16 Quotes by Debbie Meyer

We wanted to show them that people in Elkhart, Indiana, care about them -- that they're not forgotten.

It was a real experience, not just, 'I'm going to the Olympics,' but it was a life skill, an eye-opener to the real world situation. I was 16, gone from my parents for two months, living by myself in a hotel. I was in charge of how much I ate, how much sleep I got. You grow up extremely fast. You know how to set goals for yourself, and how to work toward those goals. You know time management and how to work through adversity.

They didn’t have college scholarships for women. Had they done that at the time, I may have stayed on for another two Olympics, but the opportunities were not available to women that they have today.

Believe in yourself, not only in swimming, but in life itself. You always have to have fun. You have to have an open mind. If you’re not enjoying it, don’t do it. Life’s too short.

Weight loss after pregnancy is safe but requires attention and guidelines.

I hope I give girls an opportunity to realize that they can swim and go to school at the same time. It’s not to be given up once they get out of high school. They can continue doing it for the rest of their lives.

I knew what my times were and how my practices were progressing and how close I was to the goals I had set for the year. I swam hard. I always swam hard. If I didn’t, I knew I would pay for it either the next day or the next meet.