U.S. Masters Swimming Hires Associate Editor

U.S. Masters Swimming is pleased to announce the addition of a part-time associate editor to its publications staff.

Elaine K. Howley has been writing for SWIMMER magazine since early 2009 as a freelancer and has written profile, science and physiology, training, and open water features. Her November-December 2011 profile, “Marisa Churchill, Greek Goddess of Kitchen and Block,” won first place in the 81st Annual Writer's Digest Writing Competition, in the Magazine Feature Article category.

Howley is a graduate of Georgetown University and earned her master’s degree in publishing and writing from Emerson College. She served as a Peace Corps Volunteer teaching English in Ukraine and has worked as a book editor and technical writer and editor. Howley recently completed the USMS Level II Masters coach certification program. She is also an Athleta Sponsored Athlete for 2013 and a frequent contributor to the Athleta Chi blog.

Laura Hamel, USMS’s communications and publications director, is excited to welcome Howley aboard. “Elaine’s professionalism and skill have made her an invaluable contributor to SWIMMER, and I look forward to working with her as we develop more editorial content for usms.org, in addition to the magazine and our STREAMLINES series,” Hamel says.

Howley is a lifelong swimmer best known in the open water swimming community for her marathon swimming résumé. A former Division I collegiate swimmer and ocean lifeguard, Howley began competing in long-distance open water events in 2006. In 2009, she became the 32nd person to complete the Triple Crown of open water swimming: the English Channel, the Catalina Channel, and the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim. She’s also the current record-holder for the fastest double-crossing of the Boston Harbor and holds the record for the longest swim by a woman in Narragansett Bay. In December 2012 she gained membership to the International Ice Swimming Association after completing a 1-mile swim in the 41-degree waters of Boston Harbor.

Hamel believes Howley’s diversified interests will benefit readers: “Elaine’s mix of writing and editing skills, combined with her swimming knowledge and experience—from coaching in the pool to marathon swimming—will help us to continue to ratchet up the quality of USMS publications.”