FAST MASTERS: WHO'S IN THAT LANE -- EPISODE 8: BILL MCGARVEY

FAST MASTERS: WHO'S IN THAT LANE? – EPISODE 8: BILL MCGARVEY

For this episode we hear from the man himself, Bill McGarvey.

Well, you probably never see me in the short course workouts. That's because I'm down in the 33's! This is Bill McGarvey. I am the third oldest member of the FAST Masters Team being 70 years old! I feel only 45!

I was born at Saint Joseph's Hospital in Orange and was brought home to 924 North Nicholas Street in Fullerton. Back in 1953 it was known as Nicolas Street which later (don't know when exactly) was named Euclid Street. I started elementary school in 1957 at Golden Hill Elementary. At age seven I started to attend the first classes at the newly built Laguna Road Elementary. From there I attended Ladera Vista Junior High and Sunny Hills High School. As a freshman I got involved with water polo and swimming. I found out in Little League baseball that I was allergic to a lot of things including the grass on the ballfields...ashtma! I wasn't allergic to chlorine, so there began a long, fun, and great stretch of aquatics.

For history’s sake: Two novice but innovative coaches started coaching water polo and swimming at Sunny Hills -- Hank Vellecamp and Jim Sprague. Six days a week we would start at 5:30 AM on the track running 2 miles, usually in the dark. We then would hit the weight room for circuit training. Then into the pool to loosen up for 10 to 15 minutes, and onto class at 8:00 AM. The coaches were adamant about physical conditioning, and we were a respected high school water polo team back in the late 1960s and early 1970s. We started the tradition of winning! For the next 27 years Sunny Hills won the Freeway League Championship and numerous CIF Championships. Our losses usually came in CIF Finals!

Back in those days these coaches really worked us hard, and we were dedicated to playing a very high grade of innovative water polo. Our coaches would develop set plays that no one else was doing at the time. Competing teams were caught unaware and unable to contain the situations we presented.

In the early 1970s there were not a lot of college scholarships for water polo, and the whole Sunny Hills High School team went on to Fullerton College. We won a Junior College state championship in our first year and were the runner up in our second year. We had one Olympian on our team. His name is Jim Kruse who later went on to be the color commentator for the Olympics on NBC. I broke his nose in practice...he was kicking my ass!

I want to say at this point that it was those four years in high school with the discipline, hard work, and dedication to the craft of water polo that shaped my entire life. The principles that were put in place to practice religiously with determination molded me into the person I have become in my life, business, family, and relationships. In fact, this environment meant so much to myself and the other Sunny Hills team members that we still stay in touch and gather on occasion 50+ years later!

The team stayed together (except for 1 person) and we all got partial scholarships to San Diego State University. We never lost much until this point, and thought if we stayed together, we would continue to rule the NCAA! We played all the top schools on the West Coast: Cal, USC, UCLA, Stanford, Irvine, and others. During those two years we learned what it was like to lose. 9-12 seasons were our records for each of the two years. It was a humbling experience and made me think of how other players felt in earlier years when we won everything…including beating Troy! This perspective set a lifelong mindset about competition and the aspects of winning and losing. A great lesson was learned! It doesn't bother me to lose in chess, card games, or board games anymore! In fact, I have kind of backed down from competition these days. At San Diego State, I received a bachelor’s degree in business management (barely) with a 2.2 GPA. Academia really wasn't my thing, but parties and water polo made campus life an unforgettable two years.

Getting back to high school, our assistant coach, Jim Sprague, videotaped all games with the latest in archaic recording devices. We would watch film three days a week at lunch in his math classroom. There we learned the fine points of tuning our play which helped us become champions. Decades later Jim was inducted into the U.S. Water Polo Hall of Fame for the introduction of videotaping water polo games. I was at the induction ceremony in Irvine. It was a great event to see a deserving pioneer in the water polo world being recognized for his process which is still used extensively today. Our Masters coach Paul was there!

I have three adult children. Meghan (45) is vice president of a national healthcare company. Molly (33) is COO of her creative tactical marketing company in Savannah, Georgia, and mother to my grandson, Trent (2). Billy IV (30) works for his sister Molly with their largest client who manufactures night vision goggles for the military and municipalities as well as the private sector. I am humbled and blessed to have three great kids from two marriages to fine women who probably made them who they are today! Still wondering where I fit in – ha ha.

I got out of college with a management degree and wanted to work outside with my shirt off. I was an athlete! I started as a laborer (one and a half years) on a construction crew for a homebuilder in Orange County. I went to another homebuilder and became a customer service rep for new homes (five years). I then opened my own general contracting firm where I got licensed and did light remodel on residential and commercial works for thirty-eight years. McGarvey Construction built a good reputation in North Orange County, and all my clients’ dreams came true! My phone rang off the hook during that time and I could pick and choose who I wanted to work for and the jobs that were enjoyable and profitable. It was a lot of long hours and hard work but customer service and quality product were the name of my game. I retired at 65 years old. I am proud to have mastered the craft of door hanging! I can fix any Masters swimmer’s door for free - it is fun and not difficult!

My interest in the decades since water polo has been triathlons (1980's, 1990's, and 2000's). In the early years I was in shape and in the top 10% of my age group. I also ran about eight-five 10K's and three marathons. For those of you who are into running, for one 10K I wanted to break 40 minutes and averaged 6:30 miles for a 39:54. I formed an old guy’s triathlon relay team back in the 2010s with an architect in town and we won our division for eight years. As time goes on in the 70-year age bracket… there's no fast stuff anymore...ask Bob Bergstrom or Jim, my lane mates!

I have probably been in the FAST Masters program for five to six years. Before that I swam at noon at the Janet Evans Swim Complex. I feel getting up at 5:00 AM after eight hours of good sleep, getting in the water at 6:00 AM, and pushing myself in a cardio manner are important things that keep me alive. I truly appreciate this program and the coaches I have been associated with over the years. I had Coach Kyle Knoff in my high school Sunday school class decades ago – holy cow!

Outside of the pool, I enjoy remote camping in my 4 x 4 with friends and my son, Billy. Death Valley in the winter is a secret place. I have been going for 45 consecutive years. It's kind of a spiritual place for me!

This entry in "WHOS IN THAT LANE" is my story because no one has gotten in touch with me to do their story! Maybe you want to hang for 45 to 60 minutes on the phone or in person or at lunch so we can get to know YOU! If you want to compose your own story like, that can be done also. My contact information is: bmcgarvey4@gmail.com. Coach Paul will be next -- his story is quite respectable and noteworthy!

I hope this wasn't boring as I have had and will continue to have a fun, fulfilling life!

Regards Bill McGarvey III