Jul 07 2008
Swimmer Wows Us All
At 41, a lot of us midlifers are hanging up our sports togs… We know we shouldn’t. That we don’t have to. But the aches and pains that are an occasional reminder that we aren’t kids anymore, keep our sneakers on the floor of the closet.
Not so with Dara Torres. This woman is defying all expectations by swimming to a place on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Swim Team! Her fifth time to be on such a team. It’s astonishing what passion in one’s life can achieve.
She knows this achievement is special. “In some ways, I’m like all the other swimmers here, because I still feel the passion for what I do,” Torres said. “In some ways I’m like none of them, because I’ve lived their lives twice.”
There are some critics who claim it’s just not possible for a 41 year old to achieve these outstanding results. They suspect drugs are somehow involved. Torres doesn’t shy away from the confrontation.
“I said, ‘Look, I want to be an open book,’ ” Torres said. “DNA test me. Blood test me. Urine test me. Whatever you want to do. Just test me because I want people to know that I am doing this right.”
And in response to the doping test she has undergone: “It’s a pain,” she said. “It’s a real pain. But I asked for this and I want to prove that I’m clean, so to me it’s worth it.”
Her husband added his two cents to the discussion: “It’s a sad world when I can’t watch the trials with my 6-year-old daughter without the commentators addressing the drug issue,” he said. “And while we all want to have a stamp of cleanliness, at the end of day, the only thing you can trust is that our athletes are being held to the highest standards available today.”
Torres added, “When I first started, people said I was an inspiration,” she said. “But I think it’s been a complete 180 turn. I have so many people coming up to me now and telling me about their stories and what’s changed in their lives and I feel like I’m getting inspiration from other people.
“Age is just a number. I have great people around me and I’m able to recover and, at my age, it’s all about recovery.”
“Unfortunately, there have been athletes in the past who’ve sat there and looked everyone in the eyes and said, ‘I have not taken drugs,’ and now they’re either in jail or being indicted,” Torres said. “You are now guilty until proven innocent.”
I say let us take her at her word and support this truly remarkable athlete. An inspiration to all us midlifers.
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