November 19, 2012

The Broadway ballroom in the fabulous New York Marriott Marquis set the stage for the 9th annual Golden Goggle Awards for the celebration of our U.S. Olympic team, fresh from the London Games where they topped the medal podium by bringing home 31 medals. It was all about the team in 2012 where their signature moment of the Games was a music video shot in the days leading up to the Olympics. To the delight of the crowd at this sell-out event, it was only fitting that this close-knit group of 49 athletes, coaches and support staff be introduced on the heels of Team USA’s video rendition of Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe”, which created a viral sensation on YouTube with over 15 million views since its' debut last summer. 

But it was their performance in the pool that truly cemented a place for them in U.S. Olympic history with their 16 gold, 9 silver and 6 bronze medals - representing nearly 30 percent of the total medals earned by all American Olympians at the London Games. What better place to honor this very talented group of Olympians than the 2012 Golden Goggle Awards.

Congratuations to all our 2012 Golden Goggle Award Winners!

Female Race of the Year
Katie Ledecky

Male Race of Year
Nathan Adrian

Breakout Performer of the Year
Katie Ledecky

Perseverance Award
Jessica Hardy

Coach of the Year
Bob Bowman

Relay Performance of the Year
Women’s 400 Medley Relay
Missy Franklin
Rebecca Soni
Dana Vollmer
Allison Schmitt

Female Athlete of the Year
Missy Franklin

Male Athlete of the Year
Michael Phelps

USA Swimming is proud to recognize Jim Mulva as the 2012 IMPACT Award recipient
As the CEO of ConocoPhillips, Jim Mulva cultivated a long-standing partnership with USA Swimming. From serving as the title sponsor of the U.S. National Championships to funding support for elite athletes at Nationals, Jim’s steadfast commitment to swimming has had a positive impact on many areas of our community. Today, Phillips 66, which emerged from ConocoPhillips’ repositioning in 2012, proudly continues their support, helping USA Swimming build champions and save lives. In addition to its continued sponsorship of National Championships, Phillips 66 is now the driving force behind the Make a Splash Tour, supporting the USA Swimming Foundation’s mission to help end the drowning epidemic in this country.

2012 Athlete Humanitarian Award recipient - Eric Shanteau
Eric Shanteau is a both a world-class swimmer and a cancer survivor. In June of 2008, just days before Olympic Trials, he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of testicular cancer. Eric used his success as an Olympic gold medalist to raise funds and awareness towards the global cancer burden. 

 
Kevin Nealon - Host for the 2011 Golden Goggle Awards

LA Live was vibrant and abuzz with activity Sunday, November 20th with the Golden Goggle Awards, LA Car Show and the American Music Awards all converging in downtown Los Angeles for a weekend of celebration and fun. Gray skies and a light drizzle failed to dampen spirits as throngs of people crowded into the LA Live corridor patiently waiting to see their favorite pop star walk the red carpet, or over at the car show drooling over one of the hot new concept cars on display.

The electrifying weekend capped off in the Diamond Ballroom of the JW Marriott where Kevin Nealon took to the stage as host and emcee of the 8th Annual Golden Goggle Awards & Silent Auction.

2011 Golden Goggle Award Winners:

Breakout Performer of the Year: Alex Meyer

Perserverance Award: Peter Vanderkaay

Coach of the Year: Gregg Troy

Female Race of the Year: Missy Franklin, 200 Back, FINA World Championships

Male Race of the Year: Ryan Lochte, 200 Back, FINA World Championships

Female Athlete of the Year: Missy Franklin

Male Athlete of the Year: Ryan Lochte

Relay Performance of the Year: Women's 4x100 Medley Relay, FINA World Championships. Natalie Coughlin, Rebecca Soni, Dana Vollmer, Missy Franklin.

The presentation of the 2011 Impact Award was proudly awarded to Carolyn Dirks for her unwavering support, commitment and dedication to the sport of swimming over the last decade. Carolyn embodies the true spirit of altruism and compassion and her heartfelt acceptance speech prompted a standing ovation from the crowd. 

A fantastic line-up of celebrities joined the festivities and graciously presented awards on this magical evening: Michael Lewis, (author of Moneyball and The Blind Side).  Actors, John Slattery, Kevin Farley and Chris Bauer rounded out our A-list of celebrities. 

Olympian's, Louie Zamperini (subject of the recently released book, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption), Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss,  Debbie Meyer, Matt Biondi, David Berkoff, John Naber, Janet Evans, Summer Sanders, Amy Van Dyken, Dave Whorton, Rowdy Gaines and Bryan Clay completed our impressive list of award presenters. 

The seventh annual Golden Goggle Awards, held at the Marriott Marquis in New York City honored the 2010 Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Championship Team!  It was a night to be remembered with the following athletes taking home awards:
 
Breakout Performer of the Year: Missy Franklin

Perseverance Award: Kate Ziegler

Coach of the Year Award: Gregg Troy

Female Race of the Year: Rebecca Soni, 200 Breaststroke,

Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Championships

Male Race of the Year: Ryan Lochte, 200 IM,

Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Championships

Female Athlete of the Year: Rebecca Soni

Male Athlete of the Year: Ryan Lochte

Relay Performance of the Year: Women's 400 Medley Relay,

Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Championships
Natalie Coughlin, Jessica Hardy,

Rebecca Soni, Dana Vollmer                                                

The 2009 Golden Goggle Awards were a huge sucess! Many thanks to all of the guests, coaches, celebrities and, of course, the athletes who made it a special night! Check out the winners from 2009 below.  

Breakout Performer of the Year: Tyler Clary

Perseverence Award: Dana Vollmer

Coach of the Year: Eddie Reese

Female Race of the Year: Ariana Kukors, 200 IM,

2009 World Championships

Male Race of the Year: Michael Phelps, 100 Butterfly,

2009 World Championships

Female Athlete of the Year: Rebecca Soni

Male Athlete of the Year: Ryan Lochte

Relay Performance of the Year: Men's 4x100 Free Relay, 2009 World Championships:

                                                   Nathan Adrian, Matt Grevers, Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps