There is no doubt that swimming enhances lives. For many Masters swimmers, the physical, mental and spiritual lift of swimming allows them to live full, rich lives. But for Middle Tennessee Swim Club member Rebecca Ehmling swimming has done more than that—she says swimming saved her life.

Three years ago, Ehmling, 50, was diagnosed with a form of rheumatoid arthritis with fibromyalgia, a degenerative autoimmune disease that can deform joints and cause severe pain. “At first I though I had the flu, but three days later I couldn’t get out of bed without help or walk without assistance. My feet and hands swelled up to three times their normal size,” Ehmling says. After weeks of tests she was diagnosed and the specialist told her flat out that she should resign herself to spending most of her days in a wheelchair.

While many Masters swimming groups face a number of challenges in growing and sustaining their programs, the Fort Leavenworth Lancers have some unique challenges. The Lancers are in Fort Leavenworth, Kan., home of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center, a different type of military installation, which houses the Command and Staff College. The college offers something similar to a one-year graduate program for field grade officers. Most of the personnel stationed there stay for only a year, sometimes less.