7:50 AM
Alarm goes off.
8:04 AM
Drag self out of bed.
8:12 AM
Breakfast. (Brown sugar with some oatmeal.) Chug a mug of tea. (Or sugar with tea.) Bus.
Entire Morning
Meet. Two hours 200 freestyle. Then 100 breaststroke, 100 butterfly, 400 IM.
12:47 PM
Grab lunch, grab bag, scoot back to the hotel. Nap time!
2:48 PM
Wake up. Re-shave for finals. Make tea. Resolve (again) to bring my own next time. Look up remainder of the pattern for sock and commit to memory. Save a copy to cracked screen iPod for deciphering if forgotten. Catch bus. Swim time!
4:52 PM
First swimmers. I had forgotten about this particular tradition of the KMSC Pro-Am. As the ‘show’ before finals, eight kids get to race a 25 of any stroke they choose. The pro athletes get out on the bulkhead and wait to pull the little guys out. It’s a huge moment, seeing their eyes light up, or having a tiny six year old who just finished a length of half-breaststroke, half-freestyle staring up at a mountain-sized athlete like Zach McGinnis.
Additionally, tonight one of the kids who was slated to have swam had a different surprise in store. A few days ago, he broke his leg jumping on a trampoline. However, he still wanted to participate in the event, and so he was wheeled out in his chair to lane 1 to watch his teammates compete. Then Eugene Godsoe brought him over to the pro athlete lounge so we could all say hi and sign his cast. He had a smile on the whole time. What a trooper!
5:00 PM
The meet begins. And runs. There’s music. There’s water. A few people win, a record or two falls. (Yeah Giles!) Some speedy amateurs do some awesome things, individually and as a team. A few pros (including yours truly) are just happy to go best times.
9:02 PM
Back at the hotel. The Annual Meet the Pros (and pizza!). Little kids run around with sharpies, pens and big grins begging for autographs. I ran into one little girl who had been swimming for a grand total of two weeks at this time last year who remembered me. She told me she’s super into swimming now.
That’s an amazing feeling. To have made a positive impact on someone’s life, from just a brief interaction. I wish I had had an opportunity to attend a meet like this as a kid growing up. To see these kinds of people and know what is possible if you’re not afraid to reach beyond where you thought you could go.
I made the kids give me their autographs in exchange for mine. They’re the future of our sport. And it’s fun to see them grin like they’re already Somebody Important. (A few even look like they’ve been practicing autograph signing…)
But dang… I forgot how exhausting children are. Nap time!
9:57 PM
Crawl back to hotel room. Contemplate sleep. End up singing along to the party music blasting into the lobby from whatever event is going on right next door. Only remember all the lyrics to the George Michael song. Contemplate joining party.
10:39 PM
Decide to try luck at sleep.
…so we throw our hands up like the ceiling can’t hold us —
I swear, if this is still on in an hour, I may cry.
Great job capturing the fun in this great event. Plan to share at the official’s briefing tonight. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts about the PRO-AM Classic. I coach some of our younger KMSC swimmers so I am really looking forward to our upcoming practice on Monday. The children’s excitement from meeting you and all the PRO’s will be THE topic of discussion.