Cadillac Brings New Technology to the Web to Determine Best U.S. Olympic Swimmer of All Time
25 September 2000
Cadillac Brings New Technology to the Web to Determine Best U.S. Olympic Swimmer of All Time
DETROIT--(BW SportsWire)--Sept. 25, 2000--On Oct. 1, Cadillac will place on the starting blocks five of best male U.S. Olympic swimmers of all time and "level the pool" via the latest computer technology to determine the best swimmer ever.The Test of the Best will "place" Johnny Weismuller, Buster Crabbe, Don Schollander, Mark Spitz and Matt Biondi in a "live" 100-yard freestyle race. The race will be broadcast exclusively on the Cadillac Web site www.Cadillac.com starting at 6 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Oct 1, just prior to the Olympic closing ceremonies. Another Olympic champion, Rowdy Gaines - three-time Gold Medallist and men's swimming commentator for NBC Sports - will announce the race.
Starting from "a level swimming pool" (with all five swimmers theoretically benefiting from wearing more efficient swim suits and swimming in a wave-free pool), Cadillac will synthesize the statistical data and take advantage of current technology to determine the probable outcome.
The ability to provide all five swimmers with the advantages of modern training techniques and technology is just one of the unique elements to the Test of the Best. A second element is the ability to make it appear as though all five swimmers are competing simultaneously in the same event. This is accomplished by carefully removing the original background and by placing swimmers in the new environment.
"Instead of merely comparing best times for the 100-yard freestyle race, the Test of the Best will visually demonstrate how swimming has evolved in the past 60 years. We will see, for example, how goggles, angled starting blocks and the shaving of body and facial hair have contributed to record-breaking times," said Kim Kosak, Cadillac's director of advertising.
The real winner, however, will be USA Swimming and a sweepstakes contestant who will receive a 2001 Cadillac DeVille DTS. Cadillac invites the public to vote for the swimmer they believe will win the race. Criteria for determining race results - such as each swimmer's strengths and weaknesses - are available at www.Cadillac.com. At the conclusion of the race, individuals who selected the winning swimmer will be entered into the sweepstakes drawing.
"For any swimming aficionado, the Test of the Best provides the unique opportunity to experience time travel of a sort," said Kosak. "In essence, we are taking great U.S. Olympic heroes from bygone days, bringing them to the present, and providing them with the advantages of advanced training and technology."
Cadillac's vision of design and technology provides the foundation for growing the Cadillac brand, while building on a heritage of expressive flair and technological ingenuity that historically has set Cadillac apart from other luxury carmakers.
Cadillac has been involved in national sports sponsorships since 1968, when it became one of two exclusive television sponsors of golf's premier event, the Masters Tournament. This past June, Cadillac returned to the world of motorsports endurance racing with participation in the 24-Hours of LeMans.