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Who’s In That Lane? – Episode 9: Ben Thien I joined FAST Masters in July 2023. I was never on a swim team before, so I have been swimming for10 months now. I did swim a little 20 years ago for a triathlon and joined FAST because I wanted a place to swim to train for another triathlon. FAST had the best time available, best price, and was the most convenient because it’s on the way to work. Now the triathlon is probably not going to happen because my feet...
Former FAST coach Jon Urbanchek passed away last night at his home in Fullerton surrounded by his family. Jon is a legend in the international swimming community and was an important mentor and friend to FAST since his return to California in 2010. From Anaheim High School to Long Beach State, the University of Michigan, USC, and every Olympic Games since 1976, Jon has deeply touched many lives in and out of the pool. Jon was one of the first coaches at FAST when teams in Fullerton and Anaheim merged...
Last weekend at the SAND Cinco de Mayo meet 19 FAST swimmers posted 134 lifetime best times out of 149 swims -- an outstanding 90% best times! 82 new USA National Age Group Motivational time standards achieved -- 3 "AAA", 15 "A", 43 "BB", and 21 "B" 26 new Summer Age Group Championships qualifying times achieved Complete results can be viewed here. Keep up the great work, FAST!
Nineteen FAST swimmers competed in the Lakewood Invitational in Long Beach, posting 43 personal best times. This was the second Long Course meet of the season and the first Long Course opportunity for non-Freestyle events. Nine new National Age Group times were achieved: 1 "B" time 3 "BB" times 5 "A" times FAST had one event winner with Yves Pan dropping 9+ seconds to win the 400 IM in a time of 5:18.83. Two other top 3 finishes were posted by Toby Swanson (3rd, 400 IM) and Caleb Yoo (3rd,...
On Saturday, April 20th FAST hosted our home team, the Fullerton Sharks, and five other teams for the 2024 Orange County Special Olympics Regional Swimming Competition. Ninety athletes participated from the Sharks, O.C. Titans, Surf City Swimmers, Mission Viejo Nadadores, Irvine Eagles, and Long Beach. Over 50 FAST volunteers and the Knights of Columbus combined forces to run a great meet and post-meet BBQ. After a 5-year hiatus due to the pandemic, everyone was thrilled to bring back this event. The meet was an opportunity for the athletes to qualify...
53 FAST athletes fought against the clock in a variety of distance events on Saturday. Highlights: 67 personal best times 32 NEW USAS National Age Group Motivational times established -- 1 "AA", 4 "A", 24 "BB", 3 "B" Congratulations to our swimmers on their excellent performances!
FAST MASTERS: WHO'S IN THAT LANE? – EPISODE 8: BILL MCGARVEY For this episode we hear from the man himself, Bill McGarvey. Well, you probably never see me in the short course workouts. That's because I'm down in the 33's! This is Bill McGarvey. I am the third oldest member of the FAST Masters Team being 70 years old! I feel only 45! I was born at Saint Joseph's Hospital in Orange and was brought home to 924 North Nicholas Street in Fullerton. Back in 1953 it was known as...
