Retirement

Hello Everyone!!!

It has been some time since my last blog post. I could not believe the amount of e-mails I have received after Olympic Trials, and actually a lot of questions from younger swimmers which I will be answering in another post. Thank you everyone for all the support, and to all the little ones asking me such great questions!!!

This year was a bit of a tough one for me in the pool(mentally and physically). Debating if I should retire or keep swimming. If my heart and mind were still in the sport to keep going. I am entering what some people call the twilight years of swimming. Where there is some time left, but not much until the sand in the hourglass is empty.

So after a long debate with my coaches and support staff. I have decided this year that I will head into retirement after swimming at summer nationals. After being a competitive swimmer for about a third of my life it will be hard to give up. I will most likely still swim, but not at an elite performance level. I was thinking about swimming the 50 breaststroke just for fun whenever I can(Nationals, Masters... a recreational pool near you!!!). So watch out for the randomness!! Possibly coming to a pool near you!!! 

So what is the next step in my life?  I will be taking off to Europe with my sister for an entire month. Which will be the longest time I have ever taken off since I was 11 or 12. I will be traveling with Contiki Tours which if you haven't looked into it check out!


But!!!!! before I start any of that. I got to finish up my last swims this weekend!!!!! I will be swimming the 100 and 50 breaststroke. The 200 has become to far for me to swim... ;)


If anyone has any other questions just shoot me an e-mail warrenbarnes2012@gmail.com. Remember there is no such thing as a stupid question.

Thanks for following me, and Thanks for all the support!!

Go Canada Go

Warren Barnes

No Regrets

I would like to Thank everyone for all of their support and love on my journey to make the  Canadian Olympic Team. I did everything I could do to get there but just had an extremely bad meet/month..... i hurt my lower back lifting weights(could barley walk) and then got the flu for a week..... going way off my best times and have gone faster with intense training on my back... but shit happens and there is nothing i can do about that now but move forward onto my next journey......  So whats next..... I took a much need vacation to my favorite city...Pittsburgh! ... Pitt is a second home to me and I always have a good time there....seeing family,amazing friends and hitting up the hofbrauhaus house(best brewery in the world) .....

I had some other very upsetting news this month.... i just found out that my Grand Father past away..... He was an amazing man who always made everyone laugh and helped me to be the person i am today...we would always play games and he would never go easy on me....even when i was very young..... he would always play his best and it made me get better... i applied this to many things in my life and i cant thank him enough....it was something so simple but is something i still remember to this day practicing so hard at those games so that i could beat him one day(and i did took a while though..haha)..... He was an amazing man and i am glad he got to live a long happy life(he was 90 when he passed).... I mean how many people get to take shots of vodka and party with their Grampa....We had a lot of great times and i learned a lot from him....may he rest in peace....love you Grampa..... The funeral will be held next friday and then our whole family is heading to Cuba to celebrate his life...... which is something he wanted and something i agree with.... that we should celebrate someones life when they pass on......going to Cuba is just a bonus

After Cuba i intend to swim until summer Nationals and then go from there.... like i said in my last blog if i had the money i would keep swimming until my body couldn't do it anymore...

Thanks again to everyone for all their support

Warren

Olympic Trials 2012 - Go Big Or Go Home

This is it. What I have been training for my whole life. A huge final push the last 3 years…. And I race tomorrow to become an Olympian. I thought this last blog post would be a great opportunity for people to get to know my story…. And to do that I need to ask myself the question.

What would my life be like without swimming?

If I never stayed in swimming I would have never made it to university…. I would not have travelled the world. I would not have met absolutely amazing people who changed my life… I might have got into more trouble when I was a kid and in high school I might have got sucked into bad crowd…. I would have never learned that people were wrong about me when I was younger…. I was told that I would never be able to be normal in school and in life….. Many teachers were very negative toward me – discouraging my future and success.


Swimming has been the best thing in my life....it has help me achieve so much and changed me for the better as a person..... whatever happens at these Olympic Trials I would not change a single thing with my life...... If i was given a million dollars and could go back in time..... I would take the exact same path.....the only thing that would change is i would have an ipad......i really would like an ipad.....hahah.....oh and i am sure my sister would have more presents...she loves to get lots of presents... ;)


So make sure to cheer me on and I will keep everyone updated on my results and make sure to watch me live on sportsnet at 7pm eastern time.

Warren

Back Home!

After swimming concluded at the Pan Am Games I was shipped directly to Michigan for a dual meet against Club Wolverine Elite and University of Michigans varsity team. Our team consisted of the University of Toronto varsity team and the Toronto National Training Centre. I had a total of 2 hours sleep and a 12 hour travel day. I took what I learned from Pan Am Games and immediately applied it to the dual meet ( no excuses swim like a champion). It worked fantastic and I almost went best times plus won both of my races (100 and 200 Breaststroke)...This was a non-scoring meet...but had it been scored we(National centre and Toronto Varsity) would have won by a landslide.
I have been back training extremely hard since I got home and really ramping up on our weight program.. I am the strongest and fittest I have ever been... My next competition will be at Etobicoke Olympium November 25th -27th... I will post what time finals start, so if your in the area and always wanted to see me swim.... stop on by!!

