Dara Torres
“I’ve been old before. I was old when I was 27 and I got divorced. I was old when I was 35 and I couldn’t get pregnant. I was really old when I was 39 and my father died. But when I was 41 and I woke up in a dorm in the Olympic Village in Beijing, I didn’t feel old. I felt merely—and, yes, happily—middle-aged. ‘The water doesn’t know how old you are.’ I’d been telling anyone who would listen for the prior two years. Though sometimes, I have to admit, I would think to myself, Good thing it can’t see my wrinkles.” – Dara Torres, Age is Just a Number: Achieve Your Dreams at Any Stage in Your Life
If I simply listed Dara Torres’ accomplishments, it would not only take up numerous pages, but its impressiveness could stand without necessary explanations. Five-time Olympian in 1984, 1988, 1992, 2000, and 2008, twelve-time Olympic medalist, three time silver medalist at the 2008 Olympic at the age of 41, oldest swimmer to earn a place on the US Olympic team…and the list goes on. However, after meeting and interviewing Dara, it became evident that Dara’s character is even more remarkable than all of her accomplishments.
Having interviewed her during my own training camp in Coral Springs, Florida, it seemed like my body was experiencing the same aging pains as what she had described in her book. In a sport where most female swimmers peak in their late teens and early 20s, it is no wonder that Dara is considered such a phenomenon, preparing to compete in her sixth Olympics at the age of 44. Looking toned and fit, Dara sat down with me to talk about her life as a mother and an athlete, and how her perspectives have changed since her entrance to the international swimming scene.
Dara grew up in Los Angeles, California, in a family of eight. She began swimming at age 7 at the local YMCA, after following her brothers to swim practice. In the 1980s, as a teenager, Dara set high school and California Interscholastic Federation records that still stand to this day. As a swimmer at University of Florida, she won numerous awards and was even named her conference’s Athlete of the Year in 1988.
More than just achieving collegiate success though, Dara made her mark on the Olympic community. In 1984, she competed in her first of many Olympics and took home a gold medal. She returned to the Olympics in 1988, and 1992, and then in 2000, when she became the oldest member of the US Olympic team at age 33.
But Dara wasn’t done. She returned to the pool in her late 30s to begin preparing for the 2008 Olympic Games, her fifth Olympic games, and won a silver medal at the age of 41.
For anyone else, it would have seemed the time to stop. But Dara’s inexhaustible energy pushed her on. Today, although coping with challenges, Dara is training for the upcoming 2012 Olympic games, during which she will be 45.
“For me, when there are challenges put in my way, it makes it more exciting” Dara said. “The fact that I had surgery and I am four years older now than in ’07 [before preparing for the 2008 Olympics], it is challenging but I can confront that. I think I’ve realized that [perspective] is the most important thing in my life.”
With words of optimism and wisdom, Dara admits that age is not an easy obstacle to overcome. Although the water doesn’t discriminate based on age, our bodies do. While everybody varies, it takes her much longer on average to recover after each race than it would for a 25-year old. And the death of her father a few years back, as well as the birth of her daughter, Tessa, have taken an additional toll on her body. Despite these challenges, Dara’s competitiveness, passion and perspective has kept her in the game. She does not try to compare her fitness to her younger competitors, but uses her wisdom and experience to her advantage.
“I’m just an extremely physical person,” Dara said in Age is Just a Number. “I love to exercise. It’s who I am. It’s important to me that my body look good and that I be physically strong. Exercise also keeps me feeling sane and calm…I always listen closely to my body, always staying tuned to when I stop feeling good. I’m a big believer in that, too; paying attention to what your own body is telling you. We’re all different. Our bodies all feel different things.”
In her book, Age is Just a Number, she describes her feelings towards competition and winning: “My relationship to [adrenaline] surge is like an addiction. I run toward it, crave it, and can’t live too long without it.” But this adrenaline rush is not to be used impulsively, without precision and years of experience. Before her 50-meter freestyle (the shortest and fastest race in swimming) final at the 2008 Olympics, she woke up more than 4 hours before her actual race, while her competitors were still fast asleep. While most swimmers simply warm-up and try to swim the 24 to 25 second race as fast as possible, Dara prepared in the water by going through the exact positions of certain items in the pool, and marked the items according to the distance. It is her attention to detail and high expectations, which she describes as her Type A++ personality, that puts her at a superior level and separates her from her competitors.
Outside of the pool, Dara’s focus is on her daughter, Tessa. Now 5-years old, Tessa has consistently been her mother’s main motivator since she was in utero. Dara’s love for Tessa was obvious as she talked about the joy that Tessa has brought to her life. Despite the difficulties of balancing being a mother and an Olympic athlete when Tessa was younger, Dara seems to be figuring out the juggling act quickly. The bond she shares with her daughter can only grow as Tessa gets older, even with Dara’s intense training schedule and travelling.
