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The fourth annual Preferred Lifestyle and Brands of China’s Richest reported that swimming is the favorite recreational activity (beating out driving BMW’s and travelling to France) of the 660 millionaires interviewed by the report. In related news every single swimming company, professional swimmer and agent in America reinforced their Asian marketing plans.

This upcoming Olympics spells HUGE paycheck for swimmers, probably more than ever before. NBC setting up swimmers for huge audiences back home in the States (never mind that miniscule detail of ignoring what is best for the competition) combined with a booming Chinese economy with a taste for all things western spells out potentially gargantuan opportunities for the biggest stars of these Games.

Hey racers,

I know I've been a little MIA lately, but I've gotta little time right now and thought I'd catch up a bit. It's been pretty quiet the past month or so, not too much to report except ... I finished my university classes! Let me tell you, I am stoked. Getting a degree sure feels good.

In pool news, it's training as usual. I've got a lot more time to focus completely on my stroke now that I don't have term papers or midterms to worry about.

In some ways I suppose I'll miss good ol' U of T, but I'm definitely amped for Beijing. Rock 'n' roll. ...

AP

CRANBURY, New Jersey, January 15. THIS week's installment of SwimmingWorldMagazine.com's Olympic Preview Series will take a look at the men's 100-meter backstroke, an event that should be owned by the Americans in Beijing. The question, though, is which two United States men will get the chance to race for gold, such is the depth of the event among the Red, White and Blue.

Historical Perspective:

Defending Champion: Aaron Peirsol (United States) – 54.06
World-Record Holder: Aaron Peirsol (United States) – 52.98
Most Titles: United States (12) – Harry Hebner (1912); Warren Kealoha (1920/1924); George Kojac (1928); Adolph Kiefer (1936); Allen Stack (1948); Yoshi Oyakawa (1952); John Naber (1976); Rick Carey (1984); Jeff Rouse (1996); Lenny Krayzelburg (2000); Aaron Peirsol (2004).

The second and final night of the Classic @ SMU wrapped up much the same way it began: with the Texas All-Stars shattering meet and pool records, one after the other. The Mustangs had another great outing, winning second place in five events and qualifying for NCAA consideration in four events.

The 200 medley relay team of Pontus Renholm, Alex Hetland, Luka Vrtovec and Thomas Fadnes picked up a second-place finish and an NCAA consideration time of 1:28.18, kicking off the night for SMU. The Texas All-Stars finished the event in 1:26.77, setting a new meet and pool record. Renholm then turned around and swam the 200 back in 1:46.98, taking second-place and picking up NCAA consideration. Olympic gold medalist and Texas All-Star Aaron Peirsol picked up the win in the 200 back, setting a new pool and meet record of 1:39.78. Vrtovec won second in the 100 free, clocking a time of 44.32, just one second behind TAS Garrett Weber-Gale, but good for NCAA consideration. Wrapping up the evening, the Mustangs (Vrtovec, Fadnes, Shane Milu and Renholm) took second in the 200 free relay, touching in at 1:20.51, over three-tenths of a second inside the NCAA consideration cut. Meanwhile, the All-Stars set yet another pool and meet record, shaving three one-hundredths of a second off the previous record, finishing in 1:19.71.

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Not only will a gift like this earn you some extra brownie points with your loved ones (or should I say cookie points?) it's a sweet way to do your part to save the oceans. Order before Dec. 15, and Oceana will pay for shipping. Adopt yours, like, now!

Hey Racers,

So you've probably heard the news by now seeing as how the Golden Goggles happened a little over a week ago. But just in case, I guess I should tell you I got skunked at the awards this year. My teammate Michael Phelps went home with three accolades, including honors in the two categories I was nominated for. Oh well.

The good news is training is going well for Beijing. We took a quick breather to inhale some turkey over the holiday and now we're back to it. Let the countdown to the end of the semester begin. ...

AP

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Michael Phelps won a leading three Golden Goggles awards including male athlete of the year Sunday night when USA Swimming honored the year’s top American performers.

Phelps was nominated in three individual categories and for two relays in connection with his historic performance in March at the world championships in Melbourne, Australia. He won seven gold medals and broke four individual world records.

Phelps beat out Ryan Lochte and backstroker Aaron Peirsol for male athlete of the year. That trio was also nominated for male performance of the year, which Phelps won for his world-record 200-meter butterfly race in Melbourne. He lowered his own mark by 1.62 seconds, and finished in 1 minute, 52.09 seconds.

Hey racers,

It's been a minute since I've last posted. I'm finishing up studies here at the University ... almost done!

This looks to be an eventful weekend for me, as I'll be over at the Beverly Hilton in swanky Beverly Hills, Calif. for the Golden Goggles awards.

I'm nominated in two categories: Best Male Performance and Best Male Athlete. I'm going up against two of my teammates, Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, but do they have Race for the Oceans racers in their corner? I didn't think so. ...

Be sure to vote for me at the USA swimming website. Winners are determined by votes, so help me out!

Aaron Peirsol, a Newport Harbor High product, will be on hand at a red-carpet event Sunday at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.

It’s the Golden Goggle awards, and Peirsol, the decorated U.S. Olympian swimmer, will be walking on that red carpet from 5-6 p.m., posing for photos and conducting interviews.

The event, hosted by Carson Daly, celebrates the accomplishments of the top American swimmers in 2007.

Peirsol, the world record holder in the 200-meter backstroke, is a nominee for Male Athlete of the Year.

Hey racers,

I just wanted to mention something else I learned in Long Beach that I thought was pretty cool. Did you know that ships in the Port run on electric power, which helps to eliminate harmful emissions produced by diesel fuel?

It’s just another small change in our everyday lives that can make a positive change in the surrounding environment, the oceans in particular.

Ocean pollution is such a problem along So Cal beaches, yet it’s so easy to avoid if people would just be a little more conscientious of where their waste goes, you know?

Oceana has worked to eliminate ocean pollution in their campaigns as well. They were able to convince Royal Caribbean a few years back to outfit their cruise liners with advanced wastewater treatment technology so those mini-cities don’t dump all their waste directly into the oceans.