Welcome to O*H*I*O Masters Swim Club

Who We Are

We are competitive swimmers, fitness swimmers, and triathletes. We are pool swimmers and open water swimmers. We are fast and we are not so fast. We are young and we are not as young as we used to be. What we have in common is our love of swimming. When we are swimming, we are having fun.

Here are some truths about our team:

1. The term “masters” refers more to age than to skill level.
2. You most definitely are not as fast as you once were. One of our
 many mottos is, “The older I get, the faster I was.”
3. Even triathletes can learn to swim faster.
4. Anyone can get in shape. Yes! It’s true! All you have to do is keep showing up. You might turn body fat to muscle, changing
 the shape of your body. Your incredibly healthy cardiovascular system will prompt your family doctor to say  “whatever you’re doing, keep doing it.”
5. If organized swimming isn’t fun, what’s the point? The only way to find out if this is for you is give it a try.

With approximately 300 members, O*H*I*O (Old Hearts Inspiring Others) Masters Swim Club is the largest masters swim club in Ohio. We are part of the Lake Erie LMSC and most of our members come from northeast Ohio. We offer organized workouts at many locations around northeast Ohio.

O*H*I*O Masters Swim Club was organized in 1974 by Jack Van Horn, Tim Timken, John Humphries and Ted Branin at the Branin Natatorium in Canton, Ohio. Jack Van Horn was the first President and Mr. Branin was the Coach. The first meet was held on December 1st, 1974.

In 1976, one of our members, the late Harry Fox, designed and created the Top Ten Patch. It is still awarded every year to USMS swimmers nationwide who achieve top ten status in their events.

U.S. Masters Swimming was officially adopted in 1972, making the O*H*I*O Masters Swim Club one of the oldest masters swim clubs in the United States. 

Membership in O*H*I*O Masters also automatically enrolls you in U.S. Masters Swimming.

U. S. Masters Swimming

United States Masters Swimming is a national membership-operated nonprofit that provides membership benefits to nearly 65,000 Masters swimmers across the country. These benefits include insurance, SWIMMER magazine, sanctioned events, and more. USMS and its 52 Local Masters Swimming Committees (LMSCs) provide direct support to more than 1,500 masters swimming clubs and workout groups.

Structure and organization of USMS programs vary and are driven by factors such as pool availability, instructor or coach availability, community support, and finances. The majority of locations offering Masters Swimming programs have coaches on deck. Coaches write workouts and provide feedback and instruction.