July 24, 2024 - The board of directors of the New England Local Masters Swimming Committee is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2024 New England LMSC Local Service Awards. This year’s NELMSC Awards & Hall of Fame Induction Celebration will take place Sunday afternoon, September 29, at J. Anthony’s Italian Grill in Auburn, Massachusetts, preceded by a free coached swim workout for members of U.S. Masters Swimming at the WPI Sports & Recreation Center in Worcester.

The 2024 NELMSC Local Service Award honorees are as follows: Distinguished Service Award recipient Guy Davis of Great Bay Masters Swimming, Coach of the Year Award recipient Bill Meier of Simon’s Rock PaceMakers, Appreciation Award recipients Susan Cooney of Maine Masters Swim Club, Ryan Pope of Mount Wachusett Masters, and Jason Weis of Boston University Masters Swimming.

The NELMSC Distinguished Service Award recognizes outstanding long-term service to the New England LMSC vis-à-vis the honoree’s leadership, membership recruitment, program development, and promotion of Masters Swimming at the club, LMSC, and national levels:

This year’s Distinguished Service Award honoree Guy Davis chairs the USMS Finance Committee and sits on the USMS Investment Committee. He served as a NELMSC board member from 2014 to 2023, including eight years as the LMSC vice chair and two as the Great Bay Masters president and club rep. During this tenure, he chaired the LMSC’s Elections Nominating, Championship Meet, and LCM Mini Meet subcommittees; contributed to the COVID-19 Relief Grant Program and Lake Willoughby Open Water National Championship task forces; provided financial expertise and reviewed LMSC bank records; and contributed content to the LMSC website and newsletters.

“Guy recruited me and many others into USMS volunteerism,” said Colonies Zone Chair and past NELMSC Board Chair Douglas Sayles. “His business acumen, insight, sardonic wit, and ability to frame issues in a constructive context make him an invaluable and fun governance partner and friend. We all owe him a debt of gratitude for his club, LMSC, and national committee leadership and the many unheralded contributions he has made behind the scenes.”

The NELMSC Coach of the Year Award recognizes a swim coach who has demonstrated outstanding leadership, coaching, club development, and participation in Masters Swimming during the prior year and the course of their career, based on club size and growth, event participation and results, and the coach’s involvement in and contributions to Masters Swimming at the local, regional and national levels:

This year’s Coach of the Year Bill Meier is a popular and inspiring Level 4 Masters coach, teacher, and community builder whose contributions to youth and adult swimming have touched thousands of lives. A renowned water safety instructor, Bill has pioneered locally, nationally, and internationally impactful learn-to-swim initiatives, including the USMS Adult Learn to Swim Program. And under his leadership, the Berkshires-based Simon’s Rock PaceMakers team has grown to include dozens of Masters swimmers of all ages and walks of life. Bill also chaired the NELMSC board from 2011 to 2015 and received a USMS Dorothy Donnelly Service Award in 2014 and the USMS Fitness Award in 2019.

NELMSC Appreciation Awards express special thanks to individuals who have made significant contributions to the New England LMSC and its registered clubs:

Appreciation Award honoree Susan Cooney of Maine Masters Swim Club is an outstanding volunteer who over the years has spent many hours at the Waldo Valley YMCA coaching swimmers of all ages and running the Masters program. Her teammates describe her as knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and giving. These traits are evident in a 2014 article about Susan’s induction into the State University of New York’s New Paltz Athletics Hall of Fame, which quotes her saying about her coaching: “It is more about the experience. That’s what I want to give to these kids and these adults I work with. I want them to have a love of this sport and be able to do it their entire lives.”

Appreciation Award honoree Ryan Pope of Mount Wachusett Masters is a collaborative, up-and-coming governance leader and coach who has helped build and energize the membership and camaraderie of his local Masters team. Elected as the vice chair of the NELMSC board in October 2023, he is widely appreciated for his friendly, can-do attitude and readiness to help rally the troops in support of Masters Swimming programs and events.

Appreciation Award honoree Jason Weis of Boston University Masters Swimming is a doer whose quiet demeanor belies his many contributions to Masters Swimming. He is conducting cancer research in pursuit of a PhD in Genetics & Genomics but still finds time to coach multiple Masters practices per week, run meets, chair the NELMSC board, and sit on key USMS national committees. He was a founding member of the College Club Swimming league during his undergraduate years and is a current advocate of CCS-USMS collaboration. Jason’s Masters teammates and governance colleagues describe him as intelligent, thoughtful, receptive, supportive, inclusive, and fun.

The 2024 NELMSC Awards & Hall of Fame Induction Celebration will take place Sunday, September 29, at J. Anthony’s Italian Grill in Auburn, Massachusetts. The social hour begins at 1 p.m. with light snacks and a cash bar, and the buffet opens at 2 p.m., followed by the awards presentations and Hall of Fame inductions. Tickets cost $40 per person.

To RSVP and purchase tickets online, pay via Venmo @SWIM-NELMSC and include the attendees’ names in the memo line. To RSVP via email and pay in person at the restaurant, send the attendees’ names to Tracy Grilli at tracyswims@mindspring.com by Monday, September 23, and bring cash or a check made out to “NELMSC HOF.”

From 10:30 a.m. to noon that day, NELMSC Board Chair Jason Weis will coach a free workout for members of U.S. Masters Swimming at the WPI Sports & Recreation Center pool in Worcester.

For more information, visit the NELMSC’s Hall of Fame and Awards & Recognition webpages.

About the New England LMSC

The New England Local Masters Swimming Committee is a volunteer-run, 501(c)(3) nonprofit subordinate of United States Masters Swimming that serves as the regional governing body for USMS-registered clubs, workout groups, coaches, and swimmers in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The New England LMSC is one of 10 LMSCs in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states that constitute the Colonies Zone.

Contact: Tara Mack, NELMSC Awards & Recognition Coordinator, neawardsusms@gmail.com