U.S. Olympic Trials: A Collaboration of the Past, Present, and Future
Something that made watching the Olympic Trials a little more special this year was seeing all the familiar faces. I’m not talking about the well-known stars that everybody knows. I’m talking about the swimmers I grew up racing against in Illinois who reached amazing heights, like qualifying for semifinals and finals, and even qualifying for the Olympic team.
It was exciting to turn on the TV and see Greta Pelzek, Kaelyn Gridley, Anna Peplowski and Maxine Parker, people who I saw time and time again at age-group championships, walking out to the blocks with a larger than life version of them beaming on the giant screen above for a semifinal or final. It seems that swimmers of my generation are now the ones in the competition pool, competing for spots to represent Team USA.
These Trials did not only introduce the new generation of swimmers that have emerged onto the scene, Trials linked together the past, present and future of USA Swimming. No matter the age of the swimmer, the goal remains the same: Create the best team USA has to offer, and that is exactly what they have done. As the country watched Trials, younger generations signed up for their first lessons and others competed in their first race.
The Olympic Trials brought swimming to the masses. Not only did the future of USA swimming attend, but there were numerous camps held at and around the venue by local LSCs, Fitter Faster, and USA Swimming. These camps gave young swimmers the exciting opportunity to watch their favorite stars race for a chance at Olympic glory in an NFL football stadium, and learn about our beloved sport. All week, there were countless club swimmers from around the country filling the stands in the Lucas Oil Stadium. Among them, a handful of swimmers who will one day be the new stars that join the likes of those who competed at this year’s Trials, and inspire the next generation of swimmers.
On the flip side, past U.S. National Team members and Olympians came from all over to support those in the pool. As they watched, they got to witness the advancements in speed the sport has undergone. Olympian Missy Franklin posted on Instagram her shocked reaction to Regan Smith shattering the 100 backstroke world record with her time of 57.13. Back when Franklin was at her peak, going under 58 seconds in this race was hard to imagine, let alone an astonishing 57.1. The amount of support and excitement for the swimmers in the pool shone bright when Rowdy Gaines and Michael Phelps could not contain their emotions as Simone Manuel surged to the wall and snagged an individual event for her third Olympics.
Manuel, Caeleb Dressel, Katie Ledecky and Ryan Murphy are among the swimmers welcoming the new generation, and are still relevant and making waves today. The past, present and future of USA Swimming continue to work together with the goal of taking this sport to new heights.
Great Read! Also smart to hold US Masters Nationals nextdoor at IU Natatorium where 3,000+ swimmers (past, present, and future) enjoyed high level competition followed by a short walk to Lucas Stadium to witness history in the making for TEAM USA!
Great perspective and insight Emma!