Men’s Swimming
Fan favorite Michael Phelps returns for what may be his last Olympic cycle to compete in five events. Phelps collected eight medals in the 2004 games in Athens and another eight in Beijing, winning more individual medals than any other athlete at both games. He holds the records for most gold medals won at a single Games (eight) and highest total gold medals won by a single athlete (14). At 16 individual medals overall, Phelps is just three away from breaking Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina’s record for the most individual Olympic medals of any athlete in history.

Women’s Swimming
Missy Franklin, 17, qualified for her first Olympics this year. Though she’s new to the Games, Franklin has entered the swimming world with a splash; at the 2012 Olympic trials, she broke Team USA veteran Natalie Coughlin’s American record in the 100-meter backstroke. She took her first five international medals home in the 2011 World Championships, competing alongside Coughlin, and broke two world records in 2011.

Men’s Track & Field
Jamaica’s Usain Bolt, five-time world champion and three-time Olympic gold medalist, is considered easily the fastest man in the world. He currently holds the international records for both the 100-meter and 200-meter races. Before Bolt, the U.S.’s own Tyson Gay held the 100-meter sprint title. Gay, with three world golds under his belt, has one of the most decorated records in running history but has yet to medal at an Olympic Games. He’ll be looking to change that this summer when he faces Bolt.

Women’s Track & Field
Carmelita Jeter, a sprinter who specializes in the 100-meter dash, is the second-fastest woman to ever compete in the event, topping Marion Jones’ best time and nearing the all-time world record held by Florence Griffith-Joyner since 1987. Jeter currently holds three of the 10 best times in history run by a female athlete in the 100-meter race. At the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, Jeter finished first in the event and will head to London this summer to go for the gold.

Men’s Wrestling
Jordan Burroughs, a freestyle wrestler from New Jersey, boasts a competition record that speaks for itself: the up-and-comer has won every tournament he has entered in the last three years. Claiming the top spot in the 2011 World Championships, the 2011 Pan American games and the 2011 NCAA Championship, Burroughs became the fourth wrestler in history to win both the world and NCAA titles in a single year.

Women’s Beach Volleyball
Many in the sports world have deemed dynamic duo Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor the greatest beach volleyball team of all time. The pair competed together in the 2004 and 2008 summer Olympics, taking home the gold both times. May-Treanor is also the most successful current women’s beach volleyball player in the world, holding 110 individual championship wins in national and international competitions.

Women’s Tennis
Superstar sisters Serena and Venus Williams will compete alongside each other after a strong year in competition. Both women have held the title of No. 1 female tennis player in the world several times in the last 10 years and have continued to dominate international tournaments, including this month’s Wimbledon.

Men’s Basketball
The Miami Heat’s LeBron James has been the center of attention in the world of men’s basketball since he became the No. 1 NBA draft pick in 2003 at age 18. In 2008, the guard/forward helped lead Team USA to victory, securing the team gold in the Beijing summer Games. The American basketball legend will aim for a repeat show this year in London.

Women’s Soccer
31-year-old Abby Wambach led the U.S. women’s soccer team to a gold medal victory in Athens 2004, but missed the opportunity to compete in Beijing four years later due to a leg injury. Having come back strong in 2011 to compete in her third FIFA Women’s World Cup, scoring 13 goals to become the U.S.’s lead scorer in the tournament, Wambach will get another shot in London this summer.

Read More About the Summer Olympics!

• An Olympic Love Story
• Greg Louganis Q&A 
• Olympic Sprinters Trained in Central Park

Tavern on the Renovation
The city will begin work on the renovation of Tavern on the Green this week, according to a Department of Design and Construction (DDC) spokesman. The “pre-construction” will involve removal of an underground fuel tank and other preliminary work; full-on construction won’t start until next month.

While this is good news to those anxious to see Tavern reborn as a new eatery, it’s bad news for parkgoers who currently use the temporary visitor center housed there, as it will close on June 20.

As construction continues, the DDC will restore the landmark structure and remove additions that don’t fit with the historic character of the building. They will also gut renovate the interior and upgrade the HVAC systems in preparation for the new, yet-to-be-announced tenant. The whole project is expected to cost $9.8 million.

