About
I grew up living an American Dream childhood and young adulthood on the San Francisco Peninsula, attending Stanford on a swimming scholarship—everything that could go right did.
As a former competitive swimmer, I had the privilege of representing my country in the 1964 Olympic Games held in Tokyo, Japan. It was an incredible experience for me as I managed to achieve the remarkable feat of winning the gold medal in the men's 400-meter individual medley. But I definitely didn't do it as I had planned. But what ever really goes according to plan?
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After my swimming career, I wanted a more fulfilled life and so I lived what was known as and often referred to as a hippie lifestyle for a couple of years. I lived in a spiritual hippie commune in Santa Barbara, CA, and Elko County, NV, for 17 years. After leaving the commune, I worked for Stephen Covey and the Covey Leadership Center for ten years in Provo, UT. I'm retired now and have lived in Park City, UT, for 30 years. It's been a wild ride with a lot learned and many stories to share. Thus the inspiration for Swimmer, Hippie, Cowboy.
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Dick Roth