‘The place went nuts’: USA Swimming hosts open practice in Cary ahead of Paris Olympics
Davis and Charlotte King woke up at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday. The siblings, ages 7 and 9, were determined to see four-time Olympian Katie Ledecky. They certainly weren’t alone, because when Ledecky walked on to the Triangle Aquatic Center pool deck, she received a standing ovation from the scores of children lining the stands above her.
“The place went nuts.” Team USA head coach Anthony Nesty said. “I’ve never seen something like that before.”
The U.S. Olympic swim team, which has been holding its domestic training camp at TAC since June 28, opened up its practice to the general public on Saturday. Space was limited to 1,000 attendees, with nonperishable food donations for Dorcas Ministries required for entry.
Once inside, spectators watched stars such as Ledecky and Caeleb Dressel swim laps. They cheered as N.C. State alums Katharine Berkoff and Ryan Held threw up Wolfpack hand signs. Coaches led “U-S-A!” chants. Swimmers tossed their caps to kids leaning over rails. Then, after the practice, Olympians signed posters for those patient enough to wait in a winding line.
Derek Wall, executive director at TAC, has been planning for this moment since fall 2022. That’s when Wall connected with Lindsay Mintenko, director of USA Swimming, and convinced her to swing by the center.
The facility upgrades, namely an Olympic-sized outdoor pool and fitness center, caught her attention.
“It just happened to be the perfect fit for Team USA,” Wall said.
Scott Dupree, the executive director of the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance, described the domestic training camp as a “signature moment for Cary.”
“To spend a week here preparing for Paris,” he said, “that says a lot about how USA Swimming views TAC and views this region. I mean, they could’ve gone anywhere.”
But, in many ways, the pick made sense.
Outside of TAC’s world-class venue, and easy access to Raleigh-Durham International Airport, the Raleigh-Cary area has become an emerging destination for elite swimmers. And on Saturday, many of those talented youngsters got to see the stars up close.
Gwen McMurray beamed as she described meeting her favorite swimmer, Lilly King, who also swims breaststroke. Addie Cline said her favorite part was when Gretchen Walsh greeted her. Following the festivities, Cline and McMurray waved their posters and jumped up and down on the sidewalk.
Abhay Tharakan, an Apex High senior and Georgia Tech commit, emerged from the autograph session with a signed trident, prompting a crowd of young swimmers to engulf him.
Tharakan said his swim team gives the trident out to the athlete who works the hardest each week. Now that prize features the signatures of Blake Pieroni and Matt Fallon.
As Team USA exited the pool deck to conclude the session, Titans such as Tharakan crowded the lobby in preparation for their own practices.
Soon, they’d walk past their handmade posters lining the walls.
Some boasted fine-lined sketches of the Eiffel Tower and “U-S-A” in bold, neat letters. Others easily revealed the age of their artists. One sign in the corner read, in scraggly penmanship, “Michael Phelps (spelled Micheal Felps) retired. Boo hoo!”
Wall laughed as he passed that sign, adding “you can tell that a 7-year-old did it.” The atmosphere at TAC this weekend was inherently lighthearted, which Nesty said helped alleviate some pressure — at least momentarily — for many of his swimmers.
That’s because, as they looked into the crowd, the Olympians were reminded of where they came from. The young swimmers, on the flip side, saw what they could achieve.
That was Braden Holloway’s message.
The N.C. State coach and Team USA assistant pointed twice when he took the microphone on Saturday morning. He first pointed out the Olympians swimming in TAC’s three pools. Then he pointed to the children in the stands.
“In a few more years” he said, “People are going to come to watch you swim.”
This story was originally published July 6, 2024 at 4:16 PM.