Asphalt Green Olympics
Five young swimmers from the Asphalt Green Unified Aquatics team have qualified for this year’s U.S. Olympic team trials, which will be held June 25 in Omaha, Neb. The swimmers are 17-year-old Lia Neal, ranked fifth in the 200-meter women’s freestyle and sixth in the 100-meter women’s freestyle in the country; 16-year-old Michael Domagala, who has qualified in the 200-meter freestyle, 100-meter butterfly, 200-meter individual medley and 100-meter backstroke; En-Wei Hu-Van Wright, who will be swimming the 200-meter backstroke; Isla Hutchinson-Maddox, who will be swimming the 200-meter butterfly; and Griffin Schumacher, who will be swimming jointly for AGUA and Harvard in the 50- and 100-meter freestyle.

They will be competing with 2,000 other swimmers from around the country for a spot on the Olympic team, as well as for a place on the National Youth Team. Neal, Domagala, and Hu-Van Wright are recipients of the Swim for the Future scholarships, supported by a memorial fund for two Asphalt Green Masters swimmers—Andrew Fisher and Doug Irgang—who died in the World Trade Center attack. There will be a community send-off for the swimmers on June 22, 4-6 p.m. at 1750 York Ave.

Rent-a-Dog in Central Park
Graduate student Katherine Long has always enjoyed giving to charity, but sometimes she just comes up short. So Long decided to rent out her collie-retriever mix named Ocho to strangers for $5 for each 20-minute walk in Central Park. According to DNAinfo, she has already raised over $100 for Ruff Start Rescue, the Westchester-based no-kill shelter where she adopted Ocho. Only two hours after creating a sign and holding it up in the park, Long had received 12 walkers. So patrons won’t steal the pooch, Long fibs that she has a tracking device on him. She collects the walkers’ names and cell phone numbers, texting them reminders to come back. The next Rent-a-Dog event is scheduled for July 1, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

New UES Power Source
At a ceremony on June 11, Mayor Michael Bloomberg flipped the switch to activate a new wind turbine on the rooftop of The Town School, a private nursery and K-8 elementary school on the Upper East Side. The first to be installed at a New York City school, the turbine will convert wind power into electricity, providing the building with a renewable energy source. The Town School is a member of the Green Schools Alliance, which educates students about climate change and environmental sustainability.

Soccer Mom Madam’s Bail Cut
A New York appeals court reduced the bail last Tuesday for Manhattan’s so-called “Soccer Mom Madam” from $2 million to $250,000 after she spent more than three months in prison. Anna Gristina faces one felony count of promoting prostitution and has been detained at Rikers Island since she was arrested Feb. 22. Prosecutors allege that Gristina was running a high-end brothel out of an Upper East Side apartment and that she drew in millions of dollars catering to wealthy and connected Manhattan clients.

A panel of judges unanimously ruled last Tuesday that the original bail set by the trial court was “unreasonable and an abuse of discretion,” noting the single nonviolent charge and Gristina’s longtime residence with her four children in suburban Monroe, N.Y. Gristina, who pled not guilty, is working to raise the funds to post bail sometime next week. If released, she will be required to wear a monitoring bracelet at her own expense.

Council to Legalize Brunch
Add this to the list of laws you never knew you were breaking: outdoor brunch in the city is illegal on Sunday mornings.

The obscure 1971 law that forbids restaurants from serving customers outside on Sundays before noon has long been ignored citywide, but recent complaints of crowded sidewalks by residents in Greenpoint prompted the city to crack down on violators. According to CBS New York, the city ticketed one business and issued a summons to another.

In support of local business owners and lovers of breakfast burritos, lawmakers have introduced a bill to the City Council that would allow patrons to dine at sidewalk tables on Sundays starting at 10 a.m.

“New Yorkers will not be denied their Sunday brunch in the beautiful weather,” said Council Member Dan Garodnick in a statement. “This regulation is outdated, widely disregarded and hostile to business and brunch-loving New Yorkers. It needs to change.”

The pro-French toast al fresco bill is widely expected to pass the Council. The law that prohibits the sale of alcohol before 12 p.m. on Sundays—we’re looking at you, mimosas and bloody Marys—will still be in effect, though many restaurants casually flout that one as well.

