DC Water Wizards

The DC Water Wizards hosted the DC Senior Games swim meet on September 17 & 18 at Takoma Aquatic Center and featured the full lineup of competitive events of the National Senior Games.

Thirty-nine swimmers competed and qualified to participate in the 2023 National Senior Games to be held in Pittsburgh next June. Those swimmers represented the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Texas.

This was the first DC Senior Games swim meet held since 2019, due to the pandemic. The swimmers were thrilled to be back on deck and competing post-pandemic. The DC Water Wizards are excited about defending their title as the winners of the 2022 National Senior Games Cup.

The DC Water Wizards swam strong at the Albatross Open Meet in Bethesda, Maryland, on April 2. The 22 Water Wizards who competed placed fourth overall out of 34 teams represented at the short course meters meet! Our eleven women placed fourth out of 20 women’s teams, and our eleven men placed third out of 30 men’s teams.

FOURTEEN existing team records were broken, and THIRTY-FOUR new team records were established!

Highlights of our team’s performance include:
Every team member competing scored points toward our team’s total of 248 points!
Water Wizards placed in individual events as follows:
Nine 1st place winners
Fifteen 2nd place winners
Fifteen 3rd place winners
Five 4th Place winners
Three 5th place winners

Water Wizards entered nine relays and placed as follows:
Four 1st place winners
Three 2nd place winners
One 4th place winner

One of the relay teams broke an existing team record for the men’s 280-319 age group 200 Freestyle Relay (Lawrence Thurston, Marvin Blount, Bruce Bradford, and Arthur Linder Sr.)
Five other relay teams established new team records as follows:
Women’s 240-279 age group 200 Freestyle Relay (Jean Gossman, Alison Morgan, Mary Donatelli, and Alice Bellis)
Women’s 240-279 age group 400 Freestyle Relay (Gabrielle Doyle, Alison Morgan, Dinah Griggsby, and Kaixin He)
Women’s 240-279 age group 200 Medley Relay (Mary Donatelli, Jean Gossman, Anne Forster, and Yvonne Bell-Vanderhoof)
Men’s 240-279 age group 200 Freestyle Relay (Maurice Butler, Reginald Williams, William Staples, and Jean-Francois Wen)
Mixed 160-199 age group 400 Freestyle Relay (Anne Forster, Luis Salazar, Kim Dustin, and Marques Ross)

Other team record setters included:
WOMEN:
Dinah Griggsby – Established new team records in the 75-79 age group 200 Freestyle and 200 Backstroke
Alice Bellis – Established a new team record in the 70-74 age group 400 Individual Medley
Karyn Baiorunos – Broke existing team records in the 70-74 age group 100 Backstroke and 100 Individual Medley and established a new team record in the 200 Individual Medley
Yvonne Bell-Vanderhoof – Established new team records in the 70-74 age group 50 Freestyle and 50 Breaststroke
Kaixin He – Shattered her own team record in the 70-74 age group 200 Breaststroke (by 13 seconds!) and established a new team record in the 200 Backstroke
Jean Gossman – Established a new team record in the 60-64 age group 50 Backstroke
Alison Morgan – Established a new team record in the 60-64 age group 50 Freestyle
Gabrielle Doyle – Established a new team record in the 60-64 age group 100 Freestyle
Anne Forster – Established a new team record in the 55-59 age group 100 Freestyle
Kim Dustin – Broke her own team record in the 50-54 age group 100 Backstroke and established new team records in the 100 Freestyle and 200 Backstroke
MEN:
Arthur Linder Sr. – Broke his own team record in the 75-79 age group 50 Freestyle and established a new team record in the 50 Breaststroke
Bruce Bradford – Broke existing records in the 70-74 age group 50 Freestyle and 50 Breaststroke and established a new team record in the 100 Freestyle
Lawrence Thurston – Established a new team record in the 70-74 age group 50 Butterfly
Marvin Blount – Broke his own team record in the 70-74 age group 100 Individual Medley
Reginald Williams – Established a new team record in the 65-69 age group 50 Backstroke
Jean-Francois Wen – Established new team records in the 60-64 age group 50 Freestyle, 100 Freestyle, and 100 Individual Medley
Luis Salazar – Broke his own team records in the 55-59 age group 50, 100, and 200 Backstroke, broke an existing team record in the 50 Freestyle, and established a new team record in the 200 Individual Medley
David Diaz – Established new team records in the 50-54 age group 50 Freestyle, 50 Breaststroke, 100 Butterfly, and 100 Individual Medley
Marques Ross – Broke his own team record in the 25-29 age group 200 Freestyle and established new team records in the 200 Breaststroke and 50 Butterfly

Congratulations, Water Wizards!

Wizards Plunge Like Polar Bears
By Lucinda Fleeson

How many Water Wizards does it take to plunge into 40-degree water of the Chesapeake Bay for a good cause?

The answer: Eight wizards braved a chilly day and chillier water to plunge (even if only for a few seconds) on Saturday, March 26 as part of the hundreds who dipped into the Bay and raised funds to support the Maryland Special Olympics.

For years I had been intrigued with the annual Polar Plunge at Sandy Point State Park in the shadow of the Bay Bridge – and thought it would be fun. What could be better than doing it as a post-pandemic celebration with my Wizard teammates?