Stay classy

Warren Barnes

Pan Am Games

Everything is going great in Guadalajara. We had a small hurricane that turned into a tropical storm, but now beautiful sunshine! The village is great and the people of Guadalajara are very friendly. Also all of the support staff are doing an amazing job here. Taking care of literally everything from extra food to a private gym in the basement. We have everything we need to do our best at the games. I will compete Sunday and Tuesday with a possibility of a medley relay on Friday. I will keep everyone posted.

We also got a phone for Mexico. So if anyone wants to send me a good luck text or a good luck phone call my number is 011 52 3310098584. The aera code for Canada and the US is 011 52 and then my number... standard rates apply....lol

Small Tour of Village

I am currently on route to Guadalajara, Mexico for the Pan Am Games. Here is a quick video of what some of the village looks like. I will be updating my site once I am at the village.

So check out the video.

Back at it

After making the Pan Am Team at summer nationals I took a much needed break, and now I am back in the pool training full time. I have a major drive for the sport after taking some time off. I had not taken a break for 3 years and mentally I hit a wall. So I took some time to reflect on what I need to do to make the Olympic Team. Although I made the Pan Am Games Team, summer nationals did not go the way I wanted it to, and after talking with my coaches we have come up with a great plan for the next 7 months towards Olympic Trials. Starting with a top 5 placing at the Pan Am Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. Swimming at the games will start on October 15th. I will post a link so you can follow my swims.

Looking forward to a great year!

Warren Barnes

Swimming Documentary

I have recently found out that a film producer is going to be doing a documentary on our national training centre group leading up to the 2012 Olympic Trials, and if he can get the filming rights, he will be filming at the Olympic Games!!! He has been in talks with CBC about the project and is also looking for funding from other independent companies. This is incredibly exciting for everyone in the centre and I am so very excited for people to learn about the sport of swimming. Most people usually see us every 4 years for about 1-2 minutes and they don't really get a chance to hear our whole story. People don't get to see all the time, commitment, determination, funding and sacrifices that athletes have to make in order to even come close to making an Olympic Team let alone getting a medal. 

The film will be shot by Paul Dudar a young aspiring film producer from Toronto, Ontario. When approached by Paul I said " Paul the only way I am doing this is if its in HD" I am a pretty big tech nerd and won't have the film shot any other way. So hopefully I look good in HD. Paul will be filming the centre's day to day activities and what we do outside of the pool when we have free time.....which is never....lol. Also he will be filming competitions and hopefully he can get the rights to film at the Olympic Games!!! 

If anyone would like to be a part of the film or help Paul with funding. You can e-mail him at paul.dudar@gmail.com.

The film is tentatively called "inches" and paul put together a small trailer.

The Trailer is under my videos.

Weird day Blog update tomorrow

Had a really strange day today. It started out good. I had a Light practice, cold tub, saw the new xmen moive, ate chipotle and then had some brain scanning done. Then I waited in a 3 hour line to get my bike fixed for free in Dundas Square, in what felt like the hottest day of the year, all to save some money. While I was there I met a drug dealer, a counselor/actor who does theater on a 3 million dollar boat in the greek islands, and a couple of people on a mission to spread happiness from Atlanta, Georgia. The person fixing the bikes was there all day from 7am to 8:30pm(what a boss). Also consumed wayyyyyyy to much sushi(Thanks Martyn!!)..... sushi coma commencing....NOW!!!!!

Real blog post tomorrow

Hard Work Is Paying Off

After coming down from altitude I have been doing some amazing things in practice that I wouldn't have even dreamed about last year. A big part of that I can attribute to my support staff Jason (massage and rehabilitation) Ron and Steve (strength coaches) Judy (Sports Psychologist) Melissa (Nutritionist) Elton and Rob (the sports scientists) and of course the man that puts it all together Greg (Physiologist). Without these people I would not have been able to improve the way I have been. I have taken off 7 seconds in the 200 breast and 1.5 seconds in the 100 breast in 2 years.... at my age that is unheard of.  It takes so much time, effort and financial support from so many people to help me get where I want to be.  I could not have done this without their help, and the belief from so many people that I could be great some day. 

Thanks to everyone that believes in me.

"It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not".  ~Author Unknown

Meets coming up:  

AGI in Etobicoke (June 3-5)

California Grand Prix in Santa Clara (June 15-18)

Quebec Cup in Montreal (June 30 - July 4)

Results
AGI: http://www.eswim.ca/

Updates to Sponsors 

Arizona Training Camp (Phoenix and Flagstaff)

Hey Everyone!

Things have been going great in the pool! I just got back from a month long training camp that has helped push me to the next level. I was trying to do some posts while I was away, but my ip address got banned at our hotel, because I was watching to many shows online :s.....

The first training camp was amazing in Phoenix the weather was unreal, sunny and 34 degrees Celsius everyday!! The beautiful weather makes it so much easier for me to train.... I can't get enough of the sun!!!

