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Hinsdale, IL —
Six thousand yards of swimming a day. A minimum of 14 hours a week in the pool. Four thousand, four hundred calories a day and three claps before each race.
“When I get up to the block, I always have to clap my hands three times,” said Danny Thomson, a senior swimmer at Hinsdale Central High School. “I’ve been doing it since I was 8, so it’s kind of superstitious of me. I feel weird if I don’t do it.”
After first learning to swim when he was in kindergarten, the 18-year-old swim star is now a top 10 recruit for colleges, according to collegeswimming.com. He had the fastest mile time for all high schoolers in the U.S. last year, had the fastest 500-yard freestyle time for a high school junior and the second-fastest 200-yard freestyle time for a high school junior in the nation.
Thomson is a four-time NCSA Junior National Champion, three-time USA Swimming Junior National Medalist and three-time Illinois High School Association State Champion.
Perhaps his most impressive stat though is the 4,400 calories he consumes a day. This is the same as about eight McDonald’s Big Macs.
“This year, I’ve been focusing more on nutrition and trying to eat healthier and not just plug in the junk food with cheap calories,” Thomson said. “I get close to the 4,400 and that’s one of the nice things; I can just keep eating and not feel bad.”
Growing up, Thomson did other sports as well, such as soccer, baseball, football and basketball, but he realized at an early age swimming was his thing. Swimming is not everything to Thomson, though, as he’s also a member of the micro finance club at Hinsdale Central.
“It’s a club that gives money to poorer entrepreneurs in third-world countries, and with that money, they start a business,” he said. “Once they get on their feet they pay us back, and so it kind of helps the global economy get better.”
In August 2011, Thomson represented the U.S. in the World Junior Swimming Championships in Lima, Peru. For the first time, Thomson was able to socialize with cultures from all over the world.
“I remember we were down there a few days before the trials and in between practices, we would just sit with the Australians and I remember trying vegemite for the first time, which is an Australian spread and it’s really bitter,” he said. “I didn’t know that, so I took a mouth full of it. That was not a good experience, but it’s just things like that I will never forget.”
Six thousand yards of swimming a day. A minimum of 14 hours a week in the pool. Four thousand, four hundred calories a day and three claps before each race.
“When I get up to the block, I always have to clap my hands three times,” said Danny Thomson, a senior swimmer at Hinsdale Central High School. “I’ve been doing it since I was 8, so it’s kind of superstitious of me. I feel weird if I don’t do it.”
After first learning to swim when he was in kindergarten, the 18-year-old swim star is now a top 10 recruit for colleges, according to collegeswimming.com. He had the fastest mile time for all high schoolers in the U.S. last year, had the fastest 500-yard freestyle time for a high school junior and the second-fastest 200-yard freestyle time for a high school junior in the nation.
Thomson is a four-time NCSA Junior National Champion, three-time USA Swimming Junior National Medalist and three-time Illinois High School Association State Champion.
Perhaps his most impressive stat though is the 4,400 calories he consumes a day. This is the same as about eight McDonald’s Big Macs.
“This year, I’ve been focusing more on nutrition and trying to eat healthier and not just plug in the junk food with cheap calories,” Thomson said. “I get close to the 4,400 and that’s one of the nice things; I can just keep eating and not feel bad.”
Growing up, Thomson did other sports as well, such as soccer, baseball, football and basketball, but he realized at an early age swimming was his thing. Swimming is not everything to Thomson, though, as he’s also a member of the micro finance club at Hinsdale Central.
“It’s a club that gives money to poorer entrepreneurs in third-world countries, and with that money, they start a business,” he said. “Once they get on their feet they pay us back, and so it kind of helps the global economy get better.”
In August 2011, Thomson represented the U.S. in the World Junior Swimming Championships in Lima, Peru. For the first time, Thomson was able to socialize with cultures from all over the world.
“I remember we were down there a few days before the trials and in between practices, we would just sit with the Australians and I remember trying vegemite for the first time, which is an Australian spread and it’s really bitter,” he said. “I didn’t know that, so I took a mouth full of it. That was not a good experience, but it’s just things like that I will never forget.”
This June, Thomson looks forward to taking on a new challenge by representing the Hinsdale Swim Club at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha, Neb. Thomson said to represent the U.S. in the Olympics would not only be amazing, but a dream come true.
“The Olympics is such a big thing and it’s one of the main highlights of the sport,” he said. “Just representing the United States at the Olympics I think would be one of the coolest things ever.”
After four recruiting trips, Thomson has committed to Stanford University for swimming. Despite being a tough decision, Thomson said Stanford’s team and academics are second to none. After talking with members of the team, he realized this was the place for him.
“I learned so many things, not just about college, but about swimming in general and different philosophies and ideas,” he said. “I think a great way to improve your swimming is to gain knowledge about your sport, and knowing about all the different ideas and seeing which fits you the best.”
