Water World

After the 1972 olympics, (Mark Spitz), the Sonny and Cher Show had Mark Spitz on as a guest. They did several skits, and one of them involved Mark Spitz living in Venice, Italy, and getting around town by swimming everywhere. I must have been about 13 or 14 at the time. I was just getting into swimming at the time; my family had just joined the local summer swim club. It affected me as more than just a comedy routine. Ever since then, from time to time, I contemplated what it would be like to be in a situation where my swimming ability would allow me to survive. I'd think about John F. Kennedy and the PT-109 crew in WWII swimming from island to island to survive. The movie WaterWorld came out. Then Titanic, and Cast Away... Then the Tsunami hit. And now, Hurricane Katrina. I wonder how many of the deaths were due to drowning where even some rudimentary swimming capability could have made the difference between life and death. I've actually considered piping up with this sort of thought in the triathlete threads. My swimming capabilities might save my life, but only in very limited circumstances. However the tri-guys would leave me in their dust if the ability to run were the saving grace. I guess these sorts of disasters affect us all in different ways. Today Katrina has me waxing philosophical.