Friday, July 26, 2013

World Championships in Barcelona & Contests


My first and only World Championships was in Perth, Australia, in January of 1991.  I had no idea I had hit the jackpot of locations until years later.  What a magnificent place with a tremendous love and respect for the sport of swimming.  Aussies are magical sport fans, and they worship their swimmers.  The pool was outside, and beer was flowing in the stands. The crowd was excited and rowdy, all of which fed us swimmers and made us swim faster.  It was really only my third big meet, and I started it off with the 400 IM where I won the bronze medal, fighting Australia’s Hayley Lewis and China’s Lin Li to the finish.  Then the my 200 IM, where Li and I again were in a battle and I took home the silver.  And finally, on the last day, I had my best event.  I remember feeling like I was literally flying over the water in my 200 fly.  It was a perfect night with my whole family in the stands, and as I touched the wall, I turned around to look at the scoreboard, saw I had won, shot my fist in the air with a huge scream and smile, and then awkwardly changed it to a thumb’s up with my tongue out.  I will never forget how exciting that moment was.  I felt like I had made it. It was a huge stepping stone for me with only a year and a half to the Barcelona Games.

And now, the World Championships are being held in Barcelona, where I won my Olympic gold 21 years ago. And while the Olympic Games are in a category all their own, World Championships are a close second, and they showcase the best and certainly let the world know who to watch in the water.  This will be the first major swim meet in a long while that we will watch without Mr. Michael Phelps. It is a bit sad knowing the pool will be missing the best swimmer of all time, but he left his mark and built the sport up so much that it is now truly a platform for the swimming leaders of today.

There are many personalities that will shine without Michael absorbing the spotlight. So watch for these Olympians you fell in love with from London last summer…Ryan Lochte, Missy Franklin, Katie Ledecky, NathanAdrian, and more. And besides the big names, be prepared to be introduced to some new faces, who will experience a moment like I did in 1991. I can think of one butterflier that is itching to make his mark. Those new faces experiencing that exciting moment, the rush and the results that show world the are contenders and that their Olympic moment is next on the list…turning their lifelong dream into a real, achievable goal.


You can catch the action on Universal Sports and NBC from July 28-Aug. 4. Check your local listings for time and channel. 

More FUN and PRIZES
In honor of world championships being held in a city near & dear to my heart, I’m holding a daily contest on my Facebook Fan page to get fans one step closer to the action by showing our support for the sport and spreading some great Speedo gear in the swimming community. Here’s a link to the “Back in Barcelona Contest” tab, which will be updated daily with contests and prizes. Prizes will include Speedo shirts, hats and goggles, a Ryan Lochte giftbag, a world championships goodie bag, and the grand prize of a Speedo racing swimsuit! First contest is already posted: Day1 – Show your Team USA Spirit by filming your best team cheer with Instagram, tagging it TeamUSA_BCN2013, and uploading it to the contest page. The best cheer wins a World Championships goodie bag, similar to that provided to the Speedo sponsored athletes of Team USA. Here's an example. Go USA!




Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Rebuilding and Recovering: How to deal with a house fire

Rebuilding and Recovering
How to deal with a house fire and total loss of belongings from two people who have walked in those shoes.

In the wake of the recent tragedies in California, Arizona, and Colorado, my mind has been on fire and loss. I send my heartfelt condolences to the families of the 19 firefighters in Arizona who lost their lives trying to save the lives and livelihoods of others; they were brave and heroic. And I want to I pay tribute to all those firefighters who risk their lives to help, protect, and rescue throughout this great country. You are true American heroes and we are forever grateful.

This time last summer as wildfires blazed in Colorado, I offered up my dad’s guidance to some friends who had lost their homes.  Sadly, once again Colorado and other areas are in a very similar scenario. Those circumstances prompted me to ask my father and his girlfriend if I could interview them about their experience, about our loss -- we lost almost everything -- and use the notes so others could learn from their loss.  They were kind enough to say yes. Here is their story.

