Pooling Talent

Matthew De George is a reporter for the Delaware County Daily Times, for which he covers live events, including the 2012 U.S. Olympic swim trials and other sports. De George was previously a contributor to SportsGrid.com. He is the author of Duels in the Pool: Swimming's Greatest Rivalries (Scarecrow, 2013).

• AcknowledgmentsIntroductionI. Relays1. 1976 U.S. Women’s 400 Freestyle2. 984 U.S. Men’s 800 Freestyle3. 2000 Australian Men’s Freestyle 4. 2000 U.S. Women’s Medley5. 2004 U.S. Men’s Medley 6. 2004 South Africa Men’s 400 Freestyle7. 2008 U.S. Men’s 400 Freestyle8. 2012 France Men’s 400 FreestyleII. Squads9. 1924 U.S. Olympians10. 1950s Hungarian Women’s Olympians11. 1968 U.S. Olympians12. 1973 East German Women’s World Championship13. 1976 U.S. Men’s Olympians14. 1980 U.S. Olympians15. 1992 Unified Olympians 16. 2001 Worlds AustraliansIII. Programs17. 1930s Japanese Men18. 1950s Australians19. Indiana University Men20. Mission Viejo Nadadores 21. Stanford University Women22. University of Texas Men23. North Baltimore Aquatic Club24. U.S. Men’s BackstrokeIndexAbout the Author

This volume covers everything a reader might want to know about the great swim teams since the modern Olympics started, in 1896. The emphasis here is on Olympic swim teams but also includes other events as well. Author De George does a good job of presenting the historical context surrounding these events, such as the East German women’s swim team doping scandals in the 1960s and ’70s, as well as in depth descriptions of each person’s individual contributions to swim-team events. Each chapter describes the history of a particular team, important races, and key swimmers. This is an excellent introduction to the sport of team swimming for interested teens and adults alike.