Gaines, who lives in Lake Mary, FL and directs The Limu Company's Rowdy's Kidz charitable outreach program, has been training for competition since late last year. He is the only Olympian registered for the YMCA Masters Nationals event.
"I really feel great," said Gaines. "I've been doing some weight training along with my swimming workout, and I'm definitely ready to get back into competition." Although he has traveled the country conducting Rowdy's Kidz swim clinics and swim camps, Gaines hasn't swum competitively since he left Colorado and moved back to Florida a couple of years ago. "This gives me an opportunity to share my love for the sport of swimming. And I'm thrilled to start at the YMCA Nationals, because I've been a member of the Y for over 30 years," said Gaines. I'm looking forward to the competitive challenge and to helping promote the sport that is so great for people of all ages."
The event marks Gaines' first competition of a busy year, including plans to swim in Masters events in Fresno, California and Indianapolis, Indiana. Add that to a full schedule of swim camps and Rowdy's Kidz clinics already on the calendar, plus commentating for NBC's coverage of the USA World Trials and World Championships in Italy. Gaines says, "The swim world can get kind of hectic at times, but I love it. And I'm also going to be a grandfather next month for the first time, so our family has a lot to look forward to this year.
