This Year’s Betsey Award Goes To…

by Carl Haynie (with help from Holly Lickwala)

Another year has passed and that means it’s time to bestow the Betsey Kassen award onto one of our stellar TWIM teammates!  If you are newer to TWIM and wondering what this is all about, it points back to the early days when TWIM was a mere twinkle in our founders’ eyes. Betsey was there from the beginning and an integral part of making TWIM what it is today.

As Scott Neuhaus so aptly pointed out in the inaugural year of the award:

Some pretty special congratulations are in order for anyone garnering even a single vote for the Elizabeth “Betsey” Kassen Award. Finalists for the award exemplify the spirit Betsey, herself, exuded when she swam for our team. She dominated in the pool with a competitive attitude that is the benchmark for us all and it is that approach that buoys us, mentally, physically and in spirit as we anticipate coming competitions.

Before we get to this year’s top 3 vote earners, honorable mentions need to go out to two other vote-earners in this year’s election: Jessi Gable and Scott Neuhaus.

Mr. Neuhaus, a gifted writer who contributed frequently to this blog, was the architect behind this award and worked behind the scenes to collect votes for the inaugural winner in 2022 (namely, co-winners Holly and Brent!). He was a master fundraiser, raising a bunch of donations for TWIM in the last year or so. I say “was” because, sadly, he had to move a bit too far away from TWIMdom and, as such, is no longer allowed to register under PSM and TWIM due to USMS regional rules. But some of us lucked out when he swam for TWIM at the Snohomish meet last November! What a treat!

Jessi, since joining the TWIM board, has contributed so many good ideas to help out TWIM that it’s been hard for some of us old folks to keep up with her energy. She represented TWIM well, recently, when she attended the annual Relay Forum in Houston last October. USMS hosts this Club, Event, and Community Development forum each year, and Jessi came home with a bunch of great ideas to help move TWIM forward. Oh, and did I mention, Jessi finds time coaching swimmers and TWIMmers alike down in Centralia!

So, our top 3 vote-getters, in increasing number, are….

David Scott

Dave has been a high vote earner for the third consecutive year, with an extensive list of accolades. His impressive swimming rap sheet showcases his dedication and talent. Dave participated in six local LMSC-sanctioned events, two Oregon-hosted events, the Pacific Masters Short Course Yards Championships, Sacramento CA and the Fargo Fly sanctioned by the Minnesota LMSC. His extraordinary commitment was evident when he managed to compete in two meets across two different states in a single weekend. What a remarkable feat!

Dave’s prowess in the pool is particularly highlighted by his exceptional breaststroke skills, which have earned him a 5th and 9th place national ranking in the Short Course Meters (SCM) and Long Course Meters (LCM) His unwavering dedication to the sport and his consistent high-level performance is truly commendable.

Beyond his swimming achievements, Dave has been an active and invaluable member of the TWIM and PNA boards. He is also a level 1 and level 2 USMS certified coach, contributing beyond the pool. He continues to share his amazing 3D printing skills as showcased with a beautiful array of bag tags, many of which are proudly owned by TWIM swimmers. His thoughtfulness and team spirit go hand in hand.

Despite his numerous accomplishments, it is Dave’s graciousness, humility, and phenomenal team support that have earned him the respect of his fellow swimmers. His character, dedication, and unwavering support for his team make him a cherished and beloved member of TWIM. Ask him about breaststroke, and you’ll get expert advice.

If you have not yet had the pleasure of meeting Dave, make it a top priority the next time your paths cross. You will quickly understand why we hold him in such high regard and why his presence is so deeply valued on TWIM.

Dan Underbrink

Coming in with the second highest count of votes is our own President of the Board, Dan Underbrink. It’s hard to imagine anyone working harder for TWIM. Not only does he find the time to organize and host our monthly Board meetings, but he is tireless in helping our parent organization as well, namely PNA, as a director on their Board. As this year’s winner pointed out to me numerous times over the last year: “we are sooo lucky to have Dan as our President!”

Oh, and in swimming, if there’s a meet within like a 6 hour drive, it’s a safe bet that Dan is registered in it. And he’s no slouch either, signing up for the most demanding events. As I write this, he just completed the annual 1500 meter swim in Bellevue. Then there’s the SAMI (Swim Around Mercer Island) he heads up and swims each fall. I don’t know how he does it!

USMS keeps track of your individual results and I just looked up Dan’s swims that are listed there. In the 64-69 age group alone, he has 177 individual swims to his name! And this isn’t counting all the swims he’s done in Worldwide competitions and Senior Games. Dan (with his wife Mary) competed in the Pan Pacific Masters Games in Australia a couple years ago, and he took home the gold in the 800m breaststroke. Is there anything this guy won’t enter? It seems no distance and no event is too tough for the guy!

Dan’s accomplishments outside of the pool are pivotal to the local swimming community, too. He’s an ever-present fixture behind running swim clinics for TWIM, and he never misses a chance to represent TWIM as an Ambassador, be it at a PNA Board Meeting, a TWIM Board Meeting, or organizing a recent high-powered Coaches Clinic in Olympia for USMS.

Bravo, Dan. We are eternally grateful for all that you do! If Tom were alive today, I know how he would have voted. He confided in me a while back he was going to throw all his votes into your court for 2025.

This year’s Betsey Award goes to…

Thomas Walker

No words can express the sadness we all felt when we learned of Tom’s passing last fall. Not only did we lose our Founder, our Inspiration, and our Friend, Pacific Northwest Swimming lost a giant. He was top dog behind TWIM, TWIM’s chief advocate, and our beloved “Chairman of the Board” (COB).

So, it’s no wonder, Tom posthumously garnered the most votes this year.

Tom was the inspiration behind TWIM, Team Walker International Masters, after he showed up one day to an event in 2014 wearing a t-shirt that read “TEAM WALKER | Lifetime Member”. Betsey Kassen and I fell in love with that, and the rest is, as they say, history.

Tom was a true polymath, a multi-talented and multi-faceted soul, a Renaissance Man if you will, who learned to read Greek, play multiple instruments, and take in and partake in all forms of history and art. Heck, I even got him into birding. All the while he exuded a joy-filled spirit propelled by a wonderful sense of humor, extraordinary writing prowess, as well as a deep faith in a higher being.

For many years, he wrote The Spotlight column in the PNA Wetset and through his writings, we learned so much about our local icons in Northwest Swimming.

And, like Dan, he was an ironman when it came to competing. Tom and I calculated once how many times he had swum the 400 IM in competition which began for him while he was in his mid 30s. The answer? At least 97 times!

Tom loved TWIM. He would never miss an opportunity to cheer on his teammates before a meet:

Once again the Hour is upon us. Time to live out our Credo, which is to get up on the blocks at every opportunity and give it our all, for ourselves and for our teammates. In keeping with sacred tradition, I have lit the Victory Torch high atop TWIM Tower and started the Ceremonial Meet Clock. For it is in this very act, the summoning up of all within to step up upon these blocks, that our most enduring Victory lies. Rally around the Old Blue and White!

The Victory Torch dimmed at your passing, Tom, but your spirit has it once again burning bright.