Disrupt Aging? This Group of Swimmers Are Age Disruptors

Rodger Bivens

S addlebrooke Masters Club Swim Team

Competes in

Arizona State Masters Swim Club Championship

by

Rodger Bivens

 

 

On April 8 ^th and 9 ^th, 2017, The Saddlebrook Masters Swim Club team competed in the Arizona State Masters Swim Club Championship that was held in Goodyear, Arizona at the YMCA pool.  Some 60 plus men and women competed over the two days in both individual events and relay events.  This meet was perhaps the most important meet of the year, since it would determine the champion masters swim club of all the clubs in the State.  The Saddlebrooke Club had won the championship for the last four years.

 

Saddlebrooke is an adult retirement community located in Pinal County, north of Tucson, Arizona. Most of the Club members live in either Saddlebrooke or nearby community areas.  The members ages range from 55 to over 100 years.  The Swim Club is led by its long time Coach, Douglas Springer, who volunteers his time in supervising workouts five days a week throughout most of the year.  These training sessions are rigorous and prepare the swimmers for their competition during the year.  Both stroke technique and form and endurance are a focus.

 

The meet in Goodyear was hotly contested, but once again, Saddlebrooke won the Championship.  A number of swimmers swam up to 16 events over the two days, to include the difficult 400 individual medley (all strokes), 100 yard butterfly events, and long distance events such as the 1650 yard freestyle and 1000 yard freestyle.  A number of individual age group wins were achieved.  Overall high point winners in their age groups were:

Women

                           65 yr age group...Lyn Moreno

                           75 yr age group...Corinna Goodman

80 yr age group...Carol Honywell

85 yr age group...Gloria Tolaro

Men

65 yr age group...Carl Marriott

70 yr age group...Doug Springer

80 yr age group...Jack Fritz

90 yr age group...Bob Sears

 

It was a tough two days of swimming, but the results prove that even a group of retired seniors can maintain a high level of fitness and level of competitiveness to be able to set new personal bests in their sport discipline.

 

How are you disrupting aging?