In the 1972 Munich Olympics, swimmer Mark Spitz won 7 gold medals, each in world-record time. This was the record until Michael Phelps won 8 golds in the 2008 Beijing Games.
Phelps, likewise, set 7 world records in China on his way to glory.
The great debate: Spitz or Phelps?
Well, Mark Spitz also won 2 golds, a silver, and a bronze as an 18-year-old in the 1968 Mexico City Olympiad. He retired from competitive swimming altogether after sweeping the Munich Games.
Thanks to being able to train full-time as a professional swimmer — not allowed during Spitz's day — Phelps tallied 23 Olympic golds, 3 silvers, and 2 bronze over the course of his long career in the pool.
Both were great. Who knows what kind of career Spitz would have had if he didn't retire 22. Phelps was already 23 in Beijing.
In 2008, Spitz did an interview with NBC's Bob Costas and Phelps 2 hours after "The Baltimore Bullet" had tied his record for 7 golds in a single Olympic games.
You know, Bob and Michael, I wondered what I was going to say at this monumental time, when it would happen and who I would say it to, and of course I thought I was going to say it to you for some time now. But, it's the word that comes to mind, "epic". What you did tonight was epic, and it was epic for the whole world to see how great you really are.
…
We are so proud of you Michael here in America, and we are so proud of you and the way that you handle yourself, and you represent such an inspiration to all the youngsters around the world. You know, you weren't born when I did what I did, and I'm sure that I was a part of your inspiration, and I take that as a full compliment. And they say that you judge one's character by the company you keep, and I'm happy to keep company with you. And you have a tremendous responsibility for all those people that you are going to inspire over the next number of years, and I know that you will wear the crown well. Congratulations, Mike.
Spitz "did what he did" thanks to an innate talent for swimming, but also thanks to the training he endured at Indiana University under coach Doc Counsilman, widely considered the greatest swim coach in American history.
The first day of fall practice, Counsilman got all of the Hoosier swimmers to go out on the swim deck to look at a small banner that hung over the pool.
The banner only had three words.
Hurt
"Okay, guys," Doc said, "we're going to spend a lot of time together this year. And if you want to be a part of this swim team, every afternoon you have to come here for a couple hours and swim until you hurt."
Pain
"But if you have higher goals and you want to be a Big 10 champ, and NCAA champ, a national champion, you have to come here every afternoon and swim until you are in pain."
Agony
"If you have still higher goals and you want to be the next Mark Spitz — you want to be a world champion or an Olympic champion — you have to train until you're in agony."
"So it's your choice," said Counsilman. "Hurt. Pain. Agony."
"All of you," the coach explained, "I wouldn't have recruited you unless I knew each and every one of you had world class potential inside of you."
So, how can we apply the lesson of the Hoosiers swim team to our lives?
Here's the interesting thing…
Whether you choose hurt or pain or agony, by the time you take a shower and eat your dinner, everything will have pretty much gone back to normal.
So, the question remains, how much are you willing to give in that 2 to 2.5 hours of dedicated work (or training) every day that's going to determine your destiny?
What is it going to be?
Only you can decide.
As always,
Brian
P.S. — I do some coaching, but not for swimming. I am not a particularly competent swimmer, and I also hate getting in the water.
But since writing this story, I have resolved that today (or tomorrow — whenever I take the younger children to the pool next) I'm going to get in and go to the point of hurt (which for me simply means whole-body submersion in the water).
Next week, on dry land, my plan is to get myself to the point of pain. Agony, soon after (that might be actually swimming a few lengths of the pool).
Since early January, I have been on a mission to reinvent myself in every facet of my life. Physically, mentally, relationally, and more.
Hurt, pain, and agony are just part of the deal. And it's all perspective. Simply swimming in water is usually pure agony for me. No joke. I don't like it at all.
I'm a coach, but not a therapist. In fact, we advocate anti-therapy.
The easiest way to anti-therapy is to book a session with me at
If you want to find out more, simply respond to this email and I'll get back to you.
