What is your athletic background?
I played soccer when I was really little, but had ankle problems and needed to find a different sport. My Mom put me on a swim team when I was 12 years old and I loved it instantly. I competed on multiple USS teams and was a State finalist in high school… it led me to swim in college at IUPUI (Indiana Univ. Purdue Univ. Indianapolis). It was great to train in one of the best pools in the country, but a shoulder injury forced me to hang up my goggles my junior year. In 2004, I returned to swimming via USMS.

What do you like best about the sport of swimming?
I like it because it’s an individual sport as well as a “team” sport. It’s great to swim your own race and work hard to get a personal best… but it’s also such a blast to swim on a relay and cheer for your teammates. On a side note… swimming has been a great way to get back into shape after having children!

Do you have a spouse or children to tell about?
I am married to my high school sweetheart, Sam. We have 3 kids - which includes a set of twins!

What is your favorite MTSC team memory?
When we won the team trophy at the BG meet - we were jumping around, cheering and goofing off in the pool. I felt like a kid again!

Do you compete or simply swim for fitness?
Compete. I will go to as many meets as I can. I tend to stick to the backstroke events and will dabble in the IM’s because they are a challenge (my breaststroke is a trainwreck, so I won’t do them that often).

What type of work do you do?
I am a stay-at-home Mom... my husband frequently mentions that stay-at-home Moms have one of the “hardest jobs in the world." Coming to swim practice is healthy in more ways than one!

Anything else you want to tell about yourself?
I just wanted to say thank you to the team for the nomination. They’re a great group of people… even when it‘s 5:30 in the morning! ;)

What is your athletic background?

About 12 years ago, I decided to start swimming again, and Ron and Mary had just purchased Sea Star. The timing could not have been better. Sometimes in the early years when I got to the pool before Ron, I would “break in” on of the old sliding doors in the back and start swimming. You can’t do that now!
I was competitive in Tennis and swimming in high school, but after that, college happened. While in college, I became competitive in Frisbee. (I know what you’re thinking…”Frisbee?”, but we had a competitive “ultimate team” and a disc golf team. It was a lot of fun. I was also a diver on the swim team for a year at WKU, A little known fact—Western Kentucky Swim Team Coach Bill Powell is the 2nd most winning swim coach in NCAA history at the Division I level!!!!

What do you like best about the sport of swimming? Swimming is the best sport for all around fitness. It is non impact and therefore does not stress your body like other types of fitness.

Do you have a spouse or children to tell about? I have been married for 25 years to my beautiful wife Susan. She will say they have been wonderful years, but I know she really means she has tolerated me for that long. I have two beautiful daughters; Jennifer is a graduate of Beech High School and Maryville College. Stephanie is a senior at Station Camp High School and is heading to WKU next year. I am very proud of my family and what they mean to me.

What is your favorite MTSC team memory? There are a couple of MTSC team memories that come to mind. One was when we were having one of our “Social Outings” during Cinco de Mayo and we had a dancing horse come and entertain us. It was just that…entertaining! The other was the first time we went to a meet and became a team instead of a bunch of people swimming laps. Ron brought us together and led us to victory! There were many smiling faces that day.

Do you compete or simply swim for fitness? I swim for fitness, but I enjoy the competitiveness of the sport. No matter what your age, there is somebody else next to you trying to make you better (or kick your butt!)

What type of work do you do? I am a sales manager at Lipman Brothers

Anything else you want to tell about yourself? Fun swimming stories? I thoroughly enjoy the camaraderie that swimming brings, and Ron has given me the opportunity to grow in this wonderful sport. I also enjoy running and biking and encourage everyone to get involved in any of these activities. BRASS (the Bike Ride Around Scenic Sumner) and the Indian Lake Loop on Thanksgiving Day are two local events to participate in.