The second training camp was in Flagstaff. Which is around 6,800ft about sea level. It makes walking around a daunting task at first. Training was very intense at Flagstaff, no days off and scientific testing everyday! I was very fortunate to watch Alexander Dale Oen ( 2nd in the 100 Breaststroke at the Olympics 2008) train at Flagstaff. My coach was able to get some great tips from his coach, which we implemented right away! Keep Checking my blog I will will be posting every Wednesday!

Warren

Updates to videos and stats.

Special Thanks to Svengali Salon

A special thanks to the incredible team at Svengali Salon for their sponsorship & my new look!

Looking Forward To London

(My coach JR and I at the University of Toronto Pool)

After a great talk with my coaches and support staff I am fueled up for the next leg of my journey to make the Olympic Games in London. I will be leaving for Phoenix Arizona April 21st for a training camp, and then will be ascending to Flagstaff Arizona until May 10th. Flagstaff is one of my favorite places to train because it is at altitude (7,000 ft). The altitude makes it harder to breath and is suppose to increase my red blood cell count. As a result, this is suppose to help me swim faster. Last year when we did this I was going best times almost immediately after the training so I am really excited!!!!

I will leave this post with a quote I found

‎"Every time you stay out late; every time you sleep in; every time you miss a workout; every time you don't give 100% - You make it that much easier for me to beat you" 

Stepping Stones Towards London

Hello Everyone its been a while but I am back at it. Expect weekly updates starting next week. So how did I do at the Trials? I won the 50 Breaststroke defending my National Championship title clocking a 28.18. Additionally, I went a best time in my 200 Breaststroke stopping the clock at  2:13.97 currently ranking me 37th in the World.  In the final of the 200 Breaststroke I was facing pretty tough competition with 2 former Olympians one of which came 4th in the last Olympics. It was a great race I came 3rd making the podium. While I didn't qualify for the Worlds Team I am preparing for the Trials this summer for the Pan Am Games which will be in Mexico.

I would like to Thank the following: My Parents, Swim Ontario, Toronto Swim Club, The Toronto High Performance Centre, Quest For Gold and of course my coaches and teammates. I would not have been able to come this far without you.

Back in Action & Ready for the LC Season!

UPDATE:

It has been some time since we have had an update! Things have been busy as we enter the 2011 Long Course Season. With World Trials coming up at the end of March, big things are approaching.

Back from a month long training trip in Australia, Warren is currently training and beginning taper for Worlds, after coming off an excellent performance at the US Grand Prix in Missouri and Indianapolis. Updates from Warren's 2011 Australian Training Camp, and event summaries from the US Grand Prix Circuct will be up on the site soon (pictures too).

With the World Trials only For Information on the 2011 World Trials click here

Warren is getting very excited for the Long Course Season to get underway, and always loves to hear encouragement from friends and family! Check out the Facebook Page: Warren Barnes 2012

GO CANADA GO

Dubai 2010 Day 3: Men's 200m Breaststroke

Barnes swimming the Breaststroke at the 10th FINA World Championships

Day 3 of Competition:
Men's 200m Breaststroke


Toronto's Warren Barnes learnt a valuable lesson during his first try at the Worlds in Dubai yesterday, he's got to go at it from the get go.

"Every swim counts here, and you have to attack it as if it were your last." said Barnes, who shaved close to six seconds off his personal best this morning in the Men's 200m Breaststroke. Barnes stormed off the blocks and never looked back, winning his heat with a time of 2:07.88. The time wasn't low enough to give Barnes a birth to the A Final (placing 15th over-all), but for him the experience was greatly beneficial.

Congratulations go out to Warren on an extremely impressive swim in the Men's 200m Breaststroke. Not only did he set a lifetime best by over SIX seconds (amazing) but he also set the new Ontario Short Course Record. We could not be more proud!

Going into the competition Barnes' previous personal best was a 2:13.42.

Dubai 2010 Day 2: No Events

Day 2 of Competition:

OFF

Warren Barnes had today off. Up next will be the Men's 200m Breaststroke on Friday.

Dubai 2010 Day 1: Men's 100 Breaststroke

Day 1 of Competition:

Men's 100m Breaststroke

On the first day of competition at the 10th FINA World Swimming Championships Warren competed in the Men's 100m Breaststroke setting a new lifetime best, and breaking the exclusive 1:00 barrier in the event. Entering the championships with a time of 1:00.58, Warren stopping the clock at 59.42 during Prelims, placing 23rd overall, and improving upon his previous LTB by over 1 full second. Breaking the 1:00 barrier was one of many goals entering the competition, and he was very pleased with the outcome. 

Warren has Thursday off, and will be back in the pool on Friday in the Men's 200m Breaststroke, followed by the Men's 50m Breaststroke on Saturday.

For all the details on how swimmers are doing at the World Championships click here 

Athletic Profile - Dubia 2010

For all the details, as well as complete profiles on the entire team click here

A Canadian Cover Story:

August 2010:
Swim News Cover

Congratulations go out to Warren for making the cover of Canadian Swimming Magazine, Swim News back in August. Warren made the cover for his stellar performance at the 2010 Canadian Summer Nationals. We are very proud of him!