Gruender Award 2024: Nominations
It is that time of year again when we are looking for nominations for our LMSC’s top award, the Gruender Award. This award is named after our founders,Edie and Dan Gruender, who started masters swimming in AZ in the late 1970’s!
The Gruender Award is awarded to the one person or group of people who have contributed the most to adult swimming in Arizona within the last year. This could be in the way of coaching, volunteering, swimming or instructing; any manner of “giving back” to the LMSC.
This year for the 2024 recipient, we will announce and award the placque at our annual meeting that will take place on April 20th, after the conclusion of Saturday’s events at our Spring SCY swim championship.
Please send your nominations to Chair Katy James at katyjamesswims@gmail.com including:
- The name of the person nominated
- Why they deserve this award
- A contact person who is nominating them
We will be receiving nominations until April 1st, 2024.
State and Nationals SCY are Open for Registration
Spring is coming, and with that, our Annual State SCY Championship that will happen in the Oro Valley Aquatic Center this April, with events distributed in two days, 20th and 21st. The information flyer with all the details about the meet, and how to register, is already available on our Events page.
A couple of months later the 2024 Spring Nationals will take place in Indianapolis, IN during the final weekend of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. The Masters Nationals is scheduled for June 20-24 in the facilities of the IU Natatorium. The entries are now open, click here to register and claim your spot.
A Meet for Distance Swimmers!
The Saddlebrooke Swim Club will be hosting once more, in the beautiful Oro Valley, AZ (near Tucson), the 2024 Winter Masters Distance Invitational meet, formerly known as the “USMS National Pool Distance Invitational.” Come swim in one of the premier facilities in Arizona!
The competition will happen over 2 days, the first day will be the 25 yard course and the events are:
- 1650 yard freestyle
- 1000 yard freestyle
- 800 yard freestyle relay
On Day 2, we will swim the 50 meter course with the events:
- 1500 meter freestyle
- 800 meter freestyle relay
Check the details downloading the information flyers on our Events page.
Meets, Meets and Clinics!
There are many events coming up in our great swimming state!
The next one will be the traditional Polar Bear Classic:
- February 4th 2024 Polar Bear Classic – UofA Hillenbrand Aquatic Center, Tucson, AZ – Meet Flyer
Also in February, USMS is coming to town with the Level 2 and 3 coaches clinics on February 23 and 24. There’s also a Stroke Development Clinic planned on February 25. Registration links:
Masters Coach Certification
Clinic Course for Coaches
Stroke Development Clinic
The AZLMSC provides scholarships for the 3 coaches clinics. We will reimburse members 50 percent of the cost of the clinic upon proof of completion. These scholarships apply to registered AZLMSC members completing the Level 2 and Level 3 masters coach certification classes and the clinic course for coaches. We are really excited to be hosting these clinics and hope our local coaches take advantage of this great opportunity. For more information please contact Katy James.
Other Meetings Coming Up
- The Winter Distance Meet is in Oro Valley, March 2 and 3. Registration info can be found at this link
- The Spring state meet will also be in Oro Valley, April 20 and 21.
- There’s also a meet planned in Sedona, May 4.
It’s a Wrap: Ron Johnson Swim Meet 2023
By Jeff Commings – Dolphins of the Desert Masters
Swim Devil Masters just wrapped up work as host of the 21st annual Ron Johnson Invitational, a meet that has become a destination for Masters swimmers from neighboring states. In the early years, only Arizonans came to the meet, but in the early 2010s, athletes from California and Colorado came to Tempe to race in the mid-fall short course meters meet. This year, athletes from as far away as Minnesota came to race at what has become one of the top short course meters meets in the country.
This year, the meet celebrated record attendance, with 266 swimmers competing at the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center on the campus of Arizona State University.
“The meet was up and active months earlier than in previous years,” Katy James said. “I think that brought in more out-of-state swimmers because they were able to make travel plans early. It also helps when we have the fastest pool in the place with the best fall weather in the country!”
Though the meet competed with the ASU football game on Saturday and the Ironman Arizona triathlon on Sunday, everything went fairly smoothly. Each day finished at least 15 minutes ahead of the timeline!
