By Katie Willis, SwimmingWorld College Intern
The Olympics is a phenomenal global event that only comes around every four years. It brings together athletes of various backgrounds and a population of immense talent for a one-of-a-kind elite competition. This upcoming Olympics is likely to be quite memorable, as the most decorated Olympian of all-time, Michael Phelps, faces his last challenge.
Photo Courtesy: Sue Borst
And although we eagerly await the results of Olympic trials, there is still hopeful expectations for relatively newer and younger faces like Missy Franklin, Katie Ledecky, Caeleb Dressel, Simone Manuel, Reece Whitley, and more.
Whether or not this your first or your fifth Olympic experience, there are many ways to ensure that Rio 2016 is worthwhile.
1. Know the schedule!
As we all know it’s rare to find swimming broadcast on TV, thus it would be a shame to miss out on an event of this scale. The swimming portion of the Olympics will span from August 6 to August 13.
HEATS |
SEMIFINALS/FINALS |
| SATURDAY, AUG 6TH
Men’s 400m IM Women’s 100m Fly Men’s 400m Free Women’s 400m IM Men’s 100m Breast Women’s 4 x 100m Free Relay
|
SATURDAY, AUG 6TH
Men’s 400m IM – Final Women’s 100m Fly – Semifinal Men’s 400m Free – Final Women’s 400m IM – Final Men’s 100m Breast – Semifinal Women’s 4 x 100m Free Relay – Final
|
| SUNDAY, AUG 7TH
Women’s 100m Back Men’s 200m Free Women’s 100m Breast Men’s 100m Back Women’s 400m Free Men’s 4 x 100m Free Relay
|
SUNDAY, AUG 7TH
Women’s 100m Fly – Final Men’s 200m Free – Semifinal Women’s 100m Breast – Semifinal Men’s 100m Breast – Final Women’s 400m Free – Final Men’s 100m Back – Semifinal Women’s 100m Back – Semifinal Men’s 4 x 100m Free Relay – Final
|
| MONDAY, AUG 8TH Women’s 200m FreeMen’s 200m FlyWomen’s 200m IMWomen’s 200m IM |
MONDAY, AUG 8TH
Women’s 200m Free – Semifinal Men’s 200m Free – Final Women’s 100m Back – Final Men’s 100m Back – Final Women’s 100m Breast – Final Men’s 200m Fly – Semifinal Women’s 200m IM — Semifinal
|
| TUESDAY, AUG 9TH
Men’s 100m Free Women’s 200m Fly Men’s 200m Breast Men’s 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay
|
TUESDAY, AUG 9TH
Men’s 100m Free – Semifinal Women’s 200m Free – Final Men’s 200m Fly – Final Women’s 200m Fly – Semifinal Men’s 200m Breast – Semifinal Women’s 200m IM – Final Men’s 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay – Final
|
| WEDNESDAY, AUG 10TH
Women’s 100m Free Men’s 200m Back Women’s 200m Breast Men’s 200m IM Women’s 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay
|
WEDNESDAY, AUG 10TH
Men’s 200m Breast – Final Women’s 100m Free – Semifinal Men’s 200m Back – Semifinal Women’s 200m Fly – Final Men’s 100m Free – Final Women’s 200m Breast – Semifinal Men’s 200m IM – Semifinal Women’s 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay – Final
|
| THURSDAY, AUG 11TH
Men’s 50m Free Women’s 800m Free Men’s 100m Fly Women’s 200m Back
|
THURSDAY, AUG 11TH
Men’s 50m Free – Semifinal Women’s 200m Breast – Final Men’s 200m Back – Final Women’s 200m Back – Semifinal Men’s 200m IM – Final Women’s 100m Free – Final Men’s 100m Fly – Semifinal
|
|
FRIDAY, AUG 12TH Women’s 50m Free Men’s 1500m Free Women’s 4 x 100m Medley Relay Men’s 4 x 100m Medley Relay
|
FRIDAY, AUG 12TH
Women’s 200m Back – Final Men’s 100m Fly – Final Women’s 800m Free – Final Men’s 50m Free – Final Women’s 50m Free – Semifinal
|
| SATURDAY, AUG 13TH
No Preliminaries
|
SATURDAY, AUG 13TH
Women’s 50m Free – Final Men’s 1500m Free – Final Women’s 4 x 100m Medley Relay – Final Men’s 4 x 100m Medley Relay – Final |
2. Know Your Athletes!
Photo Courtesy: Gian Mattia Dalberto/Lapresse
It’s always a good idea to know the competitors. Acknowledging that this is a global competition means that there will be athletes coming from every corner of the earth. Study their backgrounds and learn their stories and paths to success. Putting some menial research into the degrees of talent competing will surely make race time more interesting.
3. Find Ways To Be An Active Watcher!
Photo Courtesy: Annie Grevers
And while just watching can, in its own way be enjoyable, being a more active viewer can prove to be more enthralling. Call together your relatives or any interested friends and throw an Olympic-sized party! Challenge your friends and family to some Olympic competition.
For example: Make an Olympic bracket
Mimic the bracket type system of NCAA basketball to bet on countries or even specific athletes. Face off with friends and family and see which one of you comes out on top! Making friendly bets such as this will give you specific people to root for and make every race more engaging.
But all in all just enjoy it as it is. The Olympics is extravagantly carried out. It gives us an exhilarating motivation just by watching. We watch and we see those athletes, we hear their incredible stories, and we begin to see them as people we aspire to be.