Our beautiful California has been looking more and more like Tierra del Fuego. We thought 2017 had hit the Top of the Charts as the worst case scenario, but 2019 has proven to be an unfortunate contender. Some of us were impacted by the fires directly with evacuations, but we all were affected by the fallout of unhealthy, smoky skies and black-outs. Here are some impressions by our own Pacific Masters Swimmers of two weeks of stress and turmoil.

Donita:

It’s Brute Squad Time again and my thoughts are with an old friend, Ross Yancher, in whose honor the event is now named. This year the Brute Squad competition will include, for the first time, the Ross Yancher Brute Squad Lite. DAM’s head coach, Stu Kahn, has designed a stripped-down Brute that challenges without destroying. It consists of 100 yards butterfly, 200 individual medley, and 500 freestyle. This compares to the full Brute of 200 yard butterfly, 400 IM, and 1650 free.

Carol Macpherson is retiring as Rinconada’s Coach after 47 years on the job. She founded Rinconada Masters, along with Cindy Baxter, in 1972, as one of the Bay Area’s first Masters Swim Teams. Cindy retired in 1999, leaving Carol as Head Coach for the last twenty years.

Carol has been an outstanding swimmer on her own, competing for the Santa Clara Swim Club, under the tutelage of George Haines. She has attended, competed and coached approximately 40 National Championships and 10 International meets. She swam in the Maui Channel Relay in 1998. Her last FINA International Competition was in 2008, in Perth, Australia. She took eight swimmers with her and she personally won 2 seconds and 2 fourths. 

Teamwork, treasure and trust exemplify the SCM Sprint Pentathlon in Folsom. No one could deny the excellent teamwork between Sacramento Masters and Sierra Marlin Masters as they joined forces to host this meet. From the moment you parked your car at the Folsom Aquatic Center and walked towards the pool, there was a sense that something very special was about to take place.

The first impression of this pool was a sparkling, clean facility populated by welcoming and sincerely hospitable folks, attentive to incoming guests. We felt treasured. The Meet Director actually smiled as he juggled a new USMS registration with cell phone in hand and a lineup of questions from different people. Throughout the meet, the announcer was witty and shared bits and facts about our world.

St.nLouis, Missouri, Gateway to the West, was the location of the 2019 USMS Annual Convention. Under the shadow of the amazing Gateway Arch from September 11 to 15, committee meetings were conducted, rules were clarified and elections were held as swimmers of all backgrounds and abilities were celebrated. Delegates and representatives of Local Masters Swimming Committees (LMSC) had a great time meeting old and new friends, while learning about the hard work that goes into keeping USMS such a vibrant organization.

This was the last annual meeting of the first half century of Masters Swimming! Established in 1970, 2020 will be our 50^th year. 2020 is also an Olympic year, so expect to see “50 years of USMS” branding prominently displayed throughout the year!

Tim Edmonds of Stanford Masters Swimming has been selected as the 2019 Pacific Masters Swimming Coach of the Year.  This award recognizes excellence in coaching skills and inspiration, as reflected by individual and club performance at sanctioned events, club vigor, size and growth, and service to the Masters swimming community.

A new year is here and the 2019 Age Groups Standings page is active. Final Standings for 2018 aren’t quite in final form as we wait for USMS to publish its short course meters top ten list. That list is expected in late February.