Y-Nationals Ft. Lauderdale 2010

There was a bit too much travel last week, but it was incredibly inspiring.  Part of my trip was to head to Y Nationals in Ft. Lauderdale to help out with my friends from Swim Across America, and support my good friends Dave Sims and Kim Linehan, who were honored by the YMCA for achieving Olympian status.

Special thanks as well to Bruce Wigo and the International Swimming Hall of Fame.  To celebrate Kim and Dave's honor, Bruce contacted Craig Beardsley, who spearheaded the collection of memorabilia and articles from 1980.  Bruce then set up a great display in the ISHOF to tell part of the story of the 1980 Boycott.  It was a great honor to see our little part of history surrounded by the larger history of the sport.  Here's a link to a fun video Bruce put together with Craig, Kim, and me:  http://www.ishof.org/1980/

Here are some pictures from what turned out to be a fun few days in Ft. Lauderdale.

Pictures from the Y-Nationals Meet

If you've never been to the Y Nationals meet, then you owe it to yourself to try to catch one.  On the opening night of the meet, each team dresses up in costumes based on a theme chosen by the Y.  This year the theme was "Hollywood."  So imagine 1500 athletes walking out, with an entire team dressed in similar costumes.  Prior to swimming very fast, these athletes had a chance just to be kids, and to enjoy being among other athletes.  Just a few pictures below... it was a great scene.