Life Lessons

Views: 1,709
Added: Sat. May 02, 2009 11:04am
Posted in: Sports

• » print
• » report
• » email

We all have moments in our childhood in which we learn something important about life - something about courage and determination that we remember forever. 

For me, one of those moments occurred in August of 1960. I was an 8-year-old competitive swimmer and my parents took me to Detroit to watch the U.S. Olympic trials. I vividly remember swimming in the hotel pool before the competition. I pretended  I was Jeff Farrell, the world’s top sprinter and the gold medal favorite in both the 100 and 200 freestyle in Rome.

Just days before the trials, Farrell suffered acute appendicitis and was rushed to the hospital for an emergency appendectomy. That was back in the medical dark ages. There was no such thing as laparoscopic surgery. The operation required a major incision through skin, muscle, and tissue. There was no way Farrell could swim - let alone perform at the level required to make the Olympic team.

In a rare move, the U.S. Olympic Committee offered Farrell a time trial two weeks after the Trials and told him that if he beat the sixth-place time from the Trials, he would go to the Olympics as an alternate for the relay team. Farrell refused. “That’s not fair to the swimmer who finishes 6th." he said at the time.  "I’ll compete with the others.”

Wrapped in yards of surgical bandages, in no shape to swim, and in pain every time he breathed or coughed, Farrell entered both the 100 and 200 freestyle. Unable to perform the standard racing dive, Farrell gave up valuable yards at the start. He also had to turn gingerly so as not to rip open his stitches. Despite those huge handicaps, Farrell stunned the world by winning his preliminary and semi-final heats in the 100.

I was in the stands that night for the finals when he slowly climbed onto the starting block to the cheers of a sold out house. Light bulbs flashed. The atmosphere was electric. A whistle blew and silence fell over pool. “Swimmers take your mark.”  Farrell slowly bent down.  I wasn't close enough to see him grimace in pain but I knew he did.  He was a warrior and I was an 8-year-old transfixed by the power of mind over matter. The gun sounded and he delicately dove into the water. Once there, he began a came of catch-up against the world's best sprinters.

I was going through some old boxes a few weeks ago and stumbled upon the program from that night in Detroit. My father’s handwriting (see below) tells the story. Farrell finished third; one-tenth of a second and one spot out of making the Olympic team. He also finished fourth in the 200. Although he wouldn’t swim in either the individual 100 or 200 in Rome, he did qualify for both relays. By the time the Olympics arrived, Farrell was nearly fully recovered. He anchored both relays to gold medals and had the fastest splits in the world in both races.

Inspired by the memory, I asked Jill, the producer of our radio show, to see if she could track down Farrell and get him on the show. This week, we interviewed him and chatted about one of the most amazing but little known performances in the history of sport.

Now in his early 70's, Farrell not only still swims, he's one of the top masters swimmers in the world in his age group. And he's the same humble, thoughtful guy he was at 22. If you have a moment, listen to the interview. It contains a life lesson for us all.

Who influenced you as a child? What lessons did you learn that have stayed with you all these years. I'd love to hear from you.

Farrell was featured in a Sports Illustrated Olympic preview 2 weeks after the trials.