Seven Masters World Records Fall at Pacific Short Course Meters Champs

By Michael Moore

ATHERTON, Calif., October 6. SEVEN Masters world records, an additional three US marks and 32 Pacific Masters records were swept away at the recently held 2003 Pacific Masters Swimming Short Course meters championships.

The meet was held in two parts: on Saturday September 27th the 1500 Meters event was held; and the weekend of October 4-5, when the rest of the events were contested.

Suzanne Heim-Bowen, Laura Val, Trina Radke, Marjorie Meyer and the Burlingame Masters Watersports men's 160+ relay accounted for the six global marks, with Heim-Bowen and Val notching two.

Saturday's events were held under cloudy skies, but all was spped and ligh in the pool. The very first event, the 400 freestyle, saw Suzanne Heim-Bowen (45-49) and Laura Val (50-54) swimming the fastest women's heat. Suzanne came in before Laura, breaking Laura's five-year-old record in the 45-49 age group by almost 19 seconds with a stunning 4:30.98. Laura came in at 4:45.72, breaking her own 400 meter record in the 50-54 age group by 6.5 seconds (and incidentally, better her former mark in the 45-49 division).

Heim-Bowen later swam a swift 2:10.91 for the 200m free, just nipping Australia's Jenny Whiteley's 2:11.09 from earlier this year.

Trina Radke, a 1988 Olympian swimming unattached and on the comeback trail for the 2004 Games, broke the 200m fly national and world record by going 2:19.34, winning that event by almost a half a pool length over her nearest competitor in the fastest women's heat. The old mark was 2:19.64, set by karlyn Pipes-Neilsen in 1996. Besides her new world record, Trina broke another three local records.

For Sunday's events the clouds burned off, and the events were held under sunny skies and warm temperatures at Menlo Atherton High School's Spieker pool. The result was the same as the day before: three world marks.

Marjorie Meyer of the Olympic Club broke the 100 IM mark by swimming 2:02.01 in the 80-84 age group. The old record was 2:03.87 set three years ago by Germany's Gertrud Meerwald.

Laura Val notched her second global mark of the meet, cruising 2:41.20 for the 200m back, well under the old standard of 2:43.04 by England's Anne Cork.

In the final event of the championships, the men's 200m free relay, the Burlingame Masters Watersports men's 160-199 team of Richard Garrett, Michael McAweeney, Thomas Whatley, and Robert Mackenzie touched in 1:39.11, smashing the seven year-old standard of 1:40.74 set by the Colonials 1776 team.

The Menlo Masters men's 160+ team of Phil Arcuni, Jim Kemp, Tony Batis and Brad Howe broke the uSMS national 400m medley relay record by swimming 4:12.93 (there is no world record in single-sex 400 meter relays).

Ed Cazalet had a great swimming weekend, lowering his own USMS 1500m free mark for men 60-64 by 25 seconds to 19:15.89 and just missing records in the 60-64 division in the 200m back and 200m IM.

George Tidmarsh of Menlo Masters broke the 40-44 1500 meter US record with a swift 16:50.70.

RESULTS with splits are at:
http://www.pacificmasters.org/comp/03/03rincscmsplit.html

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