{"id":13770,"date":"2007-02-14T13:55:39","date_gmt":"2007-02-14T18:55:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/uncategorized\/2007\/02\/retirement-doesnt-come-easy-for-olympic-champion\/"},"modified":"2014-07-27T17:01:12","modified_gmt":"2014-07-28T00:01:12","slug":"retirement-doesnt-come-easy-for-olympic-champion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/retirement-doesnt-come-easy-for-olympic-champion\/","title":{"rendered":"Retirement Doesn&#8217;t Come Easy for Olympic Champion"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By Sam Davis, <a href=http:\/\/shanteldavis.typepad.com\/kickboard_news\/ target=_blank>Kickboard News<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>With a travel schedule that would make most rock bands tired, former Olympic swimmer Josh Davis is still one of the most visible ambassadors of the sport.  <\/p>\n<p>From speaking at elementary schools, churches, military bases and awards banquets to leading a nationwide swim clinic tour with other Olympians, the father of five from San Antonio does not like to use the &quot;r&quot; word.<\/p>\n<p>&quot;I don&#39;t like to think of myself as \u2018retired&#39; from swimming,&quot; Davis said.  &quot;Even though I have not swam in a major competition in three years, I am more involved with the swimming community now than ever before.&quot;<\/p>\n<p>Last month, Davis partnered with insurance provider Mutual of Omaha, an official sponsor of USA Swimming, to headline a nationwide 100-city tour of instructional swim clinics.<\/p>\n<p>At these fun, interactive events, one other Olympian usually assists Davis as he shares words of inspiration and his world-class technique with a captive audience of young swimming hopefuls.  Fellow ex-University of Texas standouts Aaron Peirsol and Brendan Hansen are also members of this &quot;Gold Medal Team.&quot;<\/p>\n<p>In the midst of a demanding travel schedule, Davis also finds time to inspire groups that aren&#39;t wearing swim briefs.  <\/p>\n<p>School children, church congregations, FBI employees and Army soldiers bound for Iraq are all groups that he has spoken to over the last few months.<\/p>\n<p>A motivational message that Davis often shares is his &quot;7 Habits of Highly Successful Athletes.&quot;<\/p>\n<p>&quot;I have been blessed with some incredible coaches and mentors that have taught me invaluable principles of pursuing excellence,&quot; Davis said.  &quot;These \u2018habits&#39; are not just for athletes though. They can be implemented by anyone who is simply wanting to do his or her best.&quot;<\/p>\n<p>Last week, Davis visited students at Mernin Elementary, a local school in San Antonio, and stressed the importance of regular exercise and making healthy choices.  <\/p>\n<p>Another message Davis is passionate about sharing with young people is the importance of reading.<\/p>\n<p>&quot;Learning how to be a lifetime reader is so important,&quot; Davis said.  &quot;Not only does reading open up your mind and your imagination, but it is the key to being a successful student.&quot;<\/p>\n<p>Next month, Davis&#39; travels will take him overseas to promote the sport of swimming in the African country of Rwanda.<\/p>\n<p>&quot;I have read about the amazing spirit of hope and joy that the Rwandan people have.&quot; Davis said.  &quot;That&#39;s pretty incredible considering the unspeakable suffering they have endured.&quot; <\/p>\n<p>In 1994, more than half a million Rwandans were killed by their fellow countrymen in an ethnic genocide.  <\/p>\n<p>While Rwanda as a whole has made enormous progress from this tragedy, the country&#39;s athletics program is also hoping to rebound.  Davis hopes to invite one or two Rwandan swimmers to the U.S. to train for 2008 or 2012 Olympics.<\/p>\n<p>As the best swimmers in the world are preparing for next month&#39;s FINA World Championship meet in Melbourne, Australia and next year&#39;s Olympics in Beijing, China, Davis is packing his bags for his next swim clinic or public appearance.<\/p>\n<p>&quot;I am excited about this new chapter in my swimming career,&quot; Davis said.  &quot;If my story encourages just one child to pursue his or her dreams, then that for me is more rewarding than any medals or records.&quot;<\/p>\n<p>Davis was the only man in any sport to win three gold medals at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.  The former American record-holder and NCAA Champion also won two silver medals at the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, Australia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Sam Davis, Kickboard News With a travel schedule that would make most rock bands tired, former Olympic swimmer Josh Davis is still one of the most visible ambassadors of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[10,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13770","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-world","category-zzzzzzzzz"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - 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