Sanders family home burning
My father’s house burnt down on June 7, 2007. It was six years ago, and we both remember it plainly. I was in Roseville visiting with my daughter. I was pregnant with my son, and I had just welcomed everyone to the 10th Annual Summer Sanders Invitational Swim Meet at Woodcreek High School when I got a call from my dad’s girlfriend Cathy.  She said, “Summer, your dad’s house is on fire!”  I quickly said, “OK.  We will leave now.”  My father was with me at the meet, but we weren’t too concerned, at least not until someone pointed beyond my shoulder and said, “Is that your dad’s house?”  There was a huge plume of black smoke that was hundreds, if not thousands of feet in the air.  I immediately thought, “No, that can’t be my dad’s house.” 

About 15 minutes into our 30-minute drive home, we got another call from Cathy.  “Summer, the fire department says they can’t save the house.  Summer, his house is gone.”  I gently shared this news with my dad who was driving, and his first response was, “Well, I am glad I didn’t fold the laundry in the dryer.” It took awhile for the shock to wear off and the news to settle in.  He had his car, the clothes on his back, his tennis racquet and a dirty towel.  That was it.  My childhood was gone, my home, my photos, my Olympic flag, even my MJ "good luck note" - almost everything but my Olympic medaks went up in flames. But all he focused on was that everyone, even the cat, was safe.  All the grandkids were at my brother’s house for dinner, and Cathy and my mom, who was also visiting, were there as well.  No one was injured, and the fire didn’t spread.  But the house was a “total loss.”  According to the firemen, it was one of the hottest fires Placer County had ever seen.  And it started because the people staining my dad’s house put the stain can with the rags in the trashcan.  Instantaneous combustion is a real thing, and we found out first hand.

Believe it or not, Cathy has been through this twice.  Once from an electrical arc in the ceiling at a previous house, and this her second house fire. (She had just moved in with my dad a few months prior.)

What my dad and Cathy learned about preparing and recovering, I’d like to share with you in the form of tips from their advice.

Dad's home rebuilt, 2-years later
10 Tips for Rebuilding and Recovering from a House Fire
  1. Make sure you understand your policy.  Your insurance is your responsibility. Pay special attention to the living expenses you are guaranteed while rebuilding, meaning you want to make sure you are allotted an appropriate amount that will pay for rent in a home comparable to the home that was affected. Guard yourself for the worst-case scenario.  And make sure to cover all personal content…especially collections, collectable items and antiques. 
  2. Document your possessions. Photograph and videotape everything you own and store it in a separate location! Everything from pencils to cars is covered. 
  3. Call an insurance agent right away. An agent can come out and be your advocate.  They will think of things that you won’t be able to think of in the moment.  They should call you and/or come out right away.  They will give you a checklist and come armed with your policy, which you should also examine to make sure you accurately understand how you are covered. Call your mortgage company, garbage, utilities, phone/cable/internet and water to put all payments on hold. They should work with you on future payments, and your insurance policy might even help pay for your mortgage payments so be sure to ask when you’re looking thru your policy with a fine-tooth comb. 
  4. Ask friends and family to help. When you are allowed back into the property, you should call upon your friends. Friends are important at this stage because they will help you sort through/recover the things you need, and,if you have children, they can help take care of the kids so they do not have to see the devastation.
  5. Make a list of important items to recover. The list should include such items as documents (passports, birth certificates, deeds, stock certificates), jewelry, mementos and anything else that could be stolen. (My dad had some money stashed in his high school letterman jacket that he didn’t recover fast enough, and both the jacket and the money were gone without a trace.) Do this room by room, and track your steps.
  6. Form a system for recounting every single item in your home.  This system should take the form an “inventory list.” This is the most daunting process because you have to think of every little thing you owed and every detail so that you are compensated appropriately.  What helped my family was a Sears Catalog.  Cathy looked through this to jog her memory of all the things she had from electrical cords and tools to kitchenware and appliances. And don’t rush it. Take this in steps and tackle one room a week because it’s really important that these are thorough.
  7. Be aware of Depreciation. Depreciation is not your friend.  Everything that you list in your “inventory” will be considered used so you will not get the “new” price tag unless you have the actual receipts or you buy them after the fire and have “replacement value insurance,” in which case you will turn in the receipt and be refunded the new amount. If you don’t have replacement value insurance, they will ask for the date in which you originally bought it, and then determine a price from there… so be sure to consider this when creating your list.
  8. Consider hiring a liaison. If you have the time and are good with attention to detail, you can do all of this on your own as Cathy did after her first fire.  But with my dad’s house, they hired a liaison to help make sure the insurance adjuster was fair.  This can take a lot of stress off your shoulders and add a ton of knowledge/experience to the situation, but comes at a price, which is usually a negotiable percentage of your settlement amount. (They originally wanted 10%, but my family negotiated it down to 5%).
  9. Exhaust all options when deciding to rebuild. Gathering plenty of information and really weigh whether you should rebuild or take your settlement and relocate. You are allowed three appraisers.  The insurance company provides one and you can provide two others.  While they usually take the lowest of the three, but having multiple appraisals gives you adequate value information and the opportunity to fight claims if necessary. There was too much of a discrepancy between the high and the low appraisal in Cathy’s case, which made her worried, so she fought to get the proper value of her home. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and run through everything thoroughly.
  10. Review things you’d never think of. Last but not least is a mini list of all the things you would never think of…For example: you live on acreage of any kind, you have to consider the worth of your surroundings.  Your trees have value.  If your family has allergies, you have to make sure things are replaced versus just cleaning.  You cannot be compensated for upgrades but you can add them on for a cost during rebuilding, so make sure to discuss.  Have a good look at your policy and see how long it allots you to rebuild.  (It took my family 6 months before they were allowed by the county to demo the old house and two years to rebuild. ) Make sure you are covered with plenty of time.
My heart goes out to any and everyone who is affect by fire. I will never forget the surreal feeling of watching my childhood home engulfed in flames, but life does go on, and you quickly realize that the most important things in life are the people who are hugging you telling you that everything will be ok.

