The Russian Swing sounds like a torture device or a World War II tactical maneuver.
Or something your buddy would say after a bar fight: "Yeah, and then I gave him the Russian Swing, and he didn't bother us no more."
What the Russian Swing is, in fact, is terrifying: Imagine a board suspended underneath a metal bar and swung by the power of two people.
A diver stands on the plank, swinging higher than the bar it's attached to, before finally launching himself off the end.
The diver flies eight or 10 meters in the air, both out and up, and twists and spins before landing in a pool of water.
"It's nerve-racking that I'm doing this type of diving," former UA diver Ben Grado said. "Honestly, it's very different from springboard and platform, technically.
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"It takes a good amount of practice to figure it out."
I've written about some pretty entertaining athletes in this space this year and wanted to update you on how some of them are doing.
There's no more colorful story - literally and figuratively - than Grado, who in March became the first UA diver to win an NCAA individual title when he earned the platform title.
Grado is now doing the Russian Swing, and other tasks, as a member of Cirque du Soleil's "O" show at Bellagio in Las Vegas.
It was his dream to perform for Cirque, and it happened fast.
In August, just as he was starting to debate attending nursing school, Grado's phone rang. Cirque, which had scouted him, asked if he could be in Vegas in two weeks. He needed to answer them by the end of the day.
"You have to take a chance," he said.
Most recruits go to company headquarters in Montreal for two months of training, then go home and wait months, or even years, for the call.
Grado went straight to Vegas. No one can remember that happening before.
He's on a temporary contract, filling in for injured performers. He'll be there through at least March, if not longer. His goal is to get a permanent spot this upcoming year.
It's different, and a lot of fun.
"The first night it was nerve-racking in all senses: performing in front of an audience, where before I was competing only in front of audiences, and knowing I had to remember all these different movements and choreography," he said. "It ended up working out great."
Here are a few more updates on folks I've written about:
• Kasey and Erin Hopper, the couple married at El Tour de Tucson five years ago who celebrated their anniversary at this year's ride, finished 65th in the tandem category with a time of 8 hours 47 minutes 10 seconds. Kasey is legally blind; his wife steers while they both pedal.
• Carissa Crutchfield, who dealt with the plane crash deaths of two coaches while playing at Oklahoma State last year, averages 5.4 points and 2.9 rebounds for the Arizona Wildcats, starting all but one game.
• Tucson resident Leanda Cave, who won the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii on Oct. 13, later won the Ironman 70.3 Miami and finished sixth in Ironman Arizona.
• Bassirima Soro, the "Barefoot Marathoner" who started a solo music career as K-Bass, has put together a 15-piece band and is headlining a world music show at the Rialto Theatre on Jan. 5.
Tucson golf pro makes it to the U.S. Senior Open | Greg Hansen
