It wasn’t Just a Swim Meet, It was a TWIM Meet!

PNA delivered a rare treat when they hosted their first annual summer Long Course Meters (LCM) meet July 6 at the King County Aquatics Center in Federal Way. Swimmers from Canada, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and farther flung places took advantage.

And Puget Sound Master’s TWIM was there in force, showing that we are a team worthy of respect! With 14 swimmers registered, TWIM had the largest contingent of any workout team there.

We showed off the diversity of our TWIM talent by having swimmers entered in every individual event of the meet. Additionally, we showed off our depth, with many heats featuring two or even three TWIMmers!

Case in point, one highlight of the meet was seeing the TWIM women take first, second, and third in one heat of the 200 Meter Freestyle!

Few TWIMmers at the meet had seen the Aquatic Center set up in Long Course. It was certainly nice not to have to travel to similar pools in Gresham, OR or Victoria, BC for a change!

Some astute relay entries by Coach Tammy had TWIM capturing age-group first place finishes in all five relays swum. Here is a swimmer-by-swimmer breakdown of TWIM performances at this PNA LCM event, and also a brief quote from each swimmer about their favorite event at this meet…

First up, Erin McPeak, with first place finishes in all three butterfly events (50, 100, and 200 meter) as well as a first in the 400 Meter IM. She also logged a second place finish in the 800 Freestyle, and contributed to three of TWIM’s relay wins. Erin says she really liked the 400 IM because she was able to go into it with zero expectations and the freedom to just swim her race. Very nicely done, Erin!

Holly Lickwala secured first place in three individual events, the 50 and 100 Meter freestyle, and the 100 Meter Butterfly. She received a second place in the 200 Meter Freestyle. Holly was also a key swimmer in three TWIM relay wins. Holly’s favorite event of the meet was the 200 Meter Freestyle Relay (160-199 age group). She found the relay to be, “A lot of fun and really fast!”

Colleen Wahlstrom, back with the team after baby-leave, logged first place finishes in the 200 and 400 Meter Freestyle events, as well as a first in the 50 Meter Butterfly. Colleen led off in the Women’s 200 Meter Freestyle Relay. Colleen thought about not swimming that relay, but was glad she did. She was pleased with all of her events in her “comeback meet” and really enjoyed the friendship and support displayed by the whole TWIM team. We are glad you are back, Colleen!

Coach Tammy Kopppelberger stymied her competition with five first place finishes in individual events! Those were the 50, 100, 200, and 400 Meter Freestyle and the 50 Meter Butterfly. What a powerhouse performance! She was also everywhere on deck, offering encouragement to the whole team. Her relay set-ups gave TWIM five more first place results, and she swam in two of those winning relays! She liked the 400 Meter Freestyle the best because she was “fresh”, didn’t have to worry about taking it out too fast, and was very happy with her time. Tammy, we all appreciate you as both Coach and Teammate!

Jenifer Tighe had a great meet with a first place finish in the 50 Meter Backstroke, and second place finishes in the 100 Meter Backstroke and the 50 and 100 Meter Breaststroke events. She particularly liked the 50 Backstroke. “It was over fast!”, she said. Indeed, it was fast! She smoked the competition in that heat! Nice job, Jenifer!

Valerie Thompson showed some great TWIM competitiveness, taking first in the 200 and 400 Meter Freestyle events. She also placed second in the 100 and 800 Meter Freestyle races and third place in the 50 Meter Freestyle. Valerie’s favorite event in this meet was her 400 Meter Freestyle because she got to stretch it out. Great performances all around, Val!

Betsey Kassen took first place honors in a grueling race, the 400 Meter IM. In addition, she snagged second place finishes in the 200 Meter IM and the 50 Breaststroke. Betsey was also instrumental in the Mixed 200 Meter Medley Relay (ages 200-239) win. When asked about her favorite event of the meet, she was in a toss-up between her 400 IM and her 50 Breaststroke. “I just love to swim”, she said. No one has ever had reason to doubt that, Betsey!

Jason Koppelberger was also there, adding to TWIM glory. Jason placed first in the 800 Meter Freestyle, second in the 100 and 200 Meter Freestyle events, and third in the 50 Meter Freestyle. Jason also swam the anchor leg on the winning Mixed 200 Meter Medley Relay (age 160-199) team. His favorite event was the 50 Freestyle where he knocked 5 seconds off his best time! He also really liked the 50 Meter pool set-up. Way to go, Jason!

Vince Carmosino was not settling for anything short of first place at this meet! He captured the top spot in the 400 Meter Freestyle and in the 50 and 100 Meter Breaststroke events. He followed up by swimming the third leg of the winning Men’s 200 Meter Medley Relay (age 200-239). Vince’s favorite event of the meet was the 50 Breaststroke. “One length!” he exclaimed. “I love to sprint!”

Brent Barnes had some great performances, too, bringing home second place in both the 50 and 200 Meter Breaststroke events. Brent also placed third in the 100 Breaststroke. He rounded out his performance with excellent swims in three of TWIM’s winning relays. The best event for Brent was the 50 Breaststroke. “It just felt good!”, he asserted.

Brad Jones was another guy who wasn’t settling for anything short of first place, and in some tough events! 50 Meter Butterfly – first! 100 Meter Butterfly – first! 400 Meter IM – first! Brad also helped bring TWIM to victory in the Men’s 200 Meter Medley Relay (age 200-239). Brad’s favorite race of the day was the 100 Butterfly, and his reasons? “My stroke didn’t fall apart, and it was my last event!”

Next we come to Mr. Carl Haynie with first place finishes in all four events he swam. Carl rang the winner’s bell in the 50, 100, and 200 Meter Backstroke events and also in the 100 Breaststroke! He followed that with critical contributions to two of TWIM’s winning relays! The best event for Carl was his 50 Backstroke. Carl says he “loved getting into the 32-second range!” in that race.

Dan Underbrink once again went Beast Mode. He made his contributions known with five first place finishes in the 400 Meter IM, 800 Meter Freestyle, 100 and 200 Meter Breaststroke, and 200 Meter Backstroke. Dan also took second place in the 100 Meter Backstroke and contributed strongly to two TWIM relay wins. Dan had two favorites, his 200 Backstroke and his 100 Breaststroke where he bested aggressive seed times in both events.

Rounding out this fabulous field of performers is our beloved Chairman of the Board, Thomas Walker. Thomas placed first in both the 100 and 200 Meter Breaststroke events, and came in third in the 50 Meter Breaststroke. Thomas felt that the 50 and 100 Breaststroke events were his best performances. Thomas says every time, “The most important thing is that we are all here to swim!” All of TWIM agrees with you, COB!

Thanks go out to Meet Director Sally Dillon, Meet Referee Dave Baer, and to the many judges, timers, and volunteers for putting on such a great meet. Swimmers, be sure not to miss this meet next year!

TWIM would be negligent if we did not acknowledge our own Vic Pace who is always there to help the team, even as he supports Val in her endeavors. Thank you, Vic, for your tireless efforts!

One final shout out to our injured teammate, Father Tom, who even though he was unable to swim with us, still volunteered his whole day as a timer, helping make this meet the success that it was. We all thank you and wish you well, FT, for a speedy recovery!

While both Meet Mobile and PNA’s HY-TEK software weren’t geared to score the meet this time around, it is pretty clear TWIM walked away the runaway winner after reviewing the results!

Very nice work, TWIM!