May 10
6
Who Are U.S. Masters Swimmers? Trust Me, We’re Not All Here for the Medals and Ribbons.
We don’t all look good in bathing suits. We can’t all do flip turns. We’re not all entirely graceful diving off the starting blocks. In fact, many U.S. Masters Swimming members never compete in swim meets. The one thing we all likely have in common is that we enjoy the exercise, we enjoy the physical and mental benefits of exercise – and we enjoy the camaraderie of our lane mates.
I swim with a fireman, a veterinarian, a cowgirl, a college instructor, a few schoolteachers and grandparents, entrepreneurs, retirees, former collegiate swimmers and a lot of women who were ahead of their time. Some folks are politically conservative, some are liberal and a few are apolitical.
Fellow Tuolumne County Aquatics Masters (TCAM) swimmers include 18- to 80-something-year olds. It’s not unheard of for folks in their ninth decade to compete at such prestigious events as the National Senior Games. Some folks have been swimming since childhood, others took up the sport in their 30s, 40s, 70s! Many people couldn’t swim one lap when they started the Masters Swimming program.
However, we are all swimmers and athletes in a pool. We’re all on common ground once we set foot on the pool deck.
