A rare, half-hour break mid-day between meetings, and where am I? Sitting in the computer room wedged between USMS’s Account Executive Kyle Deery, Northern California Rolling Hills Mud Shark’s Susie Powell and my Tuolumne County Aquatics Masters teammate, Arlene Proebsting.

Ever the consummate swimmer, Susie got up in the wee hours to swim in Lake Michigan. A group of about 20 USMS folks met at the Ocean Street Beach for an approximate 2-mile swim. Did I mention the wee hour? 4:45 AM
 
I asked Susie why she became a Master’s Swimmer. (I didn’t ask why she got up so early to jump into the cold, dark water.) Her reply? “For the huge monetary rewards, of course. And the honkin’ medal collection.”

After our laughing fit, she confessed that she enjoys the exercise, camaraderie and health benefits of the Masters Swimming program.