Here’s the view from our 5th floor hotel room in Paris. In the distance you can see the Paris Aquatics Center with the five Olympic rings.
What was I doing there? Well, for the past few summers I’ve competed in long distance open water swims (e.g., click! click! click!), but this year I decided to race short distances at the Paris Gay Games. Around 10,000 athletes from around the world converged on Paris to compete in the same sports as at the regular Olympics; some of the participants were actual Olympic gold medalists.
One thousand swimmers attended, but I was competing against only men in my age group: 65-69 years old. Was I the only athlete with Parkinson’s? I have no idea!
How did I do? Let’s look at the photos!
I won two medals: a bronze for the 100 meter freestyle, and a silver for a relay team I was on.
Here’s another photo:
I would have won a third bronze medal if I had finished 0.2 seconds faster; then I would have beaten the guy who actually got 3rd place. Well, there’s always next time!
Here’s a video of me swimming the 50-meter freestyle. I’m in lane 6 (the third lane from where you’re viewing; I’m wearing a green cap), and the other guys in my heat are all younger than me and a bit faster. Yes, I’m last in my heat, but it doesn’t matter – I’m really just competing against other men my age, who swam in different heats.
What did I learn from this? Let me get bullet happy:
- I’ve rediscovered sprints and I want to work at getting faster at them. This is a doable challenge.
- In particular, I realized that the 50 meter swim needs to be a sustained burst of every ounce of energy I have. I need to be manic for the entire distance.
- I need to work on my flip turns. That’s where I fell behind the other swimmers in this video.
- Racing short distances is surprisingly exhausting, but I was smiling for the rest of the day.
- I want to get good at the 200 meter freestyle; it’s a cross between a sprint and an endurance swim, and especially tough for me!
- Sporting events in Paris are fabulous because you get to eat at one amazing restaurant after another.
I laughed. I cried. I watched. I read. I love it. THIS is how to live. Thank you for the help.
Congratulations Bruce! That is going for it!
I’ve known you for over 40 years — you have always stretched your body and mind to new adventures and ideas. Way to go, Bruce!!
Congratulations, Bruce. Even after you had told me of your successes, seeing the pictures and watching the video brought me a little closer to the excitement and the glory of your accomplishments. Vive le grand B. Ballard!