Enlisting seven more plunging Wizards was an easy sell. We tried to convince other teammates to join, but their answers were quick and resounding NOs!

Those who plunged were: Karyn Baironous, Gabrielle Doyle, Kathy Labukas, Sally Stoecker, David Colbert, Jean-Francois Wen and your humble captain, Lucinda Fleeson. Our motto: We didn’t get this old because we’re sissies!

Team conclusions? “A blast!” “Unforgettable experience!”

Our photo/video documentarian and WW co-chairman Mary Kaniewski came along to support us. Her video presents irrefutable evidence that the Wizards set new speed records for getting in and out of the water.

Several more Wizards joined in the spirit by donating funds, including Larry Thurston, Marvin Blount and Ruth Eisenberg, donations which helped to more than double our modest fundraising goal of $750, to $1666.

One of our summer Wizards, Kathy Labukas, soared to the top of our fundraising team, raising $795 by herself from friends and supporters. Kathy was a longtime special ed teacher and school principal, and current President of the Board for CALMRA, Inc. a nonprofit that provides residential services for adults with developmental disabilities. Kathy also provided awesome support by driving to Baltimore to Plunge headquarters to collect our Plunge Packets, saving us from waiting in line at Sandy Point. In another act of wizardry, she secured two parking passes for our car pool cars.

After the Plunge, we adjourned to Red, Hot and Blues on Route 50 for barbecue, a convivial meal that lasted approximately 100 times longer than our actual immersion in water – but who cares?

In total, more than 400 plunging teams raised a collective total of $875,159.

The DC Water Wizards performed well in their third official meet as a USMS team, at the Chidester Series Meet #6 in Annapolis, Maryland, on March 20. The 17 Water Wizards who competed placed SECOND overall out of 26 teams represented at the short course yards meet! Our nine women competing placed second out of 17 women’s teams, and our eight men swimming in the meet placed third out of 18 men’s teams.

TEN team records were broken, and SIX new team records were established!

Highlights of our team’s performance include:
Every team member competing scored points toward our team’s total of 386 points!

Water Wizards placed in individual events as follows:
Nineteen 1st place winners
Eighteen 2nd place winners
Eight 3rd place winners
Two 4th Place winners
Two 5th place winners

Water Wizards entered two relays, which each placed first in their age groups and were two of the new team records established. Both relays were Medley Relays. One was the 65+ age group Men’s 200 Medley Relay team of Lawrence Thurston (Backstroke), Nevitt Greene (Breaststroke), Marvin Blount (Butterfly), and Maurice Butler (Freestyle). The second relay was the 45+ age group Mixed 200 Medley Relay team of Kim Dustin (Backstroke), David Diaz (Breaststroke), Luis Salazar (Butterfly), and Anne Forster (Freestyle).

Other team record setters included:
WOMEN:
Karyn Baiorunos – Broke her own team record in the 70-74 age group 100 Backstroke (for the second time in three months!) and established a new team record in the 400 Individual Medley
Undine Nash – Broke the existing team records in the 65-69 age group 50 Backstroke and 50 Breaststroke
Cynthia Nordone – Broke the existing team record in the 60-64 age group 50 Breaststroke
Anne Forster – Broke the existing team record in the 55-59 age group 50 Backstroke
Kim Dustin – Broke existing team records in the 50-54 age group 500 Freestyle and 50 Backstroke and established a new team record in the 200 Backstroke
MEN:
Nevitt Greene – Broke the existing team record in the 70-74 age group 50 Breaststroke
Luis Salazar – Broke the existing team records in the 55-59 age group 100 and 200 Individual Medleys and established a new team record in the 400 Individual Medley
David Diaz – Broke the existing team record in the 50-54 age group 50 Freestyle

Congratulations, Water Wizards!

The DC Water Wizards performed well in their second official meet as a USMS team, at the Chidester Series Meet #5 in Maryland. The eight Water Wizards who competed placed fourth overall out of 24 teams represented at the short course yards meet! Our five women competing placed second out of 13 women’s teams, and our three men swimming in the meet placed fifth out of 18 men’s teams.

Nine team records were broken, and three new team records were established!

Highlights of our team’s performance include:
Every team member competing scored points toward our team’s total of 176 points!

Water Wizards placed in individual events as follows:
Twelve 1st place winners
Six 2nd place winners
Two 3rd place winners

Water Wizards entered one relay, which placed second and was one of the new team records established. This was the 45+ age group 800 Freestyle Relay. Relay team members included Gabrielle Doyle, Arthur Linder Sr., Mary Donatelli, and David Diaz.

Other team record setters included:
Anne Forster – Broke her own team records in the 55-59 age group 50 Freestyle and 100 Individual Medley
Kim Dustin – Broke existing records in the 50-54 age group 100 and 200 Freestyle and 100 Backstroke
Karyn Baiorunos – Broke her own team record in the 70-74 age group 100 Backstroke
David Diaz – Broke the existing record in the 50-54 age group 50 Breaststroke and established a new record in the 100 Individual Medley
Luis Salazar – Broke the existing records in the 55-59 age group 100 Freestyle and 50 Backstroke and established a new record in the 100 Backstroke

Congratulations, Water Wizards!