January 2015
Aqua Shop Member of the Month January:
Bruce Allender (MSV Coaching Director and VMV)
OWS 2015 – a personal reflection by the “P2P Legend” – Bruce Allender
Nice as it is, winning is not everything. It is far more important to think about why each of us swims, and as Masters swimmers, what our long-term goals are.The swimmers I admire the most are those that swim for the pleasure of it. That pleasure is primarily fitness and the enjoyment of swimming with others whether that is a regular pool squad or in one of the many organized open water swims we can do around Australia. Others of us do need some sort of goal to swim towards, with the aim of simply participating and secretly hoping for a personal best time (or more likely knowing a better performance actually needed more training).
Winning, or a podium finish, is an indulgence some of us have from being in the right Masters place at the right time, rather than a magic quantum improvement. My brief moment in the 2015 sun is because I happen to be a year older than many other much better swimmers, so I flip into an older age group before they do. As all Masters swimmers know, that first year is likely to see your best relative performance for that new five or ten year age group.
Now I have reached the end of OWS categories. Currently there is nothing older than
“Legend”, so just once I have enjoyed winning several of the Victorian Open Water events in my category this year – and that is only going to be more competitive as more and more swimmers come of age. Already the category at the Pier to Pub had 79 finishers, the oldest being 91 – remarkable, and a goal for all of us. It certainly is for me.
In the perspective of a lifetime of swimming, those occasional serendipitous wins are just the icing on my swimming cake. A year or two on, they are just medals in a draw or a dusty trophy. But my love of swimming lives on regardless, as does the enjoyment of swimming with and against an increasing number of my peers as we all advance through the age categories. It will never end.
Bruce has been an active member of the Malvern Marlins for over 20 years, having joined the club in 1990 shortly after it was formed. He has been a winner of the club’s Male Aerobic (now Endurance) Trophy in 2001, 2002 and 2003 and also, not surprisingly, our Open Water Award in 2008 and 2009.
A testament to his endurance capabilities, Bruce still holds the State Record for 800m IM and 1500m Backstroke in the 55-59 age group, as well as the 1500m Backstroke record in the 60-64 age group.
He joined the Marlins volunteer coaching roster in 2007 and expanding on this role, also became the State Director of Coaching in 2007, a position he still holds. Bruce also coaches for the Yarra Roughies. In addition to this, he has been an MSV Swim Meet Official since 2009.
Bruce’s desire to help others pursue their love of the sport, have more recently lead to him working as a swimming tour guide in Europe over the Melbourne winter.
And for anyone who has attended a Marlins Interclub; it is Bruce’s dulcet tones and skills as the Announcer you may have heard over the PA.
Background supplied by Daphne Briggs from Malvern Marlins