by Kailee Silver
Dr. Ron Volmer opened Beach Cities Optometry on Highland Avenue in downtown Manhattan Beach shortly after returning home from the 1960 Olympics in Rome. He was a member of the U.S. water polo and swim teams.
Bill Freund opened a bike shop in Oak Park, Michigan shortly after he returned from the Rome Olympics. He finished 11th in the 100 kilometer Road Cycling Team Time Trial, in which teams race the clock.
The two octogenarians recently discovered their shared history after moving into Sunrise Senior Living in Hermosa Beach.
Unlike today, there was no financial incentive in becoming Olympians, they said in a recent interview. Both men said they were motivated by their love for their sports. Freund’s advice to current Olympians and Olympic hopefuls is to stay grounded and take life as it comes. Volmer said his advice is to stay focused on the love of the sport and not get caught up in performance statistics and minor details.
Both men said the highlight of their Olympic experience was meeting and being supported by their fellow athletes, including competitors. Volmer said one of the athletes he particularly enjoyed meeting in Rome was an 18-year-old, light heavyweight boxer named Cassius Clay. The future Muhammad Ali would win a gold medal in Rome.
Volmer scored four goals at the Rome Olympics, helping lead the U.S. to 7th place. He also set a world record in the 50-yard butterfly. But the record stood for just 15 minutes. It was broken in the following heat.
Volmer played water polo and was an NCAA All American at UC Berkeley, and lifeguarded during summers at 26th Street in Hermosa Beach. He was inducted into the Water Polo Hall of Fame in Irvine in 1990.
In 2002, he sold his Highland Avenue practice, which is notable for its mural of “The Manhattan Beach Kings” hockey team.
Volmer’s sister, Cheri Olson, recalled how proud she felt when he spoke of his Olympic experience at her school, and how he stressed the importance of community
Freund’s journey to the Olympics began when he worked at a bicycle shop in high school and discovered his talent for racing. He placed third in the 1960 U.S. Olympic trials. Upon returning home from Rome, he opened Bill Freund’s Olympic Schwinn Fitness Center in Oak Park, Michigan. He owned the store and encouraged cycling for over 50 years.
As the octogenarians watched the Paris Olympics together this week, they were reminded, they said, of how the Olympic spirit continues to inspire people long after the games have finished. ER
