The Town of Benson’s “Caught Ya’ Doing Good” award winner in July has gone to Benson resident Don Robbins.
When Robbins moved to Benson in 2001 he had no idea how much he would come to love this little town. There is no other place that can compete with the people, hometown atmosphere, and closeness of Benson.
Don recently returned from the 30th Annual National Senior games, where he competed in five separate swim events.
Don came home with two 4th place finishes, one 5th place finish and two 6th place finishes.
Don has qualified for the swimming part of the National Senior Games for the past 9 consecutive games. He has placed 1st or 2nd in the NC finals for 19 consecutive years.
Don started swimming after a severe heart attack in 1993 as a way to stay healthy and active. He chose the Senior Games as a way to incentivize his swimming every day, giving him something to train for. Since then he has dominated North Carolina for his age group and hasn’t looked back since.
“I encourage kids to turn to swimming so they can enjoy a sport for a lifetime, and not just a childhood,” Don said recently.
His passion outside of swimming is photography. Don has been all over the country capturing the gorgeous views that our country has to offer, estimating that he has easily taken over 60,000 pictures in his lifetime.
Don plans to continue competing in the National Senior Games as long as he can, and to continue calling Benson his home forever.
