Emilio, me, and JC looking tough!

JC and me. Why does the head closer to the camera always look HUGE!

snorkeling with my sister

With only two weeks left in my Pan Pacific Championships preparation, I’m packing up in the Florida Keys and getting ready to join my team in Seattle for a staging camp. It’s only a couple days into the month of August, and already it’s posing to be a fast month! The Europeans are swimming like rockets, especially the sprint girls! The Americans have posted some swift times at their nationals this week, and the rest of the world is following suit! Although the Europeans won’t be present at Pan Pacific Championships, it’s shaping up to be an exciting and fast meet with the recent results being posted around the world!

As always there is a choice: to rise to the challenge, or run and hide. Already the Australian girls are verbally standing up to the challenge of returning the world records to home (in a proud but incredibly sportsman-like fashion). I trust that the Australian team will learn to jump higher each time the bar is raised, and for the sake of exciting and fast swimming, I hope the rest of the world continues to do the same!

I’m looking forward to getting up on the blocks in a couple weeks to race. It’s been a challenging season, and I’m thoroughly enjoying backing off in training and “tapering” to freshen up! Training again with the Race Club in Florida has been amazing, and has helped lift me over the season. I certainly won’t miss the lightening meter that seems to endlessly be going off at the pool, but aside from that it’s paradise down here! 

FYI, the website hosting the results for Pan Pacific Championships is

www.panpacs2006.com

and for some photos of these last few weeks in Florida, click

www.me.net.au/florida.htm

I always appreciate all your good luck wishes, thank you! I know they help!