Tag: fitness

Watching the Olympic Swimming Trials in Omaha

Last night I did something really fun and unexpected. My family tuned in to watch the Olympic swimming trials on NBC in prime time, feeling the excitement of our friends in Omaha while we sat in our living room in Houston.

You see I found out this week that the college aged son of old friends of ours from Pennsylvania would be swimming in three events in the trials. Thanks to the magic of Facebook, I learned that Nate Savoy is now a rising sophomore on the swim team at Penn State (my alma mater). His whole family joined him in Omaha and kept everyone up to date with event news and photos. They even encouraged us to follow along with his events on USASwimming.org.

Nate qualified for the 100 and 200 meter backstroke as well as the 200 IM. He ended up shaving 3.2 seconds off his time and placing 7th overall in heats for the 200 back and advanced to the semi-finals, which is why we were able to watch him in prime time last night!

Olympic medalists Kristy Kowal, Aaron Piersol, and Josh Davis with Nate Savoy.

Being a die-hard Nittany Lion fan, I watched with great pride as Nate and a few other of his teammates wore the PSU logo on their caps and warm-up clothes. Nate paused and knelt before his semi-final race, giving glory to God. I’m told his theme verse is Phil. 4:13, which says “I can do ALL things through Him who gives me strength.”


In the end Nate just missed qualifying for the finals in his event, which takes place tonight. Six-time Olympic medalist, Ryan Lochte, is the heavy favorite in the event, expected to represent the US in London in many events. Only the top two finishers in the finals will compete in London. It will be fun to watch Ryan and the others swim tonight.  

Still we are so thrilled for our friends, the Savoy family, who all got to experience Olympic trial excitement in Omaha. We’re amazed by the talent God has given Nate, and glad he will spend the next few years on the Penn State swim team. 

Join us in watching the rest of the trials in the next few days and following the action on USASwimming.org. We can’t wait to cheer on Team USA in London in August! 

This post was facilitated by USA Swimming and The Motherhood, but there is nothing sponsored about the excitement we felt for our friends during this experience. 

USA Swimming Helps Moms Get Their Kids In The Water

USA Swimming wants moms and kids to have the tools they need to start swimming today. Who is USA Swimming? They are the trainers of the US Olympic swim team. They also happen to have 300,000 youth members. USA Swimming has associated swim clubs and teams all over the country.

On June 25th  through July 7th you will be able to watch the US swimming Olympic trials live from Omaha, NE on NBC. I am so STOKED to see who will represent our great country in London. Check out this video where you can see the Olympic trials pool in Omaha being built from the ground up.

I joined our local swim club’s comptitive swim team very young. Races were only 25 meters long and my favorite was the backstroke. We spent every single day all summer long at the pool and some years we had winter lessons and spring indoor practices too.

It all ended for me in fifth grade when I developed an allergy to cold. Any exposure to cold water resulted in hives on my elbows and knees. Benedryl helped but I really could not race while on it. 

Fast-forward to today and I still love swimming. I started both my in swim lessons last year at ages 3 and 6. My now seven year old loves to swim and he definitely has a swimmers body. I have been planting the idea of joining our local swim team into his head but so far soccer is his thing. 


USA Swimming has created a great resource for moms like me who maybe want to teach their kids water safety and how to swim. They have a new website called SwimToday.org that shares why swimming is a great lifelong skill for kids and adults alike. 


The site can answer all your questions about when and how to get your kids swimming. It even has a cool club finder to point you to the nearest place to get lessons or even join a team. 


Why is it super important to get your kiddos swim lessons? Safety! Drowning is the #2 accidental death for kids ages 1-14 years. I am personally terrified of my kids drowning, which is why I refused to even consider a backyard pool when we moved to Houston. Swimming lessons decrease the risk of drowning by 80%. That was enough to convince me! 

Need another reason to get your kids swimming? How about fitness? Swimming is a whole body workout that does not stress your joints the way other sports do. It can be a life long exercise program with huge health benefits. My grandfather swam laps daily into his 80’s. 


I have started swimming laps as training to compete in a triathalon next spring. Am I crazy? Maybe. But I think it will be super fun. I have a long way to go, but I swam laps on Sunday and man, my arms are SORE this week. The SwimToday.org site has a link to the Speedo Pace Club where I can set goals and track my level of fitness. It’s awesome. 


Personally I love that my kids are really learning to swim, and I love to swim with them. I think SwimToday.org is an awesome resource. They even have scholarships for moms who want their kids to have lessons but can’t afford it! So check it out, and be sure to cheer on Team USA Swimming this summer in Omaha and London!! 


Disclosure: I was compensated for this post but all wording and opinions are mine and 100% truthful.