(photo courtesy of the Library and Archives Division, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Pa.)By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications
PASADENA, TEXAS (August 3, 2008) The Summer Olympic Games come around every four years. I have been an avid fan, follower, and devotee of the Games since I was a child. I can remember my family gathering around the television and watching the old ABC broadcasts of the Games from far away places such as Tokyo, Mexico City, and Munich.
While searching the Internet on this warm and muggy evening for a story idea, I came across a piece that really exemplifies what the Olympic Games should be about.
It is a story about 92-year-old Anna Mae Gorman. She lives in Homestead, Pennsylvania and was a member of the 1932 USA Olympic swimming team. She qualified for the Los Angeles Games as an alternate and swam in the early heats on the United States' relay team.
Gorman, who now goes by her married name, Lindberg, still works out; swimming a half-mile three days a week, covering the 40 lengths in a half-hour. She also drives herself to the pool.
This is the Olympics and Olympians I knew from my youth. Not the high paid professional athletes of today. She was simply a 16-year-old girl who had a talent that took her to the Olympic Games.
She did not return from the Olympics with any high dollar endorsements. In fact, the few "perks" she received was given to her family.
When she and teammate Lenore Kight returned home after the Games, they joined town officials and the president of U.S. Steel's Homestead Works for a parade. Each woman received enough movie tickets for a year and $150 from local merchants.
"I didn't spend any of it," Lindberg said. "I gave that all to my mother. That was like a fortune to her in the Depression, to take care of the rent."
Lindberg says she will be watching US Olympic swimmer Dara Torres' performances in Beijing, but rejects the notion of a comeback of her own. "I'd go in the 90-and-over Olympics," she said.
She swims strictly for fun and fitness now. That is how a true Olympic should view their sport. A lifetime commitment born out of a young girl's talent. A talent that took her to the Olympics over 70 years ago.
There is a video clip on the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review website. You can access the clip by clicking here. The complete article in the Tribute-Review by Andrew Conte can be viewed by clicking here.
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications
PASADENA, TEXAS (August 3, 2008) The Summer Olympic Games come around every four years. I have been an avid fan, follower, and devotee of the Games since I was a child. I can remember my family gathering around the television and watching the old ABC broadcasts of the Games from far away places such as Tokyo, Mexico City, and Munich.
While searching the Internet on this warm and muggy evening for a story idea, I came across a piece that really exemplifies what the Olympic Games should be about.
It is a story about 92-year-old Anna Mae Gorman. She lives in Homestead, Pennsylvania and was a member of the 1932 USA Olympic swimming team. She qualified for the Los Angeles Games as an alternate and swam in the early heats on the United States' relay team.
Gorman, who now goes by her married name, Lindberg, still works out; swimming a half-mile three days a week, covering the 40 lengths in a half-hour. She also drives herself to the pool.
This is the Olympics and Olympians I knew from my youth. Not the high paid professional athletes of today. She was simply a 16-year-old girl who had a talent that took her to the Olympic Games.
She did not return from the Olympics with any high dollar endorsements. In fact, the few "perks" she received was given to her family.
When she and teammate Lenore Kight returned home after the Games, they joined town officials and the president of U.S. Steel's Homestead Works for a parade. Each woman received enough movie tickets for a year and $150 from local merchants.
"I didn't spend any of it," Lindberg said. "I gave that all to my mother. That was like a fortune to her in the Depression, to take care of the rent."
Lindberg says she will be watching US Olympic swimmer Dara Torres' performances in Beijing, but rejects the notion of a comeback of her own. "I'd go in the 90-and-over Olympics," she said.
She swims strictly for fun and fitness now. That is how a true Olympic should view their sport. A lifetime commitment born out of a young girl's talent. A talent that took her to the Olympics over 70 years ago.
There is a video clip on the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review website. You can access the clip by clicking here. The complete article in the Tribute-Review by Andrew Conte can be viewed by clicking here.
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