Last Updated on September 29, 2024
At the annual Rowdy Gaines Masters Classic, the amount of world records that fall is impressive, but what really makes the event awe-inspiring are the stories of the men and women who are breaking those records.
Each year, we hand out the Growing Bolder Inspiration Award to the person who best exemplifies the spirit of hope, inspiration and possibility. Past winners have included sports reporter Andrea Kremer and doctor/Special Olympics coach/zombie expert Lucky Meisenheimer.
This year, as we carefully considered our options, person after person asked us, “Have you met Diann Uustel yet? She’s SO Growing Bolder!”
When we finally tracked her down, she was about to break yet another world record … and totally blow us away with her inspirational story.
Every time the 67-year-old from Tennessee gets into the pool, she proves doctors wrong. Two devastating accidents several years apart left her with crippling injuries.
Both times, she was sent to the pool for rehab. And stroke after stroke, she says she didn’t just get physical therapy in the water, she found spiritual therapy.
After a 17-year absence away from competitive swimming, she found herself getting faster and faster, and soon she began smashing dozens of American and world records.
Watch this story and see why it’s never too late to move forward and discover your true passion in life, no matter how impossible it may seem.
