U.S. Masters Swimming Open Water Service Award

Recipient:	Bob Bruce
Year:	2013
LMSC:	Oregon

Longtime Masters swimmer and volunteer, Bob Bruce of the Oregon LMSC, received the inaugural Open Water Service Award in recognition of his contributions to open water swimming. Bob began coaching the Central Oregon Masters Aquatics (COMA) in Bend, Oregon in 1997. In this role, and with numerous freshwater lakes in Oregon, Bob became interested and eventually an expert at open water swimming. He was the event director each year for Oregon open water events taking place around the state. Bob served as the event director for numerous USMS National Open Water Championships over multiple distances and venues. Thanks to a decade of planning, a grant from USMS, and two intense years obtaining permits, the Foster Lake cable swim course, the third cable swim course in the United States, opened up in 2011. Bob was the man who made it all happen. In addition to his contributions to Oregon open water swimming, Bob served on many USMS National Committees. He joined the USMS Long Distance Committee in 2004 and the Open Water Committee in 2012, when the committee split off from the Long Distance Committee. Bob also served on the subcommittee that oversaw the national postal championships, which he called, the “most underused” but best program that USMS offered because a club’s location is irrelevant.