volunteers, awards, recaps
NE LMSC
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NELMSC Announces Class of 2019 Hall of Fame Inductees
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Maine Hosts Multiple Winter Mini Meets

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Contributed by Tim Lecrone, MESC, NE LMSC Registrar

Tim Lecrone and Ted Clark at the MDI Meet (pc Kayla Redman)

Tim Lecrone and Ted Clark at the MDI Meet (pc Kayla Redman)

MDI Results

Toughen Up Results 

Challenge Event Results

MAINE -- Despite weather scares, both the Mount Desert Island and Toughen Up Challenge meets ran as scheduled.

On January 28, MDI welcomed over twenty swimmers full of smiles and fun times. There just isn't a more pleasant crew of volunteers at a meet anywhere. This environment coupled with the scenic drive makes it a must-swim event. 

On February 11, the Toughen Up Challenge brought several hard-nosed competitors from New Hampshire and Maine together to compete for the titles of Sprint and Distance Champions. We saw some repeat winners with Jess Beers (MESC) and Anne Uecker (MESC) resuming their reigns as the Queen of Sprint and Distance, respectively. On the men's side, newcomers Orion Huey (MESC) and Valdis Jurka (NEM) were crowned the sprint and distance winners.   

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Exeter Mini Meet Has Something for Everyone

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Results

GoPro Video by Sarah Crane

Contributed by Crystie McGrail, Meet Director & NE LMSC Coaches Chair

Sue Jensen, Rozann Kraus, Margaret Muse (in her first ever masters meet!), and Dan Epstein

EXETER, NH -- On February 4, 89 swimmers from 8 clubs braved the trip to Exeter, NH to race in the speedy Roger Nekton Championship pool at Phillips Exeter Academy. With an event line-up featuring everything from 25s to the 1650 there were good options for everyone to burn some calories before Superbowl festivities.

A special kudos to those 8 hearty swimmers who stuck around to swim the longest pool event in existence (i.e. the 1650) at the end of the meet. Even more kudos to those who stuck around to count and cheer them on!

Super impressive swims included Stacy Sweetser's (GSP) 1:14 in the 100-yard breaststroke as well as the grudge match 50 freestyle where Nic Ohman (GSP) barely bested Tom Phillips (BUMS) by .1 second. Not to be outdone, the top two 55-59 women in the 50 freestyle, Karin Stokes (GSP) and Sue Jensen (CRM), raced to a .02 difference between first and second places. Another impressive swim was the 59.48 in the 100 freestyle by Amy Leveroni of NEM that took all of those younger gals (and even some of the younger men!) to task.

Granite State Penguins

Granite State Penguins

The cross-age group competition was also fierce with Ed Gendreau (GBM) showing the less seasoned swimmers, Stephen Carroll (GSP) and Ben Wolfson (GBM) how to go a 1:10.0 in the 100 breaststroke. (It was close, Stephen, maybe next year!) The indomitable Guy Davis (GBM) also took many of the less seasoned age groups to task with a speedy 2:05 in the 200 freestyle; however, youth was able to prevail with an even speedier 2:03 by unattached swimmer Chris Borgatti (someone get him on a club already!). The women’s 100 backstroke was no joke with Beth Estel (GSP) crushing a 1:15 to reign over the 60-64 age group (men included).

The shortest races of the day brought on some of the biggest challenges (just ask Mindy Williams (GSP) how hard it is to get going for only a 25!) and some of the fastest swimming we’ve seen!

The Newburyport Breakers were good sports in haranguing swimmers from all over to create relays to go up against host team Great Bay Masters. It was a great way to get some practice in before the SCY Championship next month at Harvard where relays can contribute to massive team points!  

While there were no National records set (next year, guys, next year), we did have at least two swimmers experiencing their FIRST masters meet ever and that made it all worthwhile!

Great Bay Masters greatly appreciates the support of the local swimming community for a fun meet and relay racing!

Full results can be found on SwimPhone, and will be submitted to the USMS database shortly.

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Distance Day Challenge & Award Nominations Open Now

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Contributed by Tara Mack, GBM, NE LMSC Awards & Recognition Chair

Frank Wuest

Conversing with the late Frank Wuest could fill you with enough encouragement, love, and support to take on the world. This March, don your Speedo in his memory by partaking in the New England LMSC Short Course Yards Championship DISTANCE DAY CHALLENGE on Saturday, March 10th at Harvard's Blodgett Pool. 

