It’s that time of year again to celebrate TWIM teammates and award the Betsey Kassen award! If you are newer to TWIM and wondering what this is all about, it points back to the beginning when TWIM was just a mere twinkle in the founders’ eyes. Betsey was there from the start and an integral part of making TWIM what it is today. She was an unstoppable force in the pool who exemplified the true meaning of grit.
From the words of our esteemed author of last year’s award:
“Like Betsey Kassen herself, when she was competing (and the very reason for the eponymous award), she excelled between the walls AND she was an incredible teammate. She not only helped herself through her drive and work ethic, but she also made everyone else around her not only a better swimmer but a better person.”
I couldn’t put it better myself. As you will see from 2023’s top three, it’s not only their swimming and contribution to the swimming world which earned them votes but also who they are as upstanding people that swayed the judges. The winner was not decided until the final vote was counted with one vote separating the top three.
Let’s take a look at the 2023 resumes:
Dan Underbrink
Dan is no stranger to winning awards under the TWIM banner. He was named the prestigious Ironman two years in a row before the Betsey Award was created. He has also earned votes all three years in which the award has been contested. On the pool side, Dan was one of only three PNA swimmers to compete in 7 out of 8 LMSC sanctioned events. He did not stop there, though. Dan also made a strong appearance in the State and National Senior Games. And just in case you thought he had a “light” year, the SAMI (swim around Mercer Island) also appeared on his completion list.
His accomplishments outside of the pool are pivotal to the local swimming community with being an ever-present fixture with the detailed tasks of running swim clinics. Dan is not only the President of the TWIM board but also a member of other local swimming boards including the title of Appointed Director of PNA Officers. Is this man busy? Yup, but every task is performed with the utmost precision and care. And for that, we are eternally grateful.
David Scott
Dave is a high vote earner for a second year in a row with a list of accolades that rivals the best of the best. His swimming rap sheet is impressive with swimming 5 of 8 LMSC sanctioned events, 2 Oregon hosted events and Short Course Nationals in Irvine, CA. It must be mentioned that in one weekend, he swam two meets in two different states. Wow! His amazing breaststroke skills earned a 6th place national ranking in both SCM and LCM as well as in 2 relays.
Outside of the pool, he has been active on all three local boards including TWIM, PSM and PNA. To top that off, he is a level 1 USMS certified coach. If this didn’t keep him busy enough, he showed all of PSM his 3D printing skills by making every member of the National team an individual bag tag. Yet, with all these accomplishments, his graciousness, humbleness and phenomenal team supporter were some of the most mentioned characteristics to earn Dave top votes. If you have not yet met Dave, make sure to make that a top priority the next time your paths cross as you will see why we love having him on TWIM!
And your winner is…..
Carl Haynie
If you are not familiar with the force that Carl is in the pool, let’s catch you up a bit. Through the year 2023, while only swimming 4 meets, he still managed to garner 6 individual National top 10’s in back, breast, and IM events. His top achievement was 3rd in the 100 back SCY. If you doubt his grit, even with having a late start due to errors with the signaling device behind the blocks, he still touched 4th at the SCY National Championships. He was also part of two National top 10 relays. It is common for his name to grace the World top 10 rankings which has not yet been published for 2023 at this time of this writing.
Outside of the pool he carries the title of TWIM treasurer which is one of the hardest and most unsung positions. When everything comes togethers like a complex 1000-piece puzzle, it’s because Carl was behind the scenes making sure everything was taken care of. Those swim clinics would not run with such great success without the unseen countless hours of dedication by Carl.
Humbleness? Yup!
Graciousness? Yup!
Grit? Without a doubt.
Let’s all congratulate Carl as his name is enshrined in the wonderful tradition that is TWIM as the 2023 Bestey Kasen Award winner.
What a wonderful day to be part of TWIM and this great swimming community. As someone much wiser than I recently reminded me that we are all out there moving our bodies and enjoying the sport that we love so much. Let’s hold that close to our hearts as we work our way through 2024.
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