This is Part VI, the final part, in Chris McClelland’s series about recovering from heart disease and getting back in the swimming pool.
It has been a little over a year since I updated this series, and over two years since this adventure first started. My main goal, to have a healthy heart, has been achieved. My cardiologist confirms that my heart is now in excellent shape, probably the best shape it has been in years. I kept persisting, and now, I entered and performed in my first swimming meet in over 10 years.
The event I picked to re-enter the pool was The Veterans’ Golden Age Games held here in Salt Lake City, Utah in late August of 2024. I originally entered four events, including the 25 back, 25 free, 25 breast, and 75 IM. Coming close to the meet, though, I ended up with sharp pains in the “nubbins” of my hips. My physical therapist ruled out arthritis, which the radiologist had mistakenly suspected, but the culprit was merely too much and too rapid wear and tear on my out-of-shape connective muscles. My primary doctor concluded it would be safer to scratch from events that involve the “frog kick” like 25 breast and 75 IM. I figured swimming two events was better than none.
The meet itself was very exciting. Athletes from all over the U.S., ages 55-100+, collected to compete and socialize. And not just for swimming. Many Olympic-style sports. The VA was really big on the socialization aspect of it too. I chatted with some fellow vets, and enjoyed the atmosphere. First was the 25 backstroke. I will not mention the actual time I embarrassingly posted, but suffice it to say that it was faster than my time in the 25 free later in the day! Ouch! Admittedly, I spent too much time in the sun that afternoon and got dehydrated. After much anticipation, I found out I had won the gold medal in the backstroke for my age group, which was a real boost, regardless of my slow times. I ended up placing fifth in the 25 free. The time was literally a hundredth of a second slower than my time in backstroke for the same length. So, overall, I had a great time getting back to the pool and competing. And as a bonus, I was not expecting that gold in the 25-yard back for the 55-59 age group. I plan to continue competing at the Masters level, and I would love to go back to these veteran games again sometime!
Long known to the readers of SwimSwam as the heart attack survivor who found his way back to the pool and cardiac health in his late 50s, Chris McClelland’s most recent fiction won the bronze award for Creative Writing, Short Story Category in the recent National VA Arts Festival. A veteran of the US Air Force, he studied engineering at the University of Florida, where he spent months training with the world-renowned Florida Gator swim team. He holds an advanced degree in English from the University of Central Florida, and he spent years teaching as an adjunct professor at various colleges around central Florida. His writing has appeared in Narrative Magazine, Harper’s, Puerto Del Sol, Mid-American Review and others. His books, both print and audio, have been published to many positive reviews. He currently lives with his wife and sons in central Utah. He can be reached at: https://chrismcclelland22.blogspot.com/. His most recent fiction can be found in Military Experience magazine and his upcoming near-futuristic fiction is scheduled to appear in SwimSwam’s Year in Review, 2024 Olympic Edition later this year.
