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Olympic dreams and Omaha
Three weeks ago, Boston, VA. native Katherine McDonnell — a graduate of The Madeira School and current UVa. athlete — journeyed to Omaha, Neb. for the United States' Olympic Swim Team Trials.Before leaving, McDonnell agreed to keep a journal for The Culpeper Times. While she did not advance to Beijing, her time in Omaha was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The following is McDonnell's record of her time at the US Trials:
Day 1 (June 29): Arriving in Omaha
11:00 a.m.: I arrived to the hotel at 1:30 this morning, because of hours of delays in airports yesterday. So all I wanted to do once I woke up this morning was to get to the Qwest Center, and into the pool to stretch out and swim off the travel.
My first impression of the entire facility was complete shock and awe, as there were tons of volunteers and military personnel stationed all around the premises, offering directions and checking credentials.
But something that I really loved is that children from around the area have hundreds of Olympic-themed signs and banners on the walls leading up to the warmdown area saying anything from "Try Hard!" to "Good luck Team USA!" to "Follow your Dreams!" In addition, the atmosphere in the competition pool, even with the stands completely empty, was absolutely awesome.
The set up reminded me of the way our (University of Virginia's) John Paul Jones basketball arena is set up, with seats going straight up all the way around the pool and a big JumboTron over the center. After my initial astonishment of the sheer magnitude and impressive quality of the facilities wore off, I completed my warm up, and headed to the competition pool to cheer for my teammates that were swimming in preliminaries this morning.
9:00 p.m.: Tonight’s finals session was unlike anything I have ever experienced in my life.
The Olympic Trials is definitely different than every other meet. The stakes are at their highest and people are going faster than ever! Just tonight, we got to see two World Records and one American Record get broken (and it's only day one!).
Being in an arena setting like that, with an unbelievable crowd, makes the environment absolutely electrifying. When people go fast and records get broken, the cheers are so deafening it's hard not to get chills! So far, I've been having a great time. It's a rare experience to be a part of something as special as the Trials for the Olympic Team and I'm making a point to enjoy every aspect of my experience! I've been feeling great in the water and I'm ready to go fast tomorrow!
Day 2 (June 30): It’s Go Time
1:00 p.m.: My first race was this morning — the 100-meter breaststroke. I wasn’t that nervous for it but, I’ve gotta say ... walking out into the spotlight in front of the 12,000 fans, looking down the brightly lit 50-meter pool sitting under the huge USA Olympic rings that are centered over the pool, gives you an incredible jolt of adrenaline, along with a few nerves.
I think by that point, though, I was more excited than nervous. I remember stepping up on the blocks and then, literally the next minute, I was looking at the scoreboard and climbing out of the pool.
The race itself was a complete blur. Fortunately, it went well and I bettered my time by nearly a second, so I was pretty pumped about that.
Days 3 and 4 (July 1 and 2): Off Days…
The past two days have been relatively low key for me because I’m not racing, but that’s certainly not the case for the Qwest Center. Many world records have been broken and I’m sure there are more to come!
Day 5 (July 3): Last One, Fast One!
1:00 p.m.: I swam the 200 breaststroke, my last race, this morning and, unfortunately, I didn’t have the race I was hoping for, as I was a few seconds slower than my best time. However, I chalked it up for the experience and I am looking forward to improving at the U.S. Open in a few weeks.
I’m excited for finals tonight because one of my teammates is in the final for the men’s 200 breaststroke. We are all hoping he will defy the odds that are against him, as he is not one of the favorites to make the Olympic team. (Ed. Note: McDonnell's Cavalier teammate, Ryan Hurley, placed seventh in the 200-meter breast finals, five spots out of Olympic qualification.)
Day 6 (July 4): Red, White and Blue!
10:00 p.m.: The Qwest Center was on fire, as USA Swimming pulled out all of the stops to celebrate July 4th at finals tonight.
In addition to American flags, everyone received either a red, white or blue t-shirt depending on what section they were sitting and the effect of 13,000 people in their shirts, waving their flags, and chanting “U-S-A” was unreal. I don’t know how anyone could swim slow after a reception like that!
Michael Phelps and Katie Hoff both added more events to their schedules in Beijing while breaking more world records in the process. After all of the excitement, I was sad that tonight was my last night in Omaha and my one (and probably only) Olympic Trials came to an end.
Day 7 (July 5): Home
11:00 AM: As I sit here in the airport waiting for my flight home, I can hardly believe that this week has already come and gone. It seems like yesterday I was sitting in an airport, wondering if I was even going to make it to the meet after all of the delays I experienced, and now here I am again waiting to return home.
The whole event was unlike anything I have ever been a part of before, and I am so grateful to be blessed with the talent and dedication needed to reach the Olympic Trials. Now I am motivated to continue training hard for the U.S. Open in three weeks, and then I will enjoy a much needed vacation until it starts all over again in September!
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