Correction
In last week’s profile of one of our Blackboard Award honorees, Laurel Nyeboe of P.S. 40, there were a few incorrect references to the principal who hired her, Tanya Kaufman. Kaufman’s first name was misspelled, and it was Nyeboe, not Kaufman, who said: “One mother I’m still friends with claims I helped her raise her child.” Also, Kaufman is retired and will not be Nyeboe’s principal when the teacher moves to a new school next year.

From stress relief to reducing the risk of heart disease, there are many reported benefits to swimming. And on a hot summer day in New York City, it’s also a great way to cool off. These are just a few reasons why some adults who never learned to swim are signing up to learn now.

“Everybody can learn to swim—it has nothing to do with age,” said Lori Pailet, managing director of Aqua Skills, a swim instruction group in Manhattan. “There are so many benefits—it’s great cardio, great for circulation, great for flexibility and it doesn’t hurt your joints.”

Aqua Skills offers group classes as well as private and semiprivate lessons for adults at different locations in Manhattan. It offers a flexible schedule with classes seven days a week and an “Early Bird” class that begins at 6 a.m., said Pailet.

Many other programs also offer beginner swim classes for adults in the city.

Mary O’Donoghue, aquatics specialist for the YMCA of Greater New York, said there are five YMCA locations in Manhattan that all offer swimming classes for adults. She said participants range from adults in their twenties to those over the age of 60.

“One of our members was 65 when she started taking lessons,” she said. “When she grew up, she didn’t have the finances or time to learn to swim. She wanted to enjoy the water with her grandchildren, so she decided she was going to do it.”

The adult beginner classes cover the basics of swimming as well as addressing any fears that adults may have about being in the water. The class is a good fit for adults who have never swum before or those who can swim a little bit but have not gone into deeper water, O’Donoghue said.

For more information about Aqua Skills, visit www.aquaskills.com or call 212-206-6976. To find a YMCA location, a class schedule and rate information, visit ymcanyc.org or call 212-630-9600.

Below are a few options available in Manhattan:

Asphalt Green: Freestyle 101
Learn the basics of freestyle swimming in this intro course—breath control, floating, submersion, kicking and arm movements. Note: Swimmers must be able to comfortably float on their front with their face in the water.
Dates: Saturdays, June 30–Aug. 18
Time: 3:30–4:15 p.m.
Price: $240 for members, $288 for nonmembers
Location: Asphalt Green, 555 E. 90th St.
For more info or to register, call 212-369-8890 or visit www.asphaltgreen.org.
Private beginner lessons for adults are also available at Asphalt Green for the summer term, which runs June 25 through Aug. 18. Half-hour lessons are $65 per lesson, and 1-hour lessons are $130. For more information, email privatelessons@asphaltgreen.org or call 646-981-2387.

NYC Parks: Learn to Swim Program
The city’s Department of Parks and Recreation offers swimming lessons for people of all ages free of charge. Space is limited and registration is by lottery. Applicants who do not win a spot are placed on a waiting list.
Dates:
Session 1: July 9–July 24
Session 2: July 25–Aug. 9
Session 3: Aug. 10 – Aug. 24
Classes are Monday through Friday.
Time: 7:15–8:15 p.m.
Price: Free
Location: Lasker Pool, 110th Street and Lenox Avenue
For more info or to register, visit www.nycgovparks.org/registration/aquatics,

92Y: Beginner Swim Group
No experience is necessary for this adult beginner swim class, where you’ll learn basic skills and proper body alignment.
Dates: Sundays, July 29–Aug. 19
Time: 6–7 p.m.
Price: From $132
Location: 92Y, Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street
For more info, to register or to find more sessions this summer, visit www.92y.org.
92Y also offers “Water Fear Wash-Away for Adults” courses for individuals with aquatic phobias. Check out their website for more details.

The Jewish Community Center: Adult Beginner Swim
The JCC offers adult learn-to-swim classes taught by American Red Cross-certified instructors. Beginner courses cover the basics: breath control, self-propulsion, buoyancy and water safety skills.
Dates:
Summer Session: Mondays, June 18–Aug. 13 (classes are prorated for late registrants)
Fall Session: Mondays, Sept. 10–Nov. 5
Time: 7:30–8:30 p.m.
Price: $315 for members, $405 for nonmembers
Location: JCC, 334 Amsterdam Ave.
For more info or to register, call 646-505-5708 or visit www.jccmanhattan.org .

