Brendan Hansen and I had a blast this past Sunday at our BREAKout! clinic just outside Philadelphia…the City of Brotherly Love!

We were feeling the love from our host family, the swim parents, and the amazing swimmers of the Upper Dublin Aquatic Club in Fort Washinton, PA!

First, our host family for the weekend was awesome because it was Brendan’s parents! I got to see where this world-record holder grew up! Now I know how he became the best in the world…he has an amazing family! They are incredible people. His mom is a great cook and hostess, and both his parents are so kind and generous.

One of my messages at the BREAKout! Clinic is that a parent’s unconditional love is a important part of succeeding in anything you do. After observing the unconditional love Brendan receives from his parents, I can see why he has so much motivation and love for this demanding sport.

Our host team, Upper Dublin Aquatic Club, was awesome too! “Swim Mom Extraordinaire”, Stephanie Smith, did a super job as clinic host…from the advertising and registration to passing out goodie bags and working with local media. It was one of the smoothest and most enjoyable clinics we’ve ever done…many thanks to Stephanie!

The highlight of the day was Brendan demonstrating why he’s the best breastroker in the UNIVERSE! The kids cheered him on as he attempted to break the pool record of :58 seconds in the 100-yard breaststroke. With the swimmers’ support from the deck, Brendan destroyed the record with a :53.9!!!

Brendan was feeling the love from the kids! Brendan is an awesome example of a world-class athlete who is so generous with his time and energy, and the swimmers in Forth Washington, PA will never forget their experience…especially when they watch Brendan dominate in Beijing! We had a great time with the Upper Dublin swimmers.

Looking forward to heading back to the east coast this weekend so stay tuned…the Mutual of Omaha BREAKout! Clinic Tour is just getting started! Thanks for joining me on this ride!

Brendan Hansen & Josh Davis w/ UDAC swimmers

We’re heading to Louisiana!

My wife, our 5 children, and I are taking a road trip to Louisiana for our two BREAK!out clinics this weekend. My parents live in Alexandria, Louisiana so we are excited to spend some time with them as well.

On Sunday, Olympic Gold Medalist Rachel Komisarz will be joining me for a clinic in Shreveport, Louisiana with the City of Shreveport Swim Team!

And on Monday, I will be doing a clinic with the City of Alexandria Swim Team!

Looking forward to a great weekend with some of the best swimmers in Louisiana!

On Monday, we celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.

I wanted to leave you with a few words from this great civil rights leader. King said…

“Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve…You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”

Have a great long weekend!

Josh Davis

My good friend, Neil Walker, inspired the swimmers and parents of the Herndon Commanders Swim Team on Jan. 7th in Herndon, Virginia!

After his awesome BREAKout! clinic, he graciously signed autographs and helped bring exposure to the new community center addition opening up in Herndon, Virginia.

Here is what Kerstin Severin, Head Coach of the Herndon Commanders, said about Neil and his clinic:

“The clinic was wonderful for parents, swimmers and our coaches. Neil was a wonderful speaker and was so impressive in the water. His ability to communicate to all ages was great.

My sister brought her children from Indiana and she wished she had jumped in the water to take advantage of his instructions! The parents were impressed by his patience with the swimmers, and his willingness to share so much with them.

I saw the short-term impact the next morning at practice…those who had gone to the clinic were working hard on the things Neil talked about…I feel it will become a yearly event for us!

I thought Neil was more personal than anyone else we’ve brought in before. He gave so much of himself this past weekend and I am sure that is what the swimmers will remember more than anything else.

Neil was willing to do anything we asked of him which included having lunch with some of our swimmers and being present at the dedication of our new Community Center addition. The community members were excited to see his gold medal and get his autograph. I can’t say enough positive things about the entire experience.”

Thank you, Kerstin! You’re right, Neil is one of the best clinicians around! We are thrilled to have him on the BREAKout! team.

Best of luck to you and the Herndon Commanders this spring season!

Neil Walker

I can’t tell you how excited how I am to receive such great feedback on our first Mutual of Omaha BREAKout! clinic…

We kicked off the 100 club tour on Jan. 6th with an outstanding group of nearly 150 swimmers from the NY Sharks Aquatic Club! Olympic champion & backstroke king Aaron Peirsol and I had a blast with these swimmers.

Here is what Todd Langenmayr, Head Coach of the NY Sharks, had to say about this clinic:

“Everything was absolutely perfect. Josh and Aaron were terrific and had the entire group loving every minute of the clinic. I received over 80 e-mails from swimmers and parents stating how much they loved the clinic and how professional Josh and Aaron were.

I really cannot say enough about the clinic. I would highly recommend to every USS and High School team across the nation to have these two amazing guys come out and do a clinic with their team. My kids walked away with unbelieveable lessons in the pool and even more important were the life lessons taught about the sport, family, friends and what it takes to be a winner in and out of the pool.

Both Josh and Aaron are two of the most motivating athletes I have ever heard speak in public. In the water, they were equally impressive and the kids had such a great time with them. Josh and Aaron were like movie stars out here. The parents and athletes were so impressed by the entire clinic that they asked when the next one was.

On a short term level, the kids are rejuvenated and ready to work extra hard to improve. We have some big meets coming up and the guys really helped prepare them mentally for those meets.

…I particularly loved hearing Josh talk about his parents and their unconditional love that is most important in every young person’s life. The entire crowd loved that and it was heartfelt and just perfect. I have to say I really loved what Josh said. He was really amazing. What a great guy. He motivated every person in that pool to be better people.

Anytime they are ready, we will do it again…… It was spectacular. I cannot thank you enough. They made the swimmers, parents and coaches year…. What an amazing opportunity for young athletes, parents and coaches.”

Wow!!! Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback, Todd, and we can’t wait to come back! Aaron and I loved our time with your swimmers and we can’t thank you enough for making us feel so welcome. Best of luck to you and your swimmers in 2007!

Thank you, NY Sharks, for making the kick-off to the Mutual of Omaha BREAKout! Clinics such a huge success!

Aaron & Josh

Josh teaching