By David Cromwell

I’m not saying I’m a trend-setter (we've proved that with my inability to bring back the 80's short shorts), but I will admit that I have seen more mustaches out there since counting down my Top 5 (Coach Reese, if you’re reading this, you know you’re always #1 in my heart) on the subject.  Does this Tuesday bring with it the Miami Ink of swimming?  Probably not.  Parents you can rest assured that no one would mimic anything I believe to be cool.   But I still want to shed some light on a strong underground swimming tradition: the tattoo.  So here you are, the Top 5 Tattoos in Swimming.

Editors Note: My red-blooded countrymen beware, there will be (gasp) French people on this list.  Please don't judge my patriotism on this one instance alone.

[Michael Phelps "M" Tattoo (c) Getty Images]

5.  Michael Phelps: The “M.” The downside of being hands down the greatest ever: increased scrutiny.  The tattoo, as you can see, is barely visible.  Still, while listening to swimmers discuss the ramifications of Phelps’ decision to leave Michigan with coach Bob Bowman at the end of the summer I heard a lone voice rise out from the back, “what about the tattoo?” she asked. Everyone proceeded to look at each other perplexed, "what about the tattoo?" we all repeated. Will the University of Michigan "M" leave Ann Arbor with Phelps?

[Laure Manaudou's Butterfly (c) Getty Images]

4.  Laure Manaudou: The Controversy. Without slipping into profanity, Laure Manaudou makes this list not because of the uncontroversial butterfly tattoo seen here, but for the hidden ones that became available to the world through the interweb after nude photos of her were released. The whole event was both disgusting and unfortunate for the young Manaudou, whose swimming accomplishments should dwarf all the controversy. However, to quote the single greatest comment in Swimnetwork.com’s young history: “on the other hand... I totally [put her on this list] so... meet my hypocrisy” (Administrator, 5/28/2008).

3.  Freddie Bousquet: A Little Bit of Everything. Don’t let his friendly French accent fool you, these tattoos do intimidate. The two greatest races I ever saw in my NCAA career were when Bousquet set the world record out of Lane 1 (after winning a swim-off to get into finals) in 2004 and of course, when he became the first man to swim under 19 seconds in the 50y free. Trust me, the guys around him were intimidated and the tattoos certainly don’t hurt.  Plus, as he told Mel, he's considering adding to his ink-entourage...

[Amaury Leveaux's Wings (c) Getty Images]

2.  Amaury Leveaux: The Wings. This would be hands down the coolest tattoo in the history of swimming if two conditions were met: one, it were permanent and two, Leveaux wins a medal this summer. This tattoo screams go big or go home and Leveaux did just that at the French Olympic Trials with his 1:46.5 200m/21.3 50m free performances. Will his wings (insert pun here) he and his French teammates to gold in the 4X100m free relay? He's certainly caught my attention. Unfortunately, the fact that it is not permanent (yet) disqualifies him from being the hands down winner.  Still, I give the Frenchman credit for adding a certain je ne sais quoi to swimming.

[Brendan Hansen's Tattoo of the Olympic Rings (c) Getty Images]

1.  Olympians: The Rings. What kid didn't see his/her favorite swimmer with the rings tattoo and want to have one someday? Whether on the upper back (like Brendan Hansen pictured), hip or chest the rings are as classy as a tattoo can get…as long as you actually went to the Olympics.  Don't be that guy.  Only get the rings if you went to the Olympics.

David Cromwell is a staff writer for Swimnetwork.com.