Many thanks to Jim Avery for providing this TBT video.
Mel Stewart and Rowdy Gaines faceoff between prelims and finals of the 1997 NCAA Championships, to determine which is faster: underwater dolphin kicking or above the water freestyle swimming.
Remember, this is only a decade after David Berkoff first broke through with his underwater “Berkoff Blastoff” dolphin kicking, and the idea that swim races could be won by the swimmer with the best underwater kick was still relatively novel.
I heard rumors that Lochte’s best 50m underwater was a 22 low but I doubt there is any way to confirm that. Natalie at her peak, Tom Shields, and a few other swimmers over the years could probably make a pretty good argument for underwater dolphin kicking.
Ricky Berens has incredible dolphin kicks , expecially off the 150 mark of a 200 free .
Right now , Chad Le Clos showed incredible skills too in Doha on that 800 free relay .
In case anyone is wondering how underwater dolphin kicking compares to swimming backstroke…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dU86-DeG2o
This was super cool 🙂
You should have seen it that race live. That was something else.
Great video and history lesson. Looked like a dead heat to 15 m.
I remeber well Berkoff’s insane underwater at the Olympics in 88 . Nobody was expecting such great feat on a 100 back and it’s efficiency .
At the NCAA’s watch Joe Schooling’s underwaters…Truly amazing! Not an expert by any means but they are the best I have ever seen
Seliskar is pretty damn good as well .
Brief background before D Berkoff, a swimmer named Dawn Hewitt who swam at Auburn with Coach John Asmuth was forced (due to her shoulder locking out at times above her head) into underwater kicking in her 50/100 back on the college level. She dealt with this during her age group years in St. Pete, Fla, and we discovered how great an underwater kicker she was.
She swam 2-3 strokes in her 50 back and a few more in her 100 back. Mel if you had shaved down you would have taken down a Rowdy man !
T – did not know that a/Dawn. Thanks for the history lesson…
Losing to Rowdy? That dude has no hair, not really. He’s Mr. Peach Fuzz. I’m mostly Neanderthal.
Mel , if my memory is good enough , i kind of remember how your underwater dolphin kicks ( after the wall )made a significant difference when u won that 200 fly against M;Gross .
5-6 kicks off that 150 wall in Perth. That did it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86xebPASRFA
By the way , that was one great vidéo ! i had loads of fun watching it .
Thanks!
Mel, I have to say that you breathing every 2 the whole race was just as key to your winning that race against Gross as Gross was breathing every stroke most of the way. He wasn’t as efficient as Michael Phelps to be able to hold you off the last 50m. It’s a testament to your conditioning. Thanks for sharing the videos everyone! So many things are much different, but both you and Gross have phenomenal butterfly technique.