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Olympic inspiration
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McMinnville Swim Team members got a splash of inspiration from the U.S. Olympic Swim Team last week as over 2,000 fans converged on the University of Tennessee’s Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center to watch an open practice.“We had to be there before 8 a.m. Eastern time,” said C.J. Rogers of the event held last Thursday.Knoxville played host to Team USA’s 49 swimmers for a week-long training camp as the team prepares to head to the upcoming Olympic Games. This isn’t the first time Tennessee has played host to the team. The last time was before the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.Rogers, an upcoming eighth-grader, left McMinnville at 4:30 a.m. to see athletes like Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Natalie Coughlin, and newcomer Missie Franklin.Sisters Emma and Taylor Petersen left even earlier to get in line with crowds of over 2,000 people.