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An excuse-free zone
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| H&N photo by Andrew Mariman Dan Zimmer shows a young swimmer how he can improve his freestyle stroke at the Ella Redkey pool Wednesday. |
June 28, 2007
Sympathy and “can’t” are not a part of Dan Zimmer’s vocabulary.
The longtime Klamath Basin swimming coach does just fine, thank you.
Zimmer doesn’t shy away from the loss of a leg and constantly tells his swimmers “can’t” is not to be used. He uses his disability to show the young people he works with that it is OK to be different.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s physical or mental,” Zimmer says. “Losing my leg has allowed me to do things I wouldn’t have otherwise done.”
More than two decades ago, he and his wife, Mary Ann, were looking to get out of the San Diego area and stopped in Lakeview on their way to Pasco, Wash. Three months later, they were back in Lakeview.
Ranch injury
A mechanic by trade, Zimmer eventually took a job as a mechanic on a ranch outside of Lakeview, one he held until May 21, 1987 ” the day his life changed forever.
“My pant leg got caught in a machine,” Zimmer says.
He lost his left leg.
“It changed my life, but it’s probably the best thing that has happened to me,” the 49-year-old says. “It made me appreciate life more. The people I took for granted, I didn’t any more.”
One surgery took place in Lakeview, another in Klamath Falls and then came four weeks of recovery in Medford.
“I had good people behind me, especially my wife,” Zimmer says, noting that, at the time, his oldest son, Zach, was 6 months old and his wife was pregnant with their second child, Danielle.
They landed in Klamath Falls because the state of Oregon retrained Zimmer to repair office machinery and he worked both for Howard Amidon and then the Elsner family.
An infection that could have cost him his life led Zimmer to dump his prosthesis.
“I put off going to the doctor for a couple of weeks and he made it clear I almost waited too long to come in,” Zimmer says. “I am more comfortable and agile with my crutches.”
No slowing down
It certainly has not slowed him at the pool, either, as he has coached swimming for the last 14 years. He has been the Henley head coach for that time and has led Klamath Basin Aquatics for all but two of those years.
Zimmer swam in San Diego, including a year in junior college. His specialty was the backstroke.
“The road forked and I went off the road for about 20 years and life happened,” Zimmer says. “I lived life in the fast lane too much and needed to get out. My wife and I wanted to raise a family, and San Diego wasn’t the place to do it.”
Hence the move north.
“We’d been here a couple of years and my sister and her family were looking for a chance and we moved them here,” he says. “That was the first year they were going to have swimming (at Henley) and asked if anyone wanted to coach. My niece volunteered me.”
Brilliant assistance
Zimmer says he started his coaching career with two brilliant people.
“Kaleo Schroeder helped me with how to deal with kids and I consider her one of my mentors,” Zimmer says. “Jan Monfore was doing Klamath Union and I found out she was also doing age-group swimming and I talked to her about joining on.”
Monfore contacted Henley swimmers and a couple of coaches to check on Zimmer’s background.
“I learned a lot from Jan, mostly patience,” Zimmer says.
He says his first year at Henley included no more than seven swimmers.
“Everybody wanted to know who this one-legged guy was,” he says.
Zimmer says he was unhappy with his team’s first meet. He showed up for the next practice in a swimming suit and told John Brown to get into the water and that he and the coach would race.
“I beat him,” Zimmer says with a grin.
The team began to improve immediately.
“He told people that he didn’t want to lose to the coach, especially a one-legged man,” Zimmer says, now laughing.
He says he has been fortunate to be surrounded by excellent people and listed Sandy Jipp, Tracy Walker and Uwe Britsch in addition to Schroeder and Monfore.
-- Steve Matthies
Sympathy and “can’t” are not a part of Dan Zimmer’s vocabulary.
The longtime Klamath Basin swimming coach does just fine, thank you.
Zimmer doesn’t shy away from the loss of a leg and constantly tells his swimmers “can’t” is not to be used. He uses his disability to show the young people he works with that it is OK to be different.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s physical or mental,” Zimmer says. “Losing my leg has allowed me to do things I wouldn’t have otherwise done.”
More than two decades ago, he and his wife, Mary Ann, were looking to get out of the San Diego area and stopped in Lakeview on their way to Pasco, Wash. Three months later, they were back in Lakeview.
Ranch injury
A mechanic by trade, Zimmer eventually took a job as a mechanic on a ranch outside of Lakeview, one he held until May 21, 1987 ” the day his life changed forever.
“My pant leg got caught in a machine,” Zimmer says.
He lost his left leg.
“It changed my life, but it’s probably the best thing that has happened to me,” the 49-year-old says. “It made me appreciate life more. The people I took for granted, I didn’t any more.”
One surgery took place in Lakeview, another in Klamath Falls and then came four weeks of recovery in Medford.
“I had good people behind me, especially my wife,” Zimmer says, noting that, at the time, his oldest son, Zach, was 6 months old and his wife was pregnant with their second child, Danielle.
They landed in Klamath Falls because the state of Oregon retrained Zimmer to repair office machinery and he worked both for Howard Amidon and then the Elsner family.
An infection that could have cost him his life led Zimmer to dump his prosthesis.
“I put off going to the doctor for a couple of weeks and he made it clear I almost waited too long to come in,” Zimmer says. “I am more comfortable and agile with my crutches.”
No slowing down
It certainly has not slowed him at the pool, either, as he has coached swimming for the last 14 years. He has been the Henley head coach for that time and has led Klamath Basin Aquatics for all but two of those years.
Zimmer swam in San Diego, including a year in junior college. His specialty was the backstroke.
“The road forked and I went off the road for about 20 years and life happened,” Zimmer says. “I lived life in the fast lane too much and needed to get out. My wife and I wanted to raise a family, and San Diego wasn’t the place to do it.”
Hence the move north.
“We’d been here a couple of years and my sister and her family were looking for a chance and we moved them here,” he says. “That was the first year they were going to have swimming (at Henley) and asked if anyone wanted to coach. My niece volunteered me.”
Brilliant assistance
Zimmer says he started his coaching career with two brilliant people.
“Kaleo Schroeder helped me with how to deal with kids and I consider her one of my mentors,” Zimmer says. “Jan Monfore was doing Klamath Union and I found out she was also doing age-group swimming and I talked to her about joining on.”
Monfore contacted Henley swimmers and a couple of coaches to check on Zimmer’s background.
“I learned a lot from Jan, mostly patience,” Zimmer says.
He says his first year at Henley included no more than seven swimmers.
“Everybody wanted to know who this one-legged guy was,” he says.
Zimmer says he was unhappy with his team’s first meet. He showed up for the next practice in a swimming suit and told John Brown to get into the water and that he and the coach would race.
“I beat him,” Zimmer says with a grin.
The team began to improve immediately.
“He told people that he didn’t want to lose to the coach, especially a one-legged man,” Zimmer says, now laughing.
He says he has been fortunate to be surrounded by excellent people and listed Sandy Jipp, Tracy Walker and Uwe Britsch in addition to Schroeder and Monfore.
-- Steve Matthies
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| Washingtonian takes title |
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Bill Hoffman wrote on Apr 10, 2008 10:07 AM:
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Respectfully submitted,
Bill Hoffman
CO Stampede, #45 "
Respectfully submitted,
Bill Hoffman
CO Stampede, #45 "
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