By negative splitting your 1000 or 1650-yard freestyle event you will honor Frank's memory and his widow Lyn Duncan will make a donation to the Cole Jensen Horne Special Needs Trust, set up for Frank's nephew. Cole is living with autism and has a beautiful perspective on life, which you can read about here. But be forewarned, his smile is contagious!

Frank loved all things swimming and was committed to increasing participation in this amazing sport. In recognition of his myriad contributions to our community, the USMS New England Local Masters Swimming Committee and Lyn Duncan are pleased to announce the creation of the Frank Wuest Open Water Swimming Award. The inaugural award will be presented between Distance Day events on Saturday, March 10th, 2018.

Has someone in Masters Swimming made a difference in your life? A coach? A fellow teammate? Help us recognize these special people by nominating them for a New England LMSC Award in one of four categories:

Coach of the Year

Contributor of the Year

Distinguished Service

Appreciation Award

View the award details and submit nominations here by March 11th, 2018. The awards will be presented during the NE LMSC SCY Championship Meet at Harvard on Saturday, March 17th.

Thank you for your continued support of Masters Swimming. See you at the pool! 

Are You Willing to Go The Distance?

Contributed by Sue Jensen, CRM, NE LMSC Officials Chair

Join GTD for 2018          View all 2017 GTD Results

100x 100 participants got a jump on their 2018 distance goals

100x 100 participants got a jump on their 2018 distance goals

NEW ENGLAND -- Congratulations to our New England LMSC, which logged 27,831.80 miles in USMS's 'Go the Distance' (GTD) program last year. One hundred fifteen New England swimmers participated in 2017.

The GTD program is an enormously popular free event offered by USMS each year. Any USMS member can set a mileage goal for the year and use their online Fitness Log (FLOG) to track their swimming progress, as well as other training, on a regular basis. GTD swag is available for purchase when you reach various milestones.

Those New Englanders who swam 300 miles or more in 2017 include:

Brian McLaughlin 1,439.39, Charlotte Brynn 1,312.85.

Paula Yankauskas 789.81, Sue-Ellen Booher 728.65, Nancy Tunstall 705.12.

Bob Burrow 661.09, Margaret Haskins658.75, Cheryl Daly 644.29, Jane Cheney627.57, Maura Twomey 621.70.

Patricia Saint Aubin 595.05, Michelle Toner 500.20.

John Shumadine 488.66, Mark Rubacky 488.38, Jen Downing 481.13, Cynthia Needham 486.94, Becky Hunnewell 484.18, Kevin Sullivan 437.24, Sue Jensen 434.02, Susan Knight 415.01, Steven Pohnert 411.81.

Dorothy Mullaney 375.48, Alana Aubin 369.60, Benjamin Morse 369.17, Amy Rolnick367.96, Kate Beard-Tisdale 365.82, Daniel Moran 365.31, Laura Delorey 357.89, Thomas Burt 353.90, Christopher Landry 346.75, Rob Schiller 325.16, Mark Alexander 325.12, Sarah Dombrowski 320.74, Beth Eggimann 320.40, David Welch 317.00, Elizabeth Mancuso 306.51, Catherine Laramie 304.74 and Hilary Sullivan 300.02.

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Granite State Penguins Came to Play at NE LMSC & Colonies Zone SCM Championship

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Contribute by Alana Aubin, CRM, NE LMSC Communications Chair

WORCESTER, MA -- Four hundred sixty-two swimmers from 70 teams flocked to the WPI Sports & Recreation Center for another fantastic NE LMSC and Colonies Zone SCM Championship Meet from December 8-10, 2017. 

Great Bay Masters' Guy Davis concluded a stellar year of swimming by racking up 215 points to take the men's High Point award by a wide margin. The Granite State Penguins (GSP) were well-represented on the high point list, taking four of the next five spots. Brendan Wright led the way for his team by finishing second overall with 194 points, followed by George Coupe in third (187). Stephen Carroll (174) and Mark Rubacky (172) battled it out in the 45-49 age group and ended up in fifth and sixth place, respectively. Ken Kwa from Charles River Masters (CRM) snuck into fourth place with 174 points.

Granite State Penguins celebrate their victory with meet director Alford Green

Granite State Penguins celebrate their victory with meet director Alford Green

The GSP ladies couldn't let the men have all the fun; with 203 points, Mindy Williams captured the women's High Point award just ahead of teammate Kysa Crusco, who scored 198 points. Sue Garland (191) and Ginger Howell (183) of CRM were third and fourth, and Charlotte Brynn (170) of Stowe Masters rounded out the top five.

