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Swimming

A swimmer performing freestyle
Highest governing body	Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA)
Characteristics
Categorization	aquatics
Olympic	Since 1896

Swimming is a water based sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA).

History[link]

Swimming has been recorded since prehistoric times; the earliest recording of swimming dates back to Stone Age paintings from around 7,000 years ago. Written references date from 2000 BC. Some of the earliest references to swimming include the Gilgamesh, the Iliad, the Odyssey, the Bible, Beowulf, and other sagas. In 1578, Nikolaus Wynmann, a German professor of languages, wrote the first swimming book, The Swimmer or A Dialogue on the Art of Swimming (Der Schwimmer oder ein Zweigespräch über die Schwimmkunst). Competitive swimming in Europe started around 1800, mostly using breaststroke. In 1873, John Arthur Trudgen introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native Americans. Due to a British dislike of splashing, Trudgen employed a scissor kick instead of the front crawl's flutter kick. Swimming was part of the first modern Olympic games in 1896 in Athens. In 1902 Richmond Cavill introduced the front crawl to the Western world. In 1908, the world swimming association, Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA), was formed. Butterfly was developed in the 1930s and was at first a variant of breaststroke, until it was accepted as a separate style in 1952.

Physics of swimming[link]

The basic principle of swimming is buoyancy. The human body has a high water content and its density is close to the density of water. Due to its cavities (most prominently the lungs), the average density of the human body is lower than that of water, so it naturally floats. Terry Laughlin has summarized the relevant physical principles for effective and efficient swimming in his book Total Immersion^[1] in 1996.

In addition, hydrodynamics are an important factor in stroke technique in terms of swimming faster. In the same way that racing cars aim are made to be as streamlined as possible, swimmers are encouraged to try and streamline the body and decrease the drag caused by the surface area exposed at the head and shoulders. Improvements in this area can often mean significant gains in speed

There are two ways to swim faster:

• increase power
• reduce water resistance

Because the power needed to overcome resistance increases with the third power of the velocity, the first option is not really effective. To increase velocity by 10%, one would need to increase the power by more than 30%.

Laughlin gives three physical principles to reduce drag in swimming:

Balance: How to have a horizontal water position[link]

Due to the lungs, the center of buoyancy and the center of gravity of the human body are not the same. Therefore the lower body has a tendency to sink. If the body is not horizontal but even slightly inclined, the area it offers to drag is much higher, leading to higher resistance. An easy way to stay horizontal is to lean forward and position the head straight in the extension of the spine. In this position the eyes are directed straight downward and the head is more immersed (therefore total immersion).

At the water surface, resistance is proportional to the breadth of a boat. Lying flat on the chest in freestyle or on the back in backstroke exposes the breadth of the body to the water. Rolling on the side reduces the breadth and the resistance. In freestyle and backstroke, one should roll from one side to the other in the stroke and glide on the side as much as possible. When taking breaths, one should take them as little as possible; for beginners it is good to breathe every three strokes and the more trained you are the more strokes in between each breath.

Extended arm[link]

Sailboats are categorized according to boat length. This is due to the wave resistance at the surface. According to Froude, a naval architect in the 19th century, a body moving at the surface of the water creates a wave. The length of the wave depends on the speed. The faster the boat, the longer the wave. Froude found that resistance goes up dramatically when the wave length reaches the length of the boat. There is a simple formula connecting wave velocity to wave length (dispersion equation, metric):

Failed to parse (Missing texvc executable; please see math/README to configure.): c^2 = \frac{g l}{2\pi}

Here c is the velocity of the wave in m/s, g is the gravitational acceleration (9.81 m/s²), and l is the wave length in m. If the maximum swimming speed of c=2.1 m/s is entered, one gets a length of l=2.82 m. This is about the length of a 2 m swimmer with extended arms. So the longer you can glide with the extended arm the less wave resistance. This is also called quadrant front swimming.

Competition[link]

Competitive swimming became popular in the nineteenth century. The goal of competitive swimming is to constantly improve upon one's time(s), or to beat the competitors in any given event. However, some professional swimmers who do not hold a national or world ranking are considered the best in regard to their technical skills. Typically, an athlete goes through a cycle of training in which the body is overloaded with work in the beginning and middle segments of the cycle, and then the workload is decreased in the final stage as the swimmer approaches the competition in which he or she is to compete in. This final stage is often referred to as "shave and taper"; the swimmer tapering down his or her workload to be able to perform at their optimal level. At the very end of this stage, before competition, the swimmer shaves off all exposed hair for the sake of reducing drag and having a sleeker and more hydrodynamic feel in the water.^[2]

Swimming is an event at the Summer Olympic Games, where male and female athletes compete in 16 of the recognized events each. Olympic events are held in a 50-meter pool, called a long course pool.

There are forty officially recognized individual swimming events in the pool; however the International Olympic Committee only recognizes 32 of them. The international governing body for competitive swimming is the Fédération Internationale de Natation ("International Swimming Federation"), better known as FINA.

Open water[link]

In open water swimming, where the events are swum in a body of open water (lake or sea), there are also 5 km, 10 km and 25 km events for men and women. However, only the 10 km event is included in the Olympic schedule, again for both men and women. Open-water competitions are typically separate to other swimming competitions with the exception of the World Championships and the Olympics.

Swim styles[link]

In competitive swimming, four major styles have been established. These have been relatively stable over the last 30–40 years with minor improvements. The four main strokes in swimming are:

• Freestyle
• Breaststroke
• Backstroke
• Butterfly

Dolphin kick[link]

In the past two decades, the most drastic change in swimming has been the addition of the underwater dolphin kick. This is used to maximize the speed at the start and after the turns. The first successful use of it was by David Berkoff at the 1988 Olympics, where he swam most of the 100 m backstroke race underwater and broke the world record on the distance during the preliminaries. Another swimmer to use the technique was Denis Pankratov at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, where he completed almost half of the 100 m butterfly underwater to win the gold medal. In the past few years,^[when?] American competitive swimmers have shown the most use of the underwater dolphin kick to gain advantage, most notably Olympic and World medal winners Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte.

While the dolphin kick is mostly seen in middle-distance freestyle events and in all distances of backstroke and butterfly, it is not usually used to the same effect in freestyle sprinting. That changed with the addition of the so-called sharkskin suits around the European Short Course Championships in Rijeka, Croatia in December 2008. There, Amaury Leveaux set new world records of 44.94 seconds in the 100 m freestyle, 20.48 seconds in the 50 m freestyle and 22.18 in the 50 m butterfly. Unlike the rest of the competitors in these events, he spent at least half of each race underwater using the dolphin kick.^[3]

While underwater dolphin kicking is allowed in freestyle, backstroke and butterfly, its use is not permitted in the same way in the breaststroke. In 2005, a new rule was formed stating that an optional downward dolphin kick may be used off the start and each turn, and it must occur during the breaststroke pullout. Any other dolphin kick will result in disqualification.

New rules were established to curtail excessive use of underwater dolphin kicks in freestyle, backstroke and butterfly. Currently, performing the dolphin kick past 15 meters results in a disqualification.

Competition pools[link]

Most swimming sport events are held in special competition swimming pools, which are either long course pools such as those used in the Olympic Games (50 m) or short course pools such as those used in the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 yards or 25 m but generally 25m). Competition pools have starting blocks from which the competitor can dive in, and possibly also touch-sensitive pads to electronically record the swimming time of each competitor.

Seasons[link]

Club swimming in the US has two major seasons. During the short-course season, swimmers swim in 25-yard pools. This season lasts from September to the end of March. The long-course season is swum in 50-meter Olympic pools and lasts from April to the end of August.

The longer freestyle events are actually different lengths in each season. In the short course season, the 500 yard, 1000 yard, and 1650-yard freestyle events are swum, while during the long course season the 400 meter, 800 meter, and 1500-meter freestyle events are swum instead. However, this difference in distance holds true for all meter pools, i.e. short course meter pools also swim the 400 meter, 800 meter, and 1500 meter freestyle events instead of their yard counterparts.