Mother Nature made a nasty appearance during the Saturday distance session, with rain falling through most of the 800 heats. But, the clouds parted during the Saturday afternoon session, and spectators were rewarded with three world records, all in the 50 breaststroke.
I was not expecting to lower my Masters world record in the 50 breast in the 45-49 age group. I had set the record at 45 years old in 2019, and was only trying to see how close I could get to it in my final year in the age group. Stepping up on the blocks next to world championships participant Youssef Elkamash and Olympic gold medalist Roland Schoeman gave me the boost I needed to shave .01 off my record with a 28.64. Schoeman took down the world record in the 40-44 age group with a speedy 27.05. Elkamash, a native of Egypt who represented Grand Canyon University, just missed the world record of 26.99 in the 25-29 age group with his final time of 27.46.
Katie Glenn, representing Off Piste Aquatics in Colorado, made the trip to Tempe and was rewarded with a world record in the 50 breaststroke for the 45-49 age group. Her time of 32.59 took down the six-year-old world record of 33.01 set by Australian Olympian Linley Frame and the 13-year-old USMS record of 33.82 by Olympian Susan von der Lippe. In a situation very similar to mine, Glenn said she just wanted to see how close she could get to the record, and surprised herself by dropping more than a second off her recent best time.
Brent Creager of Swim Devil Masters got in on the fun as well on Saturday with a national record in the 100 butterfly. His time of 55.53 was good enough to beat Mike Ross’ 15-year-old record of 55.82.
The atmosphere at the meet was at an all-time high, perhaps likely due to the record attendance. Even after the sun set on Saturday and relay teams were bundled in parkas waiting to swim, cheers from teammates keep spirits high. As a longtime member of U.S. Masters Swimming, I always enjoy seeing and hearing the excitement on the deck at a swim meet, and even seeing swimmers dressed in funny outfits.
Another great highlight was having some of the Arizona State swimmers racing in exhibition swims during the relay breaks. A lot of Masters swimmers gathered on the side of the pool to watch these young swimmers in action, and I could hear some people making comments about how they can apply what they saw in the NCAA swimmers into their own swimming. Perhaps that can be a regular feature of the Ron Johnson meet. Some years, we get Olympians racing throughout the meet. In 2021, Ryan Held wowed the crowd with quick swims, and Darian Townsend gave swim racing clinics over several years. I’m still crossing my fingers and hoping that a certain 28-time Olympic gold medalist will use the Ron Johnson Invitational as his Masters swimming debut.
Jeff Commings is a Masters world and national world record holder. He is the head coach of Dolphins of the Desert Masters in Tucson and the co-owner of Dolphins of the Desert Swimming Academy.
Why We Compete
I recently had the pleasure of speaking to several individuals who belong to swim clubs across the valley. They ranged in age from 37 to 73. I wanted to answer the question…why we compete. What they told me was so inspiring. All of them began swimming at age 6 or 7, and most of them joined a swim team at 8 years old and are still competing today.
Terry DeBiase swims with the Swim Devil Masters. He told his mother he liked the swim team t-shirts. To get one she told him he had to join the team, so he did. His coach said he was a natural. When you swim and win blue ribbons it motivates you.
Lindsey Urbatchka swims with the Swim Devil Masters, Mesa Aquatics, and the Phoenix Swim Club. She grew up in a small town in Wyoming. Her parents enrolled her in swimming lessons at the YMCA. When Lindsey had completed all the lessons, the swimming instructor recommended she join the swim team. Her mom didn’t know what the swim team was. At 8 years old Lindsey won her first state championship.
Katy James swims for the Swim Devil Masters and is the AZLMSC board chair. She began swimming at 6. Her dad signed her up for the swim team at the YMCA at the age of 8. She remembers being able to swim backstroke the length of the pool.
Karen Loring swims with the Sun City West Masters swim club. She walked 1 ½ miles with her brother to watch him swim. She told her parents she wanted to swim too and began lessons with the Red Cross. She didn’t swim competitively until the age of 65, when a friend wanted a companion to swim the 1650 with her at the Senior Games. Karen did swim with her friend and also swam her first 50 freestyle.
