Great Trip, taking the day off swimming!
Great Trip, taking the day off swimming!
These are all my thoughts from this week. It won't make much organizational sense:
Overall it was a great trip, there are so very few things I would have changed. I prepared for the meet exactly how I wanted to, I had an inexpensive but adequate hotel, and even a hot rod of a Hyundai Sonata rental car that was great on gas. I made new friends at the meet and had a chance to support some swimmer friends competing at the meet:
Nicholas Tobler - Mens 100/200 breast
Zach Wood - Mens 200/400 free, 200 Fly
Kara Lynn Joyce - Womens 50/100/200 free
Dan Berve - 100 Back, 100 Fly
Derick Roe - 50 free
Christine Jennings - 200/400/800 free
Allison Schmitt - 100/200 free
Emily Brunemann - 400/800 free
I learned about the new suit technology from different manufacturers and talked to different vendors. I rubbed elbows with some of the biggest names in swimming. I was part of a swim meet which saw 6 world records fall (to date). I saw the joy that followed a swimmer making the Olympic team and I saw the disappointment after swimmers barely missed the cut. I swam in a facility that had over 13,000 people watching. I proudly represented my team of "unattached-MI". I got to wear the olympic rings shirt I made proudly displaying "team KevinDoak". I had a great 100 backstroke which I swam just as I planned on a technical level. I changed my start days prior to the meet, didn't slip at all and got off the pad very well. I signed lots of autographs even though I'm not famous, the kids love all swimmers with credentials! I had a chance to explore Omaha and see the sights. I took time to enjoy my family and had a great lunch with all of them. I got to see the most theatrical presentation of a swim meet ever. I'll post some video of what I experienced, it was breathtaking. The lights, the sounds, the music, the pyrotechnics, it was quite the production. I had a chance to see some former Olympians and watch highlights of their careers. I experienced the stress of one of the most important meet of my life. I basked in the joy of finishing my race while the people I care about watched both in person and via the webcast. I got to reconnect with old friends whom I haven't talked with in a while. I got to share my journey with all of you via my blog and get your feedback and encouragement. I learned what the best swimmers do before, during and after their races. I know now more than ever that elite swimmers are real people just like you and I. They sometimes have special gifts but they work hard and make swimming the top priority. Seeing swimmers at this level and comparing my races to theirs gives me great ideas on what I can improve on. I got to see my local friends the Barr family. I experienced "the Old Market" district of Omaha with its neat shops and restaurants. I got to hang out with my friend Sarah. I got to see my friend SummerLee and her family as they supported their swimmer Zach Wood. I got to have pizza with the Minnesota team and make some new friends I'll run into during the U.S. Open this month in MN. I learned about race swimsuit progression since the 1800's in the "Aquazone", a little attraction USA Swimming put together. I got to go to the Omaha Zoo, saw my first 1/2" hail and run in the rain back to the car! I ate tons of great good and drank a minimum of 64 oz of water a day to keep myself hydrated. I flew on two flawless northwest flights and had complementary orange juice both times. Everybody I ran into was really nice. From the volunteers at the meet, to the swimmers and coaches and the Omaha residents. It was a wonderful week. I will take the day off swimming to enjoy the 4th of July and catch up on some work.
I'll never forget that feeling of touching the wall at the end of my 100 back and the smile that followed.
Thank you for reading. I love swimming.