Christmas Lights & Masters Swimming: Champion Kirk Clear, EP 298

A special episode to get you in the Christmas spirit! We meet Kirk Clear, a force in U.S. Masters Swimming, an Air Force Veteran and a legend in his Florida community for something entirely different: creating a jaw-dropping, music-synchronized Christmas light display that brings joy to thousands each year. Kirk calls himself a "Crazy Christmas Light Illuminator."

Kirk approaches the holidays the same way he approaches Masters swimming—with discipline, creativity, and a deep commitment to community. While many of us are winding down in December, Kirk is climbing bucket trucks, wrapping 50-foot palm trees in lights, syncing music, hosting snow machines for kids, and raising money for veteran-focused charities—all while still showing up at swim practice four to five days a week. Kirk is a member of the Swim Melbourne Masters.

Recorded on deck at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center during the Fall Classic Short Course Meters Meet, this conversation captures Kirk’s energy, humility, and unmistakable love for both swimming and service.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How Kirk discovered Masters swimming in his early 20s—and why he’s still all-in 35+ years later
• The national Masters backstroke record he set by embracing change and opportunity
• Why consistency, not excuses, is his approach to training—even after 19 surgeries
• The story behind his legendary Christmas and Fourth of July light shows (and why July is “Christmas season” for him)
• How giving back—to kids, veterans, and the swimming community—fuels his purpose
• Why volunteering is essential to the future of Masters swimming
• A reminder that staying young isn’t about avoiding wear and tear—it’s about doing what you love

Kirk Clear is proof that excellence doesn’t have to be loud—but it can be brilliantly lit. Whether he’s flipping at the wall, mentoring volunteers, or turning his front yard into a Christmas masterpiece, Kirk shows us that passion multiplied by consistency can create something truly unforgettable.

Perfect for the holiday season, this episode is about joy, service, resilience, and finding ways to light the way for others—in the pool and beyond.

🎁 Merry Christmas from Champion’s Mojo—and enjoy this inspiring conversation with Kirk Clear

Email us at HELLO@ChampionsMojo.com. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.

You can learn more about the Host and Founder of Champions Mojo at www.KellyPalace.com

Transcript

Meet Kirk: Masters And Military

SPEAKER_02 0:01

All right, I am doing an on-deck interview at the beautiful city of Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center. We are at the fall classic meet for masters in short course meters, and I am with Kirk Clear, who is a huge uh presence in U.S. master swimming, but I'm gonna let him uh tell us all about him. Kirk, your name, your age, and your team.

SPEAKER_01 0:25

Uh Kirk Clear. I am uh 58 years old. Uh my current team is the Swim Melbourne Masters.

SPEAKER_02 0:34

Very good. Now, how about your history? How did uh you get into swimming and end up here at this meet?

Discovering Masters Swimming

SPEAKER_01 0:41

I actually didn't start uh swimming until I uh was a freshman in high school. Uh had intended to swim earlier, but I didn't have good grades and my parents pulled me from swimming, so uh had to fix that before I began swimming. So I began swimming as a freshman in in high school, uh, but had a very good uh high school career, uh had some scholarship offers. But uh my goal was to go into the military, uh follow my father into the Air Force, and uh so you know that's that's the route I took. Uh a few years after being in the military, um every base they kind of have a sports day and everything, and and they had some swimming events going on. I was stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base out in California at the time, and uh and I did pretty well at the swimming events uh because I was a pretty good swimmer. Uh and all of a sudden uh a guy by the name of Alan Arrata, uh who swam at the Air Force Academy and his father was the coach at the Air Force Academy, came up to me and said, Hey, you ever heard about master swimming? Well, no, I hadn't. And uh so started my career in 1990 uh at the age of 23 uh swimming masters, and uh you know, besides a few years off here and there to raise the family, um that's that's uh you know what I've been doing for the last 35 plus years, uh swimming masters, enjoying it and loving it.

