Two Midlanders Qualify For The Olympics

Can you imagine the excitement, can you imagine the thrill of waking up this morning knowing you are headed to the Olympics representing the United States. That is the case for two young people from right here in Midland, Texas. Bryce Hoppel and Natalie Hinds have made it onto Team USA to represent our country in their individual sports.

Natalie Hinds a Midland High graduate, qualified for Team USA on Friday by coming fourth in the 100 meter freestyle, at the Olympic Trial in Omaha.

She left Midland and went to Florida where she would become a four time All-American. Natalie now competes professionally with the Athens Bulldogs Swim Club in Georgia.

Bryce Hoppel the other athlete from Midland to qualify for the Olympics qualified last night. Hoppel is also a Midland High graduate who has become a two time National Champion at Kansas. Hoppel qualified for the 800 meter race to represent team USA.

This is both athlete's first trip to the Olympics. Congratulations.

I don't know either of them personally but my heart leaps for them, what an accomplishment. I am so excited and I am not even the one headed to Tokyo. I think at some point when you were a kid, watching the Olympic, you dreamed of competing in some sort of way. I know when I would watch as kid, in the winter Olympics I also that it would be awesome to be a figure skater. Then during the Summer Olympics, I always thought it would be awesome to be on the gymnastics team.