Hey MTSC - Pär was my training partner for 11 years. This guy can swim some AMAZING sets. My most vivid memory of Pär was a workout after he had gone to Tahoe on a ski weekend. He broke his forearm and came into workout on Monday with a garbage bag over his forearm secured with a rubber band. Pär said "Hey I can bend my elbow so I think I can still swim with this bag on my arm - we'll probably have to swim our 100's on a 1:20 send off". To that we all replied ... "go ahead Pär - you can still lead the lane"! What an animal! Regards....Ron

Oh, in case you were wondering, here are a few of Pär's accomplishments, both in and out of the pool:

1980 Olympic Gold Medalist in the 100m Butterfly

Member of 1979 NCAA Championship 400 Medley Relay Team (3:15:22)

World Record Holder of 100m Butterfly in 1980 (54:14 at US Nationals)

NCAA Record Holder in 100 y Butterfly in 1979 and 1980 (47.76 and 47.47); 400 y Medley Relay in 1979 (3:16.41 and 3:15.22); and 200y Fly in 1980 (1:44.43)

NCAA Individual Champion in 100 and 200 Butterfly in 1979 and 1980

Pac 10 Champion in 200 Butterfly in 1:48.87 (1979) and member of 400 Relay team in 1980 (3:19.43)

Phi Beta Kappa in 1982

Top 10 NCAA Scholar-Athlete Award in 1982

All American at Cal-Berkeley 1978-81

Remains #2 in the Cal All Time Top 10 in the 100 and 200 Butterfly

Impressive, eh? Anyway, here are a few thoughts on the "fly" from Pär:

Dear Fellow Swimmers:

I am sending you greetings from California, coach Ron Chlasta’s “old” home. Right before the holiday season, I received an e-mail from my old friend and swimming partner, Ron. A few days later we had a chance to talk on the phone and he told me about your masters team and your team goals for 2004. What an exciting journey you are all embarking on!

I am sure that you all have developed your own, individual goal for the meet in Indianapolis. Maybe it is to break a certain time. Maybe it is achieving a certain place in the race? Maybe it is to finish a race in a “new” stroke or for a longer distance than you have ever competed in previously. Whatever your goal is, it is easy to get wrapped up in just focusing on doing everything for that one moment, the swim sitting there waiting for you in the future. But what is it that really matters? What is the right perspective to adopt when setting out on such a journey?

Your situation reminds me of an experience of my own. I have been fortunate enough to have competed in two Olympics. My performance in both of these Olympic games, met my wildest expectation and after having finished swimming in the 1980 Olympics, I found myself feeling sort of let down, feeling kind of empty inside. At the time I did not understand why. I thought I should be extremely happy. I had had a great swimming career and I had just won an Olympic gold medal. But I felt kind of strange and somewhat out of place at a time when I should be happy and almost overexcited.

It was not until a few years later I understood why. It was then that I realized that it was not just that moment when I swam my race in the Olympics that was important. It was the entire journey to that goal that was important. It was several years of getting up early in the morning and going to the pool for a morning workout. It was doing challenging sets in the water with all my best friends. It was the camaraderie developed during several hours of workouts day in and day out. It was setting goals for myself, and then working towards those goals.

What I believe is important here, is that one needs to have the right perspective and the appropriate frame when setting out on a journey such as the one that you are embarking on. Remember that we all set our own, individual goals. These goals differ because we all have different backgrounds and aspirations. Thus, we all need to adopt our own perspective on why we set a certain goal and how we choose to work towards that goal. Swimming is a great sport for many reasons. One of them is that you yourself control how fast you swim. You have your own lane. Nobody can come into your lane and slow you down or swim in front of you. You have control over your destiny. That means that we all can choose our own goals, and control whether we meet them or not.

Perspectives change over time. I remember when I was training hard to prepare for important competitions and did double swim workouts almost every day. Although I loved going to workout, one thing I used to hate was to get out on a cold, concrete pool deck at 5:30 in the morning. At times I was looking forward to swimming “retirement” just so I did not have to step out on that cold pool deck in the morning. However, my perspective on that “cold pool deck” has entirely changed. I now go and swim with a team almost every morning. I love it. Getting out on that pool deck, when it is still dark outside and getting in the pool is one of the big highlights of my day. I look forward to it, and I miss it tremendously when I don’t get to do it. What a change!

So, remember when you are preparing yourself for the big meet in Indianapolis. Enjoy the journey together with your friends. I certainly believe in setting goals and trying to achieve them, but I am equally convinced that the journey towards those goals is what the real experience entails. Also, set your own goals. Develop your own perspective on your goals, on your experience, and remember that perspectives change over time. You control yourself how you view your experience.

Good luck and have fun!

Pär Arvidsson