I thought it might be fun to share our "Brush with fame because of swimming" stories, below you'll find mine, please share yours
When I got married in 1987 my wife and I met went on a Carnival Cruise honeymoon to the bahama's. We were sitting by the pool on the ship, there was a couple beside us, a tall blonde woman and her husband. Debbie and Rick. Ends up she was a competitive swimmer in high school (she said she did the 50 in 23) So we started talking and really hit it off with them. We wound up hanging around them a lot and changed dining tables. Debbie told us that she worked for Doctor Arnold Klein in Beverly Hills and that she knew Michael Jackson. Debbie was smart witty and funny. At the end of the cruise we had such a good time that we exchanged addresses and phone numbers. In August 1987 my wife and I flew out to LA to visit them and see the town. They let us stay in their apartment for the weekend, Rick showed us around town on Friday. We went out to dinner each night. Saturday they loaned us one of their cars and let us drive around town, Beth and I went to Disneyland and Muscle Beach. We had a great time. The last time I spoke with Debbie was in 1991 and she told me that she and Rick had gotten a divorce. Needless to say I was floored when I read an article in 1996 that said Debbie was having Michael Jackson's baby.
I saw Debbie on TV last night and it doesn't look like she's been swimming much lately.
Ande
Make that colleges. She spent two years at Stanford and two at Texas, if I recall correctly.
Sounds right to me. She was on my swim team growing up, so I remember her as a 6 year old, often winning 8 and under races and in tears if she didn't PR. I'm quite a bit older, but my younger sister babysat for her and her 2 brothers. My dad still sees her dad regularly so I get to hear updates about her and her brothers. Nice family and all three of them were good kids and teammates.
In the early 70's I was at an AAU meet in Watertown, NY that had some masters events which my little buddies and I thought was just hilarious! Look at the old people swimming...hoooo hoooo hahaha! I get a taste of my own medicine when I go to my annual Bay State Games swims now, so the engine of karma is in full swing.
Anyway one of the masters swimmers was Buster Crabbe - a gigantic film star in his day - millions of westerns and tarzan and sci-fi movies. He was just another old guy to me, but the adults were agog.
And quite a dish in his younger day...see attached photo.
That's all I've got..that I can think of now, anyway
It wasn't the college swimmers, it was the college and location. :) I seem to remember she chose a good college in a good location. I met her briefly when one of my friends was trying to pick up her Mexican model room-mate.
This was several years before I started swimming (2005) but I met the Orange County Chopper gang at the hotel pool in Aruba.
Afternoons, the wife, kids, and I would hit the resort pool and hang out, and so would Paul Sr and Jr, and some others with him. We didn't plaster them with the behavior I figured fans might have with a celebrity present, just several polite conventional words each day and then my wife and I made an extra effort to ignore their presence. I figured since there weren't too many Americans there they were probably enjoying the peace.
This was pretty much it for my brush with fame, but I learned Paul Sr. was a very nice and respectful person.
That reminds me: when she was on a recruiting trip to U of Florida, Janet Evans joined us at our masters practice at in Gainesville. That was pretty cool.
I guess she was less impressed with the college swimmers than with us, since she didn't become a Gator.
It wasn't the college swimmers, it was the college and location. :)
It wasn't the college swimmers, it was the college and location. :)
Having lived in both Gainesville and Knoxville, I'll take the former any time.
But it IS true that Knoxville is much closer to Dollywood.
I seem to remember she chose a good college in a good location.
Make that colleges. She spent two years at Stanford and two at Texas, if I recall correctly.
gigi
My connect with Buster Crabbe was not so many years ago. I got a call asking if I could organize some guys to take an outrigger canoe off the Kihei, Maui coastline early the next morning to scatter some ashes, a service we provided free to any who asked. This was a no frills affair, no minister, no music, no flowers, with just a couple of people in attendance. Only after returning to the beach was I told that the "guest of honor" was Buster Crabbe.
Make that colleges. She spent two years at Stanford and two at Texas, if I recall correctly.
Wow, the second was USC actually. I missed that transfer, I was gone by then, and my friend was no longer trying to pick up models.
gigi
My connect with Buster Crabbe was not so many years ago. I got a call asking if I could organize some guys to take an outrigger canoe off the Kihei, Maui coastline early the next morning to scatter some ashes, a service we provided free to any who asked. This was a no frills affair, no minister, no music, no flowers, with just a couple of people in attendance. Only after returning to the beach was I told that the "guest of honor" was Buster Crabbe.
Now THAT is an honor and "cool" (I'm at a loss for a better word)! I'm 39 and certainly know that name.:applaud:
