Check the Brakes
I’ve spent a good percentage of my time on earth strengthening my body through exercise and international competitions. But as the decades tick by, my body’s odometer is registering some speed bumps. Muscle mass is not what it used to be and I’m more easily winded. But how much traction my physical body has actually […]
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2022 Beijing Olympics
As the Olympic flame goes out in Beijing, I celebrate the men and woman who have raised the bar and our collective spirits. Complaining about the Olympics is an easy sport, as so poignantly highlighted in the 1910 speech of Theodore Roosevelt, “It is not the critic who counts… the credit belongs to the man […]
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Fourth
Everybody loves a winner! The world showers gold and praise on those who come in first. Even the runner up receives silver and sponsorship deals. And we still cheer and bestow bronze on those who come in third. What then is left for fourth place? During my Paralympic swimming career, I had the pleasure and […]
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Aiming 4 Paris 2024
The Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games have come and now gone. Despite the pandemic and empty venues, records were set and there was victory on and off the field of play. Athletes and organizers threw the kitchen sink into their efforts to outdo themselves once again. As the flag is now passed to the Mayor […]
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Self-Actualization and Empty Stadiums
During my motivational talks, I often stress the importance of self-actualization, maximizing who we are not for external gain but for internal satisfaction. Over my 17-year swimming career I certainly tried to win medals and would not have turned down a Speedo sponsorship deal. But I felt that achieving personal best times and improving myself […]
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Seeking Satisfaction
As a child, swimming and painting were fun activities, which inadvertently strengthened my body and spirit. At 18, I began seriously competing in the Paralympics and when I was 24, I moved from California to Taiwan to study Chinese arts. Swimming had massive benefits including a healthy body and mind, international travel and self-confidence from […]
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Discretionary Energy
Four large spotted wood owls nest in a rain-tree along my running path. Two adults and two offspring. The adults sit patiently at dusk; resting and gathering the strength needed for the night’s hunt. The offspring jump and flit from branch to branch perhaps unconcerned or unaware of what is needed for the challenges ahead. […]
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Olympics Interruptus 2
When Russia invaded Afghanistan, 65 countries protested, boycotting the 1980 Moscow Olympics. It was a devastating blow to all athletes who were not allowed to perform on the global stage and demonstrate what years of training and sacrifice had achieved. In America alone, of the 454 athletes denied their chance in 1980, only around 25% […]
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Olympic Interruptus
Now that the decision to postpone the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games has been reached, the real pain begins. Like tearing off a Band-Aid, it’s that final separation that hurts the worst. I especially feel for the athletes who have been focused on exacting timelines and regiments in order to peak on the day […]
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