MATT GREVERS looks to have struck gold again.
In another Olympic-sized pool no less.
The man who just missed out on a backstroke record surely didn’t miss a beat with 55 local juniors, as he and fellow American swimmers Annie Chandler, Christopher Clark Burckle and Alyssa Anderson wowed the crowd during Sunday’s Mutual Omaha Breakout! Swim Clinic at the Aquatic Centre.
“This is so overwhelming because nothing like this has ever been done in Barbados as it relates to swimming,” said local backstroke specialist Lee-Ann Rose of the historic occasion.
“They taught me so much about confidence and about starting small so you don’t get too anxious at big meets.
“And, of course, I learnt a lot from Matt as he does backstroke. He taught me a lot about rotation, grabbing the water and not overextending and that is key in backstroke,” she added.
The grand occasion comes just one month after Grevers copped his first ever individual gold, winning the 100-metre backstroke just outside of Aaron Peirsol’s world record.
But he was just one of four attractions on the day, as Anderson – a fellow London gold medallist – and Clark Burckle also represented the United States at those Summer Games while Grevers’ fiancée Chandler is a current collegiate champ.
The four American standouts did not disappoint, taking their young pupils through a series of drills in the pool during two separate sessions while teaching the correct stroke techniques for each respective discipline.
They also engaged the wide-eyed kids in a series of races, often jumping into the water seconds after the local juniors yet still passing them on their dolphin kicks long before coming up for a stroke.
“I know a lot of athletes suffer from anxiety before races, but hopefully these kids can wipe that away by just thinking about racing us,” said Grevers.
In between pool sessions, the visitors spoke of their experiences and what it took for them individually to get where they were in the respective disciplines.
Grevers even spoke of the heartache of missing the cut at an Olympic trial, before explaining the power of self-belief and the necessity of committing to short- and long-term goals after setting them.
“I had the same experience when I was younger, so I know it’s awesome for these kids and every aspiring athlete needs that someone to look up to,” said Clarke Burckle of the need to conduct such clinics.
The annual clinic is just the first of four planned by the Titans Aquatic Club ahead of the 2016 Rio Games.
