Three Whistlerites recently competed in Nanaimo at the BC Provincial Championships for Masters Swimming. One of them broke a provincials record.
Dave Higgins completed the 50-metre freestyle in 25.95 seconds among men aged 55 to 59. He still didn't win—that honour belonged to Barry Saretsky who established a new national record (24.99)—but it was one of six medals he went home with.
"I was quite happy. I was faster than I thought I was going to go," Higgins said. "But you think you're doing great, and someone's always faster."
The Whistler Real Estate man did strike gold in the 100-metre butterfly and 200-metre freestyle to go with three more silvers in 100-metre individual medley (IM), 50-metre butterfly and 100-metre freestyle. Not too shabby for an athlete who hasn't raced competitively in 31 years.
Higgins credits his fellow locals, Pru Moore and Hector Garcia-Martinez, for dragging him out of retirement. Both of them also excelled in their respective age categories.
Moore, in the ladies age 75-79 bracket, notched three victories (50-metre backstroke, 100 metre backstroke, 200-metre IM relay), two runner-up finishes (100-metre freestyle, 200-metre freestyle relay) and a third-place result (50-metre freestyle).
In the challenging men's 40-44 division: Meadow Park Sports Centre lifeguard Garcia-Martinez won the 200-metre freestyle, earned silver in 100-metre breaststroke and 200-metre IM, and took bronze in the 50-metre and 100-metre freestyle. He also recorded a pair of fourths (50-metre butterfly, 100-metre IM).
"Hector and I have done a lot of swimming over the last year," explained Higgins. "It's always easier if you have somebody else … he's happy to push you along. Halfway through whatever training we're doing, you feel better, you forget that you're tired or didn't sleep well, or whatever else is going on, because there's someone else. I've just got to keep up with them."
That said, Higgins harbours particular respect for the event's oldest athletes, including 101-year-old Betty Brussel of the White Rock Wave. (That number is not a typo).
'A rudder through the trials'
At 77 years of age, Moore is an impressive competitor in her own right. She and her family have resided in Whistler full-time since 2007, and she's retired from past careers as an ICU nurse and nurse educator at St Paul's Hospital, and a teacher at Vancouver Community College.
Moore, despite her lifelong love of swimming, didn't join a club until her fourth decade. She picked up new techniques over time and began competing in her late 40s when a coach recommended she do so. The Whistlerite met with unexpected success and has been racing ever since.
"I am very proud of the achievements of Dave and Hector," Moore remarked. "Both of them were competitive swimmers in their youth. Hector came to provincials for the first time last year after taking a break for almost 25 years … their achievements training together at Meadow Park are testaments to their talent, diligence, strength and determination. It was exciting to watch them. They both have deep muscle memory of how to swim at a very high level.
"Swimming is a wonderful exercise as we age. The water is supportive and injuries are rare. For many folks who swim regularly, it is a sport that is like a rudder through the trials, tribulations and triumphs of life. It can be meditation, time to be alone and reflect, or push hard and get the cardio exercise we all need. Most of us can do it as long as we live. Betty Brussel received standing ovations at the meet for breaking world records right here in B.C."
Moore doesn't intend to slow down anytime soon, while Higgins and Garcia-Martinez plan to tackle the seven-kilometre Across the Lake Swim on Rattlesnake Island this summer—a race they previously completed in 2024.
Full results from Provincials are viewable at rp.cdn-website.com/872cc02e/files/uploaded/results_with_records.pdf.
