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Past, Present, Future The Past Davis Aquatic Masters was created by a small group of volunteers who wanted to encourage swim instruction and has grown into the largest masters swim team in the nation with over 500 active members. Better known as DAM, the team has provided an opportunity for thousands of masters to swim and has changed the face of Davis, a Northern California city that is the home of the University of California – Davis. In 1974, four swimmers asked Jerry Hinsdale, then coach of the UC-Davis swim and water polo teams and Davis Aquadarts community youth swim team for a little instruction. On Oct. 7, 1974, the first DAM workout was held at Hickey Pool on the UC-Davis campus. Team dues were set at $4 per month. DAM apparently filled a crying community need, because the number of workouts and membership grew fairly rapidly. By 1976, DAM had 201 members and 400 in 1980. In 1995, the team had 600 members, which meant DAM was the largest masters swim team in the country. In March 1975, DAM hired Dave Scott as its first head coach. Scott was a UC-Davis swimmer and water polo player, instructor for the City of Davis and assistant coach of Davis Aquadarts. He went on to become a six time winner of the Ironman World Championship Triathlon in Hawaii. Scott now works in Boulder, Colorado as the Head Coach for Team in Training, a nonprofit group that helps people with leukemia compete in marathons, triathlons and 100-mile bike races. In 1975, DAM became a co-sponsored organization of the City of Davis, moved its workouts to the city's Civic Center Pool and became incorporated as a California nonprofit corporation. In 1977, the organization added a special “senior swimmer” workout for those over 55. In 1982, DAM hosted the first Lake Berryessa Open Water Swim, which attracted 400 competitors to the two-mile-long event. That event, which is held annually and includes a two-mile and one-mile adult and youth swims, draws over 1,000 competitors, making it one of the largest open water swims in the West. In 1992, DAM created the Lillian Rowan Award as a tribute to an 84-year-old member who had died two years earlier. The annual award is presented to a DAM member age 55 and older for dedication, motivation, achievements and other contributions as a DAM swimmer. In 1993, Verne Scott, Dave's father who lives in Colorado, was given the Rowan award for his work in DAM's early years. Many others have received the award since. In 1985, DAM member and UC-Davis graduate student, Sue Milburn, led an effort to get the city to renovate the Civic Center Pool, increasing its size to eight lanes, replacing the deck and adding lights. In 1998, DAM swimmer Rand Schaal and his father, Ted, donated $1 million to UC-Davis Athletics Department for construction of the Ted and Rand Schaal Aquatics Center, which includes an Olympic size pool. In 2005, DAM and its partners raised $280,000, built and dedicated the Brady Family Aquatics Building at the Civic Center Pool. After a fundraising drive, DAM and Davis Aquadarts raised $80,000 each, the city contributed $80,000 and the Brady Family Foundation made a lead gift of $40,000. Paul Brady of Davis is a long time DAM swimmer. In 2009, a DAM member Tom Martens started writing a monthly column on masters swimming and team activities in the Davis Enterprise newspaper. His column appears monthly and is made available on the DAM web site (http://damfast.org). In 2009, DAM hosted the first annual Brute Squad Postal Championship Race, which consists of swimming 200 yards of butterfly, 400 yards of individual medley and 1,650 yards of freestyle . Brute Squad is a national competition, and many clubs participate and submit their results by mail. In 2009, the team hosted its first Long Course Championships at Schaal Aquatics Center. DAM will continue to sponsor the nationally sanctioned race each year. The Present Currently, DAM's mission remains unchanged from its early years, which is to serve as an organization “dedicated to improving the community by providing increased physical fitness through swimming and competitive opportunities for all adults and providing education on the health benefits of swimming.” The organization accomplishes its mission with four programs: The Swim Condition Program is at the core of the activities and involves hosting eight, hour-long, professionally coached workouts for members each weekday and two on Saturday. DAM hosts non coached swims on weekends to promote self-directed swimmer conditioning and stroke improvement. The program includes personal stroke improvement video training using team-owned equipment, installation of underwater mirrors so swimmers can observe their swim strokes, diagrams of proper stroke written on a whiteboard by coaches and partnerships with local fitness clubs for cross training. The Competition Program involves turning the Lake Berryessa and Brut Squad swims into nationally known races which groom members for competition by participating in swim races in California as a team, as individual members or as members of relay teams. DAM's members have competed in U.S. Masters Swimming Short Course Yards race, Short Course Meters competition, Long Course Meters race, One Hour Postal Swim National Championship and other competitive events. DAM has also paid costs of relays, provided stipends for students, funded bus transportation to races and for volunteers who work at the Lake Berryessa Open Water Swims, and has waived membership fees for swimmers age 80 and over. The Education and Research Program teaches people about the long-term health benefits of swimming and how to swim more efficiently. DAM hopes to promote and take part in research, such as the team's current participation in a University of Indiana study of the relationship between swimming and longevity. DAM has participated recently in UC-Davis surveys on health benefits of swimming. In addition, DAM has sponsored a seminar on nutrition and swimming, which was led by a member. In its non-competitive work, DAM sponsors a wide variety of social events for members – trips for senior members, two annual barbecues, a holiday party and an annual meeting celebration where awards are presented to its members for accomplishments and volunteer work. In addition, DAM recognizes the contribution of its senior members with the Lillian Rowan Memorial Award. As part of its community service work, DAM helped raise funds and provided donated goods for the Food Bank of Yolo County, Loaves and Fishes Homeless Shelter, USA youth teams and for cancer research as part of the Swim Across America (SAA) Program. In March 2011, DAM members raised nearly $36,958 for cancer research in a monthly-long SAA fundraising drive. And the Swimming Facilities Program promotes expansion of existing facilities and building new ones in Davis, such as a new 50-meter pool that is being discussed as part of the city's Parks and Facilities Master Plan. DAM is a member of U.S. Masters Swimming and is an active participant in Pacific Masters Swimming. Currently DAM has some 500 dues paying members and employs three persons, a full time head coach, a part time assistant coach and a part time finance director, and operates on a $261,545 annual budget. DAM is a membership organization, and policies are set by an all-volunteer Board of Directors made up of seven unpaid members who are elected by the DAM membership to two-year rotating terms. DAM's operations are guided by Articles of Incorporation, bylaws, Policies and Procedures and annual work plans. The Future In the future and with tax exempt status, DAM will greatly expand its community service work with the following priorities and projects: • Raise private funds in partnership with the City of Davis and Davis Joint Unified School District to build a 50-meter pool at Community Park; • Raise private funds in a public-private partnership with the City of Davis purchase and install sun shades at city pools in order to prevent skin cancer among all, especially youth swimmers; • Expand the work to educate older Davis residents of the benefits of swimming to a longer, healthier life; • Provide swim training for seniors and the handicapped; • Expand educational work to introduce youth swimmers to competition by hosting events at DAM's races, notably the Lake Berryessa Open Water Swim; • Educate residents about the benefits of swimming through research in partnership with the UC- Davis and in monthly newspaper columns in the Davis Enterprise; • Expand equipment and instructional techniques for helping members and others to swim more efficiently; • Continue to recognize the contribution of senior swimmers with annual Lillian Rowan Memorial Awards. For more information, contacts DAM at: Davis Aquatic Masters, P.O. Box 92, Davis, CA 95617. E-mail: Web site: http://damfast.org Tel: 530-757-7946
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