Officials[link]

There are several types of officials,^[4] which are needed to manage the competition.^[5]

Referee: The referee has full control and authority over all officials. The referee will enforce all rules and decisions of FINA and shall decide all questions relating to the actual conduct of the meet, and event or the competition, the final settlement of which is not otherwise covered by the rules. The referee takes overall responsibility for running the race and makes the final decisions as to who wins the competition. Referees call swimmers to the blocks with short blasts of his or her whistle. This is the signal for the swimmers to stand next to their blocks. Starters call missing swimmers if necessary. Then the referee will blow a long whistle that will tell the swimmers to step on the block. For backstroke otherwise known as backcrawl events, the long whistle is the signal for the swimmers to step in the water. The referee will then blow another long whistle, signaling the swimmers to grab the gutter or the provided block handle (for backstoke/backcrawl events only). The referee will then hand over control to the starter.

Starter: The starter has full control of the swimmers from the time the referee turns the swimmers over to him or /her until the race commences. A starter sends the swimmers off the blocks and may call a false start if a swimmer leaves the block before the starter sends them.

Clerk of course: The clerk of course assembles swimmers prior to each event, and is responsible for organizing ("seeding") swimmers into heats based on their times. Heats are generally seeded from slowest to fastest, where swimmers with no previous time for an event are assumed to be the slowest.

Timekeepers: There are three timekeepers for each lane. Each timekeeper takes the time of the swimmers in the lane assigned to him/her. Unless a video backup system is used, it may be necessary to use the full complement of timekeepers even when automatic officiating equipment is used. A chief timekeeper assigns the seating positions for all timekeepers and the lanes for which they are responsible. The chief timekeeper collects from the timekeepers in each lane a card showing the times recorded and, if necessary, inspect their watches. One timer will be timing with a stopwatch, another recording it down, and one making sure everything is valid.

Inspectors of turns: One inspector of turns is assigned to each lane at each end of the pool. Each inspector of turns ensures that swimmers comply with the relevant rules for turning as well as the relevant rules for start and finish of the race. Inspectors of turns shall report any violation on disqualification reports detailing the event, lane number, and the infringement delivered to the chief inspector of turns who will immediately convey the report to the referee.

Judges of Stroke: Judges of stroke are located on each side of the pool. They ensure that the rules related to the style of swimming designated for the event are being observed, and observe the turns and the finishes to assist the inspectors of turns.

Finish judges Finish judges determine the order of finish and make sure the swimmers finish in accordance with the rules (two hands simultaneously for breaststroke and butterfly, on the back for backstroke, etc.)

If an official catches a swimmer breaking a rule concerning the stroke he or she is swimming, that swimmer is said to be disqualified (commonly referred to as a "DQ") and the swim is not considered valid. The referee can disqualify any swimmer for any violation of the rules that he personally observes. The referee may also disqualify any swimmer for any violation reported to him by other authorised officials. All disqualifications are subject to the decision of the referee.

Swimwear[link]

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Swimsuit

The suit covers the skin for modesty. Competitive swimwear seeks to improve upon bare human skin for a speed advantage. For extra speed, a swimmer wears a body suit, which has rubber or plastic bumps that break up the water close to the body and provides a small amount of thrust—just barely enough to help a swimmer swim faster. However, competitive swimming limits the type of suit a swimmer can wear.

Swim cap

A swim cap (a.k.a. cap) keeps the swimmer's hair out of the way to reduce drag. Caps may be made of latex, silicone or spandex.

Goggles

Goggles keep water and chlorine out of swimmers' eyes. Goggles may be tinted to counteract glare at outdoor pools. Prescription goggles may be used by swimmers who wear corrective lenses.

Swimfins

Rubber fins are used to help kick faster. They also improve technique by keeping the feet in the proper position while kicking.

Drag suit

Swimmers use drag suits to make weight to pull them back, to get more training.

Paddles

Swimmers use these plastic devices to build arm and shoulder strength and refine pulling technique. Hand paddles attach to the hand with rubber surgical tubing or another type of elastic material. They come in many different shapes and sizes.

Kickboard

A kickboard is a foam flotation device that swimmers use to support the weight of the upper body while they focus on kicking.

Pull buoy

Generally used at the same time as hand paddles, pull buoys support swimmers' legs (and keep them from kicking) while they focus on pulling. Pull buoys are made of foam so they float in the water. Swimmers hold them in between the thighs.

Snorkel

A standard snorkel looks like a capital letter J. Swimmers use them to breathe while their mouths and noses are underwater, so that they can focus on keeping their heads in proper position while swimming. Snorkels are generally made out of a combination of plastic and rubber.

Regular practice and competition swimwear[link]

Men[link]

Men's most used practice swimwear include briefs and jammers. Males generally swim barechested.

There has been much controversy after the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, when many Olympic swimmers broke records an unprecedented number of times using revolutionary swimsuits. To highlight the issue, note that it is rare to break world records, but in 2008, 70 world records were broken in one year, and 66 Olympic records were broken in one Olympic Games (there were races in Beijing where the first five finishers were swimming faster than the old world record). Despite many of his records having been won in these suits, Michael Phelps stated that he might boycott the competition after his record was beaten by another swimmer with a more advanced suit.

As of New Year's Day 2010, men are only allowed to wear suits from the waist to above the knees.^[6] They are also only permitted to wear one piece of swimwear; they cannot wear speedos underneath jammers. This rule was enacted after the controversy in the Beijing Olympics and Rome World Championships.

Women[link]

Women wear one-piece suits with different backs for competition, though there are two-piece suits that can be worn to compete as well. Backs vary mainly in strap thickness and geometric design. Most common styles include: racerback, axel back, corset, diamondback, and butterfly-back/Fly-Back. There are also different style lengths: three-quarter length (reaches the knees), regular length (shoulders to hips), and bikini style (two-piece). Also as of New Year's 2010, in competition, women are only allowed to wear suits that do not go past the knees or shoulders.

Use of Drag[link]

Drag suits are used for increasing the resistance against the swimmer in order to help adjust the swimmer to drag. This way, when swimmers switch back to normal practice suits they swim faster as a result of feeling less resistance. They are not normally worn during competitions.

Drag shorts like drag suits are worn in training and are also used to increase drag so that when taken off in racing it feels easier and the wearer feels less resistance. Other forms of drag wear include nylons, old suits, and T-shirts; the point is to increase friction in the water to build strength during training, and increase speed once drag items are removed for competition.

Swimmers also shave areas of exposed skin before end-of-season competitions to reduce friction in the water. It is especially common for women to discontinue the traditional removal of leg hair at least a month before end-of-season competitions. This can be viewed as an additional form of drag because drag is most importantly about mental training and how one feels in the water. Freshly shaven skin feels much smoother and less resistant in comparison when in water. The presence of leg and arm hair will make very little difference physically in a swimmer’s overall performance, but mentally it has been known to have a very large effect.

The mental aspect of wearing drag is critical because the goal is to feel your best in the water on race day. Drag makes a swimmer feel slower and more resistant during training with the added friction. Then on the day of the competition, a shaven swimmer wearing only a fast competition suit will feel a drastic and noticeable improvement in how fast and smooth they feel in the water. As in every other sport, mental training is just as important as physical training.

Open-water swimming[link]

Open water swimming is swimming outside of a regular pool, usually in a lake, or sometimes ocean. Popularity of the sport has grown in recent years, particularly since the 10km open water event was added as an Olympic event in 2005, contested for the first time in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

New recent technology has developed much faster swimsuits. Full body suits have been banned, but swimmers at the very top levels still wear suits that have been lasered together because stitching creates drag. The downfall of these suits: they are sometimes uncomfortable and tight.

Changes to the sport[link]

Swimming times have dropped over the years due to better training techniques and to new developments.

The first four Olympics competitions were not held in pools, but in open water (1896 – The Mediterranean, 1900 – The Seine River, 1904 – an artificial lake, 1906 – The Mediterranean). The 1904 Olympics' freestyle race was the only one ever measured at 100 yards, instead of the usual 100 meters. A 100-meter pool was built for the 1908 Olympics and sat in the center of the main stadium's track and field oval. The 1912 Olympics, held in the Stockholm harbor, marked the beginning of electronic timing.

Male swimmers wore full-body suits until the 1940s, which caused more drag in the water than their modern swimwear counterparts did. Competition suits now include engineered fabric and designs to reduce swimmers' drag in the water and prevent athlete fatigue. In addition, over the years, pool designs have lessened the drag. Some design considerations allow for the reduction of swimming resistance, making the pool faster. Namely, proper pool depth, elimination of currents, increased lane width, energy absorbing racing lane lines and gutters, and the use of other innovative hydraulic, acoustic, and illumination designs.

