The waters that four members of the Okanagan Masters Swim Club train and compete in could easily be mistaken for the Fountain of Youth.
OMSC teammates Conny Stamhuis, 84, Ross Carviel, 86, Tony Hoft, 61, and Betty Brussel, 92, joined forces to set a new national standard last weekend at the 2016 Masters Swimming Association of B.C. Championships in Richmond.
Competing in the 320 to 359 combined age group, Stamhuis (backstroke), Carviel (breaststroke), Hoft (butterfly) and Betty Brussel (freestyle) broke the Canadian record in the 200 metre mixed medley in a time of 3:43:41.
Brussel also broke the 100 metre B.C. breaststroke record for the age group 90 to 94.
Several OMSC swimmers achieved one or more individual first places in their respective age groups: Betty Brussell, 92, Ross Carviel, 86, Conny Stamhuis, 84, Val Newth, 70, Brenda Balderson, 62, John Zakala, 54, Jeanette Hoft, 52, Jodi Merckx, 46, Christy Kirk, 46, Carmelle Guidi-Swan, 44, Pascal Sutherland, 40, and Thomas Robinson, 21.
OMSC was represented by 12 female and six male competitors.
"In addition to these winning performances, our club celebrates the diversity of swimmers we have competing at provincials," said OMSC vice-president Carmelle Guidi-Swan. "Although we have swimmers who competed as kids, the majority have only started to compete relatively recently as adults.
"These swimmers are the heart of masters swimming and have made great strides."
For more information on masters swimming in Kelowna visit the OMSC website at http://www.okmasters.com.