by Scott Neuhaus
Wow!
What a meet.
The competition was superb, the comradery was unparalleled, and the venue was impeccable; as usual. Those Puget Sound Masters people sure know how to run an event. Special thanks goes out to Meet Director David McCarty, Meet Referee Terry White, the staff of KCAC, all the volunteer timers, IT people, officials and lifeguards. We on the TWIM team know how special you are and that these events would never happen without your generosity with your time.
You know, I don’t think I ever saw so many races that were so close as to be won by the proverbial “gnat’s eyelash”. A tad more oomph here, a skosh less effort there; so many races that could’ve gone either way. Thank God for electronic timing. Actually, I guess we should thank science for electronic timing. It makes you wonder what they did back in ancient times (Olympics/Greece) to compare runners and swimmers. They must’ve had some incredibly precise sundials, huh!? As you might know, timing was unimportant then; winning was everything. In fact, the ancient Greeks (Macedonians) had a poignant saying: da dojdes na vtoroto mesto e da izgubis which very literally meant “to come in second is to lose”. We are a little more sophisticated in our thinking nowadays. We understand that there is victory, even in defeat, due to unseen obstacles some have had to overcome while others have not. Walk a mile in the guy who finished 3rd’s shoes and you might not even be swimming. I know there is no truer admonition. Working with Special Olympics kids like I do, well, it has fortified that sentiment in my mind. I have never relished competition more than I do now. Winning is great but setting the goals and enjoying the journey is where it’s at.
Before I get to the amazing performances that occurred, though, an “aside”.
I have a bone to pick with Father Time.
What’s the deal, dude!? Is this the Theory of Relativity or the Compression of Time in a 4th dimension, or what!? Specifically, why does time go by faster as one ages? When I was a kid, a summer, those blissful 90+ days of no school, used to last for years, it seemed. Now, time rolls by so quickly, months rush by like Usain Bolt on a caffeine high. And how is it that so many more seconds zip by when I’m swimming the same distance I’ve always swum? A second is still 1/60th of a minute, isn’t it? Oh, it’s now officially defined as 9 billion one hundred ninety-two million six hundred thirty-one thousand seven hundred seventy vibrations of the unperturbed ground state of the hyperfine transition frequency of the Cesium 133 atom.
What!!?
Carpe Diem . . Cesium the day!
I think if you do that when you’re older, you’ll only get 23 hours in your day!! Oh, I forgot the exceptions. There are those that swim among us that, apparently, were anointed with the tears of a narwhal at a young age and therefore do not age the same; Rick Collela, Kurt Grote, Sonja Skinner, Scot Sullivan and Dan Kirkland come to mind. But let’s not talk about them. Let discuss normal swimmers. I’ve been trained that, as a writer, I get the facts first, then I can distort them any way I want. But this is not me distorting facts. This is Father Time distorting the space-time continuum . . just to make those of us that are normal, appear to swim slower. It is a conspiracy of epic proportions!!
I know.
Common sense is needed here but common sense is like deodorant, the people that need it most never use it. Okay, okay, I’ll stop. When one finds oneself in a hole they should know to stop digging. But I want all to know that I am lodging a formal protest with this alleged “Father Time”. I know it’s not “Mother Time” because a female wouldn’t be so cruel. And I’m doubling my workout efforts (and canvassing far and wide for all to be on the lookout for that narwhal).
Disclaimer: These are NOT the ravings of a lunatic. Lunatic ravings are off the charts, and I have been assured by my therapist, that, although certainly on the periphery of said charts I am, none the less, still on them. And I take great pride in that.
Now for the good stuff, the skinny, the low down, the meat and potatoes on what transpired in the wet stuff.
But first:
The Star-Spangled Banner was sung by Dan Underbrink and I, harmonizing in our little corner and more than just one passerby acknowledged that it wasn’t too bad. Then, all heads, well, a lot of heads bowed for reflection to the water gods. That vigil was led by Dave Scott, Steve Fogg and again, myself.
