Three-time Olympic gold medalist Rowdy Gaines discusses COVID-19's impact on swimming

Staff writer Eliza Hart caught up with three-time Olympic gold medalist and Masters International Swimming Hall of Fame member Rowdy Gaines to discuss pools closing during the pandemic, his sympathy for UNC athletes who missed the Olympics, universities cutting swimming programs and more. This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

DTH: A few UNC athletes were hoping to show off their skills at the Olympic trials and potentially the 2020 Tokyo games. What’s it like to have to put this off for a whole year?

RG: I can feel their pain. It’s a little bit different in that it’s apples to oranges to what I went through, but in 1980, I made the Olympic team. I was World Swimmer of the Year 1980. My times that year would have won five gold medals, but I didn’t go. Our country boycotted those Olympic games, so I didn’t have the luxury of a year. I had to wait four years for another Olympics. I can kind of feel what a lot of them are going through, and it’s tough because as a swimmer, our pinnacle of success is the Olympics.

DTH: Performance-wise, having to stall for an entire year, what does that do to an Olympic athlete?

RG: Well, the good news is that everyone has to stall for a year, so it’s a pretty level playing field when it comes to that. It’s not just Americans. You are going to see only the strong will be able to survive. Some will not be able to emotionally or mentally handle a whole 'nother year of going through the motions. You may have the physical capabilities, but it has nothing to do with the physical part right now. It’s all mental.

DTH: You were talking about how you had a similar experience back in 1980 with the Moscow Olympic boycott. What was your reaction at the time to the boycott and how does it compare to athletes who are now facing the potential loss of their seasons?

RG: I certainly understand the feelings they’re going through. The initial reaction of refusal to accept it. That there’s no way that it could happen. The same thing happened to me in January of 1980 when they started talking about (boycotting). It’s that refusal to believe it — that denial. Then the anger sets in when it actually happens. Then it’s a huge sadness. You’re gonna have depression. Then you finally get to an acceptance stage. Then you have this motivation to try and come back and do it all over again.

DTH: You almost are describing a grieving process, right?

RG: Yes, there is no doubt about it. There is a grieving process. Most swimmers don’t make any money. They really do it for the love of the sport, and so this grieving process is real. It’s not the end of the world, and we’re gonna survive, but it is real. I can’t deny that.

DTH: East Carolina University announced that they would be shutting down their swimming and diving program along with a few other programs. What are the ramifications of whole programs no longer being offered at a university?

RG: I think it’s obviously devastating for that sport and those employees that work for those respective universities. The bigger picture is if you take a look at a lot of the minor sports, such as swimming, and what those athletes represent, a lot of those student-athletes are extremely smart. They’re great alumni. They bring back a tremendous amount of respect and honor and money to their respective universities. When they end that, they’re not looking at the big picture. They’re looking at the short-term benefit, and for many schools, the short-term benefit will not outweigh the long-term benefits of having those programs at their universities.

DTH: A lot of these smaller, non-revenue sports, the athletes aren’t looking to go into something like the NFL or the NBA, they’re looking to the Olympics, so are these universities missing out on having an athlete represent them on the world stage? 

RG: Absolutely, and the second part to that is America has been number one in the world of swimming for 64 straight years. We’ve won every Olympics, on a point basis, medal basis, as well as world championships. People ask me all the time, “What’s the reason for that?” There are two main reasons. One of them being our club system, our kids. Our 400,000 swimmers that are members of USA Swimming. That tradition of excellence that has been built in our club system. 

The second reason is our collegiate swimming. Our college system has been this breeding ground for great Olympians. Almost all of our Olympians in history dating back to 1956 have gone through college swimming. Once you start eliminating those programs, it certainly takes a toll on those universities, those athletes and those staff members, but it also takes an effect on the sport.

DTH: What advice would you give to athletes, such as those at Chapel Hill, to stay motivated when there is so much uncertainty surrounding the fate of their upcoming season? How do they keep their eye on the prize?

RG: Not to get too corny here, but to give a piece of advice my father gave me in 1980 when I actually quit after the boycott for seven or eight months and decided then to make a comeback and train for three and a half more years. I’ve done 50 Zoom calls with clubs and pro teams and high schools across the country over the last six months, and I tell them, “Guys, you’re 15 to 20 years old. You’re hopefully going to live another 50, 60, 70 years. Are you gonna be able to look at yourself in the mirror for the rest of your life and say, ‘What if?’” You don’t want to have any regrets. 

So to sacrifice a year of your life when you compare it to the number of years you have ahead of you, the decision shouldn’t really be that difficult. That’s how you stay motivated. 

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