Photo courtesy of Dr. Michael S. Fey, Ph.D.

By Steve Sears

31-year Randolph resident, Dr. Michael Fey, Ph.D., won four gold medals at the September 11 and 12 New Jersey Senior Olympics in Woodbridge, New Jersey, he garnering first place in the 50-yard backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle. 

“My backstroke and breaststroke were the 6th fastest times in the U.S. Masters Swimming in 2021 for my age group,” Dr. Fey says. He then adds, “My butterfly and freestyle were the 7th fastest for this year.”

His accomplishment is significant because these were his first swimming races since 2018 (primarily due to COVID-19) and only after about 6 weeks of twice-a-week training. “I’m also about 8 pounds heavier than when I last swam,” he says, “so there’s room for improvement should I decide to swim the Nationals in Fort Lauderdale in May 2022.”

More good news. Dr. Fey also recently learned that he is now New Jersey’s all-time record holder of the 100 Meter Individual Medley. He set this record in 2018 in the 65 – 69 age group. He also says, “I was only 0.2 of a second away from the 50-yard backstroke record from the swim at the New Jersey Senior Olympics.  I feel confident that my next backstroke swim will break that record as well.  So, I have at the least another swim left in me.”

And then there’s this from the upbeat, 71-year-old, Cornell University graduate: “It hasn’t really hit me yet, but I’m slowly coming to the realization that I’m in pretty good shape for an old guy,” he says with a laugh.

With good reason, of course. He is no stranger to varied exercise. Dr. Fey does what he calls a “dry land workout” five days a week at the Randolph YMCA, but also swims when primarily training for a competition. “Even when I do swim, I don’t put a lot of yardage in,” he explains. “One day a week, and I swim a warm up of 400 yards and then another 400 yards of sprints, so it’s not like I’m really dedicating a lot of time to swimming. I’m older now, and to me, because I’m a sprinter, it’s about strength and not technique so much anymore.” A Numismatic Coin Dealer and brain tumor survivor who has climbed Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro, he feels his health is better now than in 2018. “I was having back issues when I was swimming back then, and I had to get shots in my back just to compete for the World Championships. But my back problem has gone away, so I’m in really good health now. I started a new sport, pickle ball, about six weeks ago. I’m doing double workouts of pickle ball at the Randolph Tennis Club.”

Dr. Fey is indeed eyeing the Senior Olympic Nationals in Florida, where he won a silver and bronze (medal) in 2018. For him, a gold medal would be nice, but he’s also focused on breaking three additional New Jersey all-time records. However, regarding it all, he admits very humbly, “If I happen to beat everybody else, that’s fine, but if I didn’t, that would be fine, too. I don’t have to be king of the mountain.”

Dr. Fey wishes to acknowledge the kindness of the Randolph YMCA, and his longtime coach, Ed Tsuzuki, who for 34 years has been head coach of the Bernards High School swim team. “Even now, when I was saying whether I should do it (swimming) or not, he was encouraging me, saying, ‘You’re so talented. It would be a shame to waste that by not doing it.’ He’s encouraging me to continue with swimming.”

When it comes to the sport, Dr. Fey says, “Swimming takes a lot of discipline, and it’s a huge psychological commitment, as much as it is a physical commitment and also a diet commitment. You have to not eat as much; you have to eat the right stuff.  You have to be disciplined in that respect. Psychologically speaking, you’re constantly thinking about the races ahead of the races, and you get nervous when you’re up on the blocks – every time. There’s a huge psychological impact, because you always want to do better.”