the cost/benefit principle. Having lived in Columbia since 1968 and having swam at the Columbia Swim Center every day for more than 30 years, we urge you to revisit your decision to "fix" the flume . The flume is a sink hole that is not profitable and is costly in ways that may not have been considered. Splashdown benefits individuals who are often not CA members at the cost of CA members (your base)

Rescue crews on Saturday recovered the body of a young man who drowned in Loch Raven Reservoir on Friday night. Anthony Ibewuike, 23, of Havre de Grace was attempting to swim across the reservoir with others early Friday evening when he went under, police said. Dive teams, boats and a county police helicopter began searching Friday for the swimmer, who went missing shortly before 6:30 p.m., said Elise Armacost, a spokeswoman for the Baltimore County Fire Department. The search ended shortly after 8 p.m. Friday because of darkness and poor weather conditions, she said.

The Roger Carter Seals sent 18 swimmers to the Bel Air Swim and Racquet Club July 28 to compete in the Prince-Mont Swim League All Stars meet. To qualify, swimmers either had to win the final heat at Divisionals or post one of the top 18 times in a stroke or relay during league competition. The Prince-Mont Swim League contains eight divisions with 40 teams. Seal swimmers who qualified were Jocelyn Choo, Ethan Doan, Mason Doan, Tien Doan, Hannah Green, Zach Grissom, Kevin Hu, Shannon Hochkeppel, Troy Hochkeppel, Anand Iyer, Andrew Li, Anna Li, Maria Liu, Katherine Joseph, Dillon Phamdo, Trueman Phamdo, Jeffrey Tse, Ashley Wong, Joseph Wong, Emily Xu, Hannah Zhang and Sarah Zhang.

Under Armour plans to hire hundreds of workers at its Locust Point headquarters this year, expand facilities on its campus and bring its brand of sports apparel and footwear to new markets in the U.S. and around the world. CEO Kevin Plank outlined the goals Tuesday while promising shareholders more of the rapid growth that has defined the $1.8 billion company in recent years. During an annual meeting in which Under Armour pitchman and record-setting Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps made a surprise appearance, Plank said the company is just beginning to make inroads in areas such as athletic footwear, women's sports apparel and international markets, with room to grow.

Standing in the Ravens' victorious locker room, Michael Phelps could not contain his emotions. The Towson native, wearing a purple shirt, took in the scene. "To be able to watch that, I was in tears," he said. "I've never cried this much for anything in my life. " Phelps won 22 Olympic medals, 18 of them gold. He is widely considered the greatest swimmer of all time. But seeing players he has come to know over the years finally achieve their ultimate goal left Phelps blubbering like the life-long fan he is. "This is a very special moment," he said.

Swimmers at the MSP Polar Bear Plunge are in for a cold one. The event, to support Special Olympics Maryland, will take place at Sandy Point State Park, with plunges as early as 11 a.m. NOAA National Data Buoy Center 's buoy near Annapolis registers the water temperature at 35.5 degrees. The air temperature is expected to reach a high of 32, but it will feel more like 22 with the wind chill. The waves will be 2-3 feet near Sandy Point because of northwest winds of about 14 mph. Brave, warm-hearted plungers have another chance Feb. 23 at Deep Creek Lake.

Imagine, if you will, Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon. When you're weary Feeling small When tears are in your eyes I will dry them all Now replace the images of those two men with Ray Lewis and Michael Phelps, and you'll understand the apparent dynamic between the fellows who are arguably Baltimore's greatest athletes. In a post- AFC-Championship-game interview with Yahoo Sports , Phelps credits Lewis with motivating him to return to that Olympic swimming pool in 2012, where he would become the most decorated Olympian of all time.

David Harmon,17, has been swimming for eight years for Spy Swimming at the Severna Park Community Center and is in his fourth season on the Archbishop Spalding swim team. In that time he has become a three-time YMCA district champion, a multiple YMCA state and national finalist, an annual Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association championship finalist, and, most recently, a participant at the Junior National Championships in Knoxville, Tenn., where he set personal best times in the 100 (50.16 seconds)

Jessica Long will tell you: After capturing even more Paralympic gold in London, she couldn't wait to get back to Baltimore for a table heavy with steamed crabs and a pint of Ben & Jerry's. But these days, Long's reality is a touch more glamorous. You can still find the swimmer at the movies in White Marsh, shopping at the Towson Town Center, getting wet at the Merritt Athletic Club. But Long's just as likely to be walking a red carpet somewhere in couture threads, juggling interview requests and considering lucrative opportunities.

Patrick Husson has come a long way since walking on to the UMBC swimming team as a freshman in the fall of 2010. Now, he's one of three Retrievers hoping to compete in his country's Olympic swimming trials for a spot in the Summer Games in London. Husson will participate in the U.S. trials in June in Omaha, Neb., for a chance to be one of two swimmers to represent his country in the 200-meter breaststroke. "I have nothing to lose and I'm just having a blast with training and preparing for this meet.

Three men swimming in the Chesapeake Bay had to be rescued by the Coast Guard on Monday afternoon after being pulled about a mile from their boat by a strong current. According to the Coast Guard, five men were on the boat Speak Easy, a cabin cruiser, near Kent Island in the bay when three decided to go swimming and jumped off the boat. About 2:45 p.m., one of the men on the boat called the Coast Guard in Baltimore for help, after realizing his friends could not make it back to the boat because of the current and he nor the other man on board did not know how to drive the boat to them, said Petty Officer Jonathan Lindberg, of the Coast Guard.

On the first mile of her three-mile swim Sunday morning, Susan Spencer concentrated on the 25 names written in black marker on her right arm - those of friends and family members who had succumbed to cancer. On her second lap, the Baltimore lawyer reflected on the 14 names of cancer survivors or those in remission scrawled on her left arm. For the final mile, Spencer, 61, said she thought of "everyone and anyone affected by the disease. " She was not alone. In the cove off Gibson Island or in the pool at Meadowbrook Aquatic and Fitness Center in North Baltimore, more than 500 swimmers participated in Swim Across America, Baltimore edition, to raise money for the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins.

Arriving aboard the Pride of Baltimore II and hailed by a cannon blast from the Constellation, Michael Phelps and Maryland's other Olympic athletes were celebrated in true local style Monday afternoon by elected officials and an Inner Harbor crowd. "I hope that you cherish this honor as part of your memories of this summer, and as a reminder that you will always have a home - let me say that one more time, especially for Mr. Phelps - you will always have a home here in Baltimore," said Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake as she gave keys to the city to the famously Las Vegas-loving swimmer and the other Olympic athletes.