I was privileged to read the following piece that I wrote on the Charlotte National Public Radio outlet this morning. The anchor prefaced my reading (which aired twice) with a comment about how the Olympic spirit can be found in places other than Athens. I hope you all see my pride in our Master's family in writing and presenting this, and I hope no one takes offense.
"At the same time Michael Phelps was speeding through the Olympic pool in Athens, a 79 year old swimmer in lane 7 at the US Masters National Championships in Savannah wasn’t making much forward progress. His official entry form said that he could complete the 200 meter butterfly race in just under six minutes, but it became clear very early on, after it took him almost four minutes to complete just the first of the race’s four laps, that he, and all of us watching, were in for a long ordeal.
Over the next few minutes while the swimmer in Lane 7 completed his second lap, the crowd of over 1000 competitors and hundreds more volunteers and spectators at the pool began to get uneasy. They knew that this performance would add an extra ten or fifteen minutes to the meet’s already long schedule on the last of its four days of competition. One of the swimmers in the bleachers near me said he didn’t think the guy could possibly finish the way he was going. Another said “I wonder if they’ll stop him. Maybe they should.” I must admit that my first thought was to agree. I thought, “What’s he even doing in this race? I’m only 51 and I would never register for the 200 meter butterfly, especially at the Nationals.” I also thought about how none of the men in my immediate family line had ever even reached age 79.
About ten yards into his 3rd lap, a single figure appeared on the sidelines cheering him on. Each time the swimmer’s head and arms popped up out of what seemed to be the deep, his self-appointed cheerleader would shout “Go-o-o-o-o, Go-o-o-o!” It only took me a second or two to recognize that that cheerleader was one of the very best adult swimmers in the world. “Go Doug, Go!” she shouted. Nobody joined Nadine Day, a 34 year old world record holder, as she cheered Doug on, but I daresay we all sat transfixed as we watched this compelling drama unfold.
When Doug neared his final turn, Nadine was on her knees at the end of the lane almost leaning into the water to cheer him on. She followed him all the way home on that 4th lap. When Doug was about ten yards from the end of the race, an ovation bound to become raucous began to build in the pool. I believe that that ovation and the cheers that went with it might very well have been heard in Athens.
For some reason, Doug, who recently underwent hip replacement surgery, didn’t stop when his race ended. He turned at the wall and started on a fifth lap. Everyone gasped, except Nadine Day. She dove into the water, stopped him, and pulled him over to the wall to yet another thunderous ovation. I’m believing it was for the sheer joy of accomplishment that Doug wanted to keep going."
Joe Gosha
Since my hip total replacement (which I had postponed for 9 1/2 years since I originally scheduled it in Dec. 1993) done in June and again in July 2003, I have swum the 200 short course butterfly 7 times, the first two in meter pools in times of 8:40.77 and 8:03.89. The five yard times were from 2-14 to 4-22, 2004, with times 6:29.41, 7:12.42, 6:27.97, 6:51.80, and 7:06.49. The slower times were probably in meets where I swam one or two previous events. My only previous 2002 long course 200 fly was at the Canadian Nationals in Edmonton in May, which I swam in 8:33.62. I did not use that time as my seed time for the Savannah meet because I always put down my best legal seed time unless I have an overridingly important reason to put down a slower time. For instance in Dec. of 2002 I had swum a time of 5:54.66, but it was short course meters for the Colonies Zone Championships. Thus, my seed time of 5:59.94 was from the long course Hoosier State Games of July 20, 2002, and was my best time when I sent in my entry. This best legal time has always been my practice since June Krauser wrote eloquently on the subject 20 or 30 years ago. (I've never been accused of sandbagging a seed time)!
