NEW
NEW DAY
NEW DAY MOST IS BACK NOW FROM THE -- NEW DAY NORTHWEST IS
BACK.
BACK.
BACK. >>
BACK. >> WELCOME BACK.
LIFE IS FULL OF TWISTS AND
TURNS AND OUR NEXT GUEST PROVES
IT IN HER BOOK TOUGH GIRL
CAROLYN WOOD SHARES HER STORY
FROM FAILING SWIM LESSONS TO
WINNING A SWIMMING GOLD MEDAL
IN 1960 DISCOVERING SHE'S GAY
AND TREKKING THROUGH SPAIN BY
HERSELF, AUTHOR AND GOLD MEDAL
OLYMPIAN CAROLYN WOOD JOINS ME
NOW.
NOW.
NOW. GOOD
NOW. GOOD TO SEE YOU.
YOU SELF PUBLISHED.
NOW THIS BOOK HAS BEEN TAKEN UP
BY SASQUATCH.
BY SASQUATCH. SO YOU WERE ABLE TO ADD SOME
THINGS.
THINGS.
THINGS. TELL ME WHAT THAT GAVE YOU AN
OPPORTUNITY TO DO.
>> THE EDITOR ASKED IF I WOULD
ADD WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE I MET
ROSE, MY PARTNER.
SO I WROTE ABOUT COMING OUT IN
THE 1970S.
THE 1970S. WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO GO TO A GAY
BAR FOR THE FIRST TIME.
AND SOME DESCRIPTIONS OF OLD
PORTLAND WHEN THERE WERE
WOMEN'S BARS.
WOMEN'S BARS. A SEQUENCE OF THEM.
>> THIS HAD BEEN LEFT OUT OF
YOUR FIRST BOOK BECAUSE WHY?
>> IT DIDN'T SEEM RELEVANT WHAT
I WAS WRITING ABOUT.
I WAS MOSTLY WRITING ABOUT THE
SWIM STORY AND THE CAMINO
STORY.
STORY.
STORY. BUT THERE WAS THAT THIRD STORY
THAT BLEEDS THROUGH IT.
>> THAT ALSO TOOK COURAGE AND
GRIT.
GRIT.
GRIT. >>
GRIT. >> IT DID.
>> AND TO ME THAT'S ESPECIALLY
MEANINGFUL.
MEANINGFUL. BECAUSE WE GREW UP AT A SIMILAR
TIME.
TIME.
TIME. WHEN PEOPLE WERE NOT WHOLLY
THEMSELVES.
THEMSELVES. AND THAT'S A WEIGHT WE CARRY.
>> IT IS A WEIGHT.
HAVING THE BOOK OUT, I HAD GONE
TO HIGH SCHOOL GAY-STRAIGHT
ALLIANCES.
ALLIANCES. IT'S STILL NOT EASY FOR KIDS.
>> NO, IT'S NOT.
>> AND I HAVE GRANDMOTHERS WHO
COME TO ME AND SAY I WANT TO
BUY THE BOOK FOR MY
GRANDDAUGHTER.
GRANDDAUGHTER. I THINK SHE WANTS TO COME OUT
AND IT'S JUST LIKE OH MY GOSH.
WE THINK IT'S DIFFERENT.
BUT FOR MANY PEOPLE, EVEN IN
PORTLAND OR SEATTLE --
>> THAT'S THE THING.
IT'S BETTER FOR SOME PEOPLE.
FOR SOME PEOPLE IT'S NOT.
AND WE'RE NOT FREE.
AND NOT OURSELVES UNTIL, YOU
KNOW, EVERYONE CAN BE WHO THEY
TRULY ARE.
TRULY ARE. SO THAT'S ONE THING THAT'S VERY
DIFFERENT.
DIFFERENT. IN THE BOOK YOU DESCRIBE YOUR
OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE.
OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE. AND THE GRIT OBVIOUSLY THAT IT
TOOK TO ACCOMPLISH THAT.
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS DIFFERENT
ABOUT TODAY'S OLYMPICS ?
>> OH GOSH, SO MUCH.
BUT I WOULD BOIL IT DOWN TO THE
COMMERCIALIZATION OF
COMMERCIALIZATION OF ATHLETICISM.
ATHLETICISM. THE EXCITEMENT, THE GRIT, THE
GUTS, EVERYTHING THAT MAKES
ATHLETES GREAT IS ALL STILL
THERE.
THERE.
THERE. BUT AGAIN, THERE'S THIS ADDED
COMPONENT FOR SWIMMERS FOR
EXAMPLE TO PLEASE THEIR
SPONSOR, EARN MONEY, ESPECIALLY
IF THEY'VE GONE THROUGH
COLLEGE, WHEN I SWAM, I HAD TO
DO IT BY THE TIME I WAS OUT OF
HIGH SCHOOL, I FELT LIKE,
BECAUSE THERE WAS NO ATHLETICS
FOR WOMEN IN COLLEGE.
