CATHY FERGUSON

67, swimming Clovis, Calif.

Ferguson was terrified of the water after witnessing a drowning as a child. But her mom, determined that her 8-yearold daughter would learn to swim, found her a gentle coach. At age 10, when Ferguson failed to make the YMCA swim team, she promised the coach she’d work hard if she could just be on the team. She made good on that promise and, at 15, won her first national championship in the 100-meter backstroke. A year later, she earned two gold medals at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo. “I was a very introverted little kid,” she says, “but I wanted to be the best in the world at something. For years I visualized myself standing on the [Olympic] podium.” Now Ferguson, who no longer enjoys cold water, walks five miles a day and lifts weights three times a week. Tip: “If you want to get in shape, do something that will make you feel you’ve accomplished something. I did ballroom dancing for a long time to stay fit. You don’t have to be number one in the world to be able to enjoy exercise.”