AASC thanks these sponsors of 50 Years of Memories: 1956-2006

Consumers Energy

Different Strokes

Knox Presbyterian Church

Legacy Printing

Speedo

Ann Arbor Swim Club Sets New Standards

AASC Retrospective: Part Three

By Linda Hass and Heather Keeler

Young swimmers fired up about their sport. Mature athletes logging state records and national times. Disabled swimmers unleashing their full potential. High school graduates primed to set college swim records. Age-group swimmers who advance to world competition. In these and countless other ways, the Ann Arbor Swim Club contributes to our sport.

"Hopefully, they're not only better swimmers, they're better people in their community and in the world."

This article, the last in a three-part retrospective of our club, explores our club's impact on swimming over the decades. It reflects on how Ann Arbor Swim Club has furthered the sport in various ways, with greatest emphasis on our club's impact on state and national levels.

"It seems we have little time to sit back and reflect on our triumphs," said Heather Keeler, Anniversary Committee Chair and 50 Split editor. "Our swimmers end one season and quickly take on the challenges of the next. Our coaches and parents do the same. This season's 50th anniversary celebration is our opportunity to widen our lens — to look back on five decades of achievement as individual swimmers and collectively as a club. I think many of our readers will be surprised to learn of the breadth and longevity of our club's impact."

Indeed, AASC has much to be proud of. The accomplishments of our athletes have held up well over the years. Several of our club records that were achieved in the 1980s still rank in the "All-Time Top 100" of national swimming by age group. This is an awesome achievement.

In addition, our club is proud to send many AASC graduates on to college swimming programs. This, too, contributes to the sport of swimming. Last year alone, 10 of our graduates went on to compete at colleges across the nation. As others from our club have before them, these graduates likely will go on to claim varsity or pool records, NCAA accomplishments and perhaps national and Olympic achievements. In these and other ways, our kids are helping to move the sport ahead.

With this forward momentum comes inspiration. As swimmers and parents readily acknowledge, records are great motivational tools. "Records are more than statistics from the past; they could be just what a swimmer needs to push them toward a future goal," said Kathleen McNeeley, AASC parent.

"Looking at past records has a lot of merit. As swimmers see the tradition they are part of, it can inspire them to continue in that direction. It sets a precedent and reinforces a 'can do' attitude."
Dan Ohm, AASC Head Coach

In light of this, we hope you will join us in celebrating our club's impact on and contributions to the sport of swimming. The benefits are more than historical. Use whatever inspiration flows from this to shape your future!

Club Top Times

The best place to start a review of record-setting swims is at home. At the touch of a finger, AASC members can visit our website at annarborswimclub.org and see how their times compare with the Club Top Times, which list the 16 fastest swims in our club's history. These local records are divided into men's and women's individual short course yards and long course meter times; and men's and women's relay short course yards and long course meter times.

It may be tough for new swimmers entering a well-established club to dent these records, especially since many club records are also state records. But it can be done — and it has been done. New events are occasionally added to younger age groups, giving swimmers yet another opportunity to leave their mark. Whether or not a swimmer sets a club record, establishing a time anywhere near the top of the list is a proud achievement, given our club's 50-year history.

Margaret Kelly claims the most club records in the 13 and over age group with 14. Among male club members, Matthew Liu, 10, has racked up the most records in the 12 and under age group with 18. In fact, Matthew holds the most club records, period! Adam Messner has the most club records in the 13 and over age group with seven. Adam set the records in the 1990s.

"Our club's Top Times give me something to strive for," said Rick Kinsey, 16, adding that he checks out the lists occasionally. Lea Allen, 14, said the last time she looked at the Top Times list she was encouraged to see how much she had improved. "It's rewarding to see your progress when you have something to measure yourself against," she said. Jordan Skidmore, 16, agreed. "I like to see where I am in comparison to other times. It gives me something to aim for."

New State Standards

A review of Michigan Swimming records reveals that our club is among the few with multiple record holders, and many of our athletes dominate some categories. Ann Arbor Swim Club athletes hold 57 of the 442 Michigan Swimming records possible at the time of this writing. They also hold 2 of the 28 possible Michigan Postal meet records.

Those numbers have fluctuated quite a bit over the years, said AASC Head Coach Dan Ohm. "Some years we have held many more records; other years we might have held a little less, but AASC always has been well represented," he said. Most of the times and records claimed by our athletes will, at one point, fade into the past. It's even possible that some of the newest records were set as this story was written! But it's also likely that in the ebb and flow of change, AASC athletes will be among the swimmers who set them.