Friday, July 12, 2013

Malala Day: A Day of Inspiration

Malala Yousafzai is wise well beyond her years.  Her voice is louder than that of an entire school as a whole. She speaks with such incredible confidence and authority that you cannot help but feel you are listening to the strength of her future.  Malala just turned 16 today.


Hearing her speech in front of the UN touched me deep down to my core.  I was drawn to her story, but remained transfixed to her message by the power and poise of her voice.  What a stage?  A UN Special Assembly for “ Malala Day.” And she never once showed any signs of nervousness or a chink in her armor.

In her speech, she talked about the power of books and of paper and pen, and it made me want to grab my own for I didn’t want to forget anything this incredible teenage girl was saying. This 16-year-old speaks with the passion and intensity of a woman five-times her age.  She has been through so many horrors, and yet speaks not of anger or revenge, but of peace, unity, and more importantly the importance of equality and education.  
“Let us empower ourselves with the weapon of knowledge," she said...“Malala Day is not my day, today is the day of every woman, boy and girl who has raised their voice for their rights."  
All I could think as she spoke was “These are the words of a TRUE hero.” Does she have any idea how much positive change and conversation she is inspiring? I believe she does, and that's what makes her courage truly exciting.

I want my kids to watch her speech over and over again.  I want them to ask me 10,000 questions about why she is speaking and what it all means.  I want every child and adult who hears her words to spread her voice in their world.  What a courageous woman! What an inspiration! Happy Birthday Malala.

Monday, July 8, 2013

Find Your Fitness: Looking for healthy inspiration?

Summer Sanders will help you Find Your Fitness

Find Your Fitness is an MSN original video series featuring Olympian Summer Sanders as she explores the latest trends in exercise. Check back weekly to get Summer's behind-the-scenes take on each workout, plus photos and helpful information on how you can try this at home!
By Summer Sanders Tue 2:22 PM
I am so excited about this adventure. You see, I turned 40 in October of last year, and while I was proud of the moment, I often remind myself that age is just a number.
However, if there is ever a time for change, it is NOW! I run, and I LOVE to run, but my weekly routine is usually pretty simple: Run, run, run, swim, run, lift a few arm weights, do some sit-ups at night before bed, add an occasional push-up while I wait for the shower to heat up. That's it.
I feel sort of one-dimensional. Yes, I can run marathons, but am I strong? Am I fit? These are the questions I've been asking myself, and I'm not so happy with my answers. So, I'm teaming up with MSN Healthy Living on a fun and challenging quest to seek out all the great new fitness trends that I've been too busy (or too intimidated!) to try. That's what Find Your Fitness is all about . . . Read the rest on MSN Healthy Living