Jumping Off Buildings And Starting Blocks: Stuntman Turns Swimmer
There aren’t many similarities between professional stuntmen and master swimmers, but Hubie Kerns Jr., of Pacific Palisades, CA lives a life not possible without both.
Hubie has hundreds of stunt credits for TV shows and movies including Scandal, Fear Factor, Mission Impossible and even has four stunt credits on Jimmy Kimmel Live! But today, it was Hubie’s swimming prowess that took the limelight, and in a big way: Hubie crushed the 100-yard butterfly race with a National Senior Games record-breaking time of 1:05.55.
Hubie swims regularly, but hasn’t competed in The Games in nearly a decade. He returned to because he and three team members from his home swim club all aged up into a new division this year. Though they are all competing individually, they decided to come to Albuquerque together and show off their swimming abilities to a new set of competition.
Hubie told The Games Daily News that his stunt work is what encouraged him to get back into swimming after a long break.
“I took a 33 year hiatus from swimming after college, and I was getting out of shape. Doing the stunt work, you’ve got to stay in shape, and I thought, ‘I’m going to get back and swim,’” he recalls. “I had such a great time, I’ve been competing ever since. Now my competition career is longer as a master than it ever was when I was young.”
Ironically, the 100-yard “fly” is not the race Hubie usually swims, but he was up against significantly higher altitude than at home. “I normally would swim the 400 individual medley, but with the altitude…the 100 butterfly was hard enough,” he says.
For Hubie, the reason for swimming comes down to fitness, enjoyment and satisfaction, and perhaps that is the key to his success.
“I like it. I swim because I want to. It’s enjoyable. You get to socialize. I come to these events and get to see different friends I’ve met over the years from across the United States,” heobserves, “Even the workouts are like social hour.”
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