Swim meets in Sequim aren’t just for students anymore.

The Sequim Aquatic Recreation Center hosted its first ever adult swim meet on Sunday, March 8, with about 90 people from the Olympic Peninsula to Seattle area competing in the Old School Masters Meet.

SARC aquatics manager Gail Sumpter said it was the busiest she’s ever seen the pool.

“A lot of the people I’ve spoken to told me they didn’t know Sequim had a pool,” Sumpter said.

Swimmers of ages 18-83 competed in the event through the Pacific Northwest Association of Masters Swimmers, which is sanctioned by the U.S. Masters Swimming.

Jan Kavavas of Edmonds, 83, was the meet’s oldest competitor.

“I keep active whenever I can,” Kavavas said. “I go to a couple of meets a year and in April I’ll go to the championships (in Federal Way). Last year I was the only official and swimmer competing.”

The term “Masters” is a misnomer, meet director Jason Ridle said. Ridle coaches teams in Sequim and Port Angeles three days a week.

“The cornerstone of our program is that not everyone wants to swim in a meet but we have enough going on that you can take it as far as you want,” he said.

Ridle said the first comment he usually receives is that people want to get in shape before joining.

“I tell them there’s no point in waiting, because that’s what we try to do everyday,” he said.

Herb Cook, 72, a Gardiner resident, SARC user and a Masters swimmer for 25-plus years, said everyone is welcome in the program.

“One of the good things about Masters swimmers, whether you are the fastest or one of the slower people, which unfortunately at this point would include me, you can swim and everyone is happy for you,” Cook said. “It’s all about keeping fit and enjoying the competition and who you are swimming with.”

The meet logistics

Cook, who helped organize the meet at SARC, at 610 N. Fifth Ave., said the idea began brewing after an outdoor meet was cancelled, leaving a gap in March with no events leading into the championships on April 11-12 in Federal Way.

Normally, the Association of Masters sponsors as many as seven indoor meets and five outdoor meets a year from Bellingham to the Tacoma area, Cook said.

“I thought it went extremely well,” he said. “I thought going in if we get 60-70 people it would be a great success and we had 90 — that’s a real accomplishment.”

One factor that helped it run smoothly was that SARC received a donation for the Masters’ programs software to record results.

Cook said he feels that even though many of the swimmers at the meet don’t swim in Sequim regularly, the word will travel about the meet and facility.

“How that plays into SARC’s efforts down the road, who knows, but it certainly can help,” he said.

Sumpter said she thinks it’s realistic the event could happen again next year and that any profits made from registration from the event benefits the Making Waves, learning to swim, program and college scholarships for lifeguards.

Meet results

SARC’s team, the largest at the meet with 23 swimmers, featured 16 competitors from the Sequim area and the rest from Port Angeles and Port Townsend.

They won nine of 18 events, with Avery Koehler winning the 50-yard backstroke (28.5 seconds), 50-yard free (23.25), 50-yard breaststroke (30.50) and 50-yard butterfly (26.00).

Ridle won the 100-yard individual medley (1:02.00) and 100-yard free (53.00), and Eric Ellison won the 500-yard free (5:45.00).

The 200-yard medley relay with Koehler, Ridle, Tony Forcienl and John Keller won with a 1:55.74 time while the 200-yard freestyle men’s team won with 1:42.08 and two mixed 200-yard free teams tied at 1:56.23.

In the women’s 200-yard medley relay, Dani Barrow, Kelsie MacDonald, Jessica Wagner and Caitlin Sundin took second for SARC with 2:21.52 while the 200-yard free women’s relay team of Andrea Cortani, Theresa Shugart, Katrina Weller and Barrow placed second with 2:07.04.

Another mixed team of Barrow, Koehler, MacDonald and Patrick Singhose took second in the 200-yard medley relay with a 2:09.84 finish.

Barrow also took second overall in the mixed 200-yard individual medley with a 2:24.47 mark.

Regardless of qualifying times, all Masters swimmers can compete in up to three events in Federal Way’s championships.

Ridle said he anticipates SARC’s team sending 10-12 swimmers.

For full results and more on Masters, visit www.swimpna.org/w/PNA/.