Meg's Story...
Meghan Kinney grew up in Orange County, California, and began her Synchronized Swimming career at the age of 10. For the next 11 years, she would devote thousands of hours to training as her passion for performance and athleticism was cultivated.
From 2000 to 2006, she annually placed at the Junior National Championships and was placed on the, demonstrating a natural talent for the sport. Meghan captured a spot on the Junior National Team in 2005 and 2006, competing against the worlds best under 18 in countries like Russia and China.
Opting for an independent study program for high school allowed Meghan to give ample time and attention to synchro, which all payed off in 2007 when at 17 she was nominated to the US National Team, later to be named the 2008 Olympic Team. Forgoing the usual college path, Meghan and her teammates spent their days in the pool gearing up for the Beijing Games. Meghan, the alternate swimmer for the squad, knew that 2008 was not her Olympic year. Her eyes were always set on 2012 in London.
After returning from the 2008 Games, Meghan began her college education at The Ohio State University on a synchronized swimming scholarship, where she brought home two NCAA Championship rings. In 2010, she was named to the National Team once more, and withdrew from Ohio State in order to train full time out on the west coast, knowing this time the road would end in London two years later.
On October 5th, 2010, two weeks after representing the United States in Shanghai, China at the 2010 Fina World Cup and placing 5th in the world, Meghan saw a specialist at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO for a pain in her left knee. After the examination, the doctor told Meghan something far worse than anything she could have imagined: it was Osteosarcoma...bone cancer.
Meghan immediately flew home to Aiken, South Carolina where her family lives, and in less than 24 hours they were on their way up to The James Center in Columbus, OH. Not only does The James Center have a world-renowned staff of bone cancer specialists, but it's also located in the same city as Ohio State, a place that brings back so many positive and wonderful memories to Meghan.
Meghan is the definition of a competitor. Her innate ability to fight and persevere through the toughest of times will be an incredible asset over the upcoming year as she battles this terrible foe.
From 2000 to 2006, she annually placed at the Junior National Championships and was placed on the, demonstrating a natural talent for the sport. Meghan captured a spot on the Junior National Team in 2005 and 2006, competing against the worlds best under 18 in countries like Russia and China.
Opting for an independent study program for high school allowed Meghan to give ample time and attention to synchro, which all payed off in 2007 when at 17 she was nominated to the US National Team, later to be named the 2008 Olympic Team. Forgoing the usual college path, Meghan and her teammates spent their days in the pool gearing up for the Beijing Games. Meghan, the alternate swimmer for the squad, knew that 2008 was not her Olympic year. Her eyes were always set on 2012 in London.
After returning from the 2008 Games, Meghan began her college education at The Ohio State University on a synchronized swimming scholarship, where she brought home two NCAA Championship rings. In 2010, she was named to the National Team once more, and withdrew from Ohio State in order to train full time out on the west coast, knowing this time the road would end in London two years later.
On October 5th, 2010, two weeks after representing the United States in Shanghai, China at the 2010 Fina World Cup and placing 5th in the world, Meghan saw a specialist at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO for a pain in her left knee. After the examination, the doctor told Meghan something far worse than anything she could have imagined: it was Osteosarcoma...bone cancer.
Meghan immediately flew home to Aiken, South Carolina where her family lives, and in less than 24 hours they were on their way up to The James Center in Columbus, OH. Not only does The James Center have a world-renowned staff of bone cancer specialists, but it's also located in the same city as Ohio State, a place that brings back so many positive and wonderful memories to Meghan.
Meghan is the definition of a competitor. Her innate ability to fight and persevere through the toughest of times will be an incredible asset over the upcoming year as she battles this terrible foe.
