Elizabeth Henley
Members of this club have lots to celebrate, and we know how to have fun!
Every spring (sans a pandemic), we have a team celebration event where we celebrate those who have won all-American awards. We also honor the recipients of the President’s Award and coaches’ awards, as well as Heritage Hall inductees. The highest honor the club can bestow is to induct an individual into Heritage Hall; one or two people can receive this award per year, although this seems to be a more recent custom.
Heritage Hall honorees have distinguished themselves through their exceptional swimming achievements, or by generously dedicating their time, talents, and other resources to promoting swimming in SaddleBrooke.
Most of these awards are surprises to the individuals receiving them. They bring tears, big smiles, and lots of joy to all. To date, the recipients are:
2013
Steve Profitt, benefactor; Sally Bolar, all-American; Fred Klein, all-American; Doug Springer, coach; Jeff Eighmy, president; Terese Butler, Ironman and president
2014
Diane Wagner, club officer and Ironman; Joyce Howard, treasurer; Glen Peterson, 1st club president
2015
Jill Fritz, “mad hatter;” Phil Simpson, assistant coach
2016
David Taylor, dedicated long-distance swimmer
2017
Jack Allison, president “extraordinaire”
2018
Lyn Moreno, “let’s swim,” all-American
2019
Joan Pierce, executive, all-American; Jay Selnick, dedicated coach
2020
Jack Fritz, national record holder; Steve Truesdale, our “go to” swimmer
We always publicize these honorees in our community newspapers; furthermore, all-Americans and Heritage Hall recipients are highlighted on our bulletin board in DesertView. And, yes, we conclude the awards ceremony with food and a social hour.
As mentioned in a previous article, we have fun swim events, such as the Intra-Squad meet in the spring where there are some rather unusual events designed for fun. We usually have a team lunch after the meet. Our coaches lead fun relays at Thanksgiving and Christmas practices. Out of the water, we sponsor an Easter egg hunt and special events at the pool for the grandkids of SaddleBrooke.
We have a very active social committee that loves to throw parties for us, and they do—with every excuse to have one, and some they make up. Sans a pandemic, we typically have two big social events per year. Many of these have themes, such as Hawaiian, Margaritaville, the ‘60s, and sports. This gives some members a chance to either show off or embarrass themselves, all in good fun. We typically dress to suit the theme and give a prize for the best costume. These socials involve spouses, games, music, entertainment, and always food, where the dessert table is the most popular.
Club Details
Dues for club membership are $20 a year, which includes a club shirt. You can learn more about the club at SaddleBrookeSwimClub.org. We welcome new members.