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Westport 'Warrior' John Huminski
Dies at Age 63
By: Frances Moore
"On Tuesday, Westport resident John Huminski, who for years was a source of
inspiration to so many in the community, slipped away unobtrusively. The man
whose quiet influence touched so many lives for so many years died at Norwalk
Hospital after a 63-year battle with cerebral palsy.
Despite being diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth, Huminski's main ambition
early on in life was to be a topnotch athlete. During his time at Norwalk High
School, he participated in softball, swimming, basketball and track. He was not
wheelchair-bound until he reached his 20s, but even that did not stop him from
being a committed athlete. In 1977, Huminski completed his first road race, a
20K race around New Haven. At the peak of his athletic career, he was spending
about seven hours a week weightlifting, seven hours a week swimming and
averaging 30 miles each week on his rowcycle, training for road races.
Huminski set records as a US Masters swimmer, and competed in the Marine Corps
Marathon from 1987 until 1992. He also competed on an international level in
world games in Holland and Denmark, where he won medals in swimming and
weightlifting. In fact, various reports indicate that Huminski completed almost
all of the sports programs sponsored by the United States Cerebral Palsy
Athletic Association programs, though Westporters might remember him better as a
fierce competitor in the Westport Triathlon."
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