Maritza Correia McClendon made history as the first black female swimmer to represent the United States in the Olympics. Though her story includes that amazing angle, it includes so much more, from a stellar college career to a post-2000 Olympic Trials bout with depression that took a toll on her. But in the last few months, her life has changed dramatically.

Kim Vandenberg emerged from her outstanding career at UCLA and won bronze as a member of the 2008 Olympic team. Since then, she toured the world, trained in France, but came back to finish the run up to Olympic Trials at Cal with a post-grad training group led by Natalie Coughlin. She explains why, and tells us a familiar name she’s rooming with, in this week’s 20 Question Tuesday.

Is one of your 2012 resolutions finding a swimmer with a great story to root for? Well, Davis Tarwater’s journey included the Club Wolverine Super team up to 2008, a break from the sport for a year, a year in Tennessee, a year as a scholar at prestigious Oxford, and now a year with Dave Marsh at the progressive SwimMAC program in Charlotte.

Caroline Burckle keeps her Olympic medal from Beijing close to her heart. But when she started swimming after the 2008 Olympics, she realized she was ready to move on. After going to fashion school and building a great start to her career in southern California, she has moved back home and hopes to build on her experience in her home state.

We catch up in 20 Question Tuesday every year or so with B.J. Bedford – now B.J. Miller, with her husband Tom, and their amazing children, Arden and Bronson. The 2000 Olympic medalist always has a keen eye for the goings-on in the sport, so we thought there no time better than now to get an Olympic preview, while taking a trip down Olympic Memory Lane, with one of the sport’s most humble, thoughtful figures to kick off the Olympic year of 2012.

She was an hour and a half late for our interview. I don’t blame her. She was in the midst of unpacking after a cross-country move, settling into her new Naples, Fla., apartment. Just six months before the Olympic Trials, Katie Hoff has changed teams, locations and coaches.

Yesterday, the Associated Press unveiled a poll that asked "experts" in the Olympic sports field who would be "The One To Watch" this coming 2012 London Olympics. The article goes on to state that a Phelps vs. "anybody" scenario would likely be a main attraction.

2012 is barely 5% over, and we've seen signs of a Swimpocalypse. Here are a few signs that 2012, as least as far as swimming goes, could be drastically different than we originally thought -- or even turned upside-down.

I went to the gym yesterday and thought I was in the wrong place. There were actually people working out. Running on treadmills. Huffing and puffing, losing extra weight from holiday hedonism. Even as I walked to my beloved lap pool – normally vacant and empty – there were swimmers there, chugging through the water, spitting at each wall, exhausted.

At the end of the year I like to reflect and analyze the biggest things to impact our sport. The stories that truly affected swimming, or have the potential to affect our sport in the upcoming year. They could be behind-the-scenes musings that only I noticed while wandering a lonely pool deck at a Grand Prix, or they could be something that everyone notices.

On Oct. 4th, the YMCA Detroit announced a fund raising initiative to teach all Detroit kids how to swim by the 5th grade. On Dec. 26th, hometown Olympic champion Peter Vanderkaay and brothers Alex and Christian took time out of their winter holiday to help the YMCA welcome a new program called Detroit SWIMS.

Matt McLean paid a recent visit to his home club (SNOW Swimming) in Sterling, VA. Watch the video to see him interacting with the swimmers.

On Dec. 20th, 2011 Michael Klueh, an Evansville native and one of the top long-distance swimmers in the country visited the St. Mary’s Medical Center to bring holiday cheer to kids who were hospitalized during this time. He visited with a few different patients, hearing more about their interests, conditions, and holiday hopes. He also handed out autographs, caps, and wristbands to each child.

On Dec. 17, 2011 Open Water Olympian Alex Meyer visited the Glens Falls YMCA Gators swim team in Glens Falls, NY to make a swIMPACT. Meyer started swimming with the Glens Falls YMCA Gators as an 8 and under, before moving to Ithaca, NY. He came back to his roots to inspire the swimmers and give instructional tips and techniques for open water swimming.

On Dec.1-2 some of the country's fastest swimmers including Brendan Hansen, Rebecca Soni, Tyler Clary, Nick Thoman, Connor Dwyer, Davis Tarwater and Nick Brunelli took time out from their swim meet routines to sign autographs for fans. Here is a short clip from the signing.

While many people were finishing opening presents and spending time with family and friends over the recent holiday season, swimmers and divers from the University of North Dakota were giving back to the homeless and hungry in Grand Forks, N.D.

Jim Buchanan met Adam Depmore more than four years ago. Over the years, the two developed a friendship that brought Buchanan to Depmore’s Lone Star Aquatic Club in Round Rock, Texas, on a regular basis. So when Buchanan was diagnosed with Pick’s Disease it was fitting that Lone Star swimmers would find a way to do something to help their friend.

For most Division III athletic programs, money for everything from uniforms to facilities to travel expenses is extremely tight and budgets are lean. At the University of California Santa Cruz, former swimming alumni have taken it upon themselves to lend a hand – and don a Speedo – to give back to the program by raising funds in the water.

Greg Davis, founding coach of Nitro Swimming in Austin, Texas, didn’t originally envision his line of Flippers books with charity in mind. He created the small, hand-held visually instructional flip books as a means to show stroke progression and technique in a fun way that younger swimmers could relate to and learn from.

It’s a simple yet poignant message and goal embraced by the Grand Strand Masters Swim (GSMS) Club in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Swimming Saves Lives. Last year, GSMS developed the free, weeklong swim lesson program as an opportunity to become involved in the community and donate their most valuable assets: their time and love of swimming.