With only 5 and half months until Olympic Trials for the upcoming 2012 Olympics, Dara is in her final push of training. Four years older than in 2008, but four years wiser, the world will be watching Dara Torres as she dives in for the 50-meter freestyle. In 2008, she won three silver medals, and she is hungry for more. Dara has already proven to her fans that she is a winning mom, a winning athlete, and a role model. But as she prepares for the Olympics, she has one more thing left on her mind to prove: victory. Will the lethal combination of strength, experience, and wisdom be enough to bring home an Olympic Gold medal?
If I simply listed Dara Torres’ accomplishments, it would not only take up numerous pages, but its impressiveness could stand without necessary explanations. Five-time Olympian in 1984, 1988, 1992, 2000, and 2008, twelve-time Olympic medalist, three time silver medalist at the 2008 Olympic at the age of 41, oldest swimmer to earn a place on the US Olympic team…and the list goes on. However, after meeting and interviewing Dara, it became evident that Dara’s character is even more remarkable than all of her accomplishments.
Having interviewed her during my own training camp in Coral Springs, Florida, it seemed like my body was experiencing the same aging pains as what she had described in her book. In a sport where most female swimmers peak in their late teens and early 20s, it is no wonder that Dara is considered such a phenomenon, preparing to compete in her sixth Olympics at the age of 44. Looking toned and fit, Dara sat down with me to talk about her life as a mother and an athlete, and how her perspectives have changed since her entrance to the international swimming scene.
Dara grew up in Los Angeles, California, in a family of eight. She began swimming at age 7 at the local YMCA, after following her brothers to swim practice. In the 1980s, as a teenager, Dara set high school and California Interscholastic Federation records that still stand to this day. As a swimmer at University of Florida, she won numerous awards and was even named her conference’s Athlete of the Year in 1988.
More than just achieving collegiate success though, Dara made her mark on the Olympic community. In 1984, she competed in her first of many Olympics and took home a gold medal. She returned to the Olympics in 1988, and 1992, and then in 2000, when she became the oldest member of the US Olympic team at age 33.
But Dara wasn’t done. She returned to the pool in her late 30s to begin preparing for the 2008 Olympic Games, her fifth Olympic games, and won a silver medal at the age of 41.
For anyone else, it would have seemed the time to stop. But Dara’s inexhaustible energy pushed her on. Today, although coping with challenges, Dara is training for the upcoming 2012 Olympic games, during which she will be 45.
“For me, when there are challenges put in my way, it makes it more exciting” Dara said. “The fact that I had surgery and I am four years older now than in ’07 [before preparing for the 2008 Olympics], it is challenging but I can confront that. I think I’ve realized that [perspective] is the most important thing in my life.”
With words of optimism and wisdom, Dara admits that age is not an easy obstacle to overcome. Although the water doesn’t discriminate based on age, our bodies do. While everybody varies, it takes her much longer on average to recover after each race than it would for a 25-year old. And the death of her father a few years back, as well as the birth of her daughter, Tessa, have taken an additional toll on her body. Despite these challenges, Dara’s competitiveness, passion and perspective has kept her in the game. She does not try to compare her fitness to her younger competitors, but uses her wisdom and experience to her advantage.
“I’m just an extremely physical person,” Dara said in Age is Just a Number. “I love to exercise. It’s who I am. It’s important to me that my body look good and that I be physically strong. Exercise also keeps me feeling sane and calm…I always listen closely to my body, always staying tuned to when I stop feeling good. I’m a big believer in that, too; paying attention to what your own body is telling you. We’re all different. Our bodies all feel different things.”
In her book, Age is Just a Number, she describes her feelings towards competition and winning: “My relationship to [adrenaline] surge is like an addiction. I run toward it, crave it, and can’t live too long without it.” But this adrenaline rush is not to be used impulsively, without precision and years of experience. Before her 50-meter freestyle (the shortest and fastest race in swimming) final at the 2008 Olympics, she woke up more than 4 hours before her actual race, while her competitors were still fast asleep. While most swimmers simply warm-up and try to swim the 24 to 25 second race as fast as possible, Dara prepared in the water by going through the exact positions of certain items in the pool, and marked the items according to the distance. It is her attention to detail and high expectations, which she describes as her Type A++ personality, that puts her at a superior level and separates her from her competitors.
Outside of the pool, Dara’s focus is on her daughter, Tessa. Now 5-years old, Tessa has consistently been her mother’s main motivator since she was in utero. Dara’s love for Tessa was obvious as she talked about the joy that Tessa has brought to her life. Despite the difficulties of balancing being a mother and an Olympic athlete when Tessa was younger, Dara seems to be figuring out the juggling act quickly. The bond she shares with her daughter can only grow as Tessa gets older, even with Dara’s intense training schedule and travelling.
With only 5 and half months until Olympic Trials for the upcoming 2012 Olympics, Dara is in her final push of training. Four years older than in 2008, but four years wiser, the world will be watching Dara Torres as she dives in for the 50-meter freestyle. In 2008, she won three silver medals, and she is hungry for more. Dara has already proven to her fans that she is a winning mom, a winning athlete, and a role model. But as she prepares for the Olympics, she has one more thing left on her mind to prove: victory. Will the lethal combination of strength, experience, and wisdom be enough to bring home an Olympic Gold medal?