The 1924 Summer Olympics were the first to use the standard 50-meter pool with marked lanes. In the freestyle, swimmers originally dove from the pool walls, but diving blocks were incorporated at the 1936 Summer Olympics. The flip turn was developed by the 1950s and goggles were first used in the 1976 Olympics.

There were also changes in the late 20th century in terms of technique. Breaststrokers are now allowed to dip their heads completely under water, which allows for a longer stroke and faster time. However, the breaststrokers must bring their heads up at the completion of each cycle. In addition, a split stroke in the breaststroke start and turns has been added to help speed up the stroke. There have been some other changes added recently^[when?] as well. Now off the start and turns, breaststrokers are allowed one butterfly kick to help increase their speed. Backstrokers are now allowed to turn on their stomachs before the wall in order to perform a "flip-turn". Previously, they had to reach and flip backwards and a variation of it, known as a "bucket turn" or a "suicide turn", is sometimes used in individual medley events to transition from backstroke to breaststroke.

Records[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2009)

The foundation of FINA in 1908 signalled the commencement of recording the first official world records in swimming.^[7] At that time records could be established in any swimming pool of length not less than 25 yards, and records were also accepted for intermediate distance split times from longer distance events. Today World Records will only be accepted when times are reported by Automatic Officiating Equipment, or Semi-Automatic Officiating Equipment in the case of Automatic Officiating Equipment system malfunction.^[8]

Records in events such as 300 yd, 300 m, 1000 yd, and 1000 m freestyle, 400 m backstroke, and 400 m and 500 m breaststroke were no longer ratified from 1948. A further removal of the 500 yd and 500 m freestyle, 150 m backstroke, and 3×100 m medley relay from the record listings occurred in 1952.

In 1952, the national federations of the United States and Japan proposed at the FINA Congress the separation of records achieved in long-course and short-course pools, however it was four more years before action to came into effect with Congress deciding to retain only records held in 50 m pools as the official world record listings.

By 1969 there were thirty-one events in which FINA recognised official world records – 16 for men, 15 for women – closely resembling the event schedule that was in use at the Olympic Games.

The increase in accuracy and reliability of electronic timing equipment led to the introduction of hundredths of a second to the time records from 21 August 1972.

Records in short course (25 m) pools began to be officially approved as "short course world records" from 3 March 1991. Prior to this date, times in short course (25 m) pools were not officially recognised, but were regarded a "world best time" (WBT). From 31 October 1994 times in 50 m backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly were added to the official record listings.

FINA currently recognises world records in the following events for both men and women.^[9]

• Freestyle: 50 m, 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 800 m, 1500 m
• Backstroke: 50 m, 100 m, 200 m
• Breaststroke: 50 m, 100 m, 200 m
• Butterfly: 50 m, 100 m, 200 m
• Individual medley: 100 m (short course only), 200 m, 400 m
• Relays: 4×100 m freestyle, 4×200 m freestyle, 4×100 m medley

Health and skin care[link]

It is recommended that swimmers wear waterproof sunscreen to meets and daytime swim practices that are outside to prevent sunburns. It is also recommended that swimmers dry off well between events at meets and change into dry clothes as soon as possible after swimming to prevent rashes and skin infections.

It also is important for pool water to be properly maintained to avoid rashes and skin infections.^[10]

Swimmers should shower with mild soap after swimming to remove pool chemicals such as chlorine and salt. Swimmers should use goggles to protect the eyes from pool water and improve underwater vision.^[11][12][13]

See also[link]

Swimming portal

• Aquatic timing system
• FINA
• FINA World Aquatics Championships
• List of swimming styles
• List of world records in swimming
• Paralympic swimming
• Sports nutrition
• Swimming at the Summer Olympics
• Swimwear and hygiene
• United States Masters Swimming

References[link]

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v t e International swimming FINA World Championships World Short Course Championships Youth World Championships World Cup World Masters Championships Olympic Games Asian Games Pan American Games All-Africa Games Commonwealth Games Pan Pacific Championships Universiade Duel in the Pool Asia AASF – Asian Championships Africa CANA – African Championships Americas UANA (AFC CCCAN CONSANAT USAS) – Caribbean Islands Championships Central American & Caribbean Championships South American Championships Europe LEN – European Championships European Short Course Championships Oceania OSA – Oceania Championships

Matt Grevers

Matt Grevers in 2009
Personal information
Full name	Matthew Grevers
Nickname(s)	Dutch, The Gentle Giant, Nu
Nationality	United States
Born	(1985-03-26) March 26, 1985 (age 27) Lake Forest, Illinois, USA
Height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Weight	229 pounds (104 kg)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Stroke(s)	Freestyle, Backstroke
Club	Tucson Ford Dealers Aquatics
College team	Northwestern University
Medal record Men's swimming Competitor for the  United States Olympic Games Gold 2008 Beijing 4x100 m freestyle Gold 2008 Beijing 4x100 m medley Silver 2008 Beijing 100 m backstroke World Championships (LC) Gold 2009 Rome 4x100 m freestyle Gold 2009 Rome 4x100 m medley Summer Universiade Gold 2007 Bangkok 4x100 m freestyle Silver 2005 Izmir 100 m backstroke Silver 2005 Izmir 4x100 m medley Bronze 2005 Izmir 4x100 m freestyle

Matt Grevers (born March 26, 1985 in Lake Forest, Illinois) is a professional American swimmer. He is best known for winning the silver medal in the 100 m backstroke at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.^[1]

Personal life[link]

Grevers attended Lake Forest High School and Northwestern University and swam for the Wildcats. He chose to attend Northwestern over Arizona, Texas, and California.

Both of Grevers' parents are from the Netherlands. Grevers considered representing the Netherlands and even spoke about it with Dutch swimming legend Pieter van den Hoogenband. Ultimately, he decided to represent the United States.^[2]

Grevers proposed to Annie Chandler at the Missouri Grand Prix^[3] on Saturday 11 February 2012.

Swimming career[link]

At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Grevers won two gold medals by swimming in the preliminary heats of the 4x100 m freestyle relay and 4x100 m medley relay (backstroke), as the Americans went on to win the finals in those events and medals are awarded to participants at any step along the way. Grevers also won an individual silver medal in the 100 m backstroke in a time of 53.11, 0.57 seconds behind the winner, world record holder Aaron Peirsol.^[4][5][6]

At the 2009 World Aquatics Championships, Grevers was part of men's 4x100 m freestyle relay team who took Gold ahead of Russia and France.^[7] Grevers also earned a gold in the 4x100 m medley relay for his contributions in the heats.^[8][9]

In February 2012, he became engaged to fellow National Teamer Annie Chandler.

References[link]

External links[link]

• USA Swimming athlete bio: Matt Grevers
• Matt Grevers' TeamUSA profile

v t e 2008 USA Olympic Swimming Team Men's Team Nathan Adrian Ricky Berens Ian Crocker Mark Gangloff Matt Grevers Brendan Hansen Larsen Jensen Cullen Jones Klete Keller Jason Lezak Ryan Lochte Aaron Peirsol Michael Phelps Eric Shanteau Scott Spann Gil Stovall Peter Vanderkaay Erik Vendt David Walters Mark Warkentin Garrett Weber-Gale Benjamin Wildman-Tobriner Women's Team Amanda Beard Elizabeth Beisel Elaine Breeden Caroline Burckle Natalie Coughlin (Jessica Hardy) Kathleen Hersey Margaret Hoelzer Katie Hoff Megan Jendrick Kara Lynn Joyce Christine Magnuson Christine Marshall Lacey Nymeyer Allison Schmitt Emily Silver Julia Smit Rebecca Soni Chloe Sutton Dara Torres Kim Vandenberg Kate Ziegler Coaches Jack Bauerle (Women's Head Coach) Ray Benecki Bob Bowman Frank Busch Sean Hutchison Teri McKeever Eddie Reese (Men's Head Coach) Mark Schubert (National Team Head Coach) Gregg Troy Jon Urbanchek Paul Yetter

Frank J. Perry, Jr.^[1] (August 21, 1930 – August 29, 1995) was an American stage and film director, producer and screenwriter. His directorial debut, the 1962 film David and Lisa, earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Director. The film was written by Perry's first wife, Eleanor Perry. They would go on to collaborate on five further films, before their divorce in 1971. His later films include the Joan Crawford bio drama Mommie Dearest and the documentary On The Bridge, about his struggle with prostate cancer.

