THE HISTORY OF MASTERS SWIMMING IN ONTARIO

Canadian Masters Swimming began in Amarillo, Texas in 1971 when Hud Stewart and Al Waites from Ontario entered the second annual U.S. Short Course Championship along with 135 American swimmers. Hud then formed the first official Canadian Masters swim club, the U of T Masters.

In January, 1973, the Etobicoke Aquatic Club staged Canada’s first Masters swim meet at the Albion Recreation Centre. That meet featured 2 women and 21 men competing in a full complement of 50’s and 100’s as well as a 200 free, 200 IM and a 25 fly.

The first recorded minutes from the Masters Swimming Steering Committee of the Canadian Amateur Swimming Association - Ontario Section, the forerunner of MSO, appeared in April 1976. At that meeting it was reported that CASA had approved the Ontario proposal to host a World Championship in 1977 or 1978. Other topics included upcoming meets, seeding by age group versus seeding by time and the distribution of a newsletter to all registered swimmers.

During the 1975/76 season, meets were held in Mississauga, Alderwood, North York and Oakville. The 2 day meet in Oakville attracted swimmers from Nova Scotia, Alberta, Florida, Pennsylvania, Washington, Ohio, New Jersey and New York.

The Alderwood Masters hosted the first Ontario Championship in November 1976. In 1978, the World Senior Aquatic Championship was hosted by a group of Ontario Masters at the Etobicoke Olympium, attracting over 400 swimmers from ten countries. At this meet it was learned that Masters competitions had been held in Germany since the late 1940s; the U.S.A. had not started Masters Swimming after all!

The early volunteers laid much of the foundation for Masters Swimming as we know it today. A Masters Swimming brochure was produced. The first Canadian swimmers booklet, including rules, was drafted by Ontario Masters in 1976. The Board also established the 6 relays (women, men and mixed - freestyle and medley) that we swim today, voted to prohibit scoring and discussed a telex competition with swimmers in Sweden.

In February 1977, a Masters Clinic was held in Mississauga and included lectures and a panel discussion. The next clinic organized by Ontario Masters was in October 1979 and included pool time at the Olympium. A special Coaches Workshop for coaches of Masters Swimmers was held at McMaster in March 1981.

Throughout the late 70’s we continued to grow with the number of registered swimmers reaching 161, representing 19 clubs. Novice events and swimming 2 per lane were topics of discussion and the groundwork for Annual General Meetings and elections of Directors was laid. By 1982 issues relating to votes per club, proxies, special delivery voting for distant delegates and limited Directors from one club had been resolved. In 1982, the membership voted to hold the AGM coincident with the Ontario Championship and our Constitution was ratified.

As the Championships and competitiveness began to grow, so too did the complexity and the interpretation of the rules. The philosophy of Masters was encapsulated in a motion from March 1980 : "… the objective in the Masters Swimming programme is fitness; that the only competitor is yourself; and that the goal of the Masters programme is to improve your own personal performance."

As the 80’s progressed the Heart Fitness Swim was created, as was the Swim The Ontario Waterways programme. And the MSO logo and Championship medal were designed. Guidelines were written for hosting a meet and requesting sanction and as the number of clubs grew, the Board began discussing club codes. UWO Masters hosted the first St Mary’s 5K open water swim in 1983. The question of an Ontario Masters Club created for the purpose of swimming relays and accumulating points outside of Ontario was first broached in 1983 and by that time preparations leading to the Masters Games had begun.

In January 1984 it was approved that all Masters starts be from the front of the blocks, the edge of the pool or in the water. And in March it was noted that holding the AGM coincident with the Ontario Championship might be limiting attendance. Also on the agenda that year was a discussion of a system of regions across the province, withholding payment from the National Masters Organization as a sign of protest and possibly, most importantly, the thought of incorporating Ontario Masters as a legal entity first arose.

Membership continued to grow from 445 in 1981 to 648 in 1983 topping out at 826 in 1984 but ballooning to 1331 in 1985 in anticipation of the first World Masters Games which were held in Toronto in August. MSO was responsible for the swimming competition, which attracted almost 1,600 entrants. In 1987, the largest Canadian Masters Swimming Championship to that time, with over 800 entries, was hosted by MSO at the Etobicoke Olympium.

Ontario has always been at the forefront of the organization and promotion of Masters Swimming in Canada. At the beginning, MSO was an unofficially recognized committee of CASA Ontario (now Swim Ontario). In 1982, MSO was formally organized with its own Constitution. Beginning in 1987, MSO worked in conjunction with Swim Ontario to become self-administered. A small committee worked out the structure of our organization, developed our goals, reviewed the roles and responsibilities of both parties, updated our constitution, prepared our budgets and in April 1988 autonomy was granted. And on January 01, 1989, MSO was incorporated.

While we continue to carry on some of the traditions of our past, we are expanding and improving those traditions, such as the creation of the SWIMS Award to honour our more illustrious and dedicated volunteers. And although innovations are dwindling as our sport matures, the MSO Web Site was launched in 1997 and in 1998, the concept of Regional Representation was formalized and the Burlington Masters hosted the World’s First Personal Best Masters Swim Meet.

It has now been more than a quarter of a century since Hud and Al made their way to Texas and a decade since MSO achieved independence. The time has passed quickly; issues have been debated and resolved; swim meets have been hosted; volunteers have dedicated their time and their talents and friendships have been formed. And now as the evolution of Masters Swimming slows, we are left with the task of shepherding our sport into the new millenium. The committee structure of MSO has been revamped and a strategic plan has been written. This blueprint for the tasks that lie ahead awaits only the next group of dedicated and conscientious Masters Swimmers to continue our history and to create our future.

There are some members of Masters Swimming Ontario who have affected our History, but unfortunately will do so no more. These kind words allow us to remember them.