BENTONVILLE — The opportunity to represent the United States in the Olympic Games in any event can attract a variety of participants from across the nation — or just across the fence from one another.
Swimmers Michael Haefner and Gage Crosby are next-door neighbors and members of the Razorback Aquatic Club, and they have the same goal in mind when they compete in the 100-meter breaststroke during the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. They wish to be one of the two American representatives in that event when the Summer Games begin next month in London.
Their opportunity to earn that spot begins today at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Neb. They will be joined there by Ellis Miller of Siloam Springs, who will compete in the 100 and 200 backstroke, the 100 butterfly and the 100 freestyle.
“I’m really getting excited about it,” Haefner said. “I’m excited about the experience that it’s going to be and one of the biggest highlights of my life.”
While the two Bentonville swimmers live so close, their roads to Omaha are about as distant as their ages. The 22-year-old Haefner, a rising senior at the University of Louisville, qualified for the Trials in December 2010 when he competed in a short-course meet at Ohio State.
He could have come home and continued his training for the Olympic Trials. Instead, he opted to stay at Louisville and train with his Cardinals teammates.
AT A GLANCE
U.S. Olympic Team Trials
Swimming
WHEN: Today through July 2
WHERE: CenturyLink Center, Omaha, Neb.
NOTABLE: The fastest 16 swimmers in each event advance to the second round, then will compete again later that day. The field is cut to eight swimmers for the finals, and the two best participants in each event earn spots on the U.S. Olympic Team for the Summer Games, which will be held next month in London. ... All but the fastest heats of the preliminaries in each event will be webcast live beginning at 10 a.m. today through July 1 at www.usaswimming.org. The fastest preliminaries will be broadcast on tape delay by NBC Sports.
“There are 22 people from here going to Omaha,” Haefner said. “Having those extra swimmers there help keep me accountable for my training, and that’s big a help for me.
“I know that (Aquahawgs coach) Scott (Berry) can prepare for me for this, but there’s that accountability issue. And since I qualified for the Olympic Trials while a member of Louisville’s swim team, it would be unfair to my coach here.”
Crosby, a rising senior at Bentonville, has split his time between the Springdale Aquatic Center and the Jones Center since he earned his opportunity last August during a meet in Palo Alto, Calif. He will be one of the youngest swimmers in a 144-man field that not only includes Haefner, but also American record holder Eric Shanteau, U.S. Open record holder Mark Gangloff, Olympic Trials record holder Brendan Hansen and six-time Olympic medalist Ryan Lochte.
Crosby also will compete Thursday in the 200 breaststroke at the Trials after meeting the time standard earlier this month in Omaha. The 133 swimmers in this event will also include Shanteau, the American record holder, and Hansen, who has the Trials record.
“Competing against somebody I’ve known for a while and others I don’t know is going to be enjoyable,” Crosby said. “The key thing is I can’t get starstruck with all those other swimmers there. I just need to race my race because I was good enough to get there.”
Miller has spent his time training at the University of Arizona where he is a rising junior. He will be busy during the Trials as he competes Tuesday in the 100 backstroke, the 100 freestyle on Thursday, the 200 backstroke on Friday and the 100 butterfly on Saturday.
“I prefer staying here and training,” he said. “I’ve been getting in a lot of power work and trying to get my volume back, and Omaha is one of the fastest pools.
“I’m trying to treat it as just another meet. I’m not nervous about it. I’m just hoping I can make it to the final in the 200 backstroke, but the field will be loaded.”