Now, in alphabetical order:
Guilherme Anzilago Tesser is first up; the man with more letters in his name than a shark has teeth. Speaking of sharks, this guy is scary in the water. He was only on board for the first day of the meet, but he sure showed us some speed. Swimming in the 40-44 group he grabbed 1st in the 50 fly w/ a nice :31.40. He followed that up with a blazing :26.51 in the 50 free. He also found time to help out on a relay. And there was a reunion of sorts, that he was a part of also. A gal friend, Ana Paula da Rosa Silva, from Brazil, happened to be in Vancouver, Canada and came down to commiserate with us all, and swim! Who are we kidding, she came to visit Guilherme. I love the sound of Portuguese! She was a sweetheart, though. An original “girl from Ipanema” (actually from an area a bit further south than Rio). She was freaking fast in the water, too. She got 1st in the 35-39 gals 50 free in a very respectable :32.42.
Next is Brent Barnes. How does contributing 92 points to the PSM cause sound!? That’s 4th best among TWIMmers! I can’t believe that 5 years ago I could keep up with this guy in breaststroke. Now his 100 split in his 200 breast is 5 seconds faster than my 100!! That doesn’t seem right! He’s pulling away from me in the freestyle events, too. Nice times, Brent. . .keep it up. I don’t mind (much).
New gal Emily Castillo stopped by on Saturday to swim a couple individual events and she also anchored a relay. Nothing like going for a pair of tough races in the super-competitive 45-49 age group. Still, she came away with 2 second places, one in the 200 IM and the other in the 50 fly. Whenever I hear the name Emily, I think of the movie, “The Devil Wears Prada” and how Merril Streep’s character refers to her assistants, no matter what their real name, as “Emily”. As if they were all the same. Ironic, in this case, as our Emily has nothing “run of the mill” about her. A very special talent with a personality to match. It’s really great having you aboard, Em!
Next topic for discussion is the Foggmeister, the Velvet Fogg, the Big Kahuna. He always makes his presence known, not just in the pool but also aiding and abetting all his teammates with words of encouragement, coaching tips (thanks!) and even counting for whomever asks. He swam 4 individual events and two relays and, in the process, contributed 77 points to the cause. That doesn’t tell the whole story, though. Two of his swims, the 100 fly and the 50 backstroke, were new PNA records. I’d like to think I played a part, albeit small, in the backstroke record. I believe the exact quote from him coming out of the water, from the heat where I was on the outside of him, was, “you had me worried for a sec there!” (Yes, I added the exclamation point as I really don’t think he was that concerned). All his swims will be Top ten rankings for the year if last year is any indication.
Brad Jones stopped by for a visit on Saturday and talk about making a splash! How does a new PNA record in the 400 Free sound!? How ‘bout if I told you his 4:38.06 broke it by over 5 seconds!!? He nearly had another in the 100 fly as well, missing by the narrowest of margins (one tenth of a second!!!). He almost had a third in the 50 fly, too! Needless to say, he left us all on the edge of our seats. His 50 fly split in the relay was faster than the PNA record by .62 seconds but, alas, that is not official, just, simply, freakin’ fast!! All three of his swims will definitely be top 5 ranked, nationally, for the year! I think he knows where that darn narwhal hangs out!
I heard a rumor at this meet that the guy that has beaten me in breaststroke more times than Dan Underbrink has, is converting over to TWIM. Bill Krieger is his name and breaststroke definitely is his game. And as it happened, I was able to beat him for the first time EVER in the 50 breast, this very meet. Sure, it was because he was DQ’d, but a win is a win. I won’t mention the fact that he took his 100 breast out 2 seconds faster than I swam my 50. And his initial 50 in his lightning fast 200 breast (good enough for top 12 nationally) was nearly as fast as my sprint. What I’m trying to say is, welcome aboard Bill; it’s good to have you!!
Holly Lickwala was present and accounted for, contributing 94 points to the cause. She swam in 5 individual events and 3 relays. Some impressive duty! Mixed therein were three first place finishes and two seconds. Her 50 back, 200 back, 50 breast and 200 breast look like they are certain top 10 times nationally as they were snugly in there for last year. In addition to this she is always there with words of encouragement while keeping an ever-watchful eye on her two boys. Oh, and this means that our dynamic duo of Holly and Brent racked up 186 points together!! Incredible!!
