Noelle Minck
The Ron Johnson Masters Championship held at the ASU Pool Oct. 26 and 27 was a stage for personal achievements and displays of teamwork for SaddleBrooke’s Master’s swimmers.
For Rome Yount, the highlight of the meet was the sheer fun of being with his team. “The camaraderie everyone showed over the weekend was my best memory,” Rome reflected. “It was like practice but with the whole team, not just our practice group.” The shark tattoos handed out by Lyn Moreno contributed to the fun. Rome finished up with six personal best times. Rome’s performance was a reflection of his consistency of practice, practice, practice and his joy for the sport.
Shawne Cryderman had a golden moment when she learned of her victory in the 50-meter backstroke in the 70–74 age group. Teammate Paige Szajnuk announced the surprise to Shawne when she won her gold medal, and Paige reported how surprised and happy it made Shawne. Shawne recounted, “I also had a personal best time in the 100-meter backstroke. I’m thrilled, proud, and darn pleased with how everything went.”
The meet’s individual victories extended to moments of triumph over rivals. Allison Lehman, who competed in the 65-69 age group, was particularly proud of her performance in the 200-meter backstroke. “My favorite moment was beating my nemesis in the 200-meter backstroke, especially because it was in front of her home team crowd,” she said. Allison had five personal best times in her events that weekend.
Although there were individual achievements, this meet was about the team. “My favorite moment was seeing Lyn Moreno smile in disbelief when she realized she had bettered several of her personal best records,” said Wendy Weinberg. For Lyn, the sense of “team” was just as significant as her personal performance. She described the best moments as seeing her teammates swim well because of SaddleBrooke Swim Club’s (SBSC) fabulous coaching staff, being together with her teammates, supporting each other, and having fun. Lyn relates, “SaddleBrooke Masters is truly an awesome team!” Lyn set two personal best times and earned high-point honors in her age group, a testament to both her individual effort and the team’s encouragement.
In the 90-94 age group, Arlyn Melcher conveyed, “Since I had no competition in my age group, my goal was to improve over last year. I started slow in my first two events but regained my rhythm over the remaining seven events. I met my improvement goal on most of them, and it was fun to see my progress.” Arlyn finished as the high point winner in his age group.
For many SBSC swimmers, this meet was an experience of personal growth, team solidarity, and celebration of the sport. Whether it was setting a new personal best, winning a gold medal, or supporting teammates, the Ron Johnson Championship was a powerful reminder of the joy and fellowship that make swimming such a special community sport.