The AASC member with the most individual state records, either male or female, is Mark Loveland, who swam with our club in the 1980s. In the 11-12 year SCY category, Mark holds three records all set in 1985: the 100 free (50.53); the 50 fly (25.38); and the 100 fly (55.94). In the 13-14 year SCY category, Mark holds the 100 fly record (51.73) set in 1987. Mark also had many National Top 16 Times.

AASC women dominate the women's 17-18 year SCY group. We hold relay records in that age group for the 200 medley (1:51.79, 1978); 400 medley (3:55.20, 2005); 400 free (3:34.39, 2003) and 800 free (7:50.90, 1977). Individual records in that age group are held by AASC's Margaret Kelly in the 100 backstroke (55.36) and Hannah Smith in the 200 backstroke (1:59.53), both from 2005.

"Given the right circumstances, we could break those (400 and 800 free) records any year, but circumstances rarely favor it," said Josh Morgan, Head Age Group Coach. Timing is one challenge. That particular relay is held Thursday night. "Not everyone can participate on Thursdays. Most of those who do also compete in the individual 800 free, which is held before the relays, so swimmers are not as fresh for the relay that follows," said Morgan.

Also, athletes get one shot per year at this record because the 800 free relay is only offered at championships. "It's not something you get a second chance to do in the same season," said Morgan. "The talent is there to break the record, we just have to see if the circumstances favor it . . . this could be the year," he added with a smile.

The club's youngest state record holder is Matthew Liu, 10, who claims a Postal Meet record in the 500 freestyle with a time of 6:38.95. That record was set in 2004 when he was 8. "The record will probably be broken, but it was fun to set it," said Matthew, who is now 10. "I'm very grateful to the Ann Arbor Swim Club and my coaches who helped to train me. It inspires me to keep training."

Postal meets are held in the host club's pool and do not require a sanction unless a swimmer is going for a National Postal/Internet Distance Record. Swims range from a 1000 for 9-year olds to a 5000 for the Open classification, with all results tabulated for single age groups. After a team completes the event, results are submitted to USA Swimming for integration with other teams from around the country.

Kristyne Cole, 15, claims the other AASC Postal Record at the time of this writing. She set the mark in the 2000 free with a time of 21:41.96. That record, made in February 2003, was in the girls 12-year-old category.

National Influence

On the national level, our men's and women's teams have traded places as powerhouses, with the men making their mark with National Top 16 times from 1995 to 2001, and the women following suit starting around 2002, based on available data.

AASC swimmers have achieved countless National Reportable Times on the USA Swimming circuit over the years. At season's end, NRTs from across the nation are ranked and the 16 fastest become the "National Top 16" each season. Susan Woessner, USA Swimming spokesperson, confirms: "There are two requirements for Top 16 recognition. You must achieve the NRT ranking for the given event, and you must be ranked in the Top 16 of that event." Since 1996, 74 individual and relay times achieved by AASC swimmers have ranked among the National Top 16.

During a swim season, one AASC individual swimmer and two relay teams achieved first-place times in the National Top 16 ranking. Adam Messner claimed national first-place honors in the 17-18 year category during the 1996-1997 season with his LCM time of 3:57.76 in the 400 freestyle.

"Records can be a great motivational tool, especially for swimmers who are close to those times."
Cathy Hapanowicz, AASC Board Secretary

The first-place relay teams were both in the women's 15-16 year SCY category and were set in the 2003-2004 season. Hannah Smith, Margaret Kelly, Julie Kahn and Leigh Cole powered to a national first-place time of 1:35.78 in the 200 freestyle relay and Hannah Smith, Kara Stiles, Margaret Kelly and Leigh Cole captured first in the 800 freestyle relay with a time of 7:32.67.

The dominant AASC female swimmer in the national standings is Margaret Kelly, who has nine National Top 16 individual times, according to the data available at this time. The dominant AASC male swimmer is Adam Messner, who claims six National Top 16 times.

"The Ann Arbor Swim Club helped prepare me for my later swim career by training me to set appropriate goals and helping me to develop specific plans for achieving them," said Messner. "This is an important lesson and something I shared with my teammates at Stanford University," added Messner, who graduated from Stanford where he was co-captain of the swim team.

