Our last freeze did nothing to slow down our various succulents....
Yesterday was nice and warm. I thought it would be the same today. I didn't take time to look at the weather forecasts as I was rushing to get to swim practice. While yesterday topped out near 85° it was 58° when I walked out the front door today in shorts and a pair of sandals. Chilly but manageable.
I made it to the pool on time for the 9 a.m. Sunday workout. The 8 a.m. group was just finishing up and, as usual, their workout was packed with people.
I hit the water at 9 a.m. and led lane five today. At about 9:20 a straggler showed up. It was Shaun Jordan. Shaun won gold medals in the 1998 and 2002 Olympics and was the team captain of UT Austin's 1990-91, NCAA National Championship Team, swimming for legendary coach, Eddie Reese.
For some unfathomable reason Shaun hopped in my lane and swam the entire workout with us. At the end of the workout I asked him for a quick evaluation of my freestyle stroke and he spent ten minutes or so watching, evaluating and making corrections to my technique. What an incredible way to start out a Sunday morning!!!
One fact about Shaun I didn't know until I looked him up on Wikipedia: the second time he ever played golf he shot a hole in one. Amazing. At 58 years of age he's still the fastest guy in our pool...
So great to get little course corrections from time to time. It's a good antidote to the belief that one sometimes succumbs to. The belief that you already know everything you need to know about a sport, a hobby or a profession. There's always something new to try and there is always the potential to improve. Day by day and year by year.
more flowers. on a pair of cowboy boots at Allen's Boots...
That sounds really neat; and Shaun sounds like a nice guy.
ReplyDeleteHi John, I've known Shaun since his swim days at UT. He's a great athlete, a smart business man and on the board at the Harry Ransom Center/Humanities Research Center at UT. Last time I saw him was over there at a lecture from Laura Wilson. She was the "on the ground" producer for the Richard Avedon "In the American West" show and a very great portraitist in her own right. Her photographs of various authors are stunning. She's also the mother of film actor, Owen Wilson. Shaun definitely travels in the right circles... And swims fast.
ReplyDeleteway to go Kirk! I just turned 72 last month. I'm a lifelong endurance sport junkie with bad knees. 12 years in the Marines reinforced earlier school sport habits, and fortunately they stuck for life. I like swimming (despite not being great at it) - only on my bicycle to I still feel that youthful vitality. Thankful
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