IHRSA - Jan 09 CBI Torres

Dara Torres

This stunning Olympian has set a new health-and-fitness standard for women of every age

by Chris Mann

CBI: Oprah, the cover of TIME, being described as “legendary” by Sports Illustrated—how does it feel to become an Olympic icon and inspiration to women over 40?

Dara Torres: I honestly never expected anything like this to happen. When you’re an athlete, fame isn’t something you’re focused on. I look back at the whole Olympic experience, and, while the medals are certainly great, the most rewarding part was people coming up to me and telling me that I’d inspired them to make a change in their lives. It’s an amazing feeling. I had older fans come up to me at training camps before the Olympics; their stories inspired me to compete well and swim faster. Even when I was far away in Beijing, I could feel that positive energy coming from them, and it truly motivated me.

CBI: You’ll be speaking on “Celebrating the Champion Spirit” during IHRSA’s 28th Annual International Convention and Trade Show in March. Can you give us a brief preview of what you’ll be discussing?

DT: When I speak, I usually just do it off the cuff. I have only a few points that I write down in advance. I find that people are more interested when you tell personal stories of struggle and success. In the past, I used to read off cards, and it was just horrible. In essence, I’ll be sharing my story to inspire others.

CBI: Your Olympic triumphs and celebrity status have transformed you into a valuable international brand. What’s ahead for you commercially in terms of speaking engagements, product endorsements, etc.?

DT: I’ve already given numerous motivational talks. I’ve signed some new commercial contracts, but the companies involved are waiting until the beginning of the year to issue their press releases, so I can’t identify them until then. I’m still with Toyota and Speedo—they’re my principal sponsors.

CBI: You’re also in the process of writing a new book, Age is Just a Number: Making the Impossible Possible at Any Time in Your Life. Can you tell us a bit about it?

DT: My goal was to create a book that anyone—not just athletes—can relate to, and I hope that it inspires people of all ages. People are constantly asking me what it took to do what I did and how I did it. So it’s a book about that—about the journey.

CBI: So how do you do it? What does your training consist of?

DT: I work with Andy O’Brien, a strength and conditioning coach who also trains the Florida Panthers. He’s very innovative in his outlook and approach. He doesn’t subscribe to the idea that, the more you lift in the weight room, the stronger you’ll be in the water. His philosophy is that, the more efficient you are in the weight room, the more efficient you’ll be in the pool, and you’ll swim faster. We do a lot of exercises on the ball, as well as body-weight exercises and plyometrics. It’s different—it’s stuff I’ve never done before in my life.

I also have two resistance stretching trainers, Steve Sierra and Anne Tierney. They help me build strength through resistance and facilitate a huge amount of recovery. I stretched before and after every one of my Olympic races, and they stretched me three times a week when I trained.

CBI: How important is it for people to exercise with a personal trainer, or even a workout partner who can provide them with tips and guidance?

DT: It’s very important. I have my strength coach, who helps me out. I also have a training partner who works out with me. When I have someone training with me, they give me that little extra push.

CBI: And even you need that extra push every once in a while?

DT: Absolutely!

CBI: What other activities play a role in your workouts?

DT: I’m still swimming most of the time. When I’m not doing that, I like to take up tennis a bit, and I love riding my road bike and my Spinning bike.

CBI: Do you belong to a health club?

DT: I actually belong to the gym and work out in its pool. It’s a municipal facility, a community pool. It’s not 24 Hour Fitness, but it’s great. I love it.

CBI: How do you incorporate fitness while traveling? Do you use hotel gyms and pools, or do you travel with some home-exercise equipment?

DT: I don’t travel with gym equipment, but if I know I’ll have some spare time, I try to find a gym close to where I’m staying. Obviously, I also try to locate a pool. If I’m not swimming, I’ll bring some running shoes to go for a run. I might try to do some push-ups or some triceps work if I’m in the gym in the evening.

CBI: What’s your advice to club operators who would like to improve their swim program?

DT: You’ll always want to provide a good balance of offerings, including some programs that aren’t completely specialized—for example, some that work with different age groups and abilities, as well as some masters classes for more advanced swimmers.

CBI: Similarly, what’s the single most important thing for an aspiring competitive swimmer to know or understand?

DT: I think the biggest thing is to listen to your body, and to make sure you communicate with your coaches, no matter how old you are. The coach is dealing with a number of swimmers and may not know what’s going on inside of you. One thing I was always comfortable doing was talking to my coaches, making sure they knew how I was feeling and what was going . . . It’s important to just really be in tune with, and listen to, your body—to know how far you can push yourself.

CBI: After five knee surgeries and three shoulder surgeries, are you doing more low-impact exercises now that you’re over 40?

DT: Yes, I am. My strength coach is very cognizant of what I can and can’t do in the weight room.

CBI: What role do you think exercise will play in the life of your daughter, Tessa Grace? What sort of an example do you hope to set for her?

DT: She already loves exercise. My biggest concern is that, when she gets older, she doesn’t impose limits on herself. When she’s a teenager, I want her to enjoy herself, to take everything in, and not take herself so seriously. When I was growing up, I had the perfect combination; I enjoyed my swimming, but I had great parents, and I got involved in other activities. Swimming wasn’t my life—I got to play other sports, and I had a life outside of swimming. I think that helped keep me involved with the sport into my adult life. I want to be able to introduce my daughter to everything and let her decide what she wants to do. I don’t want to be a pushy parent. I want her to learn about sacrifice and hard work, but I also want her to have some fun. She definitely has a lot of energy now - that’s for sure!

CBI: What resources and programs would you like to see health clubs provide for children?

DT: It’d be great if parents and kids could go to the gym at the same time, and parents could work out like they’d like to. Instead of having someone like a babysitter just sitting there watching the kids in a daycare setting, it would be great if they could do some little fun exercise classes with the kids. Let them get exercise while their parents are working out.

CBI: Do you generally do your workouts in the morning?

DT: Because I have a young daughter, I don’t have a choice. I always work out in the morning. Everything’s pretty much planned in the morning, and I love to exercise first thing and have it done with. I don’t think I’d be as motivated or be able to train in the afternoons.

CBI: Do you intend to continue swimming competitively for the next two to four years? What sacrifices are you prepared to make to do so?

DT: I don’t know about the next two to four years, but I do want to try, at the very least, to go for the World Championships in Rome. I’m taking things day by day. Swimming has taken a toll on my body; I’ve had three surgeries in just the last year—two shoulders and one knee. I know I’ve sacrificed a lot with respect to my body, but I’ve also had the best possible people working on me, whether it’s my doctor, my strength coach, or my stretching coaches. I have to get through this recovery period and determine what’s going on with my body.

CBI: What moment, professional or personal, do you think has most defined you as a champion?

DT: I don’t think it’s possible for there to be one single, unique moment that defines someone as a champion. Either it’s in you, or it’s not; either you want it badly enough, or you don’t. And I don’t think a champion is necessarily a person who simply wins. There are a lot of different aspects to being a real champion. I’m not sure that I’ve yet fulfilled all the requirement to qualify as one. I think you just learn from every experience. It’s not a matter of having what it takes to become a champion; it’s a matter of believing that you do and, then, of trying.