Feature story with Ian Crocker

Olympic Swimmer Ian Crocker

With the Olympics looming around the corner, I thought I’d catch up with friend and Olympic Gold Medalist, Ian Crocker. His boyish features haven’t changed one bit in the months we’ve seen each other, but he somehow looks tired. His clear blue eyes shift lazily as he welcomes me in to his home and he whips his head to the side to get his blond hair out of his face. He forces a smile, not with frustration but with ambivalence. As he bends down to scoop up one of three of his beloved feline friends, Dina, he apologizes because he hasn’t eaten yet and will be having dinner as we talk.

He doesn’t much like talking about swimming, “It’s like, when I leave the pool, I sort of turn off swimming” he says. So, I decided to focus on different things that he likes…and maybe include some stuff about swimming.

Well, he’s a man of many talents - cars, animals, music, movies, writing and food. His parents have instilled in him the value of back up plans. They wanted him to love many things, not just swimming, so they made having hobbies an important mindset. “When I started swimming, I got a little bit of self-worth, like, alright, I am good at something” he explains. “It was a lot of work though, so I found that I need diversions on a day to day basis and I just developed a ton of other hobbies.”

Surprisingly, Mr. Crocker isn’t a bad writer. I read his blog on swimroom.com and was impressed. “I would love to write in some capacity. When I want to relax and just be, to stop and focus on the little things, writing helps me communicate what I’m feeling. It just comes off better than talking.”

Even though his Olympic career is coming to a close (this will be his last Olympic Games to participate in) swimming has been his life for years. How many people can say they have earned Olympic Gold medals? How many people will be remembered in history books for holding world records? “I think I enjoy the fact that I’ve won medals and hold records because those were goals that I set for myself, and now I’ve achieved those goals. The reality, after you have the record, is that the spotlight is on you and it takes much more to retain that record. It’s just a new stress that you have.”

Even though children are not in the foreseeable future, Crocker thinks about his legacy in relation to his future kids. “I also kinda worry for my kids, you know? I hope the don’t feel like, dad did all this and if I don’t do something similar then he won’t be proud of me. I think about that, I mean, it’s a nice legacy but…I don’t know. (laughs) I’ll stick with my cats for now."

With the exception of a few athletes, Olympiads are rarely involved in scandalous publicity. I wondered: Is there a code of conduct these athletes live by? Crocker thinks, “It comes down to a few things. For the more amateur sports, swimming, track and field etc., there aren’t millions of dollars on the line, which provide less incentive to cheat. I think the more mainstream sports lack the ethical mindset and the athletes don’t feel the need for excellence at all times. Swimming is not an entertainment sport, you’re not going to get super famous. So, if you’re not doing it to improve or get better over a long period of time or to reach goals, then there’s really no point because you’re not going to end up a multi-millionaire.”

What will he be doing when swimming isn’t his main focus? “I don’t know. I’ve got ideas on some things, maybe stay involved with swimming. Like opening up a swim school for kids from infant ages to six or eight years old. You get them comfortable with the water in an instructional pool and then feed them into a swim team environment all the way up to high school swimming in order to prepare them for college. I think this can not only be financially lucrative, but also rewarding to be working with the kids and sharing your philosophy on life and sport and everything. I would also like to open a restaurant, but it’s such a hard risky business to get into and be successful in.”

Toward the end of the interview, I put on my James Lipton mask and did a rendition of the sequence he does at the end of every “Inside the Actor’s Studio.”

What is your favorite Bob Dylan Song?
“Isis…”
Favorite lyric in “Isis?”
“What drives me to you is what drives me insane” (laughs)
What is your favorite movie?
“Probably “[The Big] Labowski” – it’s just hilarious!”
What’s your favorite time of day?
“Eight or nine in the morning, right after morning workout.”
Favorite book right now?
“Heat” by Bill Buford. It’s sort of a chronology of this chef’s journey.”
What’s your favorite restaurant in Austin?
“Vespaio. Uchi is damn good, but Vespaio is just…”
Favorite sport?
“I don’t know how I feel about sports…” (laughs)

With that said, we can only conclude that it might be time for Mr. Crocker to drive down a different avenue. His talent has force fed him into Olympic Gold Medal status and he might be too full for any more. From one to the other,
“Being noticed is a burden. Jesus Christ got crucified for getting himself noticed.
That’s why I disappear a lot.” –Bob Dylan