Swimming for Gold

David Wright, Roving Reporter

Ron proudly displays his ledgers

Ron Morin has never won an Olympic Gold Medal. Still, he does not let that stop him from going for his own gold. He has spent the past 20 of his “golden years” pursuing his personal best—swimming our Lincoln Hills pools while keeping a running count of each lap in his ledgers. Three months ago, the 84-year-old completed lap number 72,000. That correlates to 1,000 miles—mostly done in the Kilaga Springs Pool.

Growing up in New Hampshire, Ron and his brother would spend their summers hiking to their favorite forest lake in the shadow of Mount Washington. It was there the 12-year-old twins learned to swim.

Ron found his way to San Jose, where he met Pamela. He was studying for the priesthood, and she was at a convent. Like a storybook romance, they left their callings to get married. Raising a son and two daughters, they built a nuclear family supported by Ron’s 30-year career at General Electric. In 2003, the couple moved into their Lincoln Hills dream home.

Ron has always been athletic. He played baseball on both his high school and seminary college teams. So, it was no surprise that his first peek at Del Webb Field would inspire him to begin a 19-year run with the Senior Softball League. Likewise, touring our aquatic facilities whetted memories of those boyhood days at the lake. Ron added swimming to his pool of activities.

Making waves

Being a lifelong competitor, when he learned that 72 laps is equivalent to one mile, the challenge was on. With Forrest Gump persistence, he just kept swimming…and swimming…and swimming—recording each onehour session in his water log. “The closer I got to reaching the thousand miles, the more motivated I was to keep going,” Ron offers.

Sadly, his bride of 52 years never got to see Ron reach his personal milestone. Pamela died four years ago. Still, Ron could feel her presence cheering him on when he hit the 1,000-mile mark on March 15. Ron does not play softball anymore. His back and leg issues took care of that. But he can still painlessly maneuver in the pool. Joining the Swimmers and Water Walkers Club, he plans to continue swimming as long as his body allows. Although he no longer sets long-term goals, every plunge he takes adds to his grand total. If they awarded a medal for tenacity, Ron Morin would win the Gold.

Ron’s advice: “Set a realistic goal and do it”