This one isn't about Ryan or me, this is about my dad... :-)
One of my summer reads this year was the Dara Torres book, "Age is just a number". It was a good read, an interesting life story, and proof that most of the limits we experience as we age, are ones that we place on ourselves. Dedication and discipline are keys to expanding our ideas of what we think we 'can' and 'cannot' do. I am pretty sure that if someone told my dad back in 1976 that he would swim faster at 55 (a little over 33 years later) than he did in college, he would have thought it would be something that 'cannot' possibly happen. But it did. :-)
My first role model of a swimmer was my dad. I would love to swim with my dad and try to keep up with him. And he quickly recognized my ability to swim breaststroke like he does - we have the same knees, ankles and feet - with the classic 'breaststroker' stance :-). This is my brother, my dad and me after a swim in Lake Charlevoix...
My dad swam in high school and college. He was good - even at a time where swimming looked completely different, and no one wore goggles, or fancy suits, and their starts would be considered something comical today. He was undefeated in the 200 breast in college, was named MVP of his team at Albion, and was inducted into the college's Hall of Fame in 2000. Here is a picture of that good looking guy...
My dad has always been a swimmer - either swimming for fun, or training for a meet. If we are around water, he rarely passes up the chance to get a few laps in - whether it be a rec pool, a lake, or a hotel pool that is heated to 89 degrees. He swims with a team in Battle Creek - the B.C. Y Masters team. They are a small team, but they are dedicated and they have fun. Last weekend, they competed at the US national long course masters swim meet in Indianapolis. My dad's performance was proof that age is just a number. He was within seconds of his lifetime bests in the 200 and 100 breast, and a lifetime best in the 50 breast. He went faster than the national records in his age group in the 50 and 100. He went a 1:14.21 in the 100m breast - converted time to yards is 1:03.52. His 50 breast was a 32.74 - converted time to yards is 28.16. That. is. fast.
My dad is a dedicated swimmer. He trains smart. He researches and studies swim techniques, and figures out what works best for him. He is a disciplined swimmer. He is disciplined with his workouts (in and out of the pool), his nutrition, and his rest. We were fixing the dock today, and this is a picture of him carrying one of the cinder blocks - not too bad for a 55 year old! :-)
I am impressed by his times, and his ability to compete so well, but I am also impressed by his heart and dedication. Go, dad, go. :-)
