2015 YMCA Short Course National Championship
2015 National YMCA Short Course - Greensboro, NC
March 30-April 3, 2015
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OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST CHARLIE HOUCHIN WILL SPEAK AT GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE

YMCA National Champion & Olympic Gold Medalist Charlie Houchin of North Carolina will speak at Good Friday Service Offered at Short Course YMCA Nationals on April 3rd

On Friday, April 3rd, the final day of Short Course Nationals, the YMCA of Greensboro will host a non-denominational service at The Pavilion on the Greensboro Coliseum Campus.  We are pleased to have 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist Charlie Houchin with us to share his message. 

Houchin is a Christian who has spoken about his faith, "I like to think I carry a quiet confidence into the water because of my relationship with Christ."  

We will celebrate the Good News through prayer, music and inspirational message.  The service will  begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the 400 Free Relay Prelims Friday morning. 

Athletes, coaches, parents, staff, volunteers and friends are welcome to come as you are to this informal 30 minute service!  For your convenience, the Pavilion is part of the Greensboro Coliseum Complex and is #17 on the map located on the website - a short walk from the Greensboro Aquatic Center.   

Houchin was an accomplished age group swimmer from North Carolina and today lives and works in Raleigh.  He enjoyed his greatest international success in freestyle relay events. He won an Olympic Gold medal as a member of the winning United States team in the 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Houchin retired from competitive swimming following last summer's USA Swimming national championships racing one final time in his signature event, the 200 freestyle.  He wrapped up a career that included extremely successful trips to the London 2012 Olympics and the Barcelona 2013 FINA World Championships representing Team USA.  He won gold medals as part of the 800 free relays in both of those meets, competing in the prelims in London in 2012 and in the final of the World Championships.

Before his Olympic appearance, Houchin was a key player for the University of Michigan Wolverines, swimming under US Olympic coaches Jon Urbanchek and Bob Bowman from 2006 to 2010.  Houchin is 11th all-time among Americans in the 200 long course freestyle with a 1:46.88 from the 2012 Olympic Trials. He's also 12th all-time in the United States in the 400 freestyle.

Houchin is one of the YMCA's most accomplished athletes.  He won YMCA titles in the 200, 500 & 1000 yard freestyle events, the 400 IM, the 4 x 100 yard and 4 x 200 yard freestyle relay representing the YMCA of the Triangle. 

Houchin credits others for his success including his YMCA swim coach.  "I have had the privilege to work with many great coaches throughout my career.  Ron Turner was my coach at the YMCA of the Triangle and served as the catalyst for my Olympic pursuit. His knowledge and ability to execute in developing talent in our sport is extraordinary. I was so grateful that Ron was able to be in the stands for the finals of my 200 free at the US Olympic Trials."

Houchin is transitioning his passion in the pool to HydroXphere, a technology company he founded. 

Houchin's product, Meet Central, is a mobile app that can operate an entire swim meet from smartphones.

Meet Central is "an easy, paperless solution to support summer swim meets" with a "virtual scoreboard" that swimmers can share to compare results with friends.

He's also one of the founders of Seal Innovation Swim Team in Cary, North Carolina, where professional swimmers train under head coach John Payne.

The YMCA of the USA thanks the YMCA of Greensboro and Charlie Houchin for providing this opportunity to our national swim community.

ABOUT CHARLIE HOUCHIN

EDUCATION  --  Houchin graduated from William G. Enloe High School in Raleigh, North Carolina. Both of his parents were All-American swimmers for North Carolina State University. Houchin attended the University of Michigan, where he swam for the Michigan Wolverines swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition from 2006 to 2010. He graduated from Michigan with a bachelor's degree in sports management in 2010.

PROFESSIONAL CAREER  --  Houchin created a swimming timing system called Meet Central, a system that helps swim meets go faster and have more accurate times. This allows swim teams to use mobile devices to start, time, judge, and score very quickly.  Houchin used the money he earned from his gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics to found HydroXphere and to create Meet Central.  Adamant about increasing the value of participation for young swimmers, Houchin innovated a better swim meet experience for athletes, parents, and coaches. Meet Central operates an entire swim meet from iPhones and iPads, creating a more relaxing environment for parents, volunteers, and officials. Using Meet Central, swim clubs can operate a meet in less time, with fewer volunteers, and less complexity.

SWIMMING CAREER

At the 2010 FINA Short Course World Championships, Houchin won a silver medal in the 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay for his contributions in the heats.

At the 2011 World Aquatics Championships in Shanghai, Houchin competed in one event, the 400-meter freestyle. Houchin posted a time of 3:48.80 in the heats but did not advance to the final, finishing fourteenth overall.

At the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Houchin won two gold medals in the 400-meter freestyle and the 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay.

At the 2012 United States Olympic Trials, the qualifying meet for the 2012 Olympics, Houchin made the U.S. Olympic team for the first time by finishing sixth in the 200-meter freestyle with a time of 1:46.88, which qualified him to swim in the 4x200-meter freestyle as a member of the U.S. relay team. Houchin also competed in the 400-meter freestyle at the trials, and finished fourth overall (3:48.32). At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Houchin earned a gold medal by swimming for the winning U.S. team in the preliminaries of the 4x200-meter freestyle relay.

At the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, Houchin combined with Conor Dwyer, Ryan Lochte, and Ricky Berens in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay, with the team finishing in first place for the gold medal. Swimming the third leg, Houchin recorded a split of 1:45.59, and the team finished with a final time of 7:01.72.



Wednesday, April 1, 2015 For Everyone
 

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