Physique Swimming
Physique Swim School offers adult beginner swim classes throughout the summer at different locations throughout Manhattan, including uptown, the Upper East Side, Midtown East and Downtown.
Dates: Various
Time: Various
Price: $400 for 8 courses, $720 for 16 courses
Location: Various
For more info or to register, call 212-725-0939 or visit www.physiqueswimming.com/schedule/ny/adult.

With the temperature falling, New Yorkers are beginning to exchange linen dresses for bulky winter coats, tank tops for sweaters and gladiator sandals for knee-high boots. And it’s not just our wardrobes that get altered as days get chillier—our exercise routines must be reinvented as well.

It’s easy to come up with excuses when the thermometer drops. I know the winter workout struggle firsthand. A few years ago, I lost 132 pounds and began exercising daily. It’s hard to keep up healthy routines but, luckily for all of us living and working in Manhattan, there are activities here for every fitness level, price range and desired goal.

Swimming (Inside)
Growing up in Arizona, I swam competitively. The sport is an unbelievable workout—who doesn’t want abs like Michael Phelps? Most indoor pools are heated, and this low-impact exercise is a great for those who need a break from hitting the pavement.

If you’re new to swimming, JackRabbit Sports (42 W. 14th St., betw. 5th & 6th Aves., jackrabbitsports.com) offers swim classes for water lovers of all ranks. The level 1 class begins Jan. 8, is offered Sundays in Union Square and costs $175.

On the other end of the spectrum, if you’ve swum competitively in the past and miss the action-packed workouts, try out Red Tide Swim Club (various locations, www.redtidenyc.org), a United States Swim Master’s team with practices and workouts multiple times a day. Fees vary, from $110 per month for a minimum of two months, $140 for 10 swims or a $20 drop-in rate.

The Daily Stairmaster
One of the best fitness tips any time of year is to take the stairs. When I first moved to the city, I worked out with a personal trainer who had me sprint up and down the steps at the gym. The concept is easy, but it’s the toughest workout I’ve ever done.

The best part of this is that you can do it in your apartment or office building. If you live on the fifth floor, walk up and sprint down every day. If you work on the 10th floor, walk down every day and walk up on mornings when you’re not headed for a big meeting. Make sure to walk heel to toe—this will give you the best workout for your butt. It’s estimated that you can burn around 300 calories in 30 minutes of walking stairs.

The Gym Route
It seems like there are as many gyms in Manhattan as there are nail salons, and it can be hard to find the right fit. To save some money but still have access to fitness equipment, join a New York City Recreation Center. There are locations all around the city, and membership ranges from $100 to $150 a year for adults. They give you access to everything from treadmills to full-sized pools—at 27 cents a day, the Alfred E. Smith Recreation Center (80 Catherine St., betw. Cherry & Monroe Sts., nycgovparks.org) is a bargain, especially if you only use the gym on the weekends.

If you’re looking to hire a personal trainer and work out by the light of a disco ball, check out David Barton Gym (various locations, davidbartongym.com). They offer an alternative experience to most gyms; their personal training packages require multiple sessions per week, but they’ll throw in the membership at no extra cost.

Walking It Out
If classes aren’t for you and the thought of a run in the park seems a bit daunting, just walk! Even 60-90 minutes of moderate walking per day can lead to weight loss.

The High Line (Gansevoort St. to 34th St. betw. 10th & 11th Aves., www.thehighline.org) is a great place for a walk. Grab a cup of coffee (skim milk and two Splendas bring the beverage to less than 40 calories) and enter at Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District. The park creates a built-in course with defined beginning and end points, allowing walkers to track mileage.

The David Barton gym has the amenities of Equinox with the pizazz of a disco party. Locations are in Chelsea and Astor Place. PHOTo courtesy of David Barton Gym

“Our pool situation is a very big disadvantage,” Hunter captain Gabe Yanez said. “We haven’t trained in regulation pools for the past two years. We’ve been training in an 18-yard, one-lane pool. It’s the best we can get.”