Maybe it's time now to get to what happened in Savannah while the hurricane, Charley, was hovering nearby. My dolphin kick was DQed during the 400 IM that I swam on Friday. It was explained to me why, and that since it was a judgment call it could not be contested. So it was that I decided to, and did swim the 200 IM the next day by crossing my ankles to prevent my dolphin kick from drawing another DQ. Although the kick change was permitted it was too slow and uncomfortable, especially with all of the waves and seemingly magnetic lane lines, so I deccided to swim the 200 butterfly on Sunday by not kicking at all. I did not know that I would be as slow as I was, but still did expect to be slower than the eleven plus minutes that was posted in the women's 200 Butterfly. I told the swimmers in my heat of my intentions so that they would not be distracted by wondering about me, and also told the starter.
I think y'all'll understand that it is hard for me to believe that there was really anything wrong with my dolphin kick for the first time in 293 events of 200 fly and 400IM since 1991. Especially since my six days a week workouts have included at least an hour of dolphin kicking a day since 1999 in Minneapolis, my 200 Butterfly was only 99 & 44/100ths completed. (I was vertical by that time and had drifted against a lane line, causing my progress to be backwards).
Maybe it is worth mentioning, too, that I am probably the only one over 75 who does not use the breaststroke kick at all in the butterfly events. I still carry with me the form, prepared by USMS in 1992, that requires meet official's signatures certifying my exclusive use of the dolphin kick in butterfly events, this in the unlikely event that I would claim a World Record. (I also carry a Texas Poll Tax receipt for 1958, before I moved back home again in Indiana from Houston).
Enuf a'ready. At least for now.
Since my hip total replacement (which I had postponed for 9 1/2 years since I originally scheduled it in Dec. 1993) done in June and again in July 2003, I have swum the 200 short course butterfly 7 times, the first two in meter pools in times of 8:40.77 and 8:03.89. The five yard times were from 2-14 to 4-22, 2004, with times 6:29.41, 7:12.42, 6:27.97, 6:51.80, and 7:06.49. The slower times were probably in meets where I swam one or two previous events. My only previous 2002 long course 200 fly was at the Canadian Nationals in Edmonton in May, which I swam in 8:33.62. I did not use that time as my seed time for the Savannah meet because I always put down my best legal seed time unless I have an overridingly important reason to put down a slower time. For instance in Dec. of 2002 I had swum a time of 5:54.66, but it was short course meters for the Colonies Zone Championships. Thus, my seed time of 5:59.94 was from the long course Hoosier State Games of July 20, 2002, and was my best time when I sent in my entry. This best legal time has always been my practice since June Krauser wrote eloquently on the subject 20 or 30 years ago. (I've never been accused of sandbagging a seed time)!
Maybe it's time now to get to what happened in Savannah while the hurricane, Charley, was hovering nearby. My dolphin kick was DQed during the 400 IM that I swam on Friday. It was explained to me why, and that since it was a judgment call it could not be contested. So it was that I decided to, and did swim the 200 IM the next day by crossing my ankles to prevent my dolphin kick from drawing another DQ. Although the kick change was permitted it was too slow and uncomfortable, especially with all of the waves and seemingly magnetic lane lines, so I deccided to swim the 200 butterfly on Sunday by not kicking at all. I did not know that I would be as slow as I was, but still did expect to be slower than the eleven plus minutes that was posted in the women's 200 Butterfly. I told the swimmers in my heat of my intentions so that they would not be distracted by wondering about me, and also told the starter.
I think y'all'll understand that it is hard for me to believe that there was really anything wrong with my dolphin kick for the first time in 293 events of 200 fly and 400IM since 1991. Especially since my six days a week workouts have included at least an hour of dolphin kicking a day since 1999 in Minneapolis, my 200 Butterfly was only 99 & 44/100ths completed. (I was vertical by that time and had drifted against a lane line, causing my progress to be backwards).
Maybe it is worth mentioning, too, that I am probably the only one over 75 who does not use the breaststroke kick at all in the butterfly events. I still carry with me the form, prepared by USMS in 1992, that requires meet official's signatures certifying my exclusive use of the dolphin kick in butterfly events, this in the unlikely event that I would claim a World Record. (I also carry a Texas Poll Tax receipt for 1958, before I moved back home again in Indiana from Houston).
Enuf a'ready. At least for now.
