Harold E. Peter
SaddleBrooke Swimmers were drawn on February 25 to the Chandler, AZ Mesquite Grove Aquatic Center to participate at the important qualifying meet for the Senior Olympics National Championship to be held in Albuquerque, New Mexico in June of 2019. The qualifying meets are held in various parts of the USA. The Senior Olympic Championship meets are held every two years also in various parts of the USA. The swimmers need to finish at a qualifying meet in the top four places of each event. However, the rules stipulate that when you swim a 200-yard event you get a qualifying 100 and 50-yard event as a qualifying freebie. The Mesquite Grove Aquatic Center Pool temperature was nice and warm to somehow overcome the cool air temperature however, it also was a nice sunny day. Our twenty-two swimmers were awarded a total of 82 medals and five ribbons. The medals broke down to 47 Gold, 23 Silver and 12 Bronze. Each swimmer was allowed to swim in five events and I will name the Gold medal winners as they are well deserved. Our coach Doug Springer earned five golds and Ken McKinney, Wendy Weingberg, Harold Peter, Gloria Tolaro and Samantha Martoni each earned four gold medals. Three gold medals were awarded to Lyn Moreno and Al Worth. Two golds went to Craig Shaeffer, Glenn Tweksbury, Karin Bivens, Debi and Steve Truesdale. And, finally, one gold to Stanley Strebik, Gene Hildreth, Allison Lehman, Bill Ton and Steve Willer. Needless to say, some of the aforementioned also in addition to the gold received silver and bronze medals. One casualty happened as Harold Peter fell down some concrete steps resulting in a fractured rib. Despite that, he still swam his 200-yard breaststroke, not knowing, of course, that he had suffered the rib fracture. However, that takes care of his swimming for the next one to three months.