Keisuke Yagi swims with the Swim Devil Masters. He was born in Japan. His mother was a swim coach and had him in the water at less than a year old. The swim coach encouraged him to join the team. After moving to the United States, he began swimming with a swim club to be around more English-speaking people.
Marc Valle swims with the Swim Devil Masters. He remembers learning to swim in the community pool with his parents and swallowing lots of water. For Marc the swim club was all about training. He did not enjoy swimming until High School when competition was not the primary motivator, but swimming was more about comradery and the team.
All these amazing swimmers began swimming at a young age. If there were lapses in their swimming, they found themselves coming back to it. They are high achievers, but what kept them swimming and competing was not their achievements but their friendships with other team members, the fun they had competing, the memories. Marc has travelled to Russia, Budapest, Italy and South Korea swimming with a Master’s swim club. He loves seeing new places and sharing these times with good friends. Marc came back to swimming when his doctor told him he had high blood pressure. He didn’t want to take medicine to control it and remembered that swimming was how he used to keep in shape.
Lindsey was recruited to the University of Kansas. She loved the family atmosphere and the feeling of swimming for something bigger than herself. I liked it when she said, “It’s you versus you. You don’t have to rely on anyone else. It’s your fault you have the race of your life. It’s your fault if you don’t.”
Terry still enjoys competing, but more for fitness. It’s now as important as competing. If he’s sore and stiff in the morning he gets into the pool and gravity takes over and the soreness and stiffness is gone. Terry said, “I don’t want to survive a competitive event, but I prepare for it so that I can enjoy swimming it when competing.” All the swimmers said staying fit was a large part of why they still compete and swim.
The rule in Karen’s family was if you joined a sport you had to complete the season. They emphasized the importance of team spirit. Marc mentioned that the Swim Devil Masters club is a very large group, but only a small number of people compete. The coach is great at getting people to come out to stay fit. He makes it fun. It’s about the club as a whole coming together and supporting each other to compete, stay fit, and have fun as a team.
Keisuke is now a pilot for Delta Airlines. He swims every day but can be gone for 3-5 days at a time. When he gets back in the pool, he feels like he has lost what he had gained. But he loves swimming and will always be swimming.
As Katy James said she intends to keep swimming. “Forever, or until I die.” Everyone I spoke to says the same. Competition keeps them motivated, but swimming to compete, competing to swim is part of their lives.
Article by: Terri Stauffer-Schmidt
2023 USMS Annual Meeting in Houston
This past weekend, September 8-10th was the 2023 USMS Annual Meeting (Convention). This is the annual meeting of delegates from each LMSC that get to review, and vote on Legislative, Rule, Distance events, and governing sections of our USMS Rule book.
The number of delegates each LMSC is allowed to send depends on their registration amounts. AZ has been allowed three for multiple years. Our LMSC Chairman sends out a blast to the membership to see who would like to attend. This year we had four swimmers from our membership send in their letter of interest. All four, including Jeff Commings who is an “automatic” delegate attended. Jeff is an “automatic” since he is currently the Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee AND he also the SW Zone At Large Delegate to the USMS Board of Directors.
This year’s four delegates were, Barbara Sloan, Gini Baker, Jim Rowland, and Judy Gillies. Prior to the actual meeting in Houston, there were multiple Virtual Committee Meetings that all delegates were encouraged to attend to get a feeling of what was going to be voted on during the actual House of Delegates (HOD) at this annual meeting. Then, after the meetings, each delegates fills in a review of all of the meeting, and the meals, and a second follow up form where they can select which committee’s they would like to be on.
The photo above shows the four of us: Jim Rowland, Judy Gillies, Barbara Sloan, and Jeff Commings. Gini ended up doing the annual meeting virtual since she had a family emergency the week before leaving for Houston.
Article by Judy Gillies
Master Swimmer Gynt Clifford
Still Competing at 85 and Inspiring Others
To the Sun City West Masters Swimming club Gynt Clifford is our Star and the rock that joins us together as a team on race day. Barb Sloan has coached the team for the last year and a half and said that “coaching Gynt has been one of the most rewarding and joyful experiences I have had.”
