OLYMPIC TRIAL CUT 100m FLY!

Its tough to put into words how happy I am right now!  My goal for almost a year was to achieve a second Olympic Trial cut!  Last August I got my 100m Backstroke cut at Stanford while I was fully shaved and tapered at 57.44.  As exciting as that was, I really wanted all this training to yield a cut in another event.  I knew my best chances were in the 50m Free and 100m Fly.  Meet after meet I've been swimming 56's and 57's in the butterfly yet I would always take them out in a strong 25 low/mid.  I knew if I could just bring it home in a 30.x that I would have what it took for a cut.  Last week I trained with Middle Distance twice and extended another practice on my own while keeping my weights up.  I think this, combined with a slightly lower workload gave me everything I needed today.  Combine the additional training butterfly with a break from backstroke and I was ready for a great 100 fly.  Friend and teammate Wu Peng donated a suit to the cause when I couldn't find a replacement for me.  I got some great encouragement from my teammates before my race.

With a new suit and the strength of a little MD training, I was ready for the best 100m butterfly of my life.

I got up on those blocks ready to race.  I dove in and had a great breakout at 14 meters.  I had some great strokes that first 50, I was breathing in a relaxed way and really catching water.  At the 40m mark I eased up because I felt like I was going out too hard.  I touched the wall in a 24.91, a lifetime best in the 50m fly by 0.18 seconds!  Miliseconds later it was time to turn.  I had been working on it a lot the past week along with some coaching by butterfly guru Hulmey.  In that split second I forgot everything I had learned and performed my typical slow turn... I knew it was bad and there wasn't anything I could do about it.  It was time to use that wall for those underwater kicks.  I did 8 kicks an surfaced with a sub par breakout breathing on my first stroke.  I held it together for the most part but the last 10 meters was SOOO ugly.  My arms and legs were burning so bad, the pain was extreme.  I put my head down and powered through the last 7 meters no breath.  I knew every milisecond counted. I touched and looked up to see "55.19"!  I let out a huge "OH YEAH" with a mini fist pump.  I had done it! I had an ear to ear smile on my face.  I jumped out of that pool like it was nothing.  I could do nothing but smile in the minutes that followed.  I stayed behind the blocks to watch Wu Peng finish his race just slightly behind Phelps and congratulated him before visiting the team.  I was greeted with smiles and hand shakes by every teammember who saw me.  It was one of the best moments of my life.  This means so much to me, for a while I've been feeling like a "one-hit-wonder" with just my backstroke trial cut.  Now I feel as though I've achieved what so many others on this team have which is more than just one cut.  To do what I did today, I dropped 1.11 seconds unshaved and untapered.  It was borderline impossible what I did today. I couldn't be happier right now.  I've heard some of the nicest compliments and uplifting comments from my teammates.  It means so much to me to have a support system with me on such an important day.  It really is a special day today, I don't care what happens tonight in finals.  I'm seeded 10th in the "B" final.  I don't care if I get dead last, I achieved everything I wanted to.  I could go home right now and feel satisfied.  I'm overwhelmed with excitement, I'm so proud of myself!