Early life[link]

Perry was born in New York City, of Portuguese and German ancestry, the son of Pauline (née Schwab), who worked at Alcoholics Anonymous, and Frank J. Perry, a stockbroker.^[1] His mother was a niece of Charles M. Schwab, who founded the Bethlehem Steel Corporation.^[2] As a teenager, Perry began pursuing his interest in the theater with a job as a parking lot attendant for the Westport Country Playhouse in nearby Westport, Connecticut. He attended the University of Miami. He produced several plays at Westport and then turned for a time to producing television documentaries.

Career[link]

A veteran of the Korean War, he returned to the entertainment industry after being discharged and made his directorial debut in 1962 with the low-budget drama film David and Lisa. Based on the novel by Theodore Isaac Rubin, the screenplay was written by his wife, Eleanor Perry, who received a nomination for an Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay. A character study of two emotionally disturbed teenagers, the film was successful at the box office and met with much critical acclaim, earning him a nomination for an Academy Award for Directing.

Perry went on to direct and produce a number of films, including The Swimmer (1968) based on a John Cheever story, Last Summer (1969) and Trilogy (1969), written by Truman Capote. Frank and Eleanor Perry divorced in 1971.

Perry is most regarded for his character studies involving a dysfunctional family, such as that in his wife's script of the Sue Kaufman novel Diary of a Mad Housewife (1970). That film earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination for Carrie Snodgress, and Play It As It Lays (1972), starring Tuesday Weld, brought her a Golden Globe Best Actress nomination. Both of these films Perry produced and directed, but he is probably best remembered for directing the controversial 1981 biographical drama Mommie Dearest, an adaptation of a biography by actress Joan Crawford's adoptive daughter, which portrayed the famous movie star as a cruel, sadistic tyrant.

Certain of his film related material and personal papers are contained in the Wesleyan University Cinema Archives to which scholars and media experts from around the world may have full access.^[3]

Personal life[link]

Perry married his first wife, Eleanor Perry (née Rosenfeld) in 1958.^[4] They divorced in 1971 on grounds of incompatibility.^[2] Following the divorce from his second wife, author Barbara Goldsmith, he married his Aspen ski instructor, 22-year-younger Virginia Brush Ford, on June 15, 1992.^[5] He was pop singer Katy Perry's uncle, who has repeatedly declared herself to be a fan of his classic film Mommie Dearest.^{[citation needed]}

Death[link]

Perry died on August 29, 1995, eight days after his 65th birthday, at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan after lengthy battle with prostate cancer.^[6] His final film, 1992's On the Bridge, is an autobiographical documentary dealing with the illness. His ashes were scattered on the mountains of Aspen, Colorado, where he lived the last three years of his life.^[7]

Filmography[link]

• David and Lisa (1962)
• Ladybug Ladybug (1963)
• The Swimmer (1968)
• Last Summer (1969)
• Trilogy (1969)
• Diary of a Mad Housewife (1970)
• Doc (1971)
• Play It As It Lays (1972)
• Man on a Swing (1974)
• Rancho Deluxe (1975)
• Mommie Dearest (1981)
• Monsignor (1982)
• Compromising Positions (1985)
• Hello Again (1987)
• On the Bridge (1992)

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Jim Beaver. "Frank Perry", Films in Review, November 1981.
• Bilge Ebiri. "Domestic Disturbances. The unsung cinema of Frank and Eleanor Perry" August 25, 2008
• Matthew Mandarano. "Along the Bridge: The Films of Frank Perry"

External links[link]

• Frank Perry at the Internet Movie Database
• Frank Perry at the Notable Names Database

Jeremy Linn

File:Jeremy Linn 2011.jpg
Personal information
Born	January 6, 1975
Medal record Men's swimming Competitor for the  United States Olympic Games Gold Atlanta 1996 4x100 m medley Silver Atlanta 1996 100 m breaststroke

Jeremy Porter Linn (born January 6, 1975 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania), set an American record in the one hundred meter breaststroke category while winning the silver medal in that event at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.

In Atlanta, Mark Henderson, Gary Hall Jr., Jeff Rouse, and Linn set the world record in the 400m medley relay. Linn is known for his unusual warm-up routine and unorthodox swim sets. A typical set consists of flips off the blocks. Linn has been given the nickname "The Goat" due to his facial hair.

Linn attended the University of Tennessee from 1995–98 where he was a seventeen-time NCAA All-American in swimming.^[1] Linn won eleven SEC swimming titles-six individual and five relay. He also helped the Tennessee Volunteers win an SEC team championship in 1996. At the national level, he won four individual NCAA titles. Linn held the NCAA and US Open record in the 100 yard breaststroke until 2007, that record was broken by Mike Alexandrov of Northwestern University.

Linn was the Senior Coach at the QDD Swim Team in Manassas, Virginia from September 2004 until August 2007. Jeremy coached three swimmers to National Championship qualifying times and he also coached three of the four QDD women in the 200 Free Relay to the VSI State Senior Championships for short course in 2007, breaking the meet record and nearly breaking the five year old state record.^[2] Linn coached 11 QDD athletes whom achieved USA Swimming's Scholastic All American status for the 2006–07 school year, Linn coached for Tar Heel Aquatic Team, in Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina from August 2007 to December 2007. He now coaches for the Curl-Burke swim team^[3] in northern Virginia.

References[link]

External links[link]

• sports-reference
• QDD
• Curl-Burke Swim Club
• VA Swimming

v t e 1996 USA Olympic Swimming Team Men's Team Ryan Berube Brad Bridgewater Carlton Bruner Greg Burgess Ray Carey Josh Davis Tom Dolan David Fox Kurt Grote Gary Hall, Jr. John Hargis Mark Henderson Joe Hudepohl Jeremy Linn Tom Malchow Eric Namesnik Jon Olsen John Piersma Jeff Rouse Brad Schumacher Tripp Schwenk Scott Tucker Peter Wright Eric Wunderlich Women's Team Amanda Beard Brooke Bennett Beth Botsford Janet Evans Catherine Fox Whitney Hedgepeth Trina Jackson Lisa Jacob Angel Martino Whitney Metzler Kristine Quance Annette Salmeen Jilen Siroky Sheila Taormina Cristina Teuscher Jenny Thompson Melanie Valerio Amy Van Dyken Allison Wagner Ashley Whitney Coaches Skip Kenney David Marsh Richard Quick Eddie Reese Mark Schubert Jonty Skinner Murray Stephens Gregg Troy Jon Urbanchek

Jeremy Lin

Lin in his first game for the Knicks, following a game against his former team the Golden State Warriors on December 28, 2011
No. 17 – New York Knicks
Point guard
Personal information
Born	(1988-08-23) August 23, 1988 (age 23) Los Angeles, California
Nationality	American
High school	Palo Alto HS (Palo Alto, California)
Listed height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight	200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
College	Harvard (2006–2010)
NBA Draft	2010 / Undrafted
Pro career	2010–present
Career history
2010–2011	Golden State Warriors
2010–2011	→Reno Bighorns (D-League)
2011	Dongguan Leopards (China)
2011–present	New York Knicks
2012	→Erie BayHawks (D-League)
Career highlights and awards
NBA BBVA Rising Star (2012) ABA Club Championship MVP (2011) 2× All-Ivy League First Team (2009, 2010) All-Ivy League Second Team (2008) CIF Division II champion (2006) 2× SCVAL MVP (2005, 2006)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Jeremy Shu-How Lin^[1] (born August 23, 1988) is an American professional basketball player with the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After receiving no athletic scholarship offers out of high school and being undrafted out of college, the 2010 Harvard University graduate reached a partially guaranteed contract deal later that year with his hometown Golden State Warriors.

