Swim clinic features Olympians

A swim clinic hosted at the newly-opened Green River High School Aquatics Center brought home the gold with two swimmers who competed at the Olympic games.

Friday and Saturday, swimmers Josh Davis and Ian Crocker visited with swimmers and students throughout the school district. Davis earned three gold medals in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta and two silver medals in the 2000 Sydney, Australia Olympic Games. He broke the American record in the 200 meters and led a 1999 relay team that broke the world record in the 4x200-meter relay in Athens, Greece.

Crocker is a three-time Olympian, having competed in the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympic games. He has five Olympic medals, including three gold medals, one silver medal and one bronze medal. He also set a world record in 2003 in the 100-meter fly, a record he broke two years later, and was a member of 400-meter relay teams that set world records in 2000 and 2004.

The two were brought to Green River through USA Swimming.

"They're just really dynamic people, as we'd expect Olympians to be," Randy Walker, coach for the local USA Swimming club, said.

Walker said the club wanted to bring attention to the sport by hosting the clinic in the new aquatics center, while showing the area's competitive swimmers the dedication and hard work needed to achieve their goals.

"It just shows you can do anything," Walker said. "It takes that dedication."

One of the girls attending the clinic was high school swimmer Avery Otto-Horn. According to her mother, Crystal Horn, Otto-Horn attended a similar clinic in Lander, which she said helped Otto-Horn's morale in the pool. Horn said she's seen the clinic help other swimmers achieve their goals.

"Everyone dreams of going to the Olympics and these guys come and show them it can be a reality," Horn said.

At the conclusion of the girls high school swimming season, Otto-Horn, a freshman, was named to the all-state swimming team.

Walker said swimmers like Crocker and Davis host clinics across the county. Green River has hosted USA Swimming clinics in the past, but the last time such an event took place in Green River was at least 12 years ago, according to Walker. However, the clinic can have a lasting impact on younger swimmers involved in USA Swimming or the middle school swim teams.

"Some young kid getting inspired will be the one feeding up into our programs," coach Colleen Seiloff, said. "It'll help, just exposing kids in the USA club will help out the program."

Seiloff said Davis and Crocker show the kids the hard work needed to be at the top of the sport, but also emphasize the importance of having fun and enjoying the sport.

During the clinic Saturday, Davis introduced the more than 70 children taking part in the morning session to what he called a "freaky dolphin kick" while instructing them about how to better their breaststroke. He also spoke about the importance of scooping their hands toward the mouth and shooting through the air while practicing the stoke, using analogies involving ice cream and "The Matrix" films to explain his points.

However, Davis also offered students advice about what they could take away from the clinic.

"Your future starts now, your destiny starts here," Davis told the middle school girls swim team Friday afternoon.

The clinic has had an effect on students, as both Walker and Seiloff were quick to notice.

"You can tell the kids are listening, " Seiloff said.

"I see inspiration," Walker said. "I see people being inspired."