For Hayden and Noah Henry, swimming is in their blood.
According to their coach and father, Patrick Henry, the brothers take no days off trying to reach their goals, and now that hard work is paying off as they both head to the U.S. Swimming Olympic Trials next week.
"It's a once in a lifetime experience and I'm trying to get the most I can out of it," Hayden Henry said.
Hayden is an accomplished swimmer on the University of Texas swim team. He has helped the Longhorns win three Big 12 titles and two national titles in the last three years in Austin. As for his brother Noah, he is on the fast track to greatness after making the Olympic Trials at the age of 15.
"I was like not many 15 year olds get to do that," Noah said.
But for both of these brothers, competing on the national stage wouldn't happen without the competitive nature between each other.
"It's an amazing gift I get to train with my brother," Noah said.
"We always have to be better than each other and nothing hurts more than losing to him," Hayden said.
"They complement each other they challenge each other. They don't let neither one get by with anything," Patrick Henry said. "They call each other on everything, So they know they will be held to a higher standard"
A standard set by the elder Henry. A former collegiate swimmer himself, he has allowed his sons to understand what it takes to have a shot at the Olympics.
"Here is the template. Here is how you do it. Let's go do it," Patrick Henry said.
That is easier said than done, but several early mornings and thousands of hours in the pool, and now the Henry brothers have seen all their hard work pay off.
"It definitely makes all the pain and all the waking up early worth it. All the times you roll out of bed and see 5:30 on your alarm clock and go uhhhh," Hayden said.
"Days you feel like you don't want to go and swim in the water and every morning when I feel like that I tell myself, ok I got to make it great," Noah added.
So now both brothers have a shot to qualify for the 2016 Olympics and swim for Team USA. Fighting for spots against swimming mainstays like Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte. But for these two brothers, swimming their best race on the biggest stage is more than enough.
"I want to go in there understanding everything so I can be prepared for the next one but I also want to do my best," Noah said.
"You can't control what anyone else is doing all you can control is your race so if you swim your best race and get 15th place. That doesn't matter - you swam your best race," Patrick Henry added.
"Swimming fast is fun, and if we can all get together and do a lot swimming fast we are going to have a lot of fun," Hayden said.
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