Dara Torres’ Career, Forward Focus Celebrated in Las Olas Lifestyle Profile; Hall of Famer and ISHOF Board Member Always on Go

Dara Torres; Photo Courtesy: JM STREINER

Dara Torres has been around the pool her whole life.

That hasn’t changed.

She has done great things in the pool her entire life, too, and that also hasn’t changed.

Torres is a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) Board of Directors and an active member of the Fort Lauderdale community. She is a commentator on CBS Sports Network and has another big TV venture on the horizon.

Torres, 56, recently discussed her career and the future with Las Olas Lifestyle Magazine‘s Kevin Kaminski with photos taken by Eduardo Schneider at ISHOF’s Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center.

It is part of her focus on the future, which has been a marquee part of her career.

“People ask if I think about what I’ve accomplished,” Dara Torres told Lifestyle. “Honestly, I don’t. I’m a forward thinker. I’m always about the next thing.”

That was key during her career, especially when things didn’t go as she had hoped. Like when she finished a hundredth of a second from Olympic gold in the 50 freestyle in Beijing in 2008.

“One one-hundredth of a second? You can’t even blink that fast,” she said.

But she was focused forward and put together the fastest relay split in history, leading the U.S. to the silver medal in the 400 freestyle relay.

Torres continues that forward focus.

“That was a huge lesson for me. I couldn’t carry that around. I was so competitive that I knew I had to think about it with different perspective. Otherwise, it would have chewed me up inside,” Dara Torres said.

Torres is parte of of the roster of commentators on “We Need to Talk,” the CBS Sports Network show featuring female broadcasters and elite female athletes weighing in on the sports news of the day.

But the focus forward?

It’s an upcoming venture with Capt. Sandy Yawn from the Bravo series “Below Deck Mediterranean” and author/mindset coach Jennifer Grace that has Torres most excited. The three are set to debut exclusive retreats that play into the themes on which they’ve built their reputations.

“Sandy has overcome so many obstacles in her life to be the best that she can be in a world where men are mostly the yacht captains,” Dara Torres said. “And what I try to explain to people is that Jack Nicklaus can win his sixth Masters at age 46. Nolan Ryan can pitch his seventh no-hitter at age 44. Why can’t a 41-year-old mom make her fifth Olympics team? We feel we all have a lot to offer women at a time when so many are dealing with ageism or sexism,” Torres says “Our message is this: Don’t underestimate women!”

It is the latest in how Torres is looking ahead in and out of the sport.

“Swimming has been my life. And the pool has been my sanctuary,” she said. “The sport has made me who I am today.”

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