In the team competition, Connecticut Masters won the Large Team division and Zone Championship by accruing 3,114 points. Unsurprisingly, GSP won the Medium Team division with 2,766 points. UMAC Terrapin Masters (815) took the Small Team title home to Virginia, and Stowe Masters (322) were the Squad champions.

Kudos to Worcester Area Masters for doing such a great job hosting the meet, and thank you to all who competed, coached, or volunteered, especially our officials. See you in March!

18th Annual George Erswell Meet Recap

Contributed by Tim Lecrone, MESC & NE LMSC Registrar

Dale Syphers of MESC (photo by Anne Uecker)

BRUNSWICK, ME -- It was a small crowd of 30+ swimmers who braved the storm aftermath to attend the 18th Annual George Erswell Meet on November 4, but as always a quality meet was put on by Bowdoin College!

New Blue Lobster, Rob Allen, had an impressive 10:51.15 win for the 50-54 age group in the 1000-yard freestyle, and CRM's Fred Schlicter continued to show his dominance in the 65-69 age group with impressive swims in the 200 fly (2:32.64) and 200 free (2:09.14).  

In the end everyone that made a splash achieved wonderful things, and the homemade snacks were incredible!

9th Annual Concord Mini Meet Draws a Crowd

Contributed by Nancy Hanley Ryan & Tracey Guth

Roses for all swimmers over the age of 60!

CONCORD, MA -- The Concord-Carlisle High School Swim and Dive Team hosted its 9th Annual Concord Masters Mini Meet at the Beede Swim & Fitness Center on October 29. This meet is traditionally held on the last Sunday in October and is always a great opportunity to get a few races in before December's SCM Championship.

The diverse group of 80 swimmers included a group of first-time meet participants, as well as 14 swimmers age 60 or older. 91-year-old Concord resident Rose Ruze, who swims at Beede three times a week, competed in the 50m backstroke. The members of CCHS Swim and Dive Team served as timers and demonstrated their considerable cheering ability, which, as always, added to the fun spirit of the meet!

Szekely & Pereiro Carril with Coaches Goldberg and Moss. 

On hand this year were several swimmers fresh off success at the FINA World Masters Championships, including Ildiko Szekely (BUMS) and Oscar Pereiro Carril of Bridgeport, CT. Szeleky was the gold medalist in the age 35-39 200m butterfly at Worlds, while Pereiro Carril won the 50 back and set a new Championship record. It was fun to watch them compete, and both swimmers took time to chat and take photos with the high school team members. 

Ruze and Szekely

By popular request, a 400m freestyle relay was added to the end of the meet this year. Swimmers assembled teams right on the deck, and members of the CCHS S&D Team also formed a team to join in the fun! 

It was a great morning in the pool and over $1,800 was raised for CCHS Friends of Swim and Dive to maintain equipment and provide other support for the CCHS Swim and Dive team, whose season begins on November 27.

Members of the CCHS Swim & Dive Team, who helped as timers and a cheering squat at the meet!

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World and National Records for NEM’s Diann Uustal at 9th Annual UVAC Leaf Peepers Mini Meet

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Contributed by Barbara Hummel, Head Coach of the UVRays Masters

Thanks to UVRay teammates Sue Gray (left) and Susan Reid (right), no one goes home hungry from Leaf Peepers.

WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, VT -- The UVRays hosted their 9th Annual Leaf Peepers meet, famous for its friendly atmosphere, fast pool, and phenomenal awards table, on October 28. This year’s version of the short-course-meters meet attracted 75 swimmers from 9 states.

Diann Uustal finished the day with one world record and two national records!

Rhode Island’s Diann Uustal had a stellar meet. In her first swim of the day, Uustal set a new national record for women age 65-69 in the 200 IM with a time of 3:13.05. In the women’s 200 backstroke, Uustal clocked a 3:04.82, breaking the existing world record by four tenths of a second and shattering the national record by nearly eight seconds. 

Granite State Penguins (l-r) Tyler Edsall, Kysa Crusco, Beth Estel, and Scott Machinist.

