U.S. Masters Swimming Elects Officers/Honors Members at Annual USAS Convention

U.S. Masters Swimming is pleased to announce the results of the 2009 Election of Officers. New officers joining the Board of Directors are: Jeff Moxie, President; Michael Heather, Vice President of Administration; Nadine Day, Vice President of Community Services; Ed Tsuzuki, Vice President of Local Operations; Dave Diehl, Vice President of Programs; C.J. Rushman, Secretary; and Ralph Davis, Treasurer. These new officers join our other Directors: Immediate Past President Rob Copeland, Jerry Clark, Betsy Durrant, Jeanne Ensign, Don Mehl, Michael Moore, Meg Smath, Anthony Thompson, and Laura Winslow.

U.S. Masters Swimming also announced the award of two of its highest honors, the Ransom Arthur Award and the Speedo U.S. Masters Swimming Coach of the Year Award, as well as several other awards:

The Ransom Arthur Award is given annually to the volunteer who epitomizes the spirit of Captain Ransom J. Arthur, the founding father of U.S. Masters Swimming. In 1970, Capt. Arthur envisioned lifelong fitness and lifestyle benefits for adults through aquatic training and competition. Each year, the recipient of the Ransom J. Arthur award has demonstrated top-tier commitment and dedication to the mission of USMS. The 2009 recipient is Julie Heather, from the Southern Pacific LMSC.

Every year USMS honors a coach who exemplifies the highest standards in Masters coaching, including growth and development of Masters swimming with an all-inclusive approach, one that welcomes swimmers of all levels and abilities. This year’s Coach of the Year is Nancy Kirkpatrick-Reno of the Conejo Simi Aquatics Masters.

U.S. Masters Swimming honors volunteers whose service stands out in scope and impact with the Dorothy Donnelly Service Award. Recipients of the Dorothy Donnelly Service Award have made significant contributions on the local, regional, and national level. The award is named after Dorothy Donnelly, one of USMS’s first super-volunteers. This year, recipients of the Dorothy Donnelly Service Award are: Marcia Anziano, Christie Ciraulo, Jerry Clark, William Cleveland, Christopher Colburn, Lisa Dahl, Barbara Delanois, Paul Freeman, Janet Renner, Mark Sells, and Chris Stevenson.

The June Krauser Communications Award is presented annually to an individual whose communicative efforts have contributed to the growth, improvement, or success of U.S. Masters Swimming. The award is named for June Krauser, the original author of USMS’s first official rulebook and a prolific writer and editor of many newsletters and other publications in the Masters swimming world. This year’s recipient was Meg Smath. The Mountain View Masters Swim and Social Club won the Newsletter of the Year award for their monthly publication, The RipTide.

U.S. Masters Swimming considers club development a priority, and recognizes a club every year with the Club of the Year Award. Masters swim clubs who do the most to promote the values and mission of U.S. Masters Swimming, not only in their communities, but also at the national level, are candidates for this award. This year several excellent clubs were nominated and the Recognition and Awards committee, for the first time, selected two deserving U.S. Masters Swimming Clubs. The two clubs to receive the award were the Mission Viejo Nadadores from Mission Viejo, Calif. and the Noblesville Adult Swim Team of Noblesville, Ind.

The U.S. Masters Swimming Coaches Committee initiated a new award in 2008 with the goal of recognizing coaches who are building our membership in communities throughout our country. Originally named the Grass Roots Coaching Award, it has been renamed to honor Coach Kerry O'Brien of Walnut Creek Masters, who embodies the passion, dedication, and heart that these coaches bring to the pool deck. The 2009 Kerry O’Brien Coaches Award recipients are Jay Christiansen, Central Valley All-Stars, Chris Colburn, Academy Bullets Masters, Dyann Charette Dancy, Germantown Maryland Masters, Linda Gilchrist, Alameda Aquatic Masters, and Dana Kirk, South Palo Alto Masters.

The Raleigh Area Masters Team, in association with USMS, honored Barry Fasbender with the Championship Meet Award for his work behind the scenes in compiling and formatting computer data for USMS’s national championship meets.

Lastly, this was the inaugural year of the Ted Haartz U.S. Masters Swimming Staff Appreciation Award. This award will recognize one individual each year who demonstrates excellence in assisting and supporting the U.S. Masters Swimming staff in the national office with its professional duties of servicing, promoting, and building the membership. This award celebrates the organization’s volunteer roots, as well as its future, specifically by recognizing efforts that support and assist the staff in its responsibilities. This year’s honoree is Ted Haartz. The award is named in honor of Haartz, a leader in U.S. Masters Swimming since 1970, who helped establish the foundation for U.S. Masters Swimming’s evolution into a professionally operated organization. During Haartz’s tenure as President, U.S. Masters Swimming became the only self-governed Masters organization in the world.

About U.S. Masters Swimming

U.S. Masters Swimming, founded in 1970, is a membership-operated national governing body that promotes adult health, fitness, wellness and competition through aquatics. It does so by partnering with more than 1,000 adult swim programs across the country that offer swimming and fitness programs, promotes information via a bimonthly member magazine and usms.org, and sanctions and promotes pool, open water and virtual competitions. More than 50,000 adults are registered members of U.S. Masters Swimming. For more information, contact us at 655 North Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34236 or by phone at 941-256-USMS (8767).