Remembering Anna Bauscher's Many Achievements

Few athletes begin their careers at 60 years of age. But Anna Bauscher was different. Bauscher had never stepped into a swimming pool until January, 1963, when she was 60 years old. She then went on to have an All-American career.

Bauscher, who died Monday (April 12, 1999) in Reading Hospital at the age of 96, was an All-American in several Masters events every year from 1978 through early 1998 with the exception of two years (1986 and 1997).

Just seven months before she was inducted into the Berks County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in April, 1990, Bauscher, who had just turned 87, won four gold and two silver medals and became the first person in the history of her age group to complete the 200 individual medley in the Pan Pacific Masters Aquatic Games at Indianapolis.

She was named to the 1989 USMS Masters Swimming All-Star Team, which is restricted to one swimmer, male or female, per age group out of 30,000 registered Masters swimmers in the United States.

She was the top scorer in the 1978 National Masters meet and won six gold medals in the 1982 National Masters Sports Festival.

From 1978 to 1990, she was ranked in the U.S. Top Ten in several AAU and YMCA Masters events for her age group.

From 1984 to 1990, she won four gold medals in each U.S. National Masters Championship meet.

She received the Presidential Sports Award in 1976 and was inducted into the Berks County Swimming Hall of Fame in 1982.

Bauscher trained regularly at the Reading YMCA, a short distance from her home in the Court Tower Apartments, 777 Court Street.