Tom Shields, a former junior lifeguard and the record holder of the Huntington Beach Pier Swim, is on an upward trajectory.

From swimming and body surfing in the Pacific Ocean in his native Huntington Beach, called Surf City USA, to dominating high school competition to being recently named the NCAA Swimmer of the Meet, Shields is recognized as one of the fastest people to swim (streamline) underwater.

The young man has had his eyes on representing the United States at the Olympic Games for some time.

And he will have his chance to realize his dream at the upcoming United States Olympic Swim Team trials in Omaha, Nebraska. Those years in his youth where he spent time body surfing in the ocean in Surf City USA may pay off handsomely. It was during the thousands of waves that he caught and all that time spent underwater in the surf where he honed his understanding of accelerated movement in the water and how to generate speed with body awareness and a strong coordinated core.

At 7 minutes 40 minutes on his record-setting swim, Shields was able to swim around one of the longest piers along the West Coast of the United States at the annual Huntington Beach Pier Swim:



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