Two Moorings Park members find themselves breaking records in the pool. Karl Wiedamann (left) and Robert Pendergrass (right) have officially redefined the aging athlete.
Karl Wiedamann: Olympic Champion and World Record Holder
As a teenager, Moorings Park member Karl Wiedamann was a natural athlete and excelled in many sports. An accomplished cyclist, he won the Florida State Cycling Championships three times and swam competitively in high school and while attending the University of Florida. Swimming was a major passion for Wiedamann, but he ultimately retired from the pool for 35 years due to health-related issues.
He then embarked on a health and fitness journey that led him back to cycling, and after a year of training, he made a discovery that changed the trajectory of his life: the Senior Olympics. He immediately signed up for the 50-meter breaststroke but couldn’t have predicted what would happen next.
“I got within ten yards to the end of the pool and race, and all of a sudden it was like swimming through molasses,” said Wiedamann. “But once I finished, everyone got excited. I had set a new record for my age group. I thought, ‘If I could do that without any training, what can I do if I start to focus?’”
Over the next few years, Wiedamann practiced hard and saw success in various swim meets, but in 2002, he was given the opportunity to train in an Olympic training center, an honor only granted to 20 Masters swimmers. Within the year, he was getting coached by a professional, and in 2006, Wiedamann went to the World Masters Championships.
“I wasn’t satisfied [with my performance],” he admits, though 18 months later he found himself in Perth, Australia for another Masters Championship where he set three world records in all three breaststroke distances: the 50-, 100- and 200-meter races. Impressive doesn’t begin to describe his accomplishments.
“To my knowledge, I’m the only male in Masters swimming to have set world records in all three distances of breaststroke. I had a very good week,” he said.
After another health-related set-back, Wiedamann started to train again in 2020.
“I’m in a rebuilding phase. It’s coming along. I realize the technique is still there, I’m just working on the power.”
Wiedamann swims up to four times a week and strength trains twice at the award-winning Center for Healthy Living® in Moorings Park to increase his heart rate. Currently, he can leg press 400 pounds. While cultivating health remains his primary focus, his long-term goals include completing in national championships in his age range and more record breaking.
“[This goal originated] about five years ago in Canada at a swim meet. There, a guy set two world records in the 105 to 109 age group,” he said. “I want to break those records.”
Robert Pendergrass’ Passion to Swim
Robert Pendergrass had always been a swimmer, but everything changed after moving to Moorings Park in Naples, Florida. He met fellow community member Karl Wiedamann, an active competitive swimmer. Pendergrass had enjoyed competitive swimming in high school and while attending Cornell University where the breaststroke was his technique of choice. After college, he only swam as a means to stay healthy and fit, but his friendship with Wiedamann inspired something greater.
“I could keep up with him, so I said, ‘Okay, I’m going to start swimming competitively again.’”
At the end of 2018, Pendergrass joined his first meet, and although he didn’t perform as well as he envisioned, he was motivated to do better. Through some coaching and an impressive amount of independent practice, Pendergrass progressed. Now, he competes once every three months, traveling to Sarasota, Orlando, and Fort Lauderdale for these exciting meets.
Every other day, Pendergrass swims for about 15 minutes to an hour and a half. During these training sessions, he wears a Garmin fēnix® sports watch that tracks his movements, heart rate, and more. It also tracks laps and distance in the pool, an incredibly useful feature for him. He then takes a rest day, which may include a simple dip in the pool or a round of golf.
“My workout philosophy is doing a 'hard' day, then taking a day off.”
A healthy diet is important for any athlete, and Pendergrass says he’s always been a healthy eater who strives to get eight hours of sleep each night, but this lifestyle encompasses more than just physical health. Goal setting is also important to Pendergrass, and his most recent goal was to compete in freestyle distance races. Rather than simply beat his competitors, his resolve during these competitions is to always do better than his last time. However, his accomplishments are ever-growing and include placing second in a nation-wide competition.
Friendly Competition at Moorings Park Communities
Karl Wiedamann and Robert Pendergrass have an inspiring friendship that encourages each other to grow, but in the pool, they like to compete.
“He wants to beat me,” said Wiedamann. “And if I can help him achieve that, and if it keeps both him and I motivated, then that’s great.”
In 2019, Pendergrass stepped in for Wiedamann in the Rowdy Gaines Masters Classic annual race.
“That team was number one in the country for four years. This specific year, I agreed to swim the butterfly leg rather than the breaststroke leg. Karl once again swam the breaststroke. We won the 200 and 400 medley relays and probably will be number one in the United States again,” said Pendergrass.
Moorings Park Communities Supports Longevity and Healthy Aging
The luxurious amenities and knowledgeable, supportive staff, or partners, at Moorings Park Communities have contributed to the success of both Wiedamann and Pendergrass in many ways.
“The pool is tremendous. I kid that it’s my pool because I’m in it so often,” Pendergrass joked. “I try to do weights also. I’ve worked with the Moorings Park exercise specialists who have been absolutely terrific in terms of helping me tend to certain muscles for various strokes.”
The wellness experts at Moorings Park have also helped Pendergrass calculate his VO2 max, or the maximum rate of oxygen you can consume during exercise. This knowledge is especially important for aerobic athletes, such as swimmers, since your VO2 max shows how well your heart and veins push blood to your muscles and the rest of your body.
“Mr. Pendergrass and Mr. Wiedamann’s physical capacity far exceeds what we typically see in this demographic,” said Moorings Park Communities’ Director of Wellness. “They both have essentially re-defined the aging athlete. This is largely attributed to their work ethic in the pool and in the gym, openness to new training methodologies, coachability, and living day-to-day with their body’s best interest in mind. Each of their competitive drives should serve as a source of inspiration for the young, the old, and anyone who has, or has considered, jumping into competition.”
Foster Your Olympic Dreams at Moorings Park Communities
Moorings Park Communities, rated the #1 senior living destination in Southwest Florida by U.S. News and World Report, believes in fostering a vibrant and healthy lifestyle for seniors and boomers. This successful aging initiative is supported through state-of-the-art amenities, engaging programs that support the mind, body, and spirit, five-star restaurants, and personalized healthcare. To learn more, visit the Moorings Park Communities website or schedule a personal tour. Visit one of Moorings Park Communities’ three gorgeous campuses in Naples, Florida, and discover a lifestyle beyond compare where luxurious residences, breathtaking views, and, of course, concierge physicians and personalized healthcare are all included.