Swimming at any age has so many benefits. Better lung capacity, bone health, improved sleep and improved mood are just a few. No one talks about the mental stress though that comes from being a master swimmer. Competing in any competitive event can be gut wrenching. Having someone on your team that inspires, mentors, and encourages everyone to do their best can make a big difference. That person for the Sun City West Masters Swimming club is Gynt Clifford. Whether you are new to the morning workouts or been around awhile, she is always willing to help you. Whether it’s your flip turns, which she does beautifully, the best way to bend that forearm to get the maximum pull of the water swimming freestyle, or rotating the shoulders while swimming the backstroke, Gynt is there to help you and encourage you in your efforts. Of course, watching her in any competitive event is amazing. She swims with such grace and strength. Having overcome some physical and family hardships over the years and still persevering through it is inspiring.
Karen Loring was invited to swim on the team in 2014. She said she would not have continued if it wasn’t for Gynt being on deck and encouraging her. Karen commented that “She would step in wherever there was a need and help. She would do for each one of us. Gynt taught her the beginning of everything and always encouraged her.”
Gynt has 20 years of top 10 achievement rankings dating back to 2004 at age 65. In 2010 at age of 71 Gynt achieved an all-star listing for her swims at the San Diego Imperial pool event. In the 2012 FINA World Masters SCM ranking Gynt Clifford was #1 in the 100 butterfly. She has 8 Individual All American Listings from age 68-83. Gynt is the current Arizona State USMS record holder in the 80-84 age group for both the 100 and the 200 SCY freestyle records she set in 2020 and 2022. This year at the National Senior Games in Pittsburg in July in the 85-89 age group Gynt had 5 first place finishes.
The one thing about Gynt that is to be admired most is not so much the importance of the medals she has won and what she may win in the future, but what she has achieved competing against herself. The goal is to be the best you can be, and she has done that and more. At 415 USMS recorded swims she is an all-star.
Earlier this year, an Italian film crew came to Sun City West. They interviewed and filmed Gynt for a documentary on aging with a healthy lifestyle. They could not have picked a better role model.
It’s Never too Late to Conquer Your Fear of…
I think I was five years old when my parents took us to a nearby lake to swim. I was floating in the water in an innertube watching my older sister and the other kids swimming in the distance. I decided it couldn’t be that hard to swim and scrambled out of the innertube. I immediately sank to the bottom. I remember sitting there in this green murky water looking around. For some reason I was not afraid. Then one of my mother’s friends tripped on me and pulled me up. After that my parents made sure I could swim. We moved to the suburbs of Chicago and joined the YMCA.
My experience was unique, but for many others the fear of water is very real. It could be they were never around water, or that a bad experience when they were younger influenced them for the rest of their lives. For whatever reason that fear only grew exponentially as they got older.
In the spring of 2023 Barb Sloan, with her Adult Learn to Swim certification, advertised new Adult Learn to Swim classes to Sun City West. The response was overwhelming. During the 8 one-hour sessions in a walking pool, swimmers were helped with breathing, kicking, and freestyle arm movement along with a high dose of encouragement and confidence.
To pass the course swimmers must swim the length of the pool, but not without Barb and her helpers walking beside them and cheering them along. The excitement and joy in the eyes of the men and women alike is so amazing when they reach the wall at the other end.
Today these graduates can be seen at the pool continuing to determinedly swim the length of the larger RH Johnson pool in Sun City West. Many of them swim with other graduates encouraging each other. It’s truly amazing to watch and see the satisfaction on their faces.
Additional classes will be held this fall starting in September. You must live in Sun City West. For more information go to: The Sun City West Masters Swimming Website.
Authored by: Terri Stauffer-Schmidt of Sun City West
USMS Announces 2024 and 2025 Pool National Championships
USMS announces Pool Nationals!
2024 USMS Summer National Championship will be Aug. 21–25, 2024, at the Marguerite Aquatic Complex in Mission Viejo, California.
2025 USMS Spring National Championship will be April 24–27, 2025, at the Northside ISD Swim Center in San Antonio,.
2025 USMS Summer National Championship will be Aug. 6–10, 2025, at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Washington.