For Many in Congress, Sports And Exercise Are Keys to Success Stephen Krupin
August 06, 2001
c.2001 Cox News Service
It's just before lunch, and Sen. Bill Frist is working up a
sweat. But the Tennessee Republican isn't huffing and puffing
around Capitol Hill to prepare for a marathon debate over
legislation.
Instead, he's getting ready for the Marine Corps Marathon, or
one of the other long-distance races for which the 49-year-old
senator tirelessly trains.
``I run very slowly,'' Frist concedes, ``but I finish. Always.''
He isn't the only member of Congress who takes time to exercise
his body while exercising power in Washington. From marathon
runners to martial artists, speed walkers to sports legends,
Capitol Hill boasts a host of athletic lawmakers.
In interviews, many members said working out is essential in
Washington's high-stress environment. Others said sports instills
values needed for success in the legislative arena. And there's no
doubt that a fit, attractive physique is an asset on the campaign
trail.
Sens. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and John Edwards, D-N.C., often jog
together on the National Mall.
Nelson, who says he got into the best shape of his life at age
42 while training as a NASA crew member, has kept it up for the
past 16 years. Edwards, 48, has been running in marathons for
almost 20 years and runs about five miles a day.
Despite the rigorous travel schedules the senators endure,
neither of the Southern Democrats let running for office interfere
with running for exercise.
``I just do it,'' said Edwards. ``That's the great thing about
running - you just need a pair of shoes and a place to go.''
Nelson said, ``I used to tell all the campaign staff: 'If you
will just let me get sleep and exercise, I can keep going. But if I
start cheating on either one of those, then it will have its
consequences.' ''
Frist, a cardiovascular chemist and blood vessel surgeon who has
operated on thousands of hearts, knows exercise is good for the
body and mind.
``It gives me time to be alone and gather my thoughts,'' said
Frist, who runs three to five miles, six days a week. ``It helps
with overall stress relief and it's good for your heart.''
Even the busiest and most powerful members listen to their
bodies.
When the baton was passed in the Senate and Tom Daschle, D-S.D.,
became majority leader, he didn't let his new responsibility slow
him down. A marathon runner and the son of a Normandy veteran,
Daschle has been training recently by running at dawn while
listening to the audio version of Stephen Ambrose's ``D-Day.''
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, vice chairman of the Senate
Republican Conference, starts her day with an early-morning power
walk from the Supreme Court steps, and always chooses stairs over
taking the elevator.
Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., often accompanies Hutchison on her
morning walks, sometimes as early as 6:30 a.m.
``This job has too much stress about it that if you don't stay
physically fit, you burn out pretty quickly,'' he says. ``My motor
is revving from the early morning. It completely changes my
perspective on the day ahead.''
Foley frequents the House gym, which is fully equipped with an
Olympic-size pool, basketball court and weight room. Foley says it
isn't uncommon for members to lift weights while weighing
legislation.
``It makes for good camaraderie,'' he says. ``You see members of
Congress catching up on what's going on on the Hill.''
Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., a purple belt in Tae Kwon Do, says
her commitment to the ancient discipline has enhanced her mental
alertness, strength and balance. Sen. Jim Jeffords, a Vermont
independent, is a black-belt practitioner.
``It energizes you, it makes you think and it gives you goals to
reach,'' Maloney says. ``No matter how high you kick or how hard
you chop, it's not high enough or it's not hard enough.''
Sen. John Breaux, D-La., a regionally ranked tennis player, hits
the court before work three times a week, and has even rallied with
Andre Agassi.
``Tennis is a game about life and for life,'' Breaux says. ``It
teaches you have to win and how to lose; it teaches you how to
depend on others when you play doubles.''
Members whose athletic fame helped smooth the path to Congress
say they learned similar lessons.
One-third of Oklahoma's House delegation came to Washington from
professional football - Republicans Reps. Steve Largent, a member
of the National Football League's Hall of Fame, and J.C. Watts, a
former Canadian Football League quarterback.
Largent, who will give up the congressional seat he has held for
seven years this fall to run for Oklahoma's governor, says having a
work ethic and goals are essential both on the gridiron and in
government.
But the man who set six career receiving records in his 14-year
NFL career says football offers something that legislating often
cannot.
``I miss a conclusion at the end of three hours and the sense of
knowing you've accomplished something at the end of the week,'' he
says.
Watts, a University of Oklahoma star who was twice the most
valuable player in the Orange Bowl, agrees that the same qualities
that bring success on the football field, such as patience and
sacrifice, are also invaluable in the political arena.
``Politics is like being a quarterback,'' Watts says as he sits
in his Capitol Hill office with ``SportsCenter'' muted behind him.
``There are six-yard gains and there are 60-yard gains.''
``That's the way you prepare yourself when you take on every
piece of legislation,'' he said. ``There's going to be an
opposition that's going to try to drop you for a loss, that will
try to make you jump offsides.''
Most lawmakers agree that the setting in which they exercise may
contribute to their enjoyment.
``This is one of the prettiest cities in America,'' Foley says.
``Sometimes I run back to the Capitol and the morning sun is rising
above the dome, and you get a chill.
``You say, 'That's my office. I work there.' ''
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