by Jamie Carter
Olympic gold visited Hilltoppers Swim Club recently when U.S. Olympic Swim Team members Josh Davis and Ben Wildman-Tobriner conducted two clinics there on Monday, June 29th. The clinics were organized by the Hilltoppers Gators swim team and were part of Mutual of Omaha’s National Breakout! Swim Clinics. The pool was closed for the day to accommodate the clinics.
Josh Davis has won Olympic Gold three times in his swim career as well as two Olympic Silver medals. At the 1996 Summer Olympics he won Gold in the 400 meter Freestyle Relay, the 800 meter Freestyle Relay and the 400 meter Medley Relay. At the 2000 Summer Olympics he won Silver in the 400 meter Freestyle Relay and the 800 meter Freestyle Relay.
Ben Wildman-Tobriner won gold at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the 400 meter Freestyle Relay. In 2005 he won Gold at the World Championships for the 400 meter Freestyle Relay and again in 2007 at the World Championships in the 400 meter Freestyle Relay and the 50 meter Freestyle Individual race.
The early session, which was open to the public, began at 10:00 a.m. and lasted until 12:00 noon. 85 swimmers attended that clinic. The afternoon clinic began at 2:00 p.m. and lasted until 4:00 p.m. This was a private clinic for members of the Hilltoppers Gators swim team whose numbers have swelled to 111 swimmers this year. Hilltoppers swim coach Sally Plunkett was instrumental in bringing the Olympians and the Mutual of Omaha Breakout! Swim Clinic to Dupo. “I came upon them doing an internet search on swim camps. We had them come and conduct the clinic for our team last year. When we asked them back this year the interest was so great that we added the morning session for non-team members.” When asked about the impact of the clinics on the swimmers coach Plunkett said, “The parents’ experiences are as good as the kids’. For me it’s been the best swimming experience I’ve ever had. For the kids, they focus on the things Josh Davis talks about for the rest of the year.”
What exactly did Josh Davis and Ben Wildman-Tobriner talk about? Josh said, “We obviously want to cheer the kids on. The kids like swimming already but we want to keep them excited about it. We want to instill good life principals. It’s your effort and your character that really counts. Doing your best is what matters, not necessarily how you place or your time.” And what about technique and skill? “We’re going to give them all the technique and skills that will help them drop their times and win races. It’s our desire to give them the best of technique and skill instruction with the best of character development.”
That attitude and philosophy is what led Josh Davis to create “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Athletes”. It is Josh’s philosophy on the foundations of a total athlete for true freedom and fulfillment. In brief the habits are as follows. Finesse, Fitness, Flexibility, Fueling, Fun & Focus, Family & Friends and Faith. What motivated Josh to create the 7 Habits? “I was blessed to find swimming and I was also blessed with fine coaches. Swimming taught me so many great lessons about life. Working hard, doing your best, listening well and pursuing excellence. I want to help kids and other athletes experience some of what I’ve experienced.”For Josh and Ben it is about much more than swimming. It gives them an opportunity and a platform to share their faith in Jesus. Josh said, “For me, my faith in Christ is the centerpiece of who I am, what I’m about and what I believe in. So a great deal of what we teach is an overflow of that.”
There is also another reason Josh and Ben go across the country to conduct the clinics. “We get excited about seeing the kids’ eyes light up when they see the medals. When they see us, they touch us and stand next to us we hope that maybe they’ll think ‘Wow! These are just regular guys! This could happen to me too!’ We want them to know that if they do certain things, if they do their best for a long time, they’ll be amazed at where their life ends up.”
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