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Olympic hopeful Eric Shanteau makes splash at Hilton event
Shanteau, an Olympic hopeful and subject of a recent Statesman profile, routinely ranks second or third in his events, but only the top two U.S. contenders can make the team, even if he’s also, say, No. 3 in the world.
Shanteau shined at a charity event, oddly scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday at the Hilton Austin’s 8th-floor health club pool. It was all part of a Hilton campaign to help local swim clubs and the USA Swimming Foundation. (Participants are swimming a total of 6,250 laps at various Hiltons — symbolizing the miles from Los Angeles to Beijing — while the hotel chain donates tens of thousands of dollars to train swimmers. Cool idea.)
Shanteau told me about his upcoming meets, including one in Austin on March 6-8 (the most overcrowded weekend of the Austin social calendar each year), as well as an encore exhibition event for spectators. He’ll take a week or so off, then head to the Olympic training village in Colorado Springs (we joked about gasping for air at the facility I visited last year).
What does he do during his off weeks? Read books. And lake activities: “My idea of the perfect day is a day at the lake,” says the athlete who grew up on Lake Lankier near Atlanta.
Two of the local groups participating in the Hilton event were Nitro, a North Austin swim club, and SWIM, a group that matches coaches with at-risk kids.
Dominic Testa of USA Swimming Foundation with Paul Wallace and Bryan Jones of SWIM
“It’s in between ‘learn to swim’ and competitive events,” says Paul Wallace, the investment banker and UT swim alum who helps run the program. Wallace says he grew up in a single-parent home in the San Antonio inner city, and swimming helped rescue him from a wasted life. So, working through Boys and Girls Clubs, he’s making a difference in Austin.
Hilton’s Sean Durkin, Joe Bolash and Paul Parr, executive sous-chef
It was also fun hanging out with the crack Hilton staff, although the only refreshment I sampled with the so-called Vitamin Water (from the Center for Responsible Hydration, whatever that is). It tasted like green tea, which is what it is.
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