By Andy Strehle, Wild Crab Masters & 2025 NELMSC Coach of the Year
The 2025 New England College Club & Masters Swimming Meet filled the pool deck and stadium seating at Boston University on November 8th with 520 swimmers. A “Swimming Through The Decades” theme opened the door for 1980’s varsity letter jackets and 1970’s-style USA flag suits, and inspired a playlist mixing today’s chart-topping hits with yesterday’s classics. The wide musical range reflected the competition in the pool, with over 500 swimmers from college club and Masters teams.
And that’s where I found myself midway through the meet, approaching the blocks for the 200 butterfly. The men and women in Heat 1 were a diverse bunch - three college swimmers lined up with five Masters - one each in our 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s.
The 200 fly is a challenge that commands attention - but wait! Before the racing started, the meet announcers called a break in the action for - what’s this - a sing-a-long! And, as the opening bars of piano to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” blasted over the speakers, the other swimmers and I waiting at the block knew we’d need to wait just a bit longer for our race. And maybe a chance test out our swiveling hips and healthy lungs in a different way . . .
“Just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world, she took the midnight train going anywhere…”
If anyone arrived lonely, it was hard to stay that way for long. This is the third edition of the College Club v. Masters format, pioneered right here in New England, and the biggest yet.
As for me, I was thrilled to meet Jack and Erik, two new members of our Wild Crabs team. My teammate Mel was wearing an Amherst hat, and it was fun to see how many other swimmers walked up to her to say hello and meet a new friend. Something about these meets always makes these introductions easier than they can be away from the pool.
“Workin' hard to get my fill; everybody wants a thrill. Payin' anything to roll the dice - just one more time.”
For Masters swimmers, a decades-long swimming career inevitably leaves us yearning to meet a finishing-time threshold “just one more time.” Recognizing our human limits, we know that over time we’ll go slower, while hoping that this outcome arrives more slowly. My teammate Jeff exemplified that - he missed the wall during his 50 freestyle turn, but was so quickly able to go back to the wall that he still finished under 24 seconds.
While many Masters swimmers are racing our old times from high school and college, it is truly special to have actual college swimmers in the next lane over, bringing our virtual races into stark reality.
“Some'll win, some will lose; some are born to sing the blues.”
Among the winners at the meet were those who set new NELMSC records in the short course yards format, led by the Otters Swim Club’s Brittany Butcher, who made it a clean sweep in the backstroke events for the 40-44 age group: 50 back (27.20), 100 back (57.73), and 200 back (2:06.64). Kyle Falkstrom with BU Masters put up two in the 50 breast (25.39) and 100 breast (55.77) in the 18-24 age group, and a few age groups away Katy Slifer answered with a pair in the 80-84 bracket: 200 IM (3:30.58) and 100 breast (1:47.27); she swims with YMCA of the North Shore. Kingsbury Club’s Peter Doyle posted a record 25.82 in the 50 free (65-69) and Granite State Penguins Juliana McDonald was rowdy in her 50 free race (23.29) (25-29). I got to witness a record-setting swim two lanes away from Sue Jensen, who was in my heat of the 200 butterfly, as she wove her way to a 2:55.08 record (65-69). I’d like to think my pacing helped push her to such success, but the Don’t Stop Believin’ sing-a-long before the race was probably what really spurred her on.
“Strangers waitin’ up and down the boulevard, their shadows searchin’ in the night. Streetlights, people livin’ just to find to emotion, hidin’ somewhere in the night.”
The spirit of these meets is palpable during the sprints and relays. The pool deck, crowded with swimmers of all ages, is hard to navigate, but we make way for someone racing to make their start on time. My teammate Steve enjoyed the crowd - it’s been 62 years since he was last on a pool deck for a swim meet. (That’s one heck of a taper!) He was right back in his element - and generously brought bagels with honey for the whole team.
The combination of celebratory music and heats packed from one end to the other led to an amusing scene during the 7-heat 50 backstroke. Taylor Swift has demonstrated a talent for bridging cultures and generations and so it was fitting that “The Fate of Ophelia” was a fan favorite at BU. The song leads with the lyric “I heard you calling on the megaphone”, which was ironic, because the music had to be quieted several times so that the announcer could go through the starting drill for each fast-pace heat. Then Tay-Tay came back on for another 35-40 seconds - just enough to get us back into the rhythm - before stopping for the next heat. Kudos to my teammate Marion and the rest of the backstrokers for entertaining us through this spectacle.
“Don't stop believin'; hold on to that feelin'. Streetlights, people; don't stop believin'!”
By the end of the meet, the Masters swimmers had another chance to believe they were young(er) again, and the college swimmers got a window into the future - they can plan for another 20, 40, or even 60 (or more) years at meets like this.
Awards were presented at the end of the meet, for total points and “total spirit.” South County YMCA and UMass won the large team divisions, Kingsbury Club and UMaine for medium, Worcester Area Masters and University of Maine for small, and Weymouth Waves for squad-size teams. UConn and the Wild Crabs won the Team Spirit Awards. I’m looking forward to returning to the fourth annual meet next year!
Andrew “Andy” Strehle leads the Wild Crab Masters with heart, driving team growth, national records, and a signature spirit of camaraderie—fueled in part by his legendary post-race recaps and strategic relay wizardry. Outside the pool, Andy is a partner at Brown Rudnick practicing commercial finance and restructuring law.
