Jeanne Little

Steve Virgen

There are three reasons why Jeanne Little, 66, remains competitive in

swimming.

For starters the Newport Beach resident is the oldest of three

sisters. In that sense, she has always been driven to be the best.

Little has also been making up for lost time. When she was in high

school in Iowa, competitive swimming wasn’t offered to girls. Title

IX? Not in those days. There was water ballet.

“I hated water ballet,” Little said.

Little also has a drive to compete because of her background. She

developed a fighting spirit at a young age. Her first encounter with

swimming came when she was 7 and was diagnosed with a minor form of

polio.

In the early 1940s, amid fear of the disease that caused hospitals

to fill with many young children with shriveled legs and others

seeking cures in an iron lung, Little found remedy in swimming.

Little’s doctor told her mother, Kay, that swimming would help the

young girl straighten the S shape that was starting to develop in her

spine.

And, so Little’s days in the water began. Seemingly, she was made

for the water. That proof has been evident recently, while competing

in United States masters swim meets. Last month, she won four gold

medals in individual events and four gold medals in relays at the

U.S. masters national championships in Tempe, Ariz.

She won the 50-yard freestyle in 30.94, the 100 free in 1:12.21,

the 100 butterfly in 1:37.92 and the 50 fly in 36.16.

“I felt pretty good, very good actually,” Little said. “Sometimes

the thrill of it is not how many medals you win, but what times you

do. In this case, all of my times were as good as or better than

they’ve been in the past five years, which is really good. When you

are getting older, you should be getting slower, but you find that

you have it in you. That’s even better.”

In a sense, Little has always had it in her, ever since her

childhood.

Little hails from a small town in Iowa. Ottumwa. That means

rippling waters. The town is nestled in the heart of southeast Iowa.

The Des Moines River flows through the picturesque community.

When Little was growing up, a young boy in her neighborhood died

from polio. She was fortunate to avoid such a horrible fate, as she

had a minor form of the disease.

“They wouldn’t put me in the hospital because mine wasn’t bad

enough,” she said. “They were afraid that I would get worse if I went

to the hospital because the hospital was full of polio patients.”

Swimming made Little feel unique, even special. Few were involved

with the sport in Ottumwa. Basically the sport made a positive impact

on Little. She overcame the challenge against her posture with the

help of swimming.

She swam throughout her childhood and during high school. Yet,

after she graduated, she did not swim for the next 30 years of her

life. During that time, she married, became a librarian and raised

two children, Emily and Greg.

When Little was 48 in 1985, she became reacquainted with swimming

and satisfied her interest with the Masters program offered at UC

Irvine.

“By that time, my kids were old enough that I could get out of the

house for a little bit,” Little said. “When I went to my first meet,

I was a nervous wreck. It was a small local meet, but I did fairly

well. I kept it up ever since and I have improved.”

While competing, Little has also benefited from a social aspect,

as many of her friends are involved with the meets, as well as

routine training. Little has also traveled to international meets,

competing in Japan, Australia, England and Germany.

She trains five days a week, for about an hour a day. The two days

she is not in the water, she lifts weights or performs yoga. Little

also works part time at the Newport Beach Public Library. She’s a

reference librarian and she also reads stories to children.

“Working part time is perfect, so I have time to work out, play

and golf,” Little said.

When Little is not competing in masters meets, she sometimes

competes in ocean swims. She plans to swim from the Balboa Pier to

the Newport Pier July 12.

Overall, swimming has allowed Little to gain confidence and

release stress. Little’s son, Greg, has noticed his mother’s improved

health over the years.

“She has been inspirational to me and my sister,” he said.

“Picking up swimming at the age of 48 has been like the start of a

second life for my mother. In addition to being a great sport that

she is passionate about, swimming has introduced her to a great group

of friends and has given her a great excuse to travel the world.

“Intellectually and physically, my mother is one of the most truly

alive people I know.”