0
Florida swimming coach Gregg Troy was surprised to learn the 2012 Olympics in London will start in 100 days.
“We've got a lot of different targets,” Troy said. “The Olympic Trials for the Americans and then we've got a few foreigners that are getting ready for the Olympics.
“But generally with 100 days left, there's not a whole lot of time to waste. So we're trying to be as efficient as we can and zeroing in.”
Troy is among close to 50 athletes and coaches with Florida ties preparing for the Summer Games.
He will serve as head coach of the 2012 U.S. Olympic swim team after being an assistant for Team USA in the 1996 and 2008 Olympics.
“It's a tremendous honor,” Troy said. “It's certainly something that happens so infrequently it's not something you plan on. It does keep you busy, though. It makes this year, it's pretty much point to point on a constant basis ... it's a lot of fun but it's stressful at times.”
Several Olympic hopefuls are currently training with Troy in Gainesville at the O'Connell Center pool. The most notable is former Florida swimming standout Ryan Lochte, who burst onto the national scene by winning six medals (including three golds) for Team USA at the 2008 Olympic Games in China.
After a dominant 2011 season, Lochte is coming off winning just two bronze medals in late March at the Indianapolis Grand Prix meet.
Rival swimmer Michael Phelps dominated the meet with four gold medals. But neither Lochte or Troy were overly concerned with the performance. Lochte was in the midst of a hard cycle of training in the week leading up to the meet.
“I'm not sure we didn't get the results we wanted,” Troy said. “That's very similar to what we would get at any point to that point in training. Philosophically it's a matter of where you take it. Realistically, none of the competition matters until the trials and the Olympics, and even in the trials, second is first, of course, third is last. So from that perspective, the focus is a little bit more on where we are going.”
Since his breakout performance in Beijing, the 27-year-old Lochte has appeared in Gatorade television commercials and on countless magazine covers. Troy said Lochte is still learning the deal with the increased spotlight.
“We won't know for sure how we've handled it until it's all over,” Troy said. “But to this point, there have been times when we've handled it really well and times when it's been a distraction. I think he handled the fall tremendously well. We had a little bit of a hard time in January getting all of the pieces together, so in training him those little distractions become a little bit more of a problem. But overall I think it's been good. I think it just does add a different element and another dimension to the variables that are already there.”
The challenge for Troy now is to get Lochte and the rest of the swimmers training with him ready for the Olympic Trials, which will be held June 25 to July 2 in Omaha, Neb.
Troy mentioned Elizabeth Beisel, (400 individual medley relay) and Teresa Crippen (200 and 400 butterfly) as other Florida swimmers who have a strong chance of qualifying for the U.S. team. Former Gator standout Dara Torres, who turned 45 last Sunday, is training in Coral Springs to qualify for her sixth Olympic Games.
Troy said that with 100 days left, the focus is on fine-tuning strokes to prepare for trials.
“We run a little bit of a cycle where we'll train pretty hard for about 12 to 15 days and then we'll take about seven (days) where we'll be a little bit more relaxed trying to clean up all the things that get sloppy from training,” Troy said. “We're getting to the last legs where it's about refining the little things, making sure we're getting race ready.”
A look at former and current UF athletes and coaches training and preparing for the 2012 Olympic Games in London:
Basketball
Al Horford (Dominican Republic)
Joakim Noah (France)
Nick Calathes (Greece)
Azania Stewart (U.K.)
Swimming
(U.S. Swimming Trials June 25-July 2. Omaha, Neb.)
Ryan Lochte (U.S.)
Conor Dwyer (U.S.)
Dara Torres (U.S.)
Caroline Burckle (U.S.)
Thomas Veale (U.S.)
Teresa Crippen (U.S.)
Elizabeth Beisel (U.S.)
Carlos Omana (U.S.)
Melani Costa‐Schmid (Spain)
Dan Wallace (U.K.)
Shaune Fraser (Cayman Islands)
Brett Fraser (Cayman Islands)
Jemma Lowe (U.K.)
Gemma Spofforth (U.K.)
Marco Loughran (U.K.)
Women's Soccer
Abby Wambach (U.S.)
Heather Mitts (U.S.)
Melanie Booth (Canada)
Track and Field
Will Claye (U.S.)
Kerron Clement (U.S.)
Jeff Demps (U.S.)
Kristin Heaston (U.S.)
Gray Horn (U.S.)
Mariam Kevkhishvili (Georgia)
Genevieve LaCaze (Australia)
Tony McQuay (U.S.)
Keely Medeiros (Brazil)
Kemal Mesic (Bosnia)
Moise Joseph (Haiti)
Ugonna Ndu (Nigeria)
Calvin Smith (U.S.)
Wes Stockbarger (U.S.)
Agata Strausa (Latvia)
Christian Taylor (U.S.)
Terrell Wilks (U.S.)
Novlene Williams-Mills (Jamaica)
Stipe Zunic (Croatia)
Mike Holloway (U.S. assistant coach)
Volleyball
Jane Collymore (U.S.)
Triathlon
Kevin Collington (U.S.)
Gymnastics
(Great Britain Senior Championships – June 22),
(U.S. Olympic Trials in San Jose, Calif.– June 28‐July 1)
Bridget Sloan (incoming freshman for fall 2012, U.S.)
Bridgette (aka Bridgey) Caquatto (incoming freshman for fall 2012, U.S.)
Mackenzie Caquatto (U.S.)
Marissa King (U.K.)