Hunter’s top performer and one of the team’s captains, Gabe Yanez, in the 200-meter individual medley. Photo By: Daniel S. Burnstein

Up until last year, the Hawks practiced at the Hunter College pools. But recent renovations have made those facilities unavailable, and the team has been scrambling for a proper venue ever since. The Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL) uses standard short-course pools of 25 yards, but the Hawks have settled for their current ignominious 18-yard puddle. There are no starting blocks, and the single lane is shaped more like a horseshoe than straight. Still, the team does its best.
“It’s not unheard of in New York City swimming,” said head coach Joe Schiappa, a six-year veteran. “There simply aren’t a lot of facilities, so you get your swimming wherever you can get it.”

More remarkable is how Hunter has responded to such an adverse arrangement: with its best season in years. The team finished the regular season 7-1 and won its first-round playoff meet over Midwood 55-46 on Feb. 2.

“The kids swam incredibly,” Schiappa said after the postseason victory. “They’re all fantastic swimmers and really pulled it together. This is by far the best season we’ve ever had in terms of talent and dedication. It’s been phenomenal. We’ve got a great group of new swimmers who joined, and the two captains are really strong. They motivate the rest to swim better. When I started out we could barely get 10 kids on the team. Now we have nearly 30.”

At press time, Hunter, the sixth seed in the PSAL playoffs, was about to meet No. 3 Brooklyn Tech in the quarterfinals. As always, the Hawks will begin with a deficit because they do not field any divers.

“We don’t have any divers, so everyone starts off seven points ahead of us,” said Guan Shi, Hunter’s other captain. “We try to make up for it, but we’re going to need some lifetime best swims.”

Shi, a freestyle sprinter, has a quick, analytical approach to meets. He quickly grabbed a pen and started writing down potential scores for the match up with Brooklyn Tech. He had faith that his squad can win most of the races but worried that opponents will gain enough points from second- and third-place finishes to make up the difference.

Left to right: Ian Kunze, Guan Gun Shi and Franklin Jeng encourage their anchor in the 400-meter freestyle relay. Photo By: Daniel S. Burnstein

“Most schools have more students and more swimmers,” Yanez said. “We’ve always had a lot of talent. We win races, but we don’t have the depth to come in second and third.”

They don’t have a real pool either, but somehow Hunter makes it work. The key, according to the captains, is how Schiappa organizes practice. Because he doesn’t have the space to put his swimmers through a proper workout, he tells those that also belong to club teams to practice with them. So on most days, Yanez and Shi are more likely to be with their clubs than with Hunter. It hardly seems like the proper team-building strategy, but it delivers results.

“This way we still get a high caliber of training,” Shi explained.

After two seasons that ended with first-round playoff losses, the Hawks have finally broken through. They also achieved an early season highlight by defeating archrival Bronx Science for the first time in years. Yanez is Hunter’s top performer. He is the fourth-best 100-yard butterfly swimmer in the city and the 12th best in the 200 individual medley. Sophomore Ian Kunze is a standout competitor in distance events. He is the fourth-fastest 500 freestyle swimmer citywide.

Yanez plans to swim at Baruch College next year, while Shi will either walk on to the swimming team at Carnegie Mellon or join the handball squad at the University of California, Berkeley. Shi helped start the handball team at Hunter and has tried valiantly over the past several years to get it accepted by the PSAL. Curiously, he was once scared of the water. He originally took up swimming after watching the movie Titanic as a 7-year-old and deciding that he had better learn to swim just in case he ever ended up on a sinking boat in the North Atlantic.

“I know it was childish, but I was terrified at the time,” Shi recalled with a laugh.
Both captains have a big event scheduled for this weekend, when the PSAL Open (essentially the individual championships) will take place at the new Flushing Aquatic Center. Hunter is fielding 14 swimmers at the meet, by far the most in Schiappa’s tenure, and Yanez, for one, plans on bringing home a title. He thinks he can win the 100 butterfly, though he concedes that Dewitt Clinton’s Leonardo Dupres, a longtime nemesis, is the favorite. Dupres won bragging rights at the same event last year, but Yanez bested him in a club meet several weeks ago.

“It’s going to come down to the finish,” Yanez said. “We’re both seniors and we both want it, so I guess we’ll see what happens.”