VMST Part 3: Beginnings of the LMSC & the Lake Swim
In the March and April VMST newsletters, I have been relating the beginnings of Masters Swimming in the LMSC for Virginia. This history has been centered on the development of Virginia Masters Swim Team (originally VAM, later changed to VMST). This month I want to concentrate on the LMSC and on the 2-Mile Lake Swim.
When Masters Swimming began (early 70's) all amateur sports were governed by the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union). Our registration was handled by the AAU office. As far as I can tell, Karen Stronach (Hampton) and B.J. Hansen (Wytheville) were the first swimmers to register as Masters in Virginia. I knew both of them when I was swimming in North Carolina in the mid-1970s. Karen was the contact person for Masters. Whenever anyone inquired about Masters Swimming, they were referred to Karen.
From 1977 - 1980, there was a surge of interest and an increase in participation. Charlene Magee and Mike Stott both heard about Masters through their YMCA and participated in Masters meets run by the YMCA. Charlene competed in 1978 and Mike in 1979. The big jump in membership, however, came after an article in Parade Magazine in 1978. I mentioned in an earlier article that Nancy Miller (Richmond) and Forrest Sullivan (Virginia Beach) both became involved as a result of this article.
One of the pleasures of writing this history is the opportunity to talk to or hear from a variety of people adding their personal story or their remembrances. After the mention of the Parade Magazine article, I received an e-mail from Phil Whitten , editor of SWIM magazine, SWIMMING WORLD, and SWIMMING TECHNIQUE. I knew Phil was a long time Masters swimmer, but I did not know that he was the author of the Parade article. Phil included the name and address of Ted Haartz , then USMS President, in that article. In all, Ted received over 30,000 letters.
In the period 1978-1980, the AAU was broken up and each sport took over their own administration. We (Masters in Virginia) continued to use the AAU office for registration. Around that time, Karin Stronach decided she did not want to be the contact person and I became the person new people were referred to. In either 1980 or 1981, Masters Swimming took over their own registration. We elected officers for our LMSC (all of Virginia except the DC area: Fairfax Falls Church, etc.). I was the first Chairman, Nancy Miller was the Registrar, Lucille Griffin (Blacksburg) was the Secretary, and Babs Carter (Hampton) was the Treasurer. Nancy and I celebrated when our membership went over 100. We now have over 700 members!
Chris Greene Lake Swim
The 2-Mile Lake Swim, in Charlottesville, predates all of this organizational change and the first Masters meet held in Norfolk (1980). The Sheppard family of Lynchburg originally ran the event for their son, David, a distance swimmer. There were age group heats and Masters heats. The Shepherds ran the swim in 1977 and 1978. Dale Petranech , of D.C. took over the event in 1979. In 1980, he called me (because I was the new LMSC Chairman) and said since the event was in Virginia, someone in Virginia should run it. I knew nothing about the swim at that time. Dale agreed to be in charge for 1980, and then Mike Stott took over as race director. Mike was the race director for 5 years. During this period, the number of entries increased dramatically and we held our first National Championship.
I found a copy of the results from 1981. Some of the names that may be familiar: Mark Bernadino (UVA coach), Dave Sheppard, Mike McGee, Mark Kutz, John Shrum , Don Farmer , Mike Hechtkopf, Jack King , John Flanagan , Mike Stott, Carl Russ , Chuck Wilmore , Forrest Sullivan, Norm Rainer, H.I. Strasser, Calvin Barnes , Lynn Hazelwood, Judy Decker (Martin), Charlene Burke (Magee), Babs Carter. In the results there are only 33 men and 18 women!
Mike Stott sent me some names from the 1979 event: Bob and Bonnie Mosbrook, Lucille
Griffin, Dave Sheppherd, John Shrum, Mike Stott, Patrick Bird, Heinz Strasser - all from
Virginia. Entries from other areas:
Mel Siebold
, Art Smith, Jeanne Mason,
Barbara Glancy
, Edie
Gruender,
Robert Tesch
,
Harry Rawstrom
,
Frank Murphy
,
Hamilton Anderson
,
Clarence Ross
.
Mike also has kept track of National Championships. The lake swim this year (2000) is a USMS National Championship - the 12th that VMST has hosted in Charlottesville.
