This new thread occurred to me while reading posts comparing Spitz to Phelps, as well as reflecting upon mortality considering heart attacks etc. In swimming we immortalize individuals or teams for various feats or contributions, but do little to preserve a feeling for subsequent generations of enthusiasts about what it was like to train and compete 'back in the day'. Just what day am I talking about? Exactly: there have been many 'days' or more properly 'eras' that can be narrowly characterized by differences in equipment, distances swum and trained, coaching methods or more widely by larger factors: world war, global depression, racial segregation, inequality of the sexes. All of these can contribute to very different experiences than what are common today to the younger swimmer; hence, 'what was it like'. I visualize a thread that continues to be added to as new people read it and remember their own experiences. As well, experience can vary with national origin, not just era. There have already been posts on this topic scattered in various threads, please feel free to copy or quote material from them to here.
Please remember that this is not about how fast a particular swimmer was, but about the conditions that defined competitive swimming of that day.
We also have a priceless resource out there: aging swimmers in their 80's or 90's who may be less likely to read or hear of this thread; why not ask them for some of their memories or impressions and pass them on to us, while we still can?
While training for the 68 Olympics, Coach Easterling would punish us if we didn't make a set. Every time we missed a send-off, we would have to swim 20 lengths of butterfly. He kept me one time 3 hours after workout because I kept missing my sendoffs; I imagine I did at least 2 miles of fly that evening. Donna
Donna -
There is going to be a swimmers reunion in May of 2011 at UTA for all of Easterling's old swimmers and Don will attend. Send me a PM if you want to come and I will forward the email invite to you.
While training for the 68 Olympics, Coach Easterling would punish us if we didn't make a set. Every time we missed a send-off, we would have to swim 20 lengths of butterfly. He kept me one time 3 hours after workout because I kept missing my sendoffs; I imagine I did at least 2 miles of fly that evening. Donna
Donna -
There is going to be a swimmers reunion in May of 2011 at UTA for all of Easterling's old swimmers and Don will attend. Send me a PM if you want to come and I will forward the email invite to you.