Lin seldom played in his rookie season and was assigned to the NBA Development League (D-League) three times. He was waived by the Warriors and the Houston Rockets the following preseason before joining the Knicks early in the 2011–12 season. He was again assigned to the D-League and continued to play sparingly. In February 2012, he unexpectedly led a winning streak by New York while being promoted to the starting lineup, which generated a global following known as Linsanity. Lin is one of the few Asian Americans in NBA history, and the first American of Chinese or Taiwanese descent to play in the league.^[2] He is known for his public expression of the Christian faith.^[3]

Early life[link]

Lin was born in Los Angeles, and raised in a Christian family in the San Francisco Bay Area city of Palo Alto.^{[4][5][note 1]} His parents, Lin Gie-Ming and Shirley Lin, emigrated from Taiwan to the United States in the mid-1970s, first settling in Virginia, and later residing in Indiana, where they both attended universities.^[8][9][10] They are dual nationals of both Taiwan and the U.S.^[11] Lin's paternal family comes from Beidou, Changhua, in Taiwan (his father's distant ancestors immigrated to Taiwan from Zhangpu County, Fujian, in mainland China, in 1707),^[11][12][13] while his maternal grandmother immigrated to Southern Taiwan in the late 1940s from Pinghu, Zhejiang in mainland China.^[11][14][15]

Lin's parents are both 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 m) tall.^[16] His maternal grandmother's family was tall, and her father was over 6 feet (1.8 m).^[15] Lin has an older brother, Josh, and a younger brother, Joseph.^[10] Gie-Ming taught his sons to play basketball at the local YMCA.^[17] Shirley helped form a National Junior Basketball program in Palo Alto where Lin played. She worked with coaches to ensure his playing did not affect academics. She was criticized by her friends for letting Lin play so much basketball, but she allowed him to play the game he enjoyed.^[18]

High school career[link]

In his senior year in 2005–2006, Lin captained Palo Alto High School to a 32–1 record and upset nationally ranked Mater Dei, 51–47, for the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Division II state title.^[19][20] He was named first-team All-State and Northern California Division II Player of the Year, ending his senior year averaging 15.1 points, 7.1 assists, 6.2 rebounds and 5.0 steals.^[19]

College career[link]

Recruiting process[link]

Lin sent his résumé and a DVD of highlights of his high school basketball career to all the Ivy League schools, University of California, Berkeley, and his dream schools Stanford and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).^[21][22][9] The Pac-10 schools wanted him to walk-on, rather than be actively recruited or offered a sports scholarship. Harvard and Brown were the only teams that guaranteed him a spot on their basketball teams, but Ivy League schools do not offer athletic scholarships.^[23] Rex Walters, University of San Francisco men's basketball coach and a retired NBA player, said NCAA limits on coaches' recruiting visits had an impact on Lin's chances. "Most colleges start recruiting a guy in the first five minutes they see him because he runs really fast, jumps really high, does the quick, easy thing to evaluate," Walters said. Lin added, "I just think in order for someone to understand my game, they have to watch me more than once, because I’m not going to do anything that’s extra flashy or freakishly athletic."^[24]

In July 2005, then-Harvard assistant coach Bill Holden saw that Lin was 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m), which fit the physical attributes he was seeking, and he had a 4.2 grade point average in high school, which fit Harvard's academic standards. However, Holden was not initially impressed with Lin's on-court abilities, and told Lin's high school basketball coach, Peter Diepenbrock, that Lin was a "Division III player". Later that week, Holden saw Lin playing in a much more competitive game, driving to the basket at every opportunity with the "instincts of a killer". Lin became a top-priority for Holden.^[25] Harvard coaches feared that Stanford, close to Lin's home,^{[note 2]} would offer Lin a scholarship, but it did not, and Lin chose to attend Harvard.^[26] "I wasn't sitting there saying all these Division I coaches were knuckleheads," Diepenbrock said. "There were legitimate questions about Jeremy."^[27] Joe Lacob, incoming Warriors' owner and Stanford booster, said Stanford's failure to recruit Lin "was really stupid. The kid was right across the street. [If] you can't recognize that, you've got a problem."^[28] Kerry Keating, the UCLA assistant who offered Lin the opportunity to walk-on, said in hindsight that Lin would probably have ended up starting at point guard for UCLA.^[29]

Harvard[link]

After failing to receive any athletic scholarship offers, Lin attended Harvard.

A Harvard coach remembered Lin in his freshman season as "the [physically] weakest guy on the team",^[30] but in his sophomore season (2007–08), Lin averaged 12.6 points and was named All-Ivy League Second Team.^[19] By his junior year during the 2008–09 season, he was the only NCAA Division I men's basketball player who ranked in the top ten in his conference for scoring (17.8), rebounding (5.5), assists (4.3), steals (2.4), blocked shots (0.6), field goal percentage (0.502), free throw percentage (0.744), and three-point shot percentage (0.400),^[17] and was a consensus selection for All-Ivy League First Team. He had 27 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds in an 82–70 win over 17th-ranked Boston College, three days after the Eagles defeated No. 1 North Carolina.^[19][31]

In his senior year (2009–10), Lin averaged 16.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.1 blocks, and was again a unanimous selection for All-Ivy League First Team. He was one of 30 midseason candidates for the John R. Wooden Award^[32] and one of 11 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award.^[33] He was also invited to the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament.^[34] Fran Fraschilla of ESPN picked Lin among the 12 most versatile players in college basketball.^[31] He gained national attention for his performance against the 12th ranked Connecticut Huskies, against whom he scored a career-high tying 30 points and grabbed nine rebounds on the road.^[35] After the game, Hall of Fame Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun said of Lin: "I've seen a lot of teams come through here, and he could play for any of them. He's got great, great composure on the court. He knows how to play."^[17]

For the season, Harvard set numerous program records including wins (21), non-conference wins (11), home wins (11) and road/neutral wins (10).^[36] Lin finished his career as the first player in the history of the Ivy League to record at least 1,450 points (1,483), 450 rebounds (487), 400 assists (406) and 200 steals (225).^[19] He graduated from Harvard in 2010 with a degree in economics and a 3.1 grade-point average.^[37]

Professional career[link]

Undrafted[link]

At the Portsmouth Invitational, Lin first met the sports agent Roger Montgomery and later gave Montgomery a commitment. To Montgomery's disappointment, Lin went undrafted in the 2010 NBA Draft.^[38] The NBA had not drafted an Ivy League player since Jerome Allen of Penn in the second round in 1995. The last Ivy League player to play in the NBA was Yale's Chris Dudley in 2003, while the last Harvard player was Ed Smith in 1954.^[39][9] Eight teams had invited Lin to predraft workouts. Diepenbrock said that NBA tryouts do not play five on five. Lin acknowledged that the workouts were "one on one or two on two or three on three, and that’s not where I excel. I've never played basketball like that."^[24] Scouts saw what The New York Times later described as "a smart passer with a flawed jump shot and a thin frame, who might not have the strength and athleticism to defend, create his own shot or finish at the rim in the N.B.A."^[30] Lin joined the Dallas Mavericks for mini-camp as well as their NBA Summer League team in Las Vegas.^[40] Donnie Nelson of the Mavericks was the only General Manager that offered him an invitation to play in the Summer League. "Donnie took care of me," said Lin. "He has a different type of vision than most people do."^[23]

In five Summer League games, while playing both guard positions, Lin averaged 9.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.2 steals in 18.6 minutes per game and shot a team leading 54.5% from the floor.^[41][42] He outplayed first overall pick John Wall;^[30] Lin scored 13 points to Wall's 21, but did so on 6-for-12 shooting in 28 minutes. Wall was 4-for-19 in 33 minutes.^[43] While Wall received the biggest cheer for any player during introductions, the crowd turned on Wall and was cheering for Lin by the end of the game.^[44] Lin received offers to sign from the Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, and an unnamed Eastern Conference team. In addition to the original three teams, the Golden State Warriors also offered Lin a contract.^[45]

Golden State Warriors (2010–2011)[link]

Lin at Warriors practice in 2010

On July 21, 2010, Lin signed a two-year deal with his hometown Warriors, his favorite team growing up. Lin's deal was partially guaranteed for 2010–11, and the Warriors held a team option for the second season.^[46] The deal included a first-year salary of close to $500,000 with more than half of it guaranteed.^[47] Lin said the counteroffers from the three other teams were higher, but he wanted to play for the Warriors.^[48] Lin's agent Roger Montgomery negotiated the deal with the Warriors.^[38] Lin also signed a three-year guaranteed contract with Nike.^[49] His jersey was already on sale before his first NBA game.^[50]

