I recently had the opportunity to compete in my second U.S. Masters Swimming National Championships (August 6-9) at the Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio! It was a blast racing for team Michigan. The friends I’ve made, stories I heard and the experiences I had will hopefully continue to inspire both myself and those who read this. Below is a quick video snapshot from my perspective as an athlete competing at Nationals!

What is Masters Swimming?
Masters swimming is a national membership-operated nonprofit organization that provides benefits to over 62,000 swimmers across the country and hundreds of thousands of swimmers across the globe. Masters swimming is much more than an organization; it’s a way of life.
Often swimmers will hit the pool three to four times a week, but many don’t compete; ‘what’s most important is that you show up’. Swimming is one of the most popular sports in the world, and the most aspirational physical activity across nearly every age group. But I guess you already knew that, and if not, you should most certainly read the article below that was recently published in the Wall Street Journal.
In U.S. Masters Swimming, Training Is More Important Than the Race
Globally there are millions of swimmers who regularly participate in the sport of swimming and are focused on either improving their health and/or performance. Only about 25 percent of U.S. Masters Swimming members enter competitions just like the Masters Nationals that is held twice annually.
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Results 
At this level, it’s all about fast swimming. WOW! Over the course of the four day competition 30 national records and 26 world records fell. Of them, 7 were felled by relay teams, and the rest were the work of some very fast individuals across multiple age groups. In the team race, Swim For Lauderdale swam away with the Local Club Championship, and team Michigan captured the Regional Club Championship. Top Local and Regional Club finishes are listed below.
Local Clubs

  1. Swim Fort Lauderdale
  2. Sarasota Y Sharks
  3. O*H*I*O Masters Swim Club
  4. Binghamton Univ Masters
  5. El Milenio
  6. Rose Bowl Masters
  7. Tamalpais Aquatic Masters
  8. Indy Aquatic Masters
  9. MOVY Masters
  10. Reston Masters Swim Team

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Regional Clubs


  1. Michigan Masters
  2. Illinois Masters
  3. New England Masters Swim Club
  4. North Carolina Masters Swimming
  5. Colorado Masters Swimming

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Several swimmers captured records in multiple events. These superstars and their respective events are below:
Four Records

  • Richard Abrahams (M70-74): 100 fly, 50 free, 100 free, 50 fly
  • Cecelia Mccloskey (W65-69): 200 back, 50 back, 100 back, 200 IM

Three Records

  • Charlotte Davis (W65-69): 800 free, 50 free, 200 IM

Two Records

  1. Thomas Maine (M90-94): 400 IM, 200 IM
  2. Melanie Thomas (F45-59): 50 free, 100 free
  3. Adam Ritter (M30-34): 100 free, 200 free
  4. David Quiggin (M70-74): 50 free, 100 free

Full meet results can be viewed from the 2015 U.S. Masters Swimming Summer National Championship landing page at usms.org.
Congratulations to everyone who competed in this years #USMSNationals. If you’re interested in getting involved with adult swimming feel free to give us a shout and checkout the links below.
U.S. Masters Swimming
FINA Masters World Championships

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