OMS Awards for 2018

Connie Wilson Memorial Award—Joy Ward

Joy Ward

This award is given to an individual who has made an outstanding, long-term leadership contribution to OMS and to Masters swimming.

Joy Ward has been long-time contributor to OMS as the Safety Committee chair for the past fifteen years. Joy willingly took on this role and has been the go to person for making sure that every meet director has all of the information he/she needs to run a safe meet. She provides copies of the OMS safety guidelines, incident reports, and safety/no diving signs to use at the meets. She interacts with every meet director and delivers these materials plus safety marshal vests and stopwatches to every meet site. Joy is reliable and follows through to respond to all questions and to transport the Oregon Masters signs and materials home, dry them out, and then transport to the next meet. Joy played an important role during the 2016 USMS Summer Nationals in Oregon by helping coordinate and oversee the EMTs and aquatic center staff in reporting medical occurrences and filling out the appropriate forms for documentation. She is an active LMSC Board member and contributes regularly to discussions and evaluation of meets. She is not a person who strives to be in the spotlight but certainly has contributed to keeping meets safe and the LMSC running smoothly with her long term commitment. Joy has demonstrated what a volunteer can do for an organization and is very deserving of the Connie Wilson Award.

Ol’ Barn Award—Kermit Yensen

Kermit Yensen

This award is given to the individual who has shown outstanding leadership, dedication, and devotion throughout the past year, to OMS and to Masters swimming.

Kermit Yensen (COMA) has been a Masters swimmer for many years but over time has stepped up to contribute more to Oregon Masters. He assumed the Treasurer position in 2013 and has continued to fill that position. He prepares a yearly budget for the Board, updates the Board on monthly expenses, and generally keeps the organization on track financially. He played a huge oversight role when Oregon hosted the 2016 Summer Nationals and tracked all income and expenses related to that event. Kermit contributes to Board discussions, takes on other tasks related to the financial health of our organization, and communicates with the national office when necessary. Kermit is the ‘always in the background’ person who is quiet but has made significant contributions to our organization and is a deserving recipient for the Ol’ Barn Award.

Special Service Award—Marcie Wily

Marcie Wily

This award is given to an individual, organization, business, or group that has gone the extra mile by contributing outstanding service to a club or to OMS.

Marcie Wily has spearheaded the Hood River Aquatic Center and Columbia Gorge Masters applying for and being awarded a USMS grant for the Adult Learn To Swim program for the past four years. Marcie is an avid supporter of this mission to teach adults to swim and has contributed guidance for the Columbia Gorge Masters swimmers to participate in teaching. Her support in providing an orientation class for instructors, laminated copies of step by step goals for every level of swimmer, and being on deck during the classes to assist any instructor demonstrates her dedication to this mission. She has created opportunities to reach out to the Hispanic community resulting in over 50% of class participants being from this group. She has made sure the program is advertised in the local newspaper, at local clinics and hospital, to other exercise groups, in public service announcements on the radio, and on the aquatic center website. She has definitely been a leader in Oregon Masters for making sure this program has been available and leading its implementation.

Hazel Bressie Award
Arlene Delmage and Connie Shuman

Arlene Delmage

Connie Schuman

This award is given to a female who has shown enthusiasm and spirit to her team and/or other Masters swimmers during the past year.

Arlene Delmage deserves the Hazel Bressie award because she is one of the most enthusiastic and spirited swimmers. Arlene is full of energy, a world class swimmer, and one of the sweetest people you will ever meet. One day last November at the Hood River meet, Arlene swam a 200 Free, the 50, 100 and 200 Butterfly and the 400 IM, and then she swam in the women’s 400 Medley relay and the mixed 800 Free relay. Her 200 Butterfly was in the top ten in the world for 2018, the free relay was #3 in the world for 2018 and the medley relay was #1 in the world for all time! She did it all with enthusiasm for her Oregon teammates.

Connie Shuman radiates love for people and swimming. She is a longtime participant of both pool and open water events. Her ready smile, easy laugh, and tell-it-like-it-is RN manner touches the lives of many. She readily volunteers her cooking for swimmers’ potlucks, especially gifting everyone with delectable pies and jams. Housing swimmers for local events gives her a reason to share her love of filling people with food and friendship. Her company-happy dogs will squish you onto her couch and let you know, life is good.

Ask any Master’s swimmer in Oregon for a Connie Shuman story, and you are guaranteed to laugh, or wish you were eating a berry pie, or you’ll be thinking, “maybe, I could swim a little farther or volunteer a little more.” Connie not only swims the extra mile, her love for every facet of swimming makes her “the extra mile.”

Gil Young Spirit Award
Matt Miller

Matt Miller

This award is given to a male who has shown enthusiasm and spirit to his team and/or other Masters swimmers during the past year.

Matt has been an enthusiastic Oregon Masters swimmer for some years now, but in the past two years he has made a huge contribution in the spirit department. He is the founder of the more newly formed local workout group, Southern Oregon Masters Aquatics, and has recruited and created much enthusiasm in his swimmers. Matt assumed the co-chair position of the OMS Coaches Committee and has worked to offer and staff stroke clinics in various parts of the state for Masters swimmers. He is always willing to offer stroke advice to any swimmer and has become a guiding hand for one of our elder swimmers. He has served as the Oregon Club’s coach at Nationals four times, and has done a superlative job in this position. He is the epitome of encouragement to other swimmers!