November 2017 www.womanthismonth.com PEOPLE | interview 30 An Incredible Journey At what age did you discover swimming and, more importantly, your talent for the sport? I had my first swimming lesson at age four and right away I knew I had found my happy place. I loved to perform and my instructors were so encouraging and supportive. I didn't get much attention at home with an alcoholic father, a mom in survival mode and five kids under the age of seven. But in the pool, that was another story. I swam my first race at age six and by age eight I was the high point scorer for my team. I loved being in the water and I loved racing. How did you go from the discipline of training into the bar scene? I've thought about this a lot over the years, how I went from a junior national champion at age 15, with Olympic aspirations, to an alcohol abuser almost overnight, but that's what happened. I think it was the pressure. From age five until age 12, participating in a sport of swimming is a lot of fun with swim meets, hanging out with friends and the opportunity to travel. After the age of 12, the stakes get higher. Now you are training twice a day, losing sleep, the training gets a lot harder and the pressure to perform and swim fast is the goal instead of fitness and friendship. It's a heavy load for a kid to handle. A US national swimming champion at the age of just 15, Karlyn Pipes spiralled swiftly into alcohol addiction before turning her life around. After writing a book, The Do Over, about her long battle, she is back in the water, claiming huge success and coming to Bahrain to train Iron Man swimmers this month. She shared her story with Liz O’Reilly.
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