I am looking for a list of Olympian Masters and what Olympics and events they particpated in. If you have such a list or know where one is, please let me know. Individual anecdotes are OK too.
Background:
I want to write to "Splash" magazine and ask them to feature some of the people on such a list when they write about great swimmers. I'm tired of reading (and having my kids read) about so-and-so great swimmer, who got to the Olympics, did great, and now swimming is behind them (i.e. they don't swim anymore). On the "mission statement" of Splash, they give lip service to a lifelong involvement with swimming, but they never seem to come up with an example of such a person.
wiredknight
Parents
Former Member
I found Geochuck again!!!
Swimming World, October 1969, Page 36. Unfortunately, the file size for this one is too large to post on the forums. George, I will send it to you via e-mail.
I did just discover that the new Adobe Acrobat Reader, version 8.1.1, allows you to copy and paste text from a PDF file. So, I have copied part of the article below.
I can't wait to hear your stories about this one, George. It's about a race organizer gone bad.
By Joe Grossman, Secretary,
World Professional Marathon Swimming Federation
Swimming World, October 1969, Page 36
For the first time since its founding in 1963, the World Professional Marathon Swimming Federation has acted to rid its sport of a race promoter.
The Federation withdrew its sanction from the August 10, race held at Lac Simon, Que., and following the reaction of the promoter to its decision, announced it would never sanction a race in which the promoter, Lorenzo Proteau of Montreal, took part.
In July, Proteau informed the Federation he was lowering his prize purses this year. He planned to offer a total of $4,000 and a first prize of $800, despite the fact that both the World Federation and the Quebec Marathon Swimming Federation, an organization of Quebec race organizers of which Proteau is a vice-president, set as a minimum for sanction a total of $5,000, including a first prize of $1,000.
At its annual meeting in Hamilton, Ont., the World Federation membership voted to inform Proteau by telegram that unless his prizes were raised to the sanction minimum, member swimmers would not participate in the Lac Simon race.
The following day, Proteau informed Federation officials by telephone that he would return his prizes to a $5,000 total with a $1,000 first prize, and as a result of this promise, 28 swimmers, 27 being Federation members, went to Lac Simon. However, 48 hours before the race, Proteau announced he was not going to raise the prizes and several meetings between the promoter and the swimmers were unavailing.
On August 10, only 10 of the 28 swimmers present at Lac Simon entered the water. Proteau had area police attempt to prevent the 18 who withdrew from leaving the area until they paid Proteau for the lodging and meals he provided. Despite harrassment and attempts to confiscate their personal belongings, all 18 of the withdrawn marathoners managed to reach Toronto by the next day.
George Park of Hamilton, Ont., Federation President said "Mr. Proteau deliberately misrepresented his intentions regarding prizes in order to get a top field of marathon swimmers at Lac Simon, and he did not inform them of his true intentions until after he had provided them with lodging and meals. If there is any fraudulent conduct connected with this matter, it is surely not on the part of the swimmers, who went to Lac Simon in good faith after receiving Mr. Proteau's promise to raise his prizes to the accepted minimum."
It had been unanimously decided at the July Federation meeting that all swimmers who participated in the Lac Simon race if the prizes were below the accepted minimum would be removed from the competition for the World Championship titles for 1969. Nine of the 10 who entered the Lac Simon race finished the course, including defending world Champion Abdel Latif Abou-Hef of the U.A.R. These 10 have been removed from the point standings, although none of the 10 was in contention for the men's title.
I found Geochuck again!!!
Swimming World, October 1969, Page 36. Unfortunately, the file size for this one is too large to post on the forums. George, I will send it to you via e-mail.
I did just discover that the new Adobe Acrobat Reader, version 8.1.1, allows you to copy and paste text from a PDF file. So, I have copied part of the article below.
I can't wait to hear your stories about this one, George. It's about a race organizer gone bad.
By Joe Grossman, Secretary,
World Professional Marathon Swimming Federation
Swimming World, October 1969, Page 36
For the first time since its founding in 1963, the World Professional Marathon Swimming Federation has acted to rid its sport of a race promoter.
The Federation withdrew its sanction from the August 10, race held at Lac Simon, Que., and following the reaction of the promoter to its decision, announced it would never sanction a race in which the promoter, Lorenzo Proteau of Montreal, took part.
In July, Proteau informed the Federation he was lowering his prize purses this year. He planned to offer a total of $4,000 and a first prize of $800, despite the fact that both the World Federation and the Quebec Marathon Swimming Federation, an organization of Quebec race organizers of which Proteau is a vice-president, set as a minimum for sanction a total of $5,000, including a first prize of $1,000.
At its annual meeting in Hamilton, Ont., the World Federation membership voted to inform Proteau by telegram that unless his prizes were raised to the sanction minimum, member swimmers would not participate in the Lac Simon race.
The following day, Proteau informed Federation officials by telephone that he would return his prizes to a $5,000 total with a $1,000 first prize, and as a result of this promise, 28 swimmers, 27 being Federation members, went to Lac Simon. However, 48 hours before the race, Proteau announced he was not going to raise the prizes and several meetings between the promoter and the swimmers were unavailing.
On August 10, only 10 of the 28 swimmers present at Lac Simon entered the water. Proteau had area police attempt to prevent the 18 who withdrew from leaving the area until they paid Proteau for the lodging and meals he provided. Despite harrassment and attempts to confiscate their personal belongings, all 18 of the withdrawn marathoners managed to reach Toronto by the next day.
George Park of Hamilton, Ont., Federation President said "Mr. Proteau deliberately misrepresented his intentions regarding prizes in order to get a top field of marathon swimmers at Lac Simon, and he did not inform them of his true intentions until after he had provided them with lodging and meals. If there is any fraudulent conduct connected with this matter, it is surely not on the part of the swimmers, who went to Lac Simon in good faith after receiving Mr. Proteau's promise to raise his prizes to the accepted minimum."
It had been unanimously decided at the July Federation meeting that all swimmers who participated in the Lac Simon race if the prizes were below the accepted minimum would be removed from the competition for the World Championship titles for 1969. Nine of the 10 who entered the Lac Simon race finished the course, including defending world Champion Abdel Latif Abou-Hef of the U.A.R. These 10 have been removed from the point standings, although none of the 10 was in contention for the men's title.
