How to Become an Olympic Swimmer

With the conclusion of the Beijing Olympics and the incredible accomplishments of swimmer Michael Phelps, many swimmers of all ages around the country have one question on their minds: how can I become an Olympic swimmer?

Many fans of all ages wonder how much time, commitment, and skill it takes to become an Olympic swimmer. As a swimmer myself, I assure you that it is incredibly difficult to have your name even in the running for the United States Olympic team. The United States, as witnessed by their Beijing dominance, is the best swimming country in the world. Australia takes a close second, as they also have a great number of Olympic caliber swimmers.

If you are wondering how to become an Olympic swimmer, here are some skills you need to have and the steps you need to take to achieve your ultimate goal.

To become a world class swimmer, you must first have what every Olympian clearly has: a constant drive to succeed and the willingness to give up a lot of time and effort to achieve your goal. Swimming is a sport that requires exceptional dedication: many swimmers train multiple times a day for hours on end.

Yes, if you are a student currently in school, you may have to sacrifice class time to get more practice time in the pool. Olympic swimming is full of a lot of different countries and characters, but no Olympian gets to where they are without a lot of training time. As a former swimmer in the Northern Virginia Swim League (NVSL), I know of a few Olympians who have sacrificed class time and even their entire college experiences to train for the Olympic Games.

Secondly, an aspiring Olympic swimmer must select a suitable year-round program to train with. The swimmer must be sure that the swim program he/she chooses should be United States Swimming Certified, as these programs are accredited and normally high-quality programs.

In addition, the swimmer should take a pro-active approach to finding a coach or personal trainer. The coach or trainer can be found either within the swim organization or outside of. If the swimmer is currently attending college or about to attend college, be sure to contact the coaches and discuss goals in depth.

College decisions should be taken seriously and given a lot of thought. Even though most college swimmers will not become Olympic swimmers, long-shot kinds of swimmers pop up at swim programs all around the country. The college swim coach is an important choice, since he/she will have a key impact on how a college swimmer performs in big events. Never underestimate the importance of school coaches, even at the high school level.