SPEAKER_02 2:03

Very nice, very nice now. Um what would be your favorite swimming accomplishment that you've had since 1990 or maybe before that?

Record-Breaking Backstroker

SPEAKER_01 2:12

Yeah, so actually uh was early on in 1991. Um I'm a backstroker. Um that's that's my best event. Uh so I know my lane and I stick to it. I'm a sprinter and a backstroker, but in 1990 they actually changed the rule to allow flip turn for the backstroke, where we used to do the old bucket turn if you remember. I actually took advantage of that and set the national record uh masters for the then 19 through 24 age group uh in uh 50-meter backstroke, uh short course meters because I had to flip turn, which uh you know took advantage of that first year of it being implemented, and uh, you know, to that time uh you know no one and masters had swum it faster, so I was pretty proud of that. And uh, you know, that's a long time ago, but yeah, I would say that's probably my my single, you know, individual swimming feat, you know, best bet best feat if you will.

Training While Volunteering

SPEAKER_02 3:16

Yes, a national record for masters is no no small feat. Even if you did get a flip turn, that's great. That's really great. Um okay, so uh you kind of answered this one. What is your favorite event or your best event? Sometimes they're not the same, but what um with that in mind, what what is your training regimen? Because I know you're really busy, I know you do a lot of volunteering with USMS, I know you're still working. Um so how do you fit in your training and what does that regimen look like?

SPEAKER_01 3:44

Yeah, um, you know, you just gotta make time, right? Um we've been lucky, uh the Swim Melbourne team that we have in Florida. Uh we've got great coaches, uh great personnel that offer many different opportunities six days a week, multiple times a day to swim. So usually able to find something within there. Um so that's that's you know what I do is you know try to show up at least uh four to five days a week of swimming. Uh and I need to start working a little bit on uh dryland uh exercise and strength training. I you know haven't really found much time for that. But yeah, I mean you know I've got many other hobbies that I'm involved with, and of course, you know, my volunteerism and master swimming at the local and national level. Uh it does take a lot of time, but you know, that's no excuse. Uh, you know, just need to make more time for, you know, if I want to get better to to, you know, and I think I still can get better even as we age. I think I can get better, you know, increasing some of the strength training out outside of the pool.

The Christmas Lights Obsession

SPEAKER_02 4:47

So I'm gonna add an an a different question in here than I ask most people. So I know, Kirk, you often disappear in the month of July to go to a convention of sorts to help your what I say, um, your it's more than a hobby, but uh tell us about your Christmas lights decoration hobby.

SPEAKER_01 5:13

Yeah, well thanks. Obviously, you know me, Kelly. Uh yeah, so in July, uh we have yeah, so I'm one of those what they people call crazy Christmas light illuminator, if you will. I have an animated Christmas light show where I have a light synchronize, the music, lots of lights, colorful, you know, community loves. I do it for the community, for the kids. Uh they love it. It's just a hobby I got into several years ago, enjoy it. Um, and there's a lot more than me around the world, around the world, around the country. Uh we have a national convention every year called Christmas Expo. Uh yeah, usually it takes place in July. In Florida, we've got such a huge group. Usually every March we have our own Florida uh kind of mega mini called uh little Christmas convention where you know we kind of get to share ideas, workshops, uh, learn from each other. You know, you know, we nobody wants to like outdo anybody, but uh we like to help each other out and and we enjoy it. And uh yeah, so every Christmas and 4th of July, I do a 4th of July show being a veteran and uh you know enjoying uh America like I do. You know, we usually do a week-long light show for um for the 4th of July, but then Christmas time a whole month plus uh enjoy. We have a snow machine for kids, we do it for the community. We and we always raise money for a local charity, um, usually a veteran-associated charity we raise money for. So just something I like to do. Yes, it takes a whole lot of time. This matter of fact, this coming week, I'm taking a whole week off of work to kind of finish setting everything up. Uh, that's my vacation is setting that all up and getting it ready to go for the light up day after Thanksgiving.

