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WHITIN COMMUNITY CENTER ANNOUNCES FIRST 1,000 MILE SWIMMER IN COMPETITION POOL!
WHITIN COMMUNITY CENTER ANNOUNCES FIRST 1,000 MILE SWIMMER IN COMPETITION POOL!
The Whitin Community Center (WCC) is pleased to announce that 64 year-old Bill Lyman of Whitinsville has achieved recognition as the first 1,000-mile swimmer in the competition pool!
On December 4, 2006 Bill Lyman, a very modest retired case manager and assistant director from the Department of Mental Health, completed 36,000 laps of the competition pool since beginning to count in 1999. In recognition of his achievement, his fellow lap swimmers signed a sweatshirt for him and the Whitin Community Center gave him a golf shirt that had “1,000 mile swimmer” embroidered on the front. Charles Thompson, Executive Director at the Whitin Community Center, noted, “This is quite an accomplishment! He is a role model for us all.” When asked who his role models for swimming were, Bill replied, “My swimming heroes are here – the staff and my fellow lap swimmers!”
Bill was born in Whitinsville and took swimming lessons at the Whitin Community Center as a child. He remembers the days when you paid 10 cents to use the pool and even had to rent a swimsuit! In the original pool, people used to swim in circles as laps around the pool and he recalls, “people always passed me and gave me dirty looks for being so slow!”
Bill stresses that families still come here to learn. As he and his children did, his four grandsons have learned to swim at the Whitin Community Center. The Whitin Community Center has two heated indoor pools for lessons, lap swimming, water workouts and exercise programs, boy scout lifesaving badges, swim team, birthday parties, and open recreation swimming. The original pool is 60’ X 20’ and is heated to 89 degrees. The competition pool, opened in 1999, is 75’ X 40’ and is heated to 82 degrees.
In the 1980s, Bill started swimming as a form of exercise because jogging had taken a toll on his knees. He describes himself as “never a good swimmer” and he had to stop after each lap when he first started. In 1999, the WCC Aquatic Director, Debbie Moore, encouraged him to start tracking his laps in the competition pool in a log as a way to keep him motivated. He also credits Lisa Dionne, a lifeguard at WCC, for giving him tips on his stroke and form in the water that made swimming more enjoyable. Bill says, “the first 950 miles was a real struggle but once I asked for help and had goals, I now feel that I can swim forever!”
Swimming tones your entire body while providing an excellent cardiovascular workout; it strengthens your heart muscle and improves delivery of oxygen to muscles. It's also a uniquely gentle, relaxing activity that almost anyone can do, including people for whom jarring, weight-bearing activities are out of the question (those who are obese or have chronic back or joint problems, for example). Pregnant women in particular benefit since swimming builds up abdominal and shoulder muscles, areas that are especially taxed by carrying a baby. Water exercise can also reduce the joint stiffness, high blood pressure, and discomfort associated with pregnancy.
Bill agrees. He said, “I wouldn’t feel nearly as good as I do if I did not swim”. Sometimes it is hard for him to walk up stairs because of his knees but once he is done swimming, he feels great. He swims about a mile a day now over a one-hour time span. When asked about future goals, Bill remarked that he wants to learn “how to do a flip turn!”
The Whitin Community Center would also like to recognize the following 100-mile swimmers and 500-mile swimmers:
500 Miles
Peter Plumb
Debbie Moore
Kathy Trainor
Wayne Gilley
100 Miles
Jerry Campbell
Pam Allen
Sue Cave
John Hendrickson
Denise Spencer
Larry Specter
Xia Klinger
Betty Langevin
Marty Smith
George Blackburn
Mary Lou Quinlan
Bill Broderick
Marty Harris
Sandy Velarose
Richard Kulinski
Bob Del Negro
Bonnie Mochum
Bob Cole
Tura Dudley
Matt Salmon
Jim Corcoran
Doug Ashby
Minna Hallberg
Tom Iverson
Linda Bonina
Ruth Newhall
Guy Zapolean
Halford Welch
Joan Senecal
Rich Deluca
Bill Dicillo
Hopefully they and maybe you will be motivated to reach the 1000-mile mark as well!
The Whitin Community Center is a private, non-profit, community-based organization serving the Blackstone Valley since 1922. The Whitin Community Center is committed to enhancing the health and well-being of individuals and families and building a strong community in the Blackstone Valley. We offer social, recreational, educational, and outreach programs that bring community members of all ages and backgrounds together. The Whitin Community Center is the Blackstone Valley’s most complete family and recreation center with approximately 3,700 members, two pools, a gym, a fitness center, child care and after school programs, and a seven-acre park.
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