NFL
By: Zachary Draves
There are very few on the planet that can say that they have competed in an Olympics. The struggle and sacrifice it takes to reach the pinnacle of athletic prowess is indescribable. But it can be even more tantalizing when confronted by a barrage of dehumanization. That is what swimmer Lawrence Keith Frostad had to endure during his quest to the Barcelona games in 1992.
(Courtesy: Team USA)
Back in April, Keith came forward to NBS for the first time to share his experiences with bullying and harassment during the trials. At the time, homophobia was very much rampant in sports and society at large, much of it attached to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. To be an openly gay man in the hyper macho world of sports was perceive as a literal death sentence but even in the midst of that, Keith persevered and along the way found a support system that helped get through those turbulent trials and on the way to Barcelona.
He talked at great length about the women’s swimming team at the University of Texas Austin that rallied around him when he was enduring such torment. Some of those swimmers included Erika Hansen and Janet Evans, who made the team with him. At the same time, he said that some of those swimmers who brutalized him also took the trip and some of those behaviors continued once in Barcelona and he wishes that those in leadership positions stepped up and did something.
“I wish the captains or the leaders said to knock it off” he said.
He also had his childhood friend Summer Sanders and the legendary Dara Torres at his side. In other words, you can’t ask for a better group of supporters.
Overall, Keith said that he had a great experience competing in his only Olympics. During the opening ceremonies he got to meet Magic Johnson and Scottie Pippen who obviously were on the famed Dream Team. He even got to take a picture with Magic. He competed in men’s 1,500-meter freestyle final, in which he came in seventh with a time of 15:19.41.
(Courtesy: Keith Frostad)
Keith also talked about how word spread amongst swimmers from other countries who knew he was gay.
“When I was on the pool deck, there were two female Dutch swimmers and a male German swimmer” he said. “They knew, the coaches knew, and the swimmers knew.
He also had a chance encounter with a French swimmer in the cafeteria who knew of him but reassured him that he will come through in the end.
In the end, Keith took those fellow swimmers words to heart and pulled himself through the heartache, represented his country on the world stage authentically, and left with his head held high and a resilient spirit.
“I can remember the last day leaving the village, I said to myself “you did it””, he said.
The sheer pride in competing in an Olympics was all that mattered even without winning a medal which says plenty about the values that Keith possesses. Even through all the hardship, he says he wouldn’t change anything because it made him the person that he is today, a man who is a living testament to overcoming great odds and achieving the pinnacle while staying true to himself.
Today, Keith is a derivatives manager living in California who still is involved with the sport as a coach and volunteer. He is still connected to his 1992 teammates as it has become evident while completing this project that they share an impeccable kinship that has lasted these thirty years.
He is also free of the burden of being victimized and wants his message to others who have been through similar circumstances to know that it gets better.
“You are stronger than you think,” he said. “You will get through it”.