Comebacks From Surgery And Career Shifts

SPEAKER_02 6:49

Yes, and so I have been to several of your your light shows, and it is it's spectacular. It is truly like a a full-time job. I mean, we're talking bucket trucks, you know. We're talking Kurt is up on a Kirk is up on a you know, a bucket truck putting lights in a 50-foot palm tree. It is beautiful, it's to music, and I think that's just uh you you still are gonna have a fun fact at the end that is different than that one, but that is a really, really cool one. Um all right, so and and I and the great t-shirts that go with you being Christmassy are just funny because you've got 50 of them that say that. All right. Um tell us about your your biggest comeback in life, because you know that's always inspiring, and I know you've you've had a few. It doesn't have to be in swimming, but what what what's your biggest comeback in life, Kurt?

SPEAKER_01 7:39

Uh interesting, right? Uh question. Really wasn't expecting that, but um uh you know me, Kelly. Um, you know, I don't like to use it as an excuse, but I've had a lot of surgeries. Um, you know, 19 surgeries. I just had my 19th surgery in April this year, my wrist. Uh about 15 of them are orthopedic related. Obviously, it's never good to cut into your body. You know, your body does not, you know, heal the same uh as as we get older. Um but I don't like to use that as an excuse. I just keep plowing through and keep jumping back into it. So I've kind of had little mini comebacks, you know, all along through my career, but as I think a you know, comeback, um, you know, just just in life, right? Um several years ago, you know, I was with a company that uh you know merged and got acquired, and you know, I was pretty pretty high level, a director level, and uh, you know, a lot of times they look for those, you know, senior level where they can cut the salaries, and uh, you know, I was let go from that and uh not expecting it unexpectedly, but you know, I like anything else, take it, dust myself off, you know, I was able to come back, better job than before. You know, I think a lot of times I've heard people say, you know, getting fired, and I wasn't really fired, it was just kind of a reduction in force, but it's sometimes good because sometimes we need change and we don't realize we need change, but we need change to grow. And so, you know, that I've I've taken that opportunity to grow, and uh, you know, I'm at the point in my career where I just enjoy teaching what I have learned through all my experiences to you know my staff, younger people, peers that I work with, and watching them succeed. That just just just makes me happy. And as my kids are you know older now, you know, helping groom them into their careers, you know, that's that's what I enjoy, you know. And you know, like I say, I don't know if it's a really big comeback, but you know, that's just a thing of just being positive and moving forward in life.

Hockey, Cross-Training, And Community

SPEAKER_02 9:38

Yes, definitely. I I do love that. All right. Now some fun questions. Um, not that all these aren't just fun, right? Um what Olympic swimmer, and they could be historic, they don't even have to be alive, uh, or present Olympic swimmer would you like to have lunch with the most?

SPEAKER_01 9:59

I well, I've met many in the past. Um, obviously being involved with swimming for so long. I feel fortunate to that. Um I don't know if there's any one because again, I've I've met so many. Um certainly there are people way back in the day, you know, the Johnny Weiss Muellers, and it's just you know, what you watch the way he swam his times doing, you know, breathing outside of the water, right? You know, not putting his head in the water in the times he was able to do just phenomenal, way ahead of his time. And uh, you know, some of that, you know, maybe going back and talking to some of those early trendsetters, you know, that that set the strokes, you know, that we now use today, right? Um you know, so again, you know, I've met so many people, you know, um, and I enjoy every one of them that I've talked to. I've learned taken things in from everyone. You know, just I think going back, those people that I haven't met because they're long past, um, it would be interesting to kind of talk with some of those folks.

SPEAKER_02 11:02

Yeah, yeah, that's that's great. Um, okay, and we d we know the fun fact about you and you being a Christmas illuminator, actually a house illuminator at the Fourth of July and Christmas, but what is another fun fact that people may or may not know about you?