The Warriors held a press conference for Lin after his signing, with national media in attendance. "It was surprising to see that ... for an undrafted rookie," said then-Warriors coach Keith Smart.^[51] "The San Jose Mercury News wrote that Lin "had something of a cult following" after his signing.^[52] The San Francisco Bay Area, with its large Asian-American population, celebrated his arrival.^[2] He became the first American of Chinese or Taiwanese descent to play in the NBA.^[2][53][54] Lin received the loudest ovation of the night in the Warriors' home exhibition opener at Oracle Arena when he entered the game in the fourth quarter.^[55] The crowd had started chanting for him in the third quarter and cheered whenever he touched the ball. "That really touched me. It's something I'll remember forever," Lin said.^[56] During the first month of the season, Oracle Arena fans continued to root for Lin to play in the end of games and cheered every time he touched the ball.^[57] He drew the crowd's attention on the road as well. Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com attributed the attention Lin received out of town to the unique angle of "an Asian-American rising to rare basketball prominence".^[5] ESPN.com NBA editor Matt Wong wrote after a game in New York, "Lin checked into the game to loud applause, presumably from the many Asian-Americans in attendance."^[58] Still, Lin played more relaxed at home. "There's a lot of pressure on him at home, with all of the applause for just checking into the game, so I'm sure that cranks his nerves up a little bit," said teammate Stephen Curry. "You can tell on the road he plays a lot better, because he can just go out there, play and have fun."^[57]

Lin noticed the expectations that followed him and warned, "I won't be an All-Star this year."^[59] He was appreciative of the support, especially from the Asian-American community, but he also preferred concentrating on his play without all the attention when he had not "proven anything to anybody."^[5] Smart saw that Lin was skilled at getting to the paint, but needed to learn to pass because, he said, Lin "couldn't shoot the ball at all". The coach also noticed that the player always arrived early for practice and left late. Lin studied and rehearsed Steve Nash and other top point guards' pick-and-roll plays.^[30] Frank Hughes of Sports Illustrated wrote that he talked with the occasional "seeds of self-doubt", which he said was not common to hear in the NBA. Hughes also found it rare when Lin compared himself to the Phoenix Suns' backup point guard Goran Dragić.^[60] "Neither of us is a freak athlete, but we're both effective and know how to play the game," Lin said.^[61] Lin and Curry, the 2009–10 runner-up Rookie of the Year, received more interview requests than any other Warrior. Team officials regularly denied requests for Lin to help him keep his focus. He was approached to be the subject of documentaries.^[5] Smart planned to take pressure off Lin since Lin had a tendency to be hard on himself and get frustrated,^[59] but the coach admitted that he once succumbed to the home crowd's wishes and put Lin into a game in the wrong situation.^[5]

Lin received little playing time during the season with two dominant ball-handling guards, Curry and Monta Ellis, starring for the Warriors.^[62] He initially competed with Charlie Bell and Reggie Williams, and later Acie Law, for playing time at backup point guard.^[63][64] Lin started the regular season on the Warriors' inactive list,^[65] but made his NBA debut the next game during the Warriors' Asian Heritage Night. He received a standing ovation when he entered the game in the final minutes.^[66][67] In the next game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Lin scored his first NBA basket, had three assists, and recorded four steals. He played 11 of his 16 minutes in the third quarter and committed five fouls but played a role in a 12–1 run by the Warriors in a 107–83 loss to the defending NBA champions.^[68][69] Lakers' guard Derek Fisher praised Lin for his energy and aggressiveness.^[70] At Toronto on November 8, the Raptors held Asian Heritage Night to coincide with Lin's visit with the Warriors. Over 20 members of Toronto's Chinese media covered the game.^[71][72] In a 89–117 road loss to the Lakers, Lin scored a (then) career-high 13 points in 18 minutes after scoring only seven total points in his first six games.^[73][74]

Three times during the season, Lin was assigned to the Warriors' D-League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns.^[75][76][77] Each time, he was later recalled by the Warriors.^[78][79][80] He competed in the NBA D-League Showcase and was named to the All-NBA D-League Showcase First Team on January 14, 2011. Lin helped lead the Bighorns to a 2–0 record at the Showcase with averages of 21.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 3.5 steals.^[81] Lin posted a season-high 27 points with the Bighorns on March 18.^[82] In 20 games he averaged 18 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists with Reno.^[30] Lin initially felt he was not good enough to play in the NBA, but he later realized he was learning and getting playing time in the D-League that he would not have received with the Warriors.^[83][84] Lin credited Bighorns coach Eric Musselman with "helping him regain [his] swagger."^[85] Musselman recalled that Lin was a good scorer for himself but was not yet skilled at "using the whole floor". He scored many offensive fouls, but Musselman believed Lin was as good as Gilbert Arenas in the dribble drive, an ability "you can't teach". The player continued to improve his pick-and-roll, how to handle double teams and traps, and improved his jump shot and, especially, his three pointer. Musselman also noticed that Lin, who as an NBA player received first-class airplane tickets, gave them to his teammates.^[30]

The Warriors saw Lin as a potential backup for Curry.^[30] Lacob said the team received more than one trade offer for Lin while he was in the D-League, but he was happy with Lin's progress as an undrafted free agent. "He's a minimum, inexpensive asset. You need to look at him as a developing asset. Is he going to be a superstar? No."^[86] He finished his rookie NBA season averaging 2.6 points on 38.9 percent shooting in 29 games.^[87]

2011 offseason[link]

Lin recovered from a patellar ligament injury to his knee during the 2011 NBA lockout.^[88] In September 2011, Lin played a few games for the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) club Dongguan Leopards at the ABA Club Championship in Guangzhou, China, where he was named the MVP of the tournament.^[89] Shanghai Sharks president and former NBA star Yao Ming also tried, unsuccessfully, to sign Lin for the upcoming CBA season;^[90] Lin explained^[91] that as someone still under contract with the Golden State Warriors, he could not play in the CBA as the league would only admit NBA free agents.^[92] A few days before the lockout was lifted on November 26, Lin had been close to signing with an undisclosed club in Italy.^[93]

Lin worked to improve his jump shot during the offseason by abandoning the shooting form he had used since the eighth grade. He also increased his strength, doubling the weight he could squat (from 110 pounds (50 kg) to 231 (105)) and almost tripling the number of pull-ups that he could do (from 12 to 30).^[88] He increased his body weight from 200 pounds (91 kg) to 212 (96)—including 15 pounds (6.8 kg) of muscle—added 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) to his standing vertical jump and 6 inches (15 cm) to his running vertical jump, and improved his lateral quickness by 32 percent.^[30][94] Due to the lockout, he never got a chance to workout for new Warriors coach Mark Jackson.^[95] On the first day of training camp on December 9, 2011, the Warriors waived Lin. He was a favorite of Lacob,^[96][97] but the Warriors were freeing up salary cap space to make an offer to restricted free agent center DeAndre Jordan;^[98][99] Lin was due to make nearly $800,000 that would have become fully guaranteed on February 10, 2012.^[2][100] The San Francisco Chronicle said Lin would have had trouble beating out rookie guard Charles Jenkins.^[101]

On December 12, 2011, Lin was claimed off waivers by the Houston Rockets.^[102] He played seven minutes in two preseason games with the Rockets, who already had Kyle Lowry, Goran Dragić and Jonny Flynn as point guards with guaranteed contracts.^[103][104] On December 24, before the start of the season, the Rockets waived Lin to clear payroll to sign center Samuel Dalembert.^[62][105]

New York Knicks (2011–present)[link]

Lin shoots over former Warriors teammate David Lee.