Eight New England regional records were set at the meet. Dan Rogacki (Pittsfield YMCA) set three records in the men’s 70-74 age group. His 30.54 in the 50 freestyle broke Al Craig’s record from 1998. His 100 backstroke (1:20.23) and 100 freestyle (1:08.18) were also regional records. Karen Beirwert (NEM) set two records in the women’s 65-69 age group: 200 breaststroke (3:25.63) and 100 butterfly (1:36.16). Arnold Meardon (UVRays) set two records in the men’s 85-89 age group. His 44.05 in the 50 freestyle and 1:49.10 in the 100 freestyle broke records set by Alexander Luther in 2000. On the record board for men 80-84 was William Jones (Maine Masters), with a 54.88 in the 50 breaststroke. 

UVRay Sean Uiterwyk (far right) claims Fastest Man in the Pool honors with his 12.46 in the 25-meter freestyle. Volunteer timers are a huge part of every masters mini meet. 

Dozens of meet records were broken, including four by the UVRay host team. Sean Uiterwyk (men’s 40-44) blitzed the 25 freestyle “splash ‘n’ dash” in a meet record 12.46 to earn bragging rights as the fastest swimmer in the meet. Rob Starkey (men 40-44) posted a 1:10.15 meet record in the 100 butterfly. Jeff Kuvin (men 50-54) set a new meet record of 2:13.16 in the 200 freestyle. UVRay coach Barbara Hummel (women 65-69) posted a meet record 47.41 in the 50 breaststroke. 

Swimmers review the different legs of the Icebreaker Relay and decide who does what. 

There were many exciting races, including the 400 freestyle duel between Robbie Allen (Ventura County Masters) and Jeff Kuvin, with both swimmers under the meet record. And, as always at Leaf Peepers, there was much joy and emotion for those like Halina Nowak (Mountain View Masters) who were swimming in their first-ever masters meet. 

Joel Feldman from Keene always has time to smile.

Once again, the popular Ice Breaker relay turned total strangers into fast friends. This year’s version involved kickboards, pumpkins, apples, and swimming while connected by noodle to another swimmer. Somehow…it came down to a photo finish!

Thanks to all who participated in the meet, and the Rays look forward to seeing everyone at the 10th Annual Leaf Peepers in October 2018.

Leadoff swimmers get ready for the start of the Icebreaker Relay. 

2018 Newsletter Release Schedule

The New England LMSC eNewsletter will (aim to be) released on the following dates in 2018.

The newsletter is always accepting submissions from members. Remember, the rest of the LMSC wants to hear about you and your team's swims, news, events, and milestones! Submissions may include recaps, stories, profiles, technique pieces, photos, and whatever else you can think of!

Please submit all content at least FIVE DAYS prior to the planned newsletter release to ensure its inclusion. Submitted content may also be posted on this website and may be shared via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Submit here.

2018 Release Dates

January 22

February 26

April 2

May 7

June 11

July 16

August 20

September 24

October 29

December 3

The Communications Chair reserves the right to edit all submissions as she sees fit.

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Simmons October Swim Fest Opens Short Course Meters Season

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Contributed by Sue Jensen, CRM & NE LMSC Officials Chair

Ted Mills, Alana Aubin, Katie Levenstein, and Ryan Kleinert

BOSTON, MA -- Fifty hearty swimmers came out on a cloudy, rainy Saturday morning to compete in the 10th Annual Simmons College ‘October Swim Fest,’ held at Simmons’ 8-lane William J. Holmes Sports Center pool on Saturday, October 14th. This mini meet is always the first of the fall season, where Masters swimmers come to test out their fitness and readiness levels for the upcoming racing season.

Martha’s Vineyard Masters took the 6 am ferry to make it to the meet: Rainy Goodale, Jamieson DeCubellis, Elizabeth Lytle and Sue Jensen

Highlights of the meet included the ever-wonderful pool-side hot tub, a solo 100 butterfly for Guy Davis (GBM), and four back-to-back 50-meter swims by Kysa Crusco (GSP). This meet is an annual fundraiser for the Simmons College women’s swim team, who graced the deck as timers, counters, and a very enthusiastic cheering squad. Meet manager extraordinaire and long-time Simmons coach, Mindy Williams, ran the meet seamlessly with assistant coach, Christina Baudis. Mark your calendars for 2018 — Saturday, October 13th.

Christina Baudis and Mindy Williams ran a flawless meet

Our meet officials, Steve McAlarney and Steve Davidson

Nic Ohman, Karin Stokes, Kysa Crusco, Beth Estel, and Sue Jensen enjoyed the hot tub after the meet