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The entire city has gone out of
their way to welcome all of the swimming fans, and nowhere is it
more evident than at the Quest Center. Although I am still
getting settled into Omaha, I did spend a little time in the Old
Market which is filled with tons of shops and restaurants. I
plan to spend more time downtown as the week progresses but for now
I am gearing up for Neil's swims, which start tomorrow with the 100m
Freestyle. Cheer him on and be sure to watch online at
www.nbcolympics.com, which
offers a live stream of all the action. The session starts at 11am
central time. More tomorrow, stay tuned.
Check out of
couple of videos I have found of Neil talking about his races,
Phelps, and what it feels like to be old (ha ha). Links to the
videos on Swimnetwork.com-
http://www.swimnetwork.com/videos/v/20080630/neil_walker_talks_about_tune_ups-14548.html
http://www.swimnetwork.com/videos/v/20080630/neil_walker_talks_about_phelps__skills-14551.html
July 2nd
Wow- what an amazing morning! Garrett Weber-Gale's swim was
awesome and to have two guys under 48 seconds is great for our relay
(going up against France, who has had three guys go under 48 I
think). Neil made it back for semi-finals which was a relief
but we knew things were going to be fast and it will probably take a
48 mid to make finals and a best time for Neil to make the Olympic
team. Keep cheering as it definitely helps him feel supported!
I was talking to him after the race today and he said there are few
minor changes he can make to his swim (turn was high, start was
slower, can take it out faster) but mainly he is working on not
taking things too hard and trying to relax. It is hard at a
meet like this to remain calm and take things as they come, even for
the seasoned veterans like Neil, but the atmosphere is so exciting
and the swims have been so fast that it is hard not to get caught up
in all of that excitement. Stay tuned to tonight's swims to
see who advances and keep your fingers crossed for Neil!
Of note, Phelps scratched for tonight's finals, so Ricky Berens got
picked up with a time of 49.42.
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