The New York Knicks claimed Lin off waivers on December 27 to be a backup behind Toney Douglas and Mike Bibby after an injury to guard Iman Shumpert; recently-signed guard Baron Davis was also injured and weeks away from playing.^{[62][99][106]} He becomes a restricted free agent at the end of the season.^[107] Because of the lockout coaches had little opportunity to see Lin's play, and placed him fourth on the point guard depth chart.^[30] Lin said he was "competing for a backup spot, and people see me as the 12th to 15th guy on the roster. It's a numbers game",^[52] and continued to arrive first at practice, leave last, intensely study game film, and work with coaches to improve his footwork and judgement.^[30] He made his season debut on the road against the Warriors, where he was warmly cheered in his return to Oracle Arena.^[108] On January 17, 2012, Lin was assigned to the Erie BayHawks of the D-League.^[109] On January 20, he had a triple-double with 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists in the BayHawks' 122–113 victory over the Maine Red Claws.^[110] Lin was recalled by the Knicks three days later,^[111] but so feared being cut again that he asked a chaplain at a pregame prayer service to pray for him.^[112] If released again, Lin considered playing in Europe, returning to the D-league, or taking a break with a non-basketball job.^[113]

On January 28, Davis suffered a setback that postponed his Knicks debut.^[107][114] Then New York considered releasing Lin before his contract became guaranteed on February 10 so they could sign a new player. However, after the Knicks squandered a fourth quarter lead in a February 3 loss to the Boston Celtics, coach Mike D'Antoni decided to give Lin a chance to play due to "desperation", according to experts. "He got lucky because we were playing so bad," said D'Antoni.^[114][115] Lin had played only 55 minutes through the Knicks' first 23 games, but he would unexpectedly lead a turnaround of an 8–15 team that had lost 11 of its last 13 games.^{[116][117][118]}

On February 4, against the New Jersey Nets and All-Star guard Deron Williams, Lin had 25 points, five rebounds, and seven assists—all career-highs—in a 99–92 Knicks victory. Teammate Carmelo Anthony suggested to coach Mike D'Antoni at halftime that Lin should play more in the second half. After the game, D'Antoni said Lin has a point-guard mentality and "a rhyme and a reason for what he is doing out there."^{[119][120][121]} In the subsequent game against the Utah Jazz, Lin made his first career start playing without stars Anthony, who left the game due to injury, and Amar'e Stoudemire, whose older brother had died. Lin had 28 points and eight assists in the Knicks' 99–88 win.^[122][123] Stoudemire and Anthony missed the next three and seven games, respectively.^[121][123] D'Antoni stated after the Jazz game that he intended to "rid[e Lin] like freakin' Secretariat."^[124] Basketball trainer David Thorpe said in hindsight that such a statement of confidence so soon by a coach was "incredibly rare", and likely gave Lin the confidence to continue to play aggressively despite making mistakes.^[115]

In a 107–93 win over the Washington Wizards, Lin played against John Wall and had 23 points and 10 assists, his first double-double.^[126] On February 10, Lin scored a new career-high 38 points and had seven assists, leading the Knicks in their 92–85 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. He outscored the Lakers' Kobe Bryant, who had 34 points.^{[127][128][129]} On February 11, Lin scored 20 points and had 8 assists in a narrow 100–98 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.^[130] Lin was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week after averaging 27.3 points, 8.3 assists and 2.0 steals in those four starts with the Knicks going undefeated.^[131]

On February 14, with less than a second remaining, Lin scored a game-winning three-pointer against the Toronto Raptors.^[123] The basket so amazed the Lakers, watching on TV, that veteran player Metta World Peace ran by reporters shouting "Linsanity! Linsanity!" and waving his hands above his head.^[132][133] Lin became the first NBA player to score at least 20 points and have seven assists in each of his first five starts.^[134] Lin scored 89, 109, and 136 points in his first three, four, and five career starts, respectively, all three of which are the most by any player since the merger between the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the NBA in 1976–77.^{[130][135][136]}

In the following game against the Sacramento Kings, Lin recorded 13 assists and led the Knicks back to .500.^[137] New York had a 7–0 record after Lin started receiving major playing time, 6–0 with him starting.^[138] The winning streak ended in an 89–85 loss to the New Orleans Hornets; Lin scored 26 points but had nine turnovers. His 45 turnovers in his first seven career starts were the most since individual turnovers began being tracked in 1977–78.^[139] On February 19 in a 104–97 win against the Mavericks, Lin scored 28 points and tallied career highs with 14 assists and five steals. USA Today wrote, "No matter what Dallas threw at Lin – double-teams, traps, blitzes, tall defenders ... smaller defenders ... stocky, thin – Lin found a way ... to a victory against the defending NBA champions."^[140]

In his 12 starts before the All-Star break, Lin averaged 22.5 points and 8.7 assists, and New York had a 9–3 record.^[141] He played in the Rising Stars Challenge during NBA All-Star Weekend.^[142] He was omitted from the original Rising Stars roster, but was added after his sudden rise to stardom.^[143] Some media outlets—including USA Today, Los Angeles Times, and CBSSports.com—stated that he deserved to play in the All-Star Game.^{[144][145][146]}

After the March 24 game against the Detroit Pistons, Lin complained about a sore knee, and an MRI later revealed a small meniscus tear in the left knee. The Knicks announced on March 31 that Lin opted to have knee surgery and would miss the rest of the regular season.^[147][148]

Career statistics[link]

College[link]

NBA[link]

Regular season

International career[link]

Lin at a press conference in Taiwan

In addition to being a U.S. citizen, Lin is also by descent through his parents a national of the Republic of China (Taiwan); Lin could apply for a Republic of China passport although there is no record of his having done so.^[149][150] Lin has been invited to play for the Chinese Taipei men's national basketball team in FIBA competitions. On July 28, 2010 while in Taipei to play in Yao Ming's charity game, Lin said he had not made a decision yet on whether he would represent Chinese Taipei (the name used by Taiwan in international sporting competitions).^{[83][151][152]} In June 2011, the Chinese Taipei Basketball Association (CTBA) included Lin in its preliminary squad of 24 players for the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship.^[153] The next month, however, the CTBA announced that Lin would not be included on their roster due to a knee injury.^[154]

Taiwanese media reported that Lin declined an offer from the People's Republic of China to play in the same tournament;^[155] however, the Chinese Basketball Management Center denied having ever approached him.^[156]

On May 14, 2012, Lin was named to the USA Basketball Men’s Select Team that will scrimmage against the 2012 USA Olympic team candidates.^[157]

Racial issues[link]

Sean Gregory of Time wrote of Lin's zero Division I scholarship offers: "[Lin] was scrawny, but don't doubt that a little racial profiling, intentional or otherwise, contributed to his underrecruitment."^[158] Diepenbrock stated, "If [Lin] was African American or Caucasian, it might have been a different deal"; he did not think Lin's race affected his recruiting until later seeing 10 Division I coaches express interest in a black student who Diepenbrock assessed as "a nice junior college player."^[159] Lin said: "I'm not saying top-5 state automatically gets you offers, but I do think (my ethnicity) did affect the way coaches recruited me. I think if I were a different race, I would've been treated differently."^[160] Walters added, "People who don't think stereotypes exist are crazy. If [Lin's] white, he's either a good shooter or heady. If he's Asian, he's good at math. We're not taking him."^[161]

Diepenbrock said that people without meaning any harm assume since Lin is Asian that he is not a basketball player. The first time Lin went to a Pro-Am game in Kezar Pavilion in San Francisco someone there informed him: "Sorry, sir, there's no volleyball here tonight. It's basketball."^[162] During Lin's college career, fewer than 0.5% of men's Division 1 basketball players were Asian-American.^[158][160] Lin has regularly heard bigoted jeers at games such as "Wonton soup", "Sweet and sour pork", "Open your eyes!", "Go back to China", "Orchestra is on the other side of campus", or pseudo-Chinese gibberish.^{[9][158][160]} Lin says this occurred at most if not all Ivy League gyms. He does not react to it. "I expect it, I'm used to it, it is what it is," says Lin.^[158] The heckling came mostly from opposing fans and not as much from players.^[163] According to Harvard teammate Oliver McNally, a fellow Ivy League player once called Lin the ethnic slur chink.^[158] In January 2010, Harvard played against Santa Clara University at the Leavey Center, just 15 miles from his hometown of Palo Alto, California. Playing to a capacity crowd that included droves of Asian Americans wanting to see his homecoming, his teammates told him, "It was like Hong Kong."^[164]

Lin considers himself a basketball player more than just an Asian American. He understands that there have not been many Asians in the NBA. "Maybe I can help break the stereotype," said Lin.^[165] "I feel like Asians in general don't get the respect that we may deserve whether it comes to sports, basketball, or whatever it might be."^[166] Prior to the 2010–11 NBA season, Americans of Asian descent who played in the NBA included Wataru Misaka, Raymond Townsend, Corey Gaines, Rex Walters, and Robert Swift.^{[45][167][168]} "[Lin's] carrying the hopes of an entire continent. I only had to carry the hopes of Little Rock, Arkansas. He's accomplished a lot more than I have already," said Derek Fisher, who had won five NBA championships with the Lakers, after his first game against Lin.^[70] Lin is setting an example for prospective Asian athletes in America who rarely see Asian-Americans playing on their favorite teams.^[169] "I don't look Japanese," Walters said, referring to his mother's ethnicity. "When they see [Lin], it's an Asian-American".^[170]

