Excitement is building...

My trip to London for the 2012 British Nationals is all coming together.  It's a very exciting time for so many reasons.

I've always been very realistic about my swimming abilities.  I pride myself for knowing exactly how good I am, and how good I could be.  For many of my teammates on Club Wolverine, the next few months bring hugely important meets.  Meets which will take them from being great swimmers, to Olympians.  I will attend the exact same meets, I will compete just as hard as my teammates but with my own goals.  I'm excited and proud to say that the next few months of my life are already a dream come true.  I will race the fastest swimmers on the planet and I will swim faster than I've ever swum before.

Thanks to a friend Kish and his contacts, I will fly first class to Amsterdam for $160.  I'm still amazed that's even possible.  After flying into Amsterdam I will train in France for 5 days before traveling to London.  Once I'm in London, I will meet up with my CW teammates and prepare for the 2012 British Nationals.  The meet is hosted in the London Aquatic Center, the site of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.  I will get to compete in the 100 Backstroke, 50 Freesytle and the 100 Butterfly.  I will taper for one week and shave for the competition.  This will be my best shot for earning an Olympic Trial cut in the 100 Fly and 50 Free.  Admitedly my chances are not good, I need to drop almost a second in the 100 Fly and half a second in the 50 Free.  I think I have a decent shot but that's still a lot of time to drop.  I'll do my best, as always.  After I compete I'll return to America and continue to train for the next 3 months for the U.S. Olympic Trials.

During the next few months I'll get to swim Long Course meets at Purdue and Charlotte before Olympic Trials and the U.S. Open.  It's a very exciting summer!

Special thanks to Kish, Hulmey and Wu Peng for their help in making my London trip a reality on a budget.