Highflying Butterflyer Susan Moss Fuller; photo by Rodger Bivens
Breaststroking toward home is Karin Biven; photo by Rodger Bivens
Highflying Butterflyer Joyce Howard; photo by Rodger Bivens
Phil Simpson
It has been a year’s wait but that has made the taste of victory for the SaddleBrooke swimmers all the sweeter. One year ago we were reporting that the SaddleBrooke Masters Swim Team had fared second best at the annual Ron Johnson Meet held at the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center on the Arizona State University campus. That meet, held last October on Halloween, proved to be an especially spooky event for the SaddleBrooke natators as they were defeated by the slimmest of margins.
This year evolved to be entirely different as SaddleBrooke, on November 12 and 13, righted its victory ship that a year earlier had been tossed by choppy waters in the form of a lack of a full complement of swimmers and a number of inadvertent disqualifications. When the waters had calmed in the 25 meter pool, some 40 SaddleBrooke swimmers had tallied over 700 points more than their closest foe, in a performance highlighted by exceptional swims in both the individual and relay competitions.
SaddleBrooke captured the lion’s share of high point winners in the more senior age groups, with this distinction accorded to those swimmers who place highest in their age groups in a maximum of eight individual events. Earning that prestigious honor were Gloria Tolaro, Bob Sears, Corinna Goodman, Ken McKinney, Coach Doug Springer and Coach Susan Moss Fuller. Coach Fuller’s two days of competition were capped by outstanding performances, as she set state records in the 100 and 200 meter butterfly events. And a particularly noteworthy performance was registered by Joyce Howard who recorded personal best times in five of her eight individual events.
This year’s Ron Johnson meet also witnessed strong first time performances by swimmers new to the SaddleBrooke Masters team. Martha Takakoshi, Steve Truesdale, Jim Spiegel, Bob Sears, Samantha Martoni, Maureen Fry and Joannie Eastridge all acquitted themselves very capably in their individual and relay events.
SaddleBrooke’s Masters team can now proudly claim the title of 2016 Arizona Short Course Meters champion, in addition to Short Course Yards champion, a title the team has earned for four consecutive years. And a fifth straight yards title? We’ll see. That championship meet is scheduled for April 2017. One thing is certain. SaddleBrooke’s swimmers will rise to the challenge.