Tom Spence
It is with great honor O*H*I*O Masters Swim Club bestows the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award to Tom Spence.
Tom has been a member of O*H*I*O Masters Swim Club since at least 1994. He has been very active in club activities serving at local, regional and national levels. Tom has been president of O*H*I*O Masters, chair of the Lake Erie LMSC and attended USMS annual conventions representing the Lake Erie LMSC. He served as event director of the Lake Erie Open Water Classic (now the Brogan Open Water Classic) for 12 years from 2002 to 2014.
In 2002 he served as meet coordinator for the USMS Long Course National Championships. He was also the meet director of the USMS One-Hour Postal National Championship before online entries were adopted. In 2014, Tom worked on the National Gay Games Swimming Championship held in Cleveland.
O*H*I*O Masters has benefited a great deal from Tom’s proven leadership at all levels. He gets things done with good insight and cooperation while incorporating a calm demeanor and a snippet of humor. He directed our open water races after observing and incorporating the best of other open water events he saw as a member of the USMS Long Distance Committee.
On a personal note, Tom takes his swimming seriously when needed but is also makes light of himself at the same time. He often tells people he only swims because he likes to eat.
He also cites his swimming philosophy when referring to his competition, “I don’t have to beat them, I just have to outlive them.” This was the inspiration for the plaque that the Lake Erie LMSC purchased for Cleveland State Swimming & Diving Team locker room: Masters Swimming: where you only have to outlive your competition.
Tom has always been very welcoming to new members and encourages them to try new things as part of the club. For example, in 2008 Tom was instrumental in convincing people who had never done an open water swim to train for a 5K swim as part of a relay team at the inaugural 25K Open Water swim in Noblesville, Indiana. The team ended up as All Americans! He also helped adjust the policy of O*H*I*O Masters paying for relays at all National Championships, be they pool or open water, including the newly formatted virtual events.
Tom appears to take a low-key approach to competition, though he has accomplished several notable swimming achievements including:
- 287 competitive swims
- Top Ten achievements (4 individual, 29 relay)
- All-American Honors: (5 years long distance individual)
- All-Star Honors: Long Distance All-Stars are named on a total point basis from the results of all long-distance championships. Tom won this award twice in two different age groups:
- 2016, age 71
- 2019, age 75
Tom has volunteered for USMS committee positions including:
- Championship Committee Member 2003—2005
- Long Distance Committee Associate 2006
- Long Distance Committee Member 2007—2013
Tom received the USMS Dorothy Donnelly Service Award in 2012 in recognition of his volunteer service—which contributed to the growth, improvement, and success of U.S. Masters Swimming locally, regionally, and nationally.
