Masters swimmers participated in a variety of events in the Ozark Championship Meet this past weekend at the Chuck Fruit Aquatic Center. Below is race director Maryanne Barkley, also a masters competitor. (Series of photos by Dan Brannan)

The 2015 Ozark Masters Swimming Championship this past weekend at the Chuck Fruit Aquatic Center in Edwardsville opened the facility up to yet another demographic.

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The performances and camaraderie were evident through the meet this past weekend.

Race director Maryanne Barkley said the Chuck Fruit Aquatic Center is a great facility and she was proud of how the meet went through the weekend.

“Swimming for life is the motto for many in the meet,” she said. “This is something the competitors do. Many of the competitors train two to five times a week.”

Mary Pohlmann, of Carbondale, is on the U.S. Masters Swimming Committee, and she helped Barkley with coordination.

She agreed that the Chuck Fruit facility was perfect for the masters’ meet.

“There is so much advantage to having access to the facility here,” she said.

“We had swimmers from 18 years old to 89 years old.”

Bob Rettle, director of the Chuck Fruit Aquatic Center, beamed with pride about the meet and how it was conducted.

“This is yet another demographic that has made use of the Chuck Fruit Aquatic Center facility,” he said. “I couldn’t be more pleased.”

Here is a summary of area performances:

Nineteen individual Ozark regional records were set at the competition and seven relay records.

We had 60 competitors in the two-day competition from Illinois, Missouri and Tennessee. The age range of competitors was 19-89.

St. Louis Area Masters (SLAM) took top honors with 902 points, followed by Team Godzilla (Metro TriClub of Edwardsville) with 319 points; The Mighty Narwhals - Riverbend Masters Swimming from Godfrey, IL with 232 point and CSP Tideriders of Clayton, MO with 112 points.

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The most records were set by Larry Good, age 81 of Carbondale.  He swims for SLAM (St Louis Area Masters) in the 80-84 men's age group.  

His records were the 200 yard freestyle 2:48.08, 500 yard freestyle 7:45.60, 1,000 yard freestyle 16:16.75, 100 backstroke 1:33.54, 50 breaststroke 45.76, 100 breaststroke 1:37.49, 100 individual medley 1:27.21 and 200 individual medley 3:17.71.  He also swam on the SLAM record-breaking 55 and over age-group 400 yard mixed medley relay of Larry Good, John Pohlmann, Teresa McDowell and Mary Pohlmann (6:28.52).  Teresa McDowell is from St Louis, John and Mary Pohlmann from Carbondale.

SLAM set six relay records and Team Godzilla (Metro TriClub of Edwardsville) set one.  The ZILA record was in the Women's 35 and over age-group 800 freestyle relay with a time of 13:21.70.  Team members were Jennifer Miller (Edwardsville), Katie Mondy Hughes (Glen Carbon), Amy Ogden (Edwardsville) and Carolan Cross (Edwardsville).

Howard Harris (age 70 of Greenville, IL) set three Ozark records in the men's 70-74 age group: 50 yard breaststroke 36.52, 100 breaststroke 1:20.72; 200 breaststroke 3:08.10.

Clay Kolar (age 56 of Makanda, IL) set three Ozark records in the men's 55-59 age group: 100 breaststroke 1:16.33; 200 breaststroke 2:51.85 and 100 IM 1:13.75.

Hermanus Louw (age 39 of Murphysboro, IL) set three Ozark records in the men's 35-39 age group: 50 yard freestyle 22.01 and 200 freestyle 1:48.54.

Bennett Keefer, age 26, of St Louis, MO, set one record in the men's 25-29 age group with his 100 yard breaststroke time of 1:01.88.

Mary Pohlmann, Carbondale, IL, was the sole women's division individual record-breaker, setting a new record in the 1,000 yard freestyle for 70-74 year old women with a time of 17:20.13.   Her split time at the 200 mark was also a new record 3:21.90.  She also swam on three record-setting SLAM relays.

Anne Powell, Chair and professor of Computer Management and Information Systems at SIUE, swam on two of St Louis Area Master's record-breaking relays.

Those were:

45 and over mixed 400 yard freestyle relay with Anne Powell (Edwardsville, IL), Maryanne Barkley (Troy, IL), Mike Terhaar (Troy, IL) and Dave Davidson (Carbondale, IL). Time 4:56.79

45 and over mixed 800 yard freestyle relay with Maryanne Barkley, Mike Terhaar, Anne Powell and Steven Hancock (Florissant, MO). Time 10.26.68

The youngest swimmer was 18-year-old Emmanuel Bishop of Grafton, who is training for the swimming events in the Illinois Special Olympics.

 

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