Breeja Larson
Breeja Larson
QUICK STATS
- Birthdate: April 16, 1992
- Hometown: Mesa, AZ
- Club Team: Mesa Aquatic Club
- College: Texas A&M
- Coaches: Steve Buttman, Tanica Jamison
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
- 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist
- 2013 World Champion
- 9-time American Record Holder
- 18-time NCAA All American
EXPERIENCE
Breeja Larson brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Fitter & Faster Swim Clinics. Following her collegiate career at Texas A&M where she swam distance freestyle and breaststroke, she began leading swim clinics. Of working with age group swimmers, Bree says, “I love to use colorful examples and challenge swimmers to use their imagination. Body control is a hard concept for young athletes to grasp, so I use examples from everyday life to help kids connect their body position with how efficiently they move through the water.” Bree strives to make Fitter & Faster clinics fun, saying “I don’t want to destroy the play in the child when they’re in the water.”
Bree assesses each Fitter & Faster clinic participant’s efficiency in the water, and tailors instruction to swimmers’ unique physiology. She tells clinic participants not to try to emulate someone else’s stroke and says, “You have to learn to trust in your own body and how it executes a stroke.” Bree’s clinics are interactive and she encourages participants to “challenge my instructions if it doesn’t feel right” so that swimmers walk away from a clinic with what works for them.
Larson represented the U.S at the 2012 London Olympics, earning a gold medal in the 4×100-meter medley relay. Surprisingly, Bree didn’t start year-round club swimming until her senior year of high school. She says, “I had an intense personal drive to leave my hometown and get a quality education. I knew an athletic scholarship was my ticket to college, and I put the work in in the pool. Ignorant confidence, a positive mindset, and the support of my coaches and my teammates resulted in the opportunity to swim for Texas A&M.” Bree says that on her first day in the pool at Texas A&M, she was falling behind other swimmers, but she continued to believe in herself and put in the work. By her sophomore year, she earned a spot on the Olympic team.
Harnessing the power of the mind is a key component to Bree’s success in the pool. She encourages clinic participants to maintain a positive mindset and visualize their race and meet environment. Visualization that includes all senses (sight, sound, touch, smell) is a powerful tool and can help athletes remain calm in stressful situations while anticipating whatever may happen in a meet.
