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1980 was rough.

I stopped competitive training in 1976 (still worked out but not 18 times a week). Was working and going to school. We just did not have the resources that athletics have today.

I do believe 1980 is what caused the early death of the swimmer I competed against. He medalled in 76 and I heard he went down hill after 80. Later I was told he completely let himself go (gaining over 300 lbs) and died of a heart attack.

I still think about it today. The luxury of hindsight allows me to condemn Carter. I wasn't pleased about it at the time and I know there was generally a great deal of disappointment. It was what it was. Carter was horrid. Here we are still with Afghanistan.

It hurt so many olympians because there was a higher degree of dedication. It wasn't just hours training, but the efforts required because the resources were not there. The rules were much stricter with amateur athletics and sponsorships.

We did not have the backing (financial, coaching and planning) we have today. My trip to the games was payed for by families at our local swim club and high school.

The 18 sessions of training per week does not tell the entire story. There was the driving back and forth, meets and waits for pool time. On top of that was homework and a hire academic expectation amongst swimmers and their families.

This took a tremendous toll on the athletes.

I have such admiration for high caliber athletes after parenting one his whole childhood. Skills you work for a YEAR to perfect. Talk about learning delayed gratification. Hours and hours training, never being able to eat enough as a growing child to make up for the 2500 cals expended a workout ... I drove him through the In n Out drive through after practice just for those 800 cal milkshakes. He quit before college, but that hard work has been very good for him, and his friends - half of them went through it with him, male and female. I bet they will be friends for life. We are watching one older teammate compete at these Olympics now.

I hear you... I swam from the late 70s and stopped in the early 90s. Was lucky enough that parents had resources to cover coaching/travel, but (thankfully in hindsight) my parents insisted I had a full time job in the summer to defray the costs. I still remember one particular week after my senior yr in high school where us distance swimmers swam 100k in the week plus weight sessions... while I was working commercial landscaping between practices. At this time, one of the 1980 team members was still training with the senior team vs the masters program... still putting himself through the grind while he was studying to become a dentist. Really helped me keep things in perspective in more ways than one.