Why Cody Miller Could Do With A Wag Of Lilly King's Finger
Is the old wave of the recently retired selling the new wave of swimmers and swimming down the drain? Cody Miller gives us his 5 reasons - plus a bonus point - why he thinks 'enhancement' will be a 'huge success': and SOS tackles each one, point by point, stroke for stroke, finger wag by finger wag
Long-form weekend commentary
We can only guess at the level of recruitment going on in the ranks of swimmers retired and about to retire, but Cody Miller's apparent leap across the canyon that divides the very different trades of clean and enhanced sport is among latest indications that the old wave seems to think it acceptable to sell the next wave and the sport of swimming down the drain.
Miller used his YouTube platform to tell us this:
Reach for the sick bag. Let's start with the drain in our stand first below the headline. There are two year forces at play:
- Gravity: sinks and toilets have drain pipes that slope to ensure waste water and excrement flow downhill. It's critical to health - no-one wants toxic stuff lingering in their 'house'.
- Air Pressure/Venting: For water to flow efficiently, air pressure within the drainage system needs to be equalized. Vent pipes, attached to drain lines leading out of the 'house', allow air to enter the system. This prevents a vacuum from forming (siphoning) and ensures that water and waste can flow freely without being held back by air pressure, which also helps prevent sewer odors from escaping into buildings.
So, let's vent:
Think of swimming as your house. It would be self-harming to invite toxins in, not flush them out. And yet, Cody Miller's YouTube comes too close to cheer-leading for comfort.
Whatever would Lilly King think? Time to wag that finger. She might but here's a gentle wag from SOS.
It was not long ago that Cody Miller appeared with his wife on the swimmer's YouTube to tell us all how concerned they were about the impact of enhanced on children in a sport and world stacked with 'em. Excellent message. So, what happened after that. Did someone get in touch and turn his mind around. Certainly, in his latest post, he seems far less concerned about all those children as he gives us all the reasons why the cheerleaders are likely to win the day.
Let's be clear: while Ben Proud says he would never try to return to the sport he loved once he's crossed a line, including anything that makes it impossible to tell where the human ends and the enhancement takes over. Remove testing, and that scenario applies to every athlete involved.
Cody Miller starts his podcast on the deck at a program signed up to the WADA Code among swimmers still registered in the anti-doping pool. His opinions count, because of his status as a former USA national team member, his age and role as someone who teaches/directs/coaches swimmers.
He walks a fine line and raises issues that spill beyond his own sport.
Take track and field. Here's Top Running on the decision of a controversial USA sprinters deciding that unnatural enhancement is the way to go, complete with references to his missed whereabouts tests and his two arrests:
And a related discussion with reaction from athletes:
Miller cites Ben Proud and the swimmer's story, this our take on it:
Craig Lord
Craig Lord
Craig Lord
Craig Lord
