Olympic Swimming Trials Blog #1
6/25/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
June 25, 2012
In the first of several blogs, four of Miami's "Fantastic Five"--Maegan O'Connor, Maddie Kete, Megan Brunn, Leah Thornton and Bekka Westrick--check in from the Olympic Swimming Trials at Omaha, Nebraska.
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Sunday (June 24), the day before the meet:
HELLO FROM OMAHA!!!! Leah, Maegan, Bekka, and Megan here. We all arrived here on Saturday, coming from Oxford and Dallas with only minor hiccups in our travels.
Megan Brunn: On my original flight out of DFW, I was supposed to have a layover in Houston before finishing the last leg to Omaha. My first flight was extremely delayed, so I had to switch airlines and got a direct flight, but barely made it before take-off. I settled into my seat in the back of the plane but a flight attendant came up and gave me a new seat assignment... FIRST CLASS!!! Two other people were upgraded and sat right in front of me, and I soon realized it was Olympic swimmer Matt Grevers and his fiancé Annie Chandler, also a speedy swimmer. Not to mention sitting behind me was Olympic Gold Medalist Josh Davis. Needless to say, it was quite a thrilling flight and an awesome start to the trip!! Saturday night we had a very joyful reunion of all 4 of us, but are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Maddie Kete! When we first saw the pool...we knew amazing things would take place in it, and were in total shock at the immensity of it. It looked better than any of us could have ever dreamed!!! The pool was especially built for the Olympic Trials, and is newly constructed every 4 years, each time faster than ever. It is located in the middle of the CenturyLink Center in the heart of Omaha, Nebraska. Let me just mention the scoreboard: the giant screen looms overhead of the pool and when swimming backstroke, you can see "United States Olympic Team," with the Olympic rings and American flag overhead -- talk about motivating to see during any backstroke race!! Also surrounding the pool are approximately 13,000 seats that will be packed with spectators about to witness history. Actually, as we are writing this, all four of us burst out in chorus of the Olympic Anthem. Go America!
Bekka Westrick: I'm looking forward to having fun tomorrow during my race, but I'm trying to stay focused through my nerves. I can't believe there will be Olympians swimming in the same pool as me, which makes me slightly intimidated. My goals for tomorrow are to take it out smooth, breathe every-other stroke, and to bring back the last 50 meters strong.
Maegan O'Connor: I'm also really excited to swim in an atmosphere that I haven't experienced before. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I am excited to go out there and have fun and take in every moment, especially since I only have one race. It's all or nothing. My race strategies are to bring home the last 50 and to make sure I use my legs in order to have a strong finish and "not die." I'm so pumped. It's nice not to worry about this race since I've already come this far, and I'm just going to rely on the training that I've done all year!
Leah Thornton and Megan Brunn: We are supa dupa excited to warm up tomorrow and then hit the AQUA ZONE!! (the merchandise area) and Leah is going to by some new goggles! Both of us are going to chill out, watch some fast swimming, and cheer on the RedHawks and other MAC swimmers who will be competing tomorrow. We can't wait to race on Tuesday, especially after Coach Dave and Coach Mark's motivational speech tonight! That's it for tonight...Bekka and Maegan are off to go shave and get some rest in preparation for the 100 fly tomorrow and Day 1 of the Olympic Trials!
Love and Honor,
Bekka, Maegan, Leah, and Megan
--www.MURedHawks.com--
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