2017 Michigan Masters Annual Award Winners

The 2017 annual Michigan LMSC state awards were awarded at the state meet in Saginaw.
(Pictured – Left to Right: Jim Izzi, Wallie Jeffries, Bob Isbister)

The 3 award winners are:

Lifetime Achievement Award: Bob Isbister
Lawrence Award: Wallie Jeffries
Chetrick Award: Jim Izzi

Bob Isbister, 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.

This award is an individual who has demonstrated outstanding voluntary contributions and a lifetime dedication and devotion to the objectives of Masters swimming in Michigan. Bob has been a continuous registered member of the Michigan LMSC for over 35 years. He has been a Coach, Meet Director, Club Officer, and Newsletter Editor at the Club level. On the LMSC level, he has held 3 positions on the Michigan LMSC Board as Registrar, Records &Top Ten Chair, Sanctions Chair, and Marketing Chair.

Some of Bob’s accomplishments are as follows: He was the Co Meet Director of the Brighton Meet from 1988 to 1994, this being the largest meet outside the State Meet at the time. He acted as Assistant Meet Director for 1989, 1992, and 1996 State Meets and the 1990 Great Lakes Zone Meet. He is also Co-Meet Director of the Dearborn Long Course Meet from 1988 until the present time. In 1987, he became the LMSC Records Top Ten Chair from 1987 to 1995. Not only did he computerize all three courses (SCY, SCM, LCM) but also started the SCM Records. He also published LMSC Top Ten lists for Michigan LMSC swimmers in all sanctioned meets that swimmers entered and this service was done before USMS had launched the Event Results Data Base that provides this service today and had done this since 2009.

When our Registrar resigned in 1997, he stepped in and became LMSC Registrar and performed that function until 2001. He also served three terms as the LMSC Marketing Chair from 1997 to 2005. Bob has swam and represented Michigan Masters in multiple USMS National Championships in both Pool and Open Water Events. He has helped organize numerous USMS Postal National Championship swims by volunteering to get a facility, timing, and sending in team entries and organizing relays. For the last 20 years, he has organized a New Year’s workout swim at the Livonia YMCA free of charge to all masters swimmers. This past year, 25 people completed 117 X 50 yards on the interval of 50 seconds.

Bob’s service, commitment, volunteering, and dedication made him a great recipient.

Wallie Jeffries, 2017  Lawrence Award Recipient.

The recipient of this award is a Michigan Masters Swimmer who has achieved outstanding performances in National competition over the last year as well as over their long-term swimming career. Wallie started swimming in USMS in 1973, some 45 years ago. He has 64 USMS Top Ten Swims over the years with some impressive results. He was one of 3 swimmers awarded at the 2016 Michigan LMSC Awards for outstanding performances.

In 1992, he set a USMS and FINA World Record in 1992 in the 1500 Free SCM in the 60-64 age-group. This past year he set a USMS Record in the 200 SCM Free and a USMS and FINA World Record in the 400 SCM Free in the 85-89 age-group. That is a separation of 24 years between records which is quite impressive. He has been part of 4 USMS and 6 FINA Masters World Relay Records. He has been named a USMS All American in 1992 and 2016. He has been a USMS Relay All American in 1976, 2013, 2014, and 2016. Wallie swam for the University of Michigan and was an All American swimmer while there.

Jim Izzi, 2017 Chetrick Award Recipient.

This award is an individual who has exhibited outstanding service and continuous voluntary contributions to the Michigan LMSC. Jim started swimming in USMS in 2007 and immediately started volunteering for the Milford Athletic Club (MAC). Jim is a Graphic Designer and put those skills to use by designing a logo for MAC. From that logo T-shirts were ordered for MAC swimmers at State Meet and banners were designed for team awards earned at the State Meet.

He designed the MAC website and updates news and swim meet results of the swimmers from MAC. He also updates all the Team Records for MAC swimmers from sanctioned meets. In 2015, he became one of the coaches of MAC and volunteers his time to help swimmers. Michigan Masters has benefited from his skills as he has designed all of our Championship banners that we have achieved in Masters Championship Meets. When Sally Guthrie ended her 10 year run as Webmaster in the fall of 2015, he stepped up and became the Communications Director of the Michigan LMSC. He assumed the duties of webmaster and has designed the latest two YTD Michigan LMSC Newsletters, which is one of our main communication networks.

Last spring, he was appointed to be in charge of the Michigan LMSC Facebook page. This past fall he was appointed the LMSC Sanctions Officer when Sally moved to the Pacific LMSC. On the National level, he was appointed to the Sports Medicine Committee after attending his first USMS Convention last year. He plans on getting certified as a USMS Coach and will be the Meet Director of a SCM meet next fall because at the present time we only have 1 SCM meet and he is stepping up to help the LMSC.