Debbie Meyer
Age: 55
Residence: Truckee
Then: As a 16-year-old junior at Rio Americano High School in Sacramento, Meyer became the first swimmer to win three gold medals in a single Olympic Games, in Mexico City in 1968. By the time she retired in 1972, Meyer had set 20 world records and 24 American marks, won 19 national titles, earned a place in the Olympic Hall of Fame and gained recognition as The Bee's Athlete of the Century.
Now: Owns Debbie Meyer Swim School in Carmichael and coaches swimmers of all ages in Truckee.
As a Truckee resident, are you anywhere near as good of a skier as you were a swimmer?
Heavens no. Second time I ever skied, I broke my ankle in 1972. Now I know why (my Arden Hills coach), Sherm Chavoor, wouldn't let his swimmers go skiing.
You retired at 19. How did you know it was time?
It wasn't fun anymore. It wasn't a challenge, and the races didn't feel important anymore. I had a meet in San Francisco, and I had the best practices of my life. But when the meet started, I didn't have any speed. No energy, no excitement.
How long did you stay out of the pool?
Two years. I needed that break.
How often do you reflect on the 1968 Games?
After I turned 50, and then 55 … I've become very reflective on a lot of things. Sometimes I wonder how the heck I ever did it, how I won those medals. I really went from nothing to something in a short time. If I was competing now with the way my times dropped at the Games and the records I broke, people would have accused me of doing drugs.
You have talked about how swimming helped you come out of a shell.
I was such an introvert as a kid, so shy. I'd try to get out of interviews. We had a 40-year reunion at the Olympic Trials – it was fabulous – and people there called me "Debbie Talk-a-lot." I changed.
The Olympic glow never leaves, does it?
When a doctor retires, no one calls him an ex-doctor. As an Olympian, you're never a former or past Olympian. You're always an Olympian. It's true.
When did you last swim competitively?
A Masters World Meet in 2006. I had the time of my life. I only started practicing six weeks before the event. I did OK, placed in the top 10 in my five events and absolutely loved it. In 2007, I was in a boot camp to get back in shape. I actually paid someone to yell in my ear - "You're not working hard enough!" It was all dry land, and I worked my butt off – push-ups, shuttle runs. I never felt so in shape. I wanted to get six-pack abs and settled for a three-pack.
Any regrets in swimming? Maybe when you coached Sacramento State in 1993 and the program was eliminated?
Yes, true. I enjoyed the Sac State experience. That year was a horrible low point in my life. I had never experienced failure before, and I had a lot of it that year. My first marriage was over. I lost my grandmother. Sherm Chavoor died. Lost my job. I was a single mom, and I turned 40. It was a real test to see what I was made of. I learned to never give up. It's just the way the cards fell, and everything turned out OK. I later met (and married) Bill (Weber), and I still ask him, "What did you see in me?" He asks me the same thing.
And Debbie Meyer now?
I'm grown up. Happy as can be. I'm enjoying life to the fullest.
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