Al Prescott: 2023 Distinguished Service Award

For most Masters swimmers in New England over the past 20-plus years, the name “Big Al” Prescott is synonymous with service. The long-time volunteer and ardent swimmer joined the New England LMSC Board of Directors as Fitness Chair in 2002, a new role he designed to encourage fitness swimmers and those new to swimming to engage with their local Masters groups. In 2007, he was elected Board Chair and in 2011, he became Treasurer, a position he held until 2021. 

Prescott made big improvements to the NELMSC during his tenure. In 2009, he created the NELMSC Hall of Fame and added an accompanying board seat in 2011. He also helped revamp the NELMSC website and bylaws and created the Immediate Past Chair board seat. He worked closely with Ed Gendreau to develop the NELMSC records database and helped establish an annual NELMSC SCM Championship meet at Boston University. His promotional efforts helped grow the NELMSC SCY Championship at Harvard University into one of the biggest Masters meets in the country. 

At the local level, Prescott has long been involved with New England Masters Swim Club (NEM), serving on the board for eight years and several as VP of Communications. He was also an important player in Minuteman Masters (NEM-MAMA), one of the largest workout groups in New England in the early 2000s and into the 2010s. 

At the national level, Prescott has been a member since at least 2000 and attended the USMS House of Delegates 2003 to 2005 and 2008 to 2011. 

A delightful writer with a keen eye for wit, Prescott has also contributed many articles and insights to NEM News, the club’s widely read newsletter. In particular his relatable, monthly column “The Non-Elite Swimmer” offered laughs, tips, and motivation for readers all across New England for several years. 

Doug Sayles: 2023 Distinguished Service Award

Since 2009, Doug Sayles has been an active and enthusiastic member of New England Masters and SwimRI. And across those years, Sayles has become a major contributor to USMS, the New England LMSC, and the New England Masters Swim Club through a variety of leadership roles. 

One of the most dedicated volunteers in the New England Masters swimming world, Sayles served as Board Chair of the NELMSC from 2015 to 2019 and has participated in the USMS Annual Meeting as an NELMSC delegate every year since 2014. Currently serving as the Colonies Zone Chair, he was instrumental in hosting the first 2023 USMS Colonies Zone Championship meet at Rutgers University. 

Sayles is always looking to recruit other volunteers and draw new swimmers, coaches, and contributors into the organization. A capable, conscientious volunteer and a meticulous writer and record-keeper, Doug has become the go-to resource for other volunteers serving in leadership roles. 

In addition, his willingness to pitch in for any effort the organization needs has made him indispensable to the smooth operation of the NELMSC. Over the years he’s served as NELMSC Registrar, Board Chair, Acting Open Water Chair, Acting Board Vice Chair, and Acting Secretary. 

Sayles has also contributed countless hours serving on several NELMSC special committees focused on topics ranging from grievances and open water to championships and COVID-19 relief efforts. In 2022 and 2023, he worked closely with Sue Jensen and Kysa Crusco to make the 2023 NELMSC SCY Championship Meet at Worcester Polytechnic Institute the largest SCY meet since 2019.

At the national level, Sayles has served on the LMSC Development Committee since 2023 and the Legislation Committee from 2020 to 2022. He became Secretary of that committee in 2022. He’s also served on the Membership and Governance Committees.

In addition to his myriad volunteer duties, Sayles is also a coach, working with the Newport Athletic Club Masters from 2009 to 2014. As the primary administrator and coach of the SwimRI workout group since 2014, Sayles is the main point of contact for swimmers looking to join the squad. He also co-runs the annual SwimRI Stuffies vs. Steamers charity intersquad meet. Sayles, who has USMS Level 3 coaching certification, is also a certified Adult Learn-to-Swim instructor and a member of the American Swimming Coaches Association.

No stranger to open water swimming, Sayles has served as the fundraising team captain for the SwimRI team at Save the Bay since 2010 and served on the open water race planning committee for the Rhode Island Aquatic Hall of Fame from 2012 to 2016. Since 2020, he has been event director of Swim Across America Rhode Island, a massive charity event that brings some 700 swimmers annually to Roger Wheeler State Park in Narragansett, Rhode Island, for ¼-, ½- and 1-mile swim events. That open water festival contributes about $300,000 in donations annually to support cancer research at the Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island. 

As the face of Masters swimming in Rhode Island, Sayles has helped build the NELMSC and Masters swimming as a whole over the past decade and a half in unprecedented ways through his tireless dedication to and enthusiasm for the sport and its practitioners.