by Dan Underbrink
Pittsburgh, PA was the site for the latest National Senior Games, a major event normally held every other year on the odd-numbered years. This year gets the NSGs back on their normal schedule, after the COVID years.
To qualify for NSGs, a swimmer must be at least 50 years of age, and must place first, second, or third (sometimes fourth place is also allowed) at their state senior games. State Games qualification occurs in even-numbered years, so we look forward to the Washington State Senior Games in the Summer of 2024! One may also qualify in another state’s senior games (if allowed by that state’s rules) or at another senior event, such as the Huntsman World Senior Games, or the Veteran’s Games.
The Pittsburgh 2023 National Senior Games featured 24 sports, with venues all around the city. The Swimming venue was at Trees Hall Pool, on the University of Pittsburgh campus. Athlete check-in was at the Pittsburgh Convention Center, which also featured the Athlete Village and several of the sports venues (Basketball, Volleyball, Pickleball, etc.).
Seven Washington Swimmers made it to this year’s NSGs and three of these were from TWIM! The TWIMmers were Candace Jacobs, Steve Schwartz, and Dan Underbrink.
The full Games ran from July 7th through July 18th. The Swimming fell toward the end of the Games this year, with a practice day on July 13th and competition days on July 14-17. The first three days of competition ran with the older seniors (70+) in the mornings, while the 50-69 age group swam in the afternoons. Day 4 had all ages of senior swimmers in the morning for the 500 Freestyle. Nearly 200 people swam in that event! The 500 was followed by relays to conclude the Games.
The TWIM National Senior Games Squad had a great time swimming in this event, and created many memories exploring and discovering what Pittsburgh had to offer.
Candace Jacobs, swimming in the Women’s 70-74 age group was in the ribbons in every event she swam! She placed eighth in 100 IM, seventh in 50 Freestyle, fifth in 50 Backstroke, seventh in 100 Freestyle, and fifth in 50 Butterfly! What a fantastic overall individual performance!
Candace also enjoyed exploring the city. Her favorite place was the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, with its amazing Dinosaur collection and its Geology exhibits. Also, the Joan Brown exhibit at the Carnegie Museum of Art, where she found that Joan was also a swimmer!
Steve Schwartz, swimming in the Men’s 60-64 age group was a powerhouse at this national meet! He received medals or ribbons in every event he swam, starting out with a second-place medal in 200 Freestyle. This was followed by a fifth-place finish in the 400 IM, fourth in the 200 Butterfly, fifth in 200 IM, fifth in 200 Breaststroke, and third in 500 Freestyle.
Here’s what Steve had to say about the swimming: “The swimming highlight in Pittsburgh was Monday morning. After downloading the estimated start times the night before I strolled in expecting a half hour plus till my heat. My son yelled into the locker room that the heat prior to mine was finishing and then ran to the starter to delay the last heat. I put my goggles and cap on and ran (quickly walked) to the starting blocks. Jumping up on the blocks I took one breath, and we were off. I hadn’t calculated that this lane was in the shallow end (4 ft), so my dolphin kick scraped the bottom of the pool. Swimming became a contact sport. My son learned to count for distance, and I ended up with a bronze medal.”
For the last six years, Steve has hosted a family reunion whenever he swims at NSGs. What a great tradition! His sister makes t-shirts (Steve’s Fin Club) and Steve, and his family have a great time exploring each new city. This trip, they enjoyed the inclines, the river views, fireworks, salads, and sandwiches with fries.
Dan Underbrink, swimming in the Men’s 65-69 age group, placed sixteenth in 100 Backstroke, tenth in 100 Breaststroke, thirteenth in 200 Backstroke, tenth in 200 IM, and finally got into the ribbons, with a sixth place in 200 Breaststroke and a seventh place in 500 Freestyle. “I was really pleased with the 200 IM, dropping nearly 5 seconds below my seed time!”
Like Candace, I loved the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. The Dinosaur exhibits are world-class, and I spent over an hour checking out their superb Gem and Mineral collection. Like Steve, I enjoyed the incline and the river views. The river has many bridges crossing it. The Soldiers and Sailors Museum was also a highlight. The classical building was erected to honor Civil War Veterans and the fascinating exhibits honor US troops in every conflict from the War of 1812 up to Desert Storm.
TWIM Relays! NSG rules allow relay teams comprised of any swimmers who competed in any individual event, so same-team or even same-state is not a requirement for team members in these fun relays. Nonetheless, we all agreed it would be great to have some TWIM relays. All relays at the NSGs are 200 yards, and mixed (two men, two women). A Team Captain fills out the relay card and the relay name is the Team Captain’s home state.
For the “Washington” 200 Yard Mixed Medley Relay, we had all three TWIM members participating! We were joined by TWIM friend (and fellow Washington swimmer) Tammy Wilson. The line-up was Steve in Backstroke, Dan in Breaststroke, Tammy in Butterfly, and Candace in Freestyle. Fast, fun, and fifth-place ribbons for each of us!
Picture credit: Mary Underbrink
In the “Washington” 200 Yard Mixed Free Relay, Steve and Dan were joined by Mary Underbrink (Lake Washington Masters) and Debbie Pederson (South Texas Masters). Debbie did two relays with TWIM in Fort Lauderdale last year and asked to join us again. She is another friend of TWIM, and a former Washington resident (Fort Lewis). Our swim order was Mary, Dan, Debbie, and Steve. Sixth place ribbons for all!
As Team Captain, Dan waited around until event results were finalized, and collected ribbons for all relay members. Steve, Candace, and Debbie had all departed to continue travels so their ribbons are now in the mail to them. Add a sixth-place ribbon to Candace’s collection and two ribbons, a fifth and a sixth place to Steve’s winnings.
This was truly a fun event, and we hope you will consider joining us at the next National Senior Games! Those will be held in Des Moines, Iowa, in the Summer of 2025. Don’t forget, to swim the NSGs in Des Moines, you will have to be 50 by the end of 2024 and qualify in the Washington State Senior Games in the Summer of 2024.