Kerry Ness was there both days, but a shoulder injury limited him to team support exclusively on day 2. Still, he did chip in 45 points for his efforts on Saturday with his swims in the 400 free, the 100 breast and the 50 fly. And I have to say that he is a trailblazer in the comfort division. I will be shopping for one of those reclining backpack chairs of his. I definitely want what he’s having!
Kathy Pelham swam three events, all on Saturday and helped out on a relay, too. Two second places (200 & 400 frees) and a first; her 1500 time/win will be fast enough to rank her in the top 5 nationally, for the season, most assuredly, as it would’ve in the past 3 seasons.
The Fargo kid, Dave Scott, made waves of his own. A first, two seconds and a third plus a nice leadoff swim in the 400 free relay. And that 200 breaststroke!!? Last year his 3:00.14 was 8th ranked nationally. He blasted that out of the water, here, with a white-hot 2:55.17. That just might make top 5!! His 100 breast was top 15 last year, and he pegged up 2/3 of a second off of that, so that should be up there, too. A great effort with fine results for the kid from North Dakota!
El Presidente, Dan Underbrink, tossed in 103 points for the meet and by that total won the high point trophy for the team while coming in 2nd in his age group. He swam 1300 competitive meters while scoring 1st in the 200 back. He had 3 seconds (200 free, 400 free & 200 Breast) and notched 3rd in the 50 & 100 backs. He also was on 2 PSM relays. Double duty is a way of life for Ironman Dan.
Tom Walker was back off the disabled list after getting his hand sewn back together. His 85 points contributed was noteworthy in that he was DQ’d in the 100 IM otherwise he would’ve broken the century mark. He won the 400 free while registering a second in the 200 back. He racked up thirds across the board in the breaststroke events.
And then there was your humble, poolside reporter, showing measurable improvement generally, giving me some hope that special times are soon to come. But if not, I’m all about the journey, and so far, the journey, especially when sharing it with this great bunch of aquaphiles that I am surrounded by at these events, well, it makes it all the more special and memorable.
TWIM swimmers, as alluded to above, were very active in PSM relays. In fact, Holly swam in 3 of them! Dan, Steve Fogg and I swam in 2 each. Kathy Pelham, Dave Scott, Brad Jones, Emily Castillo and Guilherme each swam one. The rankings are not out for the 2023 season but compared to last year there were several notable performances. Holly’s 1:30.56 breaststroke leg on the PSM 400M mixed medley relay (160-199) propelled that foursome to what would’ve marked up at third place, nationally, last year. We’ll have to see how it scores for this year, but that is impressive. Holly and Emily each contributed scorching legs to their 160-199 women’s 200 free relay that would’ve been 5th, nationally, last year. Me, Dan and the Foggmeister contributed solid efforts to score what would’ve been 5th last year in the 280-319 Free relay (400). And Steve Fogg swam the backstroke leg on the mixed 200 medley which was fast enough to get 6th last year. The younger relays, well, things just need to be too blazing to mark up too high but that does not detract from the individual efforts therein. Specifically, I would like to acknowledge Brad Jones’ smoking 27.14 leg in the PSM 200-239 free relay, Dave Scott’s 1:09.46 free leg on the 200-239 free relay, Kathy Pelham’s speedy 34.63 on the 200-239 women’s free relay and finally Guilherme’s very nice 28.48 50 free anchoring the 120-159 free relay (200). Nicely done, everyone, for making yourselves available and contributing considerable effort to the PSM cause.
So, there you have it, the final word on the final meet of the year. A fitting capper on 2023 with an eye toward 2024. There’s more fun to be had right around the corner. In the meantime, to my TWIM family, hopefully everyone will have a happy and safe holiday season. That includes Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year and any other holiday that I’m not aware of that needs celebrating.
’Til we hit the waves again.
Scott Neuhaus
