Today is Monday July 23, just two days until the 2018 Phillips 66 Nationals and World Championship Trials begins! It's also the birthday of The University of Texas legendary coach, Eddie Reese! Eddie share's his birthday with his former Longhorn athlete and World Record Holder, Aaron Peirsol. The BREAKOUT Swim Clinic family wants to wish these two a very Happy Birthday.
Currently, all the top swimmers are gathering in Irvine, CA to earn a spot on one of three teams. Pan Pacific Championships in Tokyo next month, World Champs next year and World University Games in Naples, Italy. Interestingly, we are hosting our first European BREAKOUT Swim Camp in Naples Aug 6-9. We hope to see you there.
But just like in the movie, The Highlander from 1986, all the Immortals gather every thousand years to see who is the greatest, and in the words of the main character, "There can be only one!" This proves to be true for the USA swimmers in the next couple weeks. Not everyone will make a team, and those who do, will have to deal with some intense pressure. Most of these swimmers rely on a stipend from USA Swimming to cover their training and living expenses. If you don't make a team, you won't receive any support. Naturally, this is added pressure to what's already a pressure filled atmosphere.
If you'd like to follow our Olympians and their performances, you can check out all the races live on www.usaswimming.org. I will be joining the action on Thursday and will post highlights and some video footage on Facebook. I hope to see you there.