Yes, after several days off, mostly busy and relatively sleepless though enjoyable, I'm back. Thank you for your patience and forbearance. Few things could rouse me from my blogging slumber so fitfully and so excitedly as that AMAZING Olympic swimming relay comeback victory by the United States. The image of American swimmers Michael Phelps and Garrett Weber-Gale in raw exultation as teammate Jason Lezak helped secure them and Cullen Jones a USA victory in the 4 x 100 freestyle relay has become indelible. Only slightly less rewarding was watching the stunned and sullen looks on the faces of the French swimmers, the favorites in the race, whose anchor leg teammate and 100-meter freestyle world record holder Alain Bernard couldn't close … [Read more...]
My 90-Year-Old Great Aunt: The “Cool” Florida Swimming Role Model
Featured on the United States Masters Swimming website:Three 90-year-old swimmers -- Kay Schimpf (left), with 1,525 yards, Frances Cichanski (center), with 1,700 yards, and Brud Cleaveland (right), with 1,700 yards, of the Florida Mavericks, completed the popular January postal event. They then joined teammates June Reynolds, 86, Cliff Eastwood, 86, and Charles Edwards, 88, to form a men's, a women's, and a mixed relay - all in the 85+ age group! Margie Hutinger of the Mavericks reports, "They are a special group of swimmers, as they showed a lot of spunk to do their swims, in spite of the adversities they had to overcome. They are cool role models for Masters swimming." [emphasis mine] That's my great aunt Frankie, my grandpa's "baby' … [Read more...]