>> YES, WHAT A GOOD POINT.
AND CERTAINLY NOT SPONSORSHIPS
AND WAYS TO TRAIN AND CONTINUE
YOUR CAREER.
YOUR CAREER. >> ROME WAS THE FIRST OLYMPICS
TO HAVE TELEVISION COVERAGE.
BUT IT WASN'T LIVE.
THEY'D FLY THE FILM BACK TO NEW
YORK AND WOULD SHOW THE NEXT
DAY.
DAY.
DAY. >>
DAY. >> AND NOW WE CAN BROADCAST IT
ON OUR PHONE.
SUCH A DIFFERENT THING.
IN THIS BOOK, WE LEARN A LOT
ABOUT YOU.
ABOUT YOU. BUT WE ALSO LEARN A BIT ABOUT
OURSELVES AND WHAT IT TAKES TO
BE RESILIENT AND WHAT IT TAKES
TO PURSUE SOMETHING.
AND I'M WONDERING IF YOU THINK
LIFE WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY
DIFFERENT IF YOU HAD ALL THE
SCRUTINY OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND
THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT YOUNG
PEOPLE ARE DEALING WITH TODAY
AS THEY PURSUE THEIR ATHLETIC
CAREER.
CAREER.
CAREER. >> MAYBE.
>> MAYBE.
>> MAYBE. >> IT'S HARD TO KNOW.
I THINK WHEN SOMEONE GETS
DEDICATED TO A SPORT OR TO
MUSIC, THAT BECOMES YOUR WORLD.
I DON'T FEEL LIKE I WOULD HAVE
HAD TIME TO BE MESSING
AFTERNOON ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
>> TO INSTAGRAM.
>> NO.
>> NO.
>> NO. AND I HAVE FORMER STUDENTS WHO
ARE PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS.
THEIR TIME IS FOUR HOURS OF
PRACTICING THE FRENCH HORN AND
THEY'RE THINKING ABOUT WHAT
THEY'RE GOING TO PLAY AT THE
NEXT CONCERT.
NEXT CONCERT. SO I THINK WHEN YOU'RE DRAWN TO
SOMETHING AND YOU DEDICATE
YOURSELF TO IT, YOU'RE NOT IN
THAT.
THAT.
THAT. BUT
THAT. BUT I MAY BE NAIVE.
>> AS MANY OLYMPIC ATHLETES ARE
INTERVIEWED ONE THING THEY SAID
IS THEY SPEND ZERO TIME ON
THINGS THEY CAN'T CONTROL AND
ALL THEIR TIME ON GETTING
BETTER.
BETTER.
BETTER. AND I THOUGHT WHAT A GOOD
COMMENT THAT IS ABOUT HOW TO
RELEASE FROM YOUR MIND THE
THINGS THAT DON'T MATTER AND
SPEND 100% OF YOUR EFFORT ON
SOMETHING ELSE.
SOMETHING ELSE. TELL US A BIT ABOUT THE CAMINO
STORY AND WHAT YOU WANT PEOPLE
TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS BOOK?
>> I THINK I'VE LEARNED WHAT
PEOPLE TAKE AWAY FROM IT.
AND THAT IS NO MATTER HOW OLD
YOU ARE, IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO
TRY SOMETHING THAT'S A LITTLE
OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE OR IF
YOU'RE GOING THROUGH SOME KIND
OF A TRANSITION, MAYBE YOU NEED
TO PULL BACK FROM SOCIAL MEDIA
OR THE FRIENDS THAT YOU'VE
ALWAYS HAD AND EXPLORE WHO YOU
ARE.
ARE.
ARE. AND
ARE. AND TO GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION
TO TEST YOURSELF AS A WAY OF
BUILDING RESILIENCE.
BUILDING RESILIENCE. >> AND NOT THINKING THAT'S JUST
A YOUNG PERSON'S THING.
>> AND THEN COME BACK AND TELL
YOUR STORY.
YOUR STORY. I THINK THAT'S THE OTHER THING
THAT'S POWERFUL.
THAT'S POWERFUL. I'VE DONE SO MANY BOOK CLUBS.
AND WHAT HAPPENS IN THOSE BOOK
CLUBS IS PEOPLE TALK ABOUT
THEIR OWN STORIES OF COME
BACKS, OF TIMES THAT THEY
DIDN'T THINK THEY COULD GET
THROUGH SOMETHING AND HAVE.
SO I FEEL LIKE MY BOOK IS A
SPRING BOARD FOR OTHER PEOPLE.
AND OUR KIDS, OUR KIDS, OUR
FRIENDS NEED THOSE STORIES.
>> THEY DO.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
YOU'RE AN INSPIRATION IN SO
MANY WAYS.
MANY WAYS. CAROLYN IS AT THIRD PLACE BOOKS
IN