Some fans and commentators wrote off his Warriors signing as a publicity stunt.^[2] Larry Riley, the team's general manager, denied catering to the Bay Area’s large Asian population. He understood that some people would see it that way. "We evaluated him throughout summer league," Riley said. “All that had to happen was for him to confirm what we already believed."^[24] While the team created a campaign around him, Riley said it would not have been advisable if Lin was not a basketball player first.^[171]

On February 10, 2012, in the middle of Lin's career game against the Lakers, Fox Sports columnist Jason Whitlock posted on Twitter, "Some lucky lady in NYC is gonna feel a couple inches of pain tonight", a reference to Lin's sexual prowess.^[173] Hyphen wrote that Whitlock "reinforced the insipid and insidious 'small Asian penis' stereotype."^[174] The Asian American Journalists Association demanded an apology. "I debased a feel-good sports moment. For that, I’m truly sorry," apologized Whitlock.^[175][176] Boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr. wrote on his Twitter page, "Jeremy Lin is a good player but all the hype is because he's Asian. Black players do what he does every night and don't get the same praise."^[177] NBCNewYork.com in response to Mayweather noted that "no one of any skin color in the history of basketball has done in their first four starts what Lin pulled off for the Knicks last week."^[178] On February 15, the MSG Network during game coverage showed a fan's sign of Lin's face above a fortune cookie with the words "The Knicks Good Fortune", which some viewed as an ethnic stereotype.^[179] Sporting News wrote that the sign was "questionable", while CBS News called it "distasteful".^[180][181] Some Knicks teammates have been criticized for bowing to Lin during games.^{[182][183][184]} On February 17, ESPN used a racial slur on its mobile website in the headline "Chink in the Armor" after Lin had nine turnovers in New York’s loss to the Hornets. It was removed 35 minutes later, and ESPN apologized.^[185] The network fired the employee who posted the headline, and suspended ESPNews anchor Max Bretos for using the same reference earlier in the week. Bretos also apologized. Knicks radio announcer Spero Dedes also used the phrase on 1050 ESPN New York, but he was an employee of Madison Square Garden (MSG) and not ESPN.^{[186][187][188]} He apologized and was disciplined by MSG.^[189] Saturday Night Live in a cold open satirized the puns in reference to Lin's ethnicity; three commentators were featured happily making jokes about Lin's race, while a fourth drew contempt for making similar comments about black players.^[186][187] ESPN received emails suggesting that Lin was subjected to racial slurs in a manner that African-Americans are not.^[190] Ben & Jerry's created a frozen yogurt in honor of Lin named "Taste the Lin-Sanity". The company replaced the fortune cookies with waffle cookies and apologized to anyone offended by their Lin-Sanity flavor.^[191][192] J. A. Adande of ESPN.com wrote that the heightened ethnic sensitivity toward Asian Americans was "another way [Lin's] impact resonates far beyond Madison Square Garden."^[193] The AAJA released a set of guidelines to the media in response to what it termed as "factual inaccuracies about Lin's background as well as an alarming number of references that rely on stereotypes about Asians or Asian Americans."^[194][195]

Public image[link]

Lin has a YouTube account,^[196] and has made videos with YouTube personalities Nigahiga and KevJumba. Lin and teammate Landry Fields eventually appeared on a video on Lin's YouTube Channel revealing their "secret handshake".^[197] In a video interview conducted by Elie Seckbach, he asked Lin how it felt to be representing so many people. Lin responded by stating, "It's humbling, a privilege, and a honor. I'm really proud of being Chinese, I'm really proud of my parents being from Taiwan. I just thank God for the opportunity."^[198] In July 2011, the overseas Chinese Vivid Magazine named Lin one of its top eight influential Chinese-Americans.^[199] In April 2012, Lin was named to Time Magazine's 2012 list of the "Top 100 Most Influential People in the World."^[200]

"Linsanity"[link]

External images
	Lin on February 20, 2012 cover of Sports Illustrated
	Lin on February 27, 2012 cover of Sports Illustrated
	Lin on February 27, 2012 cover of Time

After he became a starter for the Knicks, the Associated Press called Lin "the most surprising story in the NBA".^[201] Bloomberg News wrote that Lin "has already become the most famous [Asian American NBA player]". Knicks fans developed nicknames for him along with a new lexicon inspired by his name, Lin.^[202][203] Most popular was the word Linsanity, the excitement over the unheralded Lin.^[204] Time.com ran an article titled, "It's Official: Linsanity Is for Real".^[205] Hall of Fame player Magic Johnson said, "The excitement [Lin] has caused in [Madison Square] Garden, man, I hadn't seen that in a long time."^[206] He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the headline "Against All Odds", which the Times called "the greatest tribute".^[207] He also made the cover of Time in Asia; Forbes wrote, "Congratulations Jeremy. You have now made the cover of Time the same number of times as Michael Jordan. Linsanity reigns on."^[208] Lin's story was also on the front-page of many Taipei newspapers.^[209] "I haven't done a computation, but it's fair to say that no player has created the interest and the frenzy in this short period of time, in any sport, that I'm aware of like Jeremy Lin has," said NBA commissioner David Stern.^[210]

Lin's jersey on display

The Knicks' success due to Lin's play reportedly contributed to the end of a dispute which had for 48 days prevented Time Warner Cable customers from watching Knicks games and other MSG Network programs.^[211] The team quickly began selling replicas of Lin's No. 17 jerseys and t-shirts, and the sales and traffic for its online store increased more than 3,000%;^[212] Lin has had the best-selling jersey in the NBA since February 4, 2012.^[213] Both Nike and Adidas introduced Lin-related athletic apparel, and expected that his fame would help sales in China.^[214] His popularity was attributed with growing the NBA's popularity there since Yao Ming's retirement in the offseason; the audience for NBA games on television and online in China rose 39 percent over the previous season.^[215]

Within three weeks of his first game as a starter, at least seven e-books were being published on Lin,^[216] and the Global Language Monitor declared that Linsanity had met its criteria to be considered an English-language word.^[217] He appeared on a second consecutive Sports Illustrated cover, the first New York-based team athlete^[218] and the third NBA player in the magazine's history, after Jordan and Dirk Nowitzki.^[219] An airline advertised "Linsanely low prices",^[220] bids for his rookie card exceeded $21,000 on eBay,^[221] and the press circulated rumors—denied by Lin—that he was dating Kim Kardashian.^[222] Foreign Policy speculated on his potential impact on Sino-American relations,^[223] and Jack and Suzy Welch wrote that Lin's rise was a lesson to business leaders to not let bureaucracy stifle unproven talent.^[224] Despite his sudden fame Sacramento Kings coach Keith Smart stated, “I knew [Lin] before he was Linmania. He’s still the same humble guy. The guy has not changed a bit, which is real special for a young man.”^[225] Lin's jersey finished that season as the second highest selling in the league behind Derrick Rose's.^[226]

Personal life[link]

Lin is an evangelical Christian who was a leader in Harvard's Asian American Christian Fellowship during his time there.^[227][228] He credited his NBA success to playing without pressure. "I've surrendered that to God. I'm not in a battle with what everybody else thinks anymore," said Lin.^[120] He hopes to become a pastor who can head up non-profit organizations, either home or abroad,^[60][229] and has talked of working in inner-city communities to help with underprivileged children.^[163] Lin's younger brother, Joseph, plays basketball for Hamilton College,^[230] and older brother, Josh, is a dental student at New York University.^[231]

When Lin was asked if he was fluent in Chinese, he stated that he could understand it, but could use some help speaking it.^[198] In an interview conducted with NBADraft.net, Lin stated that he could only speak Mandarin, not Cantonese, and could read and write a little. He had also taken classes while attending Harvard to try to improve.^[232] Lin in early 2012 slept on his brother's couch in a one-bedroom apartment on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City.^[233] The night before his breakout game, he slept on the couch of teammate Landry Fields.^[234] He relocated to his own condo in White Plains, New York, after his Knicks contract became guaranteed.^[235]

Notes[link]

References[link]