Swim club for adults is growing at Jenks aquatics center
BY SARA PLUMMER World Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
9/18/12 at 2:42 AM
Taking up half of the 50-meter pool at Jenks Trojan Aquatics Center on Tuesday evening were members of the Tulsa Masters Swim Club. The speed the swimmers cut through the water was just as varied as the ages of those in the pool, but that's the point of the club.
Don't let the name of the club intimidate you, swimmer and club member Lloyd Landreth said.
"Master sounds so imposing," Landreth said. "It really just means everything after high school."
The Tulsa Masters Swim Club is open to anyone over age 18 who wants to swim in a more organized format. Coaching is available, as well as the opportunity to participate in competitions, but not required.
Although a few members get their swim time in at area YMCA branches or health centers, the majority of swimmers use the new aquatics center in Jenks, which serves as the club's headquarters and home pool when hosting competitions.
"We never thought we would have a place like this," said club member Sarah Copsky.
Denise Smart, the club's president, said the facility is one of the best in the region, and having such a quality home base has benefitted the club.
"We've doubled in size, if not more than that," Smart said, with membership reaching about 170. "I don't think we've ever seen those kind of numbers. Ever."
The increase in membership means better results for swimmers.
"The more people to swim with, the more people to push you," she said.
Several members who have joined the club are actually triathletes who want more coaching and training in the swimming portion of the event, Smart said.
Landreth said the club is more about camaraderie than competition.
"It's amazing how fun it is, and how quickly they'll improve," he said. "Masters (club) makes an individual sport into a team sport. There's people you look forward to seeing everyday."
And the majority of people in the club never swam competitively before joining, Landreth said.
"There's a range of ability," he said, and there are members who are former runners who, because of injury or age, can't run anymore, so they swim. "We have quite a few college students ... We have quite a few retirees."
That's how Copsky learned about the club.
"I was a swimmer as a kid. I used to play adult soccer, and I hurt my knee so I went back to the pool," she said.
Now is a good time to look into the club, Landreth said, and organizers typically allow people to come to a few sessions without joining to see if it's a good fit for them.
"Fall and winter is a good time to try it out because it's the short course," he said. "And you don't want to run or walk cause it's freezing outside."
Tulsa Masters Swim Club
What: Club for adult swimmers 18 years and older of various ability and skill levels
Where: Most members swim at the Jenks Trojan Aquatic Center, 205 N. Birch Place in Jenks
When: Several swim sessions available including Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings 6:30 to 7:30 a.m.; Monday through Friday afternoons 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Monday through Friday evenings 6 to 7:30 p.m.; and Saturdays 8 to 10 a.m.
Cost: Monthly fee of $30 or $31.50 to the Jenks Trojan Aquatics Center and then an annual membership to the U.S. Masters Swim organization, which can vary.
For more: Go to tulsaworld.com/jenksaquatic and tulsaworld.com/usmastersswim
Original Print Headline: Swim club for adults is growing
Sara Plummer 918-581-8465
sara.plummer@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
Jenks Masters Swim Club member Jon Dees, 55, does the butterfly stroke at the Jenks Trojan Aquatic Center last week. CORY YOUNG / Tulsa World
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