SPEAKER_01 11:19

Gosh, I don't know what you're looking for, but I'm looking for.

SPEAKER_02 11:22

I think you should share your ice hockey stuff.

Heroes, History, And Lifelong Learning

SPEAKER_01 11:25

Oh, okay. Well, I was just gonna mention, yeah, Kelly, you mentioned, yeah, I I do still play ice hockey. I grew up in Buffalo, New York, right on the Canadian border, right? Hockey is like a rite of passage. And so, yeah, I mean, down here in Florida, we actually have ice rinks. We have over 40 leagues. We got a lot of snowbirds that come down, a lot of folks that, you know, from Canada and the Northeast that have moved down here. But uh, I still enjoy that playing ice hockey. You know, might not be the best for my body combining swimming and ice hockey. You know, I also play golf and do a lot of kayaking. And when I was younger, obviously a lot of these injuries were, you know, I used to do everything. Played softball multiple times a day, flag football, volleyball. Yeah, I mean, I I I probably realized in my 20s that by the time I was 40, my body was not gonna like this, and and that came to fruition. But, you know, you only live once and life is short. And you know, I'm not gonna cheat myself out of doing things that I enjoy, so I'm gonna keep doing things as I enjoy and try to I think it keeps us stay young. And uh doing those things, uh hey, I enjoy playing hockey one or two nights a week and uh combined with swimming, you know, I think it helps us stay young and fit. And yeah, again, I'm gonna keep uh doing out activities that uh as long as the the good Lord will let me.

SPEAKER_02 12:38

Yeah, I know um having seen you come in to morning practice, sometimes you'll be like, Yeah, we had a game, it started at 11 p.m. last night, and uh and you're kind of aching a little bit. So um is there anybody famous in your ice hockey league?

SPEAKER_01 12:52

We uh yeah. Uh well, I mean, got a lot of uh interesting folks, but uh yeah, down in Melbourne, Florida, uh we actually, you know, Doug Fluty, uh famous football player, obviously Heisman Trophy winner, uh, great sportsman in L Sports. He uh he plays in our league, so uh it's kind of nice to see him once in a while.

SPEAKER_00 13:12

And uh, we don't do a little checking and uh our over 40 league, we're pretty respectful of each other, and uh, you know, we know that we're not gonna make the pros. You know, there's no scouts in the stands, you know.

SPEAKER_01 13:23

But uh, but yeah, it's uh it's nice to be able to, you know, outside of swimming, right, you know, get to know other people that were possibly famous in in uh their sporting world and just get to know them as personal people because everybody just wants to be a friend and a person.

A Call For Volunteers

SPEAKER_02 13:38

Oh yeah, yeah. I just think it's fun that Flutie is in your in your ice hockey league. Um okay, last question. Is there anything that I have not asked you that you would like to share with the master swimming community?

SPEAKER_01 13:49

Well, you know, I just think um I've been a big proponent of master swimming. Um, you know, I think master swimming and USA swimming, to be honest, is going through some trials right now, both of them different issues. Um but you know, I think the overall goal uh of adult swimming, uh you know, keeping adults focused and improving their lives through swimming is definitely a great value. Uh we should keep doing. Um, you know, I would just say, hey, if you're out there you love the sport of swimming too, volunteer. Uh we really need volunteers at the local level, whether it's your club, whether it's your state, whether it's nationally, there's a place for you. Uh we're always looking for new blood. Um we can find something for you to do, and and it will help keep in the sport keep the sport going and keep it growing. So volunteers, I mean love it. You know, if you love your sport, you want to keep see succeed, you know, give a little extra time.

SPEAKER_02 14:48

Great. Thanks so so much, Kirk, for being uh with me today, and thanks for all that you do for master swimming and your volunteering.

SPEAKER_01 14:55

Thank you, Kelly. Love you.

SPEAKER_02 14:56

Love you. Did you say love me? Oh, I love you too. I love you. Yes, that was awesome.