SwimmingWorldMagazine.com Rewind: February 1977 Issue

PHOENIX, Arizona, February 18. THIS week, SwimmingWorldMagazine.com Rewind takes a look back 30 years ago to the February 1977 edition of SwimmingWorldMagazine.

February 1977 Table of Contents
From the Top – 4
Russian Swimmers Visit United States – 6
Shirley Babashoff Retires – 8
Bobby Hackett–"I want to be remembered" – 10
Operation Iceberg – 12
Setting Up a Dryland Exercise Program -14
USSR–The Gold Harvest for Moscow – 23
365-day Taper – 27
AAU Indoor Polo Championships – 30
Post-Olympic Evaluation of U.S. Women's Swimming – 36
Honor Thy Father and Mother..,and Coach – 40
AAU Meets – 57
For the Record – 82
Current Best Times – 86
Vox Pop – 107

COVER:
For Bobby Hackett, there is one more swimming accomplishment to go-swimming the 1500 free in less than 15 minutes. The 17-year-old high school senior sees the possibility of it happening this summer–a year after he won silver in the same event at the Olympics in Montreal. Bobby swims for Coach Joe Bernal at Fordham Prep and the Gator Swim Club in Yonkers, N.Y. See Hackett feature, page 10.
(Photo by Bob Ingram)

Here is an excerpt of the I Want to be Remembered piece written by Bob Ingram:

Bobby's life revolves around family, swimming and studies (not necessarily in that order) which doesn't leave much time for anything else. But like all swimmers, Bobby has mastered the art of turning 24-hour days into 36.

"I get up at 5:30 a.m. every weekday and my brother Mark takes me to workout which starts at 6 a.m. I'm usually done by 7:15 and then I'll lounge around the pool, shower and get ready for school which starts at 8 a.m.

"I get out (of school) at 2:45 and study until it is time to go to workout at 5:50. Then my dad picks me up after workout is over at 8 p.m. and then I go home and study some more until it is time to go to bed."

The 6-2,185-pound swimmer has a course load as long as his arm which includes English, religion, math, French, economics and electronics.

"Before the Olympics I didn't study as hard as I am now because I was working out so hard, so now I am making up for it," stressed Bobby. "I really sacrificed everything before the Olympics so now I feel I can back off awhile (on swimming) and do a few other things."

A typical post-Olympic weekend is filled with other things Bobby enjoys doing.

"Friday nights are workout nights too, and on Saturdays, I only have one workout at 7-10 in the morning. I come home afterwards, eat something and then I'll go out with my friends and socialize. But if there is a football, basketball or baseball game on television, I'll sit and watch it or go to the show.

"Sundays start with a 7-10 a.m. practice and then I go to mass. In the afternoon I go to a nursing home and talk to the older people there and t r y to help them. I really enjoy that as I know they like it," he explained..

For the complete Swimming World Magazine article, click here.

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Swimming World Magazine Cover, February 1977 Back

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