Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

Gold in the Water – The True Story of Ordinary Men and Their Dream of Olympic Glory is a riveting book by P.H. Mullen, one of the best writers about swimming in the English language, tells the story of elite swimmers preparing for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.

The book focuses on Dick Jochums, one of the most energetic coaches who ever walked the pool decks of America, who had a unique way to express himself to athletes and his fellow Olympic coaches. One of our favorites that was included in P.H. Mullen‘s book is entirely applicable to open water swimmers follows:

“To make this [Olympic] team is going to be sweet, to fail is going to be very painful. Either way, the sun will come up the next day and life will go on. But those who strive, those who leave nothing on the table, those who will take the risk, will all be winners. Life is truly sweeter for those who truly live it. The world belongs, and will always belong, to the people who participate. Those who stand on the outside, who never risk, who never fail, cannot now, nor will they ever, understand the beauty of each breath of life. So don’t feel sorry for those who fail, feel sorry for the majority that never participate. They’ll just never understand, let alone feel, all that life can and should be.”

Copyright © 2010 by World Open Water Swimming Association