Were he to have scripted his life, Jeff Float said he honestly can’t imagine a better one.

Both personally and professionally, his life is full, happy and hectic – and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Chapters are still being written, and I believe in destiny,” said Float, a member of the 1980 and 1984 U.S. Olympic teams. “So, I, too, am excited to turn the page and read what comes next.”

One chapter that was written almost 40 years ago was the one where he and his U.S. teammates were denied the opportunity to prove their mettle against the rest of the world at the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

President Jimmy Carter decided to make a statement against communist aggression by boycotting those Games – and in the process, took away the privilege he and his teammates worked hard to earn.

They had no say in the matter. They simply had to accept and move forward by swallowing a bitter pill of disappointment and quiet dissent.

“The boycott was announced in April 1980, and our Trials were held as per tradition, in late June,” said Float, who won silver in the 400 freestyle two years earlier at World Championships. “While I was world-ranked in the 200 fly, 400 free and 400 individual medley, I qualified in the latter.

“After our Trials, all boycotted nations traveled to Oahu, HI, where we competed in an ad-hoc Olympics. Make no mistake – there was a feeling of ‘emptiness.’ This was fun and games not the Olympic Games. But our times blew the others out of the water. We were indeed the planet’s top contenders.”

Float said fielding questions about the 1980 Games is simply part of his story – a step along the way, a lap in his lane.

He said he harbors no resentment, no ill will and no suppositions, even though at the time, the Olympics were the only reason they sacrificed blood, sweat and tears in the water.

There were no lucrative endorsements across the board. The accolades came in the form of medals and the honor of competing for your country.

“I am who I am today because of all past experiences,” he said. “Such is the nature of life, especially as it relates to a life in sports. Back in the horse and buggy days, my teammates and I were not training 17,500+ yards per day for the chance at a Wheaties box cover. Professional and amateur lines were straightforward; lucrative endorsements were few and far between. “Our honest quest, our fervent goal, was to proudly represent the USA in what Pierre de Coubertin (founder of the International Olympic Committee) coined ‘the moral beauty’ of the modern-day Olympic movement a century ago.

Float’s own swimming journey began in utero.

“I swam around holding my breath for nine months,” he said.

As an infant, he suffered life-threatening spinal meningitis, which rendered him 90 percent deaf in one ear and 65 percent in the other.

This went undiagnosed until he was 3, at which point his parents, a physician and nurse, founded The Sacramento Society for the Deaf.

He said his family of medical practitioners was determined he would speak – not a given among the deaf at the time. He describes his education as “painstakingly lengthier and more stationary than average students, which contributed to a serious overabundance of energy.”

That led to the start of what became a very successful international swimming career.

“With mutual pent-up frustration, Mom grabbed this eight-year-old’s hand, and together we walked around the corner to the local swim club, Arden Hills,” he said. “In point of fact, destiny had taken me by the hand, for there on the pool deck was the legendary Olympic Coach Sherm Chavoor, then training ‘big kids’ Mark Spitz, Debbie Meyer, Mike Burton, et al. The best swimming real-estate in the world. Talk about motivational – inspirational!?”

At the urging of Chavoor, Float dove in that day and showed that he belonged. He gained on-the-spot membership and competed in one dual meet before moving up to the regional level.

He never looked back. He also found a home and community that didn’t mind that he had hearing deficiencies.

“Because of my hearing deficiency, often taunted and excluded by unwitting peers, I immediately loved the sense of belonging in swimming,” he said. “I was a teammate. Not only did I have a competitive spirit coursing through my veins, but I was bound and determined to make my coach and teammates proud of my contributions.

“Yes, swimming was an enjoyable outlet; racing was my only speed. I was, however, an innately gifted athlete. So now, while participating in motivational-speaking engagements, I’ll dive into my story by explaining that my name is not Ball, Diamond, Field or Green. I had no choice in the matter. I’m a swimmer named Float, and it worked out pretty well for me.”

Four years after the boycott disappointment of 1980, Float and several of his teammates returned for what became another boycotted Games – this time by communist countries – in Los Angeles and in Float’s home pool (swam for USC).

While he came just short of winning an individual medal – finishing fourth in the 200 freestyle – he had the honor of being a peer-elected team captain and swam a leg on the world-record-setting 800 free relay. In 2016, that performance was rated as one of the top three U.S. relays of all time.

And while he’s very proud of that accomplishment, Float said he is equally proud (if not more) about what he accomplished in the water on behalf of the deaf community.

At the 1977 World Games for the Deaf (now the Deaflympics) in Bucharest, Romania, he won an unprecedented 10 gold medals and set 10 world records. Forty-two years later, those marks are still intact.

“I’m proud to have been put into a position to heighten awareness about ‘disabilities’ vs. “abilities,’” he said. “I obviously can’t hear the starter while on the block. When I began swimming, the timer behind me would flick my heel when the gun went off. Years later, a strobe light at the side of the blocks was invented, still requiring that I turn my head.

“Swimming is a great sport for those with hearing impediments and is gaining traction with children on the autism spectrum. There’s true healing in the tranquility of water, listening to and counting your own breaths. There’s a release of endorphins from a sweat-in-the-pool workout. There’s structure to following practice commands. There’s a foundation for circadian rhythms and dietary needs. Most of all, there’s community, equality and self-confidence.”

Float said the moment he stepped down from the gold medal platform at the 1984 Games, he was retired.

For the first few years after the Games, he was in popular demand – what he calls a “very interesting study in instant celebrity.”

His initial earnings were from the motivational-speaking circuit, dabbling in acting and serving as celebrity spokesperson for several products. Because he was the first U.S. deaf Olympian, he received a call from Bill Austin, then the proprietor of a large hearing-aid company.

When Bill moved the company to Minnesota, Float returned to Sacramento, where he accepted an offer from a large commercial real-estate firm. Returning to his roots, Arden Hills Country Club was where he’d work out and watch the swim teams in action – and ultimately where he started thinking about a future in coaching.

“Coaching was probably always in the recesses of my mind’s eye, yet never at the elite level,” he said, “My days of national and international travel for swim meets no longer held any appeal. I’d been all over the world and toured little of it.

“By happenstance, a friend of mine was coaching a master’s program at a club that was looking for a head swim coach. I was approached about the job opportunity, grabbed it, never let go – and probably never will. I left the real-estate company, created my own portfolio and started pouring my heart and soul into rec swimming. It’s a noble and rewarding profession.”

During this time, he met his wife, Jan, and the two will celebrate 25 years of marriage in 2020.

Suffice it to say, Float continues to live his best life – and he can’t imagine doing it any other way.

“Professionally, it’s fair to say that real estate feeds the pocketbook, and coaching feeds the soul – providing me with an undeniably well-nourished mind, body and spirit,” said Float, who, along with his 1980 Olympic teammates, received a Congressional Medal of Honor in 2008. “Very few people are actually paid for their life’s passion; sharing it with today’s youth is a privilege that takes it to a whole new level.

“Though my real-estate portfolio is solidly diversified, many properties are family-owned. Therefore, I care deeply for the homes themselves and for our tenants who occupy them. So, my heart, in both endeavors, is equally invested. I’m always In it to Win it.”