A few days before the final home swim meet, Darlington's swim team had the honor of hosting Olympic legend Steve Lundquist. As the pool had just gotten new lane lines, it was a truly special occasion. After a brief introduction, Mr. Lundquist talked about topics ranging from eating habits to his favorite parts of the Olympics. The following is a brief recap of some of the topics and points that Mr. Lundquist discussed with the team.
Mr. Lundquist discussed overcoming challenges and how diet and eating habits have made a huge impact in the peak performance that today's swimmers can achieve. He also talked about the importance of tapering and making sure that you are ready for the big event. For each individual it is a different length of time and one should listen to themselves and their coaches to ensure that they do their best. This played into the topic of school and swimming and their relationship. Mr. Lundquist thought that swimming made you prioritize your time and made him a better student. He also shared some of his Olympic stories from the 1980's and how much fun it was to compete against people who shared his zeal for swimming and representing something much bigger than himself.
While Mr. Lundquist shared that he started swimming to avoid fighting with his brother, it seems to have been a good fit. At the age of 12 he began setting and breaking national records, and after switching from butterfly to breast, he became the best at that stroke in the world for several years. He was the first person in the world to break the 2 minute time for a 100 breaststroke and held the world record from 1982 until 1989. Additionally he became the youngest inductee to the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.
It was truly an honor and a privilege to share a practice with the man voted as America's Top Breast-Stroker of the Century By US Swimming. One of the final things he said was, "perfect practice makes perfect." He reminded everyone present to do in practice what you want to do in the race. Advice that every athlete can appreciate and see the value in.
Thanks to the members of the Rome High swim team that joined us for Mr. Lundquist's visit and for the create questions that sparked some amazing conversation and life lessons from a true Olympic legend.
If you would like to see some of Mr. Lundquist's Olympic Gold medals, visit the Darlington library where they are on display.