The youngest AASC male still ranking in the All-Time Top 100 is Matthew McVittie, 10 and under boys, for the 50-yard backstroke (30.77). The youngest female is Katie Ladewski, 10 and under girls, for the 50-yard fly (29.11). The highest ranked male is Mark Loveland, still 19th for his 1985 100-yard freestyle time as an 11-12 swimmer; and the highest ranked female is Ladewski, still 27th for her 1994 50-meter fly time of 32.17 as a 10 and under.

These fast times from Ann Arbor Swim Club athletes have endured for decades. Mark Loveland's 50-meter butterfly from 1984 still ranks in the Top 100 list for men, as does Annette Salmeen's 200-yard butterfly race from 1989. These are awesome accomplishments!

During the 2004-05 season, the national achievements of our athletes earned Ann Arbor Swim Club a Silver Medal in the National Club Excellence Program of USA Swimming.

World Competition

Ann Arbor Swim Club athletes have left their mark on the international scene as well. Many AASC age-group swimmers advanced to world competition. Marcia Smoke Jones, who swam with our club in the 1950s and 1960s, earned a 1964 Olympic bronze medal in kayaking. Micki King, who swam with our club about the same time, earned a 1972 Olympic gold medal in diving. Adam Messner, who swam with our club in the 1980s and 90s, earned a 1999 Pan American Games gold medal as a member of the 800-meter relay team. Annette Salmeen went on to earn a 1996 Olympic gold medal as a member of the 800-meter freestyle relay.

More recently, two former AASC swimmers competed in the 2004 Olympic Trials, Lindsey Smith and Zayd Ma, both of whom now train with Club Wolverine and The University of Michigan swim teams.

At least two of our athletes have distinguished themselves nationally and internationally in disability swimming championships: Jason Wening and Richard Mazur. Wening, a congenital bilateral below-the-knee amputee, was an Ann Arbor Swim Club member from 1997-2000. He captured five gold medals and one bronze medal at three Paralympic Games. He also holds national and world records in the 800- and 1500-meter freestyles and the 400-meter individual medley. Observers describe Wening, who competes in the S-8 category for swimmers with physical disabilities, as one of the world's dominant disabled swimmers.

"I seriously doubt I would have swum that well without the Ann Arbor Swim Club. It provided me with three of the best years of training I ever had," said Wening, who resides in Chicago.

Richard Mazur practiced with the Ann Arbor Swim Club in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Mazur, who competes in the S-14 category for swimmers with cognitive disabilities, went on to win several gold and silver medals in the USA National Competition for Swimmers with a Disability and has set several American records. At the 2001 Disability Championships in Phoenix, Ariz., his relay teams won the 200-, 400-, and 800-meter freestyle and set new American records in the 400- and 800-meter events.

Richard's mother, Lauren Mazur, said a reporter best summed his abilities and disabilities with this description: "Diagnosed as autistic, Richard . . . has always struggled with speech. He is more comfortable in the pool. His language is written in the water, his words composed of backstroke and butterfly, his sentences the long pull down the pool."

The significant milestone of Ann Arbor Swim Club's 50th anniversary gives us good reason to reflect on five decades of achievement, both as individual swimmers and collectively as a club. We have much to be proud of for our contributions within our club, state, and the national framework of our sport.

Editor's Note: The pool is a dynamic place; keep in mind that all citations of club top times, state records and National Top 16 swims are based on data available as of October 2005 and include 2004-05 swims. National Top 16 data is based on data published on the USA Swimming website. Data from seasons 1997-98 and 1998-99, years that AASC swimmer Wendy Shieh is remembered to have achieved several Top 16 times, is missing. The list of "All-Time Top 100 Times" fills in some data for those years.

AASC swimmers, coaches, and parents — past and present —send us a "Memorable Moment" from your AASC years. Is it a funny moment, coach's heart-to-heart, or an inspired race? Email yours by Dec. 20; be sure to include your name.

Entries will be randomly selected to receive an anniversary gift item, a $10 value. Results will appear in a future issue of 50 Split.

Looking for Olympic inspiration? From archery to wrestling, learn about techniques, equipment and strategy of 50 sports of the Summer and Winter Games by viewing Olympic Flash animations.

(Requires Flash 5 plug-in, which can be downloaded via these links.)

Next Issue: Find some saddle shoes to wear and 45s to spin, and get ready for a "1956 flashback."