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Olympian Kasia Wasick gives swim clinic with THEMAGIC5 at Holland Community Aquatic Center

HOLLAND - It started with a a donation and a high bid, and it turned into a memorable experience for many of the club and masters swimmers in Holland.

THEMAGIC5 donated a couple of clinics to USA Swimming as part of the annual Golden Goggle Awards and Michael Daley from Holland Community Aquatic Center bid on that in the auction, won and THEMAGIC5 brought a swim clinic to Holland, led by five-time Olympian Kasia Wasick.

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"The clinic came about from the fundraiser. We didn't want to just donate a pair or two of goggles. We donated goggles for an entire team and had Kasia come in and do this. She was keen so we ended up doing it, and a gentleman from Holland won the big," said Rasmus Barfred, one of the co-founders of THEMAGIC5.

Olympic swimmer Kasia Wasik speaks to Michigan Lakeshore Aquatics swimmers during a clinic on Saturday, April 6, at Holland Community Aquatic Center.
Olympic swimmer Kasia Wasik speaks to Michigan Lakeshore Aquatics swimmers during a clinic on Saturday, April 6, at Holland Community Aquatic Center.

"It has been six years now. It has been an amazing roller coaster. We are at a place where we have a really good organization set up in the U.S. We are starting to see the demand for our product in a competitive space," Barfred said. "Most goggles are one-size-fits-all."

Not THEMAGIC5. Utilizing AI technology and robotic manufacturing, THEMAGIC5 performs facial scanning via its smartphone app to map the contours of a customer’s face. The data allows the company to construct uniquely fitted goggles.

So the Michigan Lakshore Aquatics club and the masters club in Holland each got a pair of goggles and a couple of hours training with Wasick, who has won multiple international medals and will make her fifth Olympic appearance for Poland this summer in Paris.

"I had two clinics. One was with the masters and one was with age group. I was really impressed by the community here. They were not afraid to ask questions and were really open to learning," Wasick said. "I wanted to share my experience and show them what works for me. Small things that make a difference in my training. They did a great job trying new things. They already had amazing technique and the coaches here are doing an amazing job preparing the next generation of Olympians.

Olympic swimmer Kasia Wasik speaks to Michigan Lakeshore Aquatics swimmers during a clinic on Saturday, April 6, at Holland Community Aquatic Center.
Olympic swimmer Kasia Wasik speaks to Michigan Lakeshore Aquatics swimmers during a clinic on Saturday, April 6, at Holland Community Aquatic Center.

Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as  Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Olympian Kasia Wasick gives clinic at Holland Community Aquatic Center