Team you are a part of: mostly FAST but also MM & OFIS (a/k/a Old Farts In Speedos)
When did you start competitively swimming? Started when I was 10 or so. My younger sister Kim was kicking my butt and the summer swim club coach (Sandy Graham) suggested that I might want to give it a try. I saw this guy (Alex Nitkiewicz) swimming butterfly and thought it looked amazing. Yeah… I didn’t know then what I was getting myself into, but it all worked out. I met many great people over the years and reconnected with many I haven’t seen in decades. Swimming with my sister, swimming with my nephew, swimming for a cause, swimming just because, etc.
How long have you been in Michigan Masters? Since 2006. After 25+ years off from swimming at EMU, I watched Michael Phelps do a couple of exhibition races at UofM His 100 free was 43-ish and 200 free was 1:33-ish. Of course, half of those were underwater. That planted the seed, and the Michigan Master crew added the water, fertilizer, etc., etc.
What is your favorite swim event/race? 50 fly. SCY, SCM, LCM, does not matter. It’s a no breather
So far, what was your favorite Masters Swim Meet? My first thought was 2014 Worlds in Montreal but my times were way off – probably because I got stuck swimming breast stroke on the medley relay. (first time for everything). Beyond that, my favorite was to 2009 SCY Nationals in Indy. I think we had 200+ from Michigan attend. New people, old people, people I knew from college, etc. Then we had a Nationals repeat in Indy a few years later, and everyone got their picture taken with Jason Lezak. Cannot forget the 2019 state meet. My younger sister Kim and I swam a relay together for the first time in…. well, a very long time.
What is your favorite set? Special event sets / Birthday sets. For New Year’s Day in 2008, Skip told me they were doing a set at the YMCA. 208x50s on the 50 (and bring ICE water). Ten years ago, my birthday sets were 55x100s on the 1:30 (SCM). More recently, they’ve been on the order of 65 50s, and the last 5 or 10 were free/fly.
What do you need to improve or constantly work on in the pool? I’m still trying to dial in those technical details I’m learning from the younger guys (Kevin Doak), such as starts and underwaters. To avoid “further” injury, I’ve started hitting the weights a bit more. No crazy 350lb benching or anything; just keeping the joints tight.
What are your big swim goal(s)? Some days, I’m happy just doing a “Dori” – you, know… keep swimming. Long term, I’d like to be able to hang in there with some of our 75+ legends Bob Doud (RIP), Larry Day, Erik Lokensgard, Skip Thompson, etc. Amazing to see those guys and others doing the tough events, open water swims, triathlons, etc.
Favorite swim Olympian? Wow, only one favorite? That’s a tough one. Maybe the top 3. I’d have to start with the GOAT. Watching Phelps back in 2006 was the push that got me started to see if my goggles still fit after taking 25 years off. Running a close 2nd has to be Nathan Adrian – the guy is always in a great mood and happy to help others. Then Rowdy Gaines rounds out the list. He has such a strong passion for swimming and can communicate the technical details to the world while he’s broadcasting. I tied with w/Rowdy in the 50 fly LC a few years back (after his team broke our 2010 WR 800 free relay)
What do you like to do outside the pool? Waterski & GoPro stuff (you can tell that by the movies), wood working projects, SCUBA diving, island hopping, high tech /AI stuff. Oh yeah, and driving a Lamborghini now and then
