Upcoming Events
April 20, 2024, 18th Annual Hall of Fame Meet, Little Rock, AR (deadline to register Apr 14, 2024)
April 26-28, 2024, South Central Zone Spring Championships, Shenandoah, TX
May 1, 2024, Wednesdays open water swimming workouts to start on Beaver Lake; watch for details!
May 3, 2024, “First Friday” Bentonville-The Joys Of Swimming (TJOS) sharing water safety information; join us!
May 5, 2024, “Swim-o de Mayo” (Cinco de Mayo) Pentathlon, Gladstone, MO
May 5, 2024, North Texas Open Water Swim De Mayo, Grand Prairie, TX
May 24,2024, Naturals Baseball team hosting an “Aquatic Professionals Day” (see details below)
June 8 & 20, 2024, Burton Pools and Spas & TJOS to offer free 15 minute swim lessons (see details below)
June 20-24, 2024, USMS Spring Nationals (short course), Indianapolis, IN
For a full listing of events around the country, visit the USMS Events Calendar.
For events happening within our zone, visit the South Central Zone Event Calendar Page.
Interested in hosting a meet? Here’s a Meet Checklist to help!
Arkansas Masters Annual Meeting Highlights:
The annual Arkansas Masters LMSC meeting was held Sunday, February 25, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. The highlights of the meeting were tallying the votes for the Swimmer of the Year and accepting the new Board members.
Swimmer of the Year: Linda Bland
Linda is very deserving of this honor and will be recognized formally at the Hall of Fame Banquet. Linda was one of the best age group swimmers ever to come out of Arkansas and one of the very first age groupers to achieve national prominence. Her early accomplishments helped other swimmers to realize that they could also compete on the national stage. After taking many years off, Linda returned to swimming and took off right where she left off as a kid. This is what she has accomplished since her return & it sure is amazing!
2022 four USMS top ten times SCY 65-69
2021 two USMS top ten times LCM 60-64
2021 two USMS top ten times SCY 60-64
2022 SCY Nationals: 2 silver, one bronze
2023 Top ten ALL TIME 400 LCM 65-69 (#11)
Top ten ALL TIME 800 LCM 65-69 (#8)
Top ten ALL TIME 400 SCM 65-69 (#10)
Top ten ALL TIME 800 SCM 65-69 (#7)
Top ten ALL TIME 1500 SCM 65-69 (#6)
Top Ten ALL TIME 200 SCY 65-69 (#8)
Top Ten ALL TIME 500 SCY 65-69 (#5)
Top Ten ALL TIME 1000 SCY 65-69 (#4)
Top Ten ALL TIME 1650 SCY 65- 69 (#7)
2023 SCY zone records in the 200, 500, 1000 and 1650 freestyle 2023 LCM zone records in the 400, 800 and 1500 freestyles 2023 SCM zone records in the 400, 800 and 1500
2023 SCY national rankings : 4th in 200, 3rd in 500, 1st in the 1000 (All American), 6th in the 1650
2023 LCM national rankings : 5th in 200, 5th in 400 and 3rd in 800 freestyles
2023 SCM national rankings: 6th in 200, 4th in 400 , 3rd in 800 and 3rd in 1500 freestyles
New Board Members
Chairperson – Bonnie Adams
Vice Chairperson – Susan Torpy
Treasurer – Carie O’Banion
Secretary – Byron Shefchik
Membership – Scott Halliburton
Top 10 Recorder – Doug Martin
Marketing & Social Media – Parker Touchton
Coaches Chair – Anita Parisi
Fitness – Tom Sherril
Editor – Laura Fox
Letter from your Board Chairperson
It is my privilege to welcome you to another exciting edition of our newsletter. At Arkansas Masters Swimming, our mission remains steadfast: to promote and develop swimming for the benefit of swimmers of all abilities aged 18 and over. Whether you’re a seasoned competitor or just dipping your toes into the water, we are here to support and celebrate your swimming journey. As we dive into the upcoming season, I encourage each and every one of you to get involved in our array of events. From local competitions to opportunities to volunteer, there’s something for everyone to enjoy and grow within our vibrant swimming community. Let’s make waves together!
Happy Swimming!
Bonnie Adams, Arkansas Masters Chair
Social Media Channels
Check out what Arkansas Masters Marketing Chair Parker Touchton has posted on our social media channels. Parker still needs our help securing content from around the state to post. It can be anything from a workout you did to a group of friends swimming. Even photos from past events would be wonderful! When we are so dispersed, social media can bring are community closer. Please send content to: parker@emeraldventuresgroup.com
Make sure to follow our new Instagram page @Arkansas_Masters_Swimming, along with our Facebook page: Arkansas Masters Swimming
Details of Upcoming Events in Northwest Arkansas
First Friday in Downtown Bentonville: May 3,2024 The Joys Of Swimming will have a booth to share water safety information. If anyone would like to join Bonnie at the booth, she welcomes the assistance! It is always a fun time.
Naturals Baseball team is hosting an “Aquatic Professionals Day”on Friday, May 24th. We are looking to have swimmers, coaches, instructors, lifeguards, pool service organizations, Army Corps of Engineers, anyone associated with swimming to be recognized. We need your help in spreading the word. We will be selling tickets to the game through Eventbrite and any proceeds go to water safety presentations to the NWA Children’s Shelter. We will send a ticket link via email; only tickets purchased through the link will be used to raise funds for the Children’s Shelter. Let’s help spread the word and sell out the game.
The Joys of Swimming has partnered with Burton Pools and Spas to offer free 15-minute swim lessons on June 8th at their Springdale location, 1-4PM and in Ft. Smith on June 22nd, 1-4PM. We are looking for 6 instructors to facilitate the event. If you are interested or know someone that would be, please let Bonnie Adams know.
Some photos of previous open water fun!
Arkansas Masters Swimming 