Three young swimmers with local ties will compete in the Olympic Trials June 29 to July 6 in Omaha, Neb., for a chance to join what is expected to be a dominant U.S. team at the Olympic Games.

Hempfield graduate Joe Kinderwater, former Hempfield student Katie Riefenstahl and Cedar Crest graduate Cody Weik are all part of a large contingent of swimmers who are looking to join stars Michael Phelps, Katie Hoff and Natalie Coughlin in Beijing this August.

Kinderwater, 19, who just finished his freshman year at the University of North Carolina, will compete in the 1,500-meter freestyle at the trials.

The 1,500 is a grueling race that is the longest individual event for the men. He is seeded 15th in an event in which only the top two competitors make the Olympic team.

"In the past year, I have gained so much more experience and have gotten to know the people I will swim against," said Kinderwater, who hopes to swim around a 15:20, around 10 seconds better than his previous best of 15:31. "I will use this experience to push me through to a great time."

Kinderwater loves the longer events, swimming both the 800 and 1,500 in college. There is no 800 in the Olympics for the men, leaving him with one race. He knows one person he will have to match or beat at the Trials is Eric Vendt, who swam the 1,500 in both the 2000 and 2004 Olympics.

"He is such a nice guy and a veteran of the sport who came out of retirement to swim this year," said Kinderwater, who trains at West Shore YMCA in Harrisburg during the summer. "It will be great for me to see him out there."

Kinderwater's approach in the pool has always been to go near the front in the beginning and maintain the pace throughout the race. Kinderwater said one advantage he has is his ability to swim negative splits, with ensuing laps faster than previous ones.

He also has the experience of swimming the open-water trials earlier this year. This new Olympic event features swimmers crossing open bodies of water over long distances. Kinderwater just missed out on an Olympic spot in that event, finishing third, with the top two moving on to Beijing.

"I am young for the open-water competition, as the average age is 31," Kinderwater said. "I told my parents when I was 7 that I wanted to be an Olympian one day. I know I am a long shot this year, but I will be back in four years to try again in both events, no matter what happens this time."

Kinderwater is currently training every day, with doubles four times a week.

• Katie Riefenstahl, 17, will be swimming in the 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 100 backstroke and 200 backstroke at the Olympic Trials, with her highest ranking of eighth in the 200 back. She started her academic and swimming career at Hempfield, setting a state record in the 200 freestyle as a freshman, before transferring to Germantown Academy to swim and train under head coach Dick Shoulberg prior to her sophomore year.

She had qualifying times for the Trials in six events, but decided to focus on the four she felt she had the best chance at earning a spot on the national team. She has her races spread out over the week, with no more than one per day.

"This will help me focus on one event at a time and lead to a better workout," said Riefenstahl, who will attend the University of Texas in the fall. "I did not make the 2004 Trials, so I do not have any expectations for this time. I want to have fun with it. I am a dark horse with no pressure on me, and I want to enjoy the experience."

Riefenstahl's best time in the 200 back is 2:11.35, not far from the time of 2:09 she feels will qualify her for Beijing.

"I posted my time last summer," she said. "I think I will be rested and can lower my best time."

She is seeded 20th in the 200 free, but six people advance due to the relays. Her best time there is 2:00.65; only two seconds off the 1:58 she feels will make the team.

She said her other events, the 100 freestyle and backstroke, will be more fun events to help her gauge the competition.

Shoulberg was a very tough coach for Riefenstahl at Germantown, demanding high-volume yardage every day in practice. This allowed the Blue Bell resident to easily swim 15,000 yards a day in preparation for trials, though she is now tapering a week before her trip to Nebraska.

 While hopes are high for this year, Riefenstahl said she will be at a perfect age to try again in 2012, when she will be a senior in college.

"It is really exciting with what I have accomplished so far," Riefenstahl said. "Things have worked perfectly to this point."

• Cody Weik, 19, a 2007 graduate of Cedar Crest now swimming for Indiana University in Bloomington, will compete in the 200-meter freestyle at the Trials.