Below are snippets from a press release and the website Dolphins Of The Desert about medal winning swimmer Jeff Commings and his new book “Odd Man Out:An Autobiography” which is now available and can be ordered via this link. You can also learn more about the book and read excerpts at the link.
Books written by gay athletes in diving, baseball, football, basketball and ice skating have captivated audiences with their candid and unflinching stories. Now comes “Odd Man Out: An Autobiography,” the first book to tell the true story of a gay African-American swimmer. Jeff Commings was the first African-American to win a gold medal in swimming at the Olympic Festival and was the first African-American swimmer to compete at the Pan-American Games, but he went through his swimming career feeling like he was just like everyone else – except when it came to his sexuality.
Commings spent all of his teenage years and most of his 20s afraid to live openly as a gay man. Though he was a member of several USA Swimming national teams and competed in two Olympic Trials, his fear of rejection from those he loved and respected severely affected his life socially and athletically.
Commings reveals intimate details of his life, many of which have never been made public. But this book is much more than the story of a man’s journey to discover his place in a world he feared would shun him. It’s also the story of a black swimmer who rose to elite status when he saw very few on pool decks with his skin color.
Growing up in St. Louis, Mo., Commings found a connection to the water as young as 3 years old. He never strayed from the sport, which rewarded him with travel to places he never dreamed he’d see, a free college education and friendships that will last a lifetime.
Commings takes us on a rollercoaster ride in “Odd Man Out” through more than 30 years of triumph, sorrow and love. Equally heartbreaking and funny, this book is an uncompromising portrait of one man’s quest to fit in on his own terms. It tests readers of all walks of life to look inwardly and reflect on their own fears and insecurities.
Jeff Commings began his swimming career in St. Louis when he was 4 years old, where he was literally thrown into the water at a local Boys’ Club. After his initial floundering, Jeff took to the water with ease and joined the Boys’ Club team. A year after his introduction to swimming, he signed up for his first meet.
Jeff improved, winning his first trophy at 6 for the 25 fly. Later, as he grew, Jeff found a natural talent for the breaststroke. After rising in the local ranks, he made a name for himself on the national scene with a Top 16 ranking among 11- and 12-year-olds in the 50-meter breast. 1991 came as a breakout year. He was 3rd in the 100-meter breast at the national championships, as well as a berth on the Pan-American team traveling to Cuba where he won bronze.
Jeff attended the University of Texas – Austin on a full scholarship under the tutelage of Olympic Coach Eddie Reese. His highest placing at the NCAA championships was third in the 100 breast his sophomore year. He would end his college career an eight-time All-American, USA Swimming National Team member and four-time conference champion in the Southwest Conference.
Jeff attended two Olympic Trials, in 1992 and 1996. After the 1996 Trials, Jeff moved to Colorado Springs to train under renowned coach and former world record holder Jonty Skinner and then retired in 1998.
In 1999, Jeff discovered Masters Swimming and initially used the workouts as a way to stay in shape, vowing to never compete in another high-stress meet. That vow didn’t last long. At the 2003 Masters National Championships, Jeff won five events and set his first national record in the 100 breast. The following summer, Jeff set a Masters World Record in the 100-meter Individual Medley. Another national record and world records followed.
Jeff continues to train with the Brophe Masters in Phoenix in preparation for Masters swimming competitions. He is Co-Founder of Dolphins Of The Desert Swimming Academy.
In his book Commings writes, While I was preparing for a trip home during Christmas break in 1991, I resolved to come out to my mother. I was almost 18 years old, though four months on my own wasn’t long enough to make me feel like an adult. I wanted to be able to explore my sexuality in Austin once the swim season was over in March, and coming out to my family was just the step forward I needed. Once my mother knew, telling the rest of my family would be easy, and maybe telling my teammates wouldn’t be so hard, either. The result of all of that would likely lead to a much happier life. But I talked myself out of it that year. Those five days at home were so wonderful. It was the first time my mother and I had seen each other since I left for college. The thought of ruining that Hallmark moment turned me into a coward.
I would talk myself out of it for eight more years. Each time, I would summon the courage to make the announcement on the last day of my trip home and make a clean getaway in case all hell broke loose. It was the thought of all hell breaking loose that scared me. I figured keeping a secret from my mother was better than never being able to talk to her again.
It wasn’t a good way to live. I was hiding something from one of the closest people – if not the closest person – in my life, and it also happened to be my mother.
SportsFags
Lyndon Evans