My Sister *IS* the United States Master Swim Coach of the Year!!!

I am reposting this . My sister won the USMS Coach of the Year award for 2007.
wow.
I really have to applaud the goings on around my sister's coaching programs in Indianapolis. I know what she goes through daily with her two toddlers and juggling to coach as a full time career. She has called me up in tears many times just wondering if she should continue. She does. She continues on and she grows the program year after year. She is so dedicated!! She coaches at INDY Swim Fit in Indianapolis.
YAY KRIS!!!!
I am so proud of her!
She met 5 criteria which pit her against some other coaches in the country. But Kris really believes it is one particular program at the Benjamin Harrison YMCA that set her apart. She believes the one thing that put her in front of the other candidates was the accomplishment of four older women. These women came to Kris and said they wanted to learn to race. They wanted to compete. But two of them could barely even swim. They were all over 50, all were grandma's and they wanted to compete in a masters swimming event. They were driven and determined.
It is hard not to be inspired by women like these.

. :: the article is called "We are living proof". ((I will try to learn to cut and paste a pdf file.))
http://www.indyymca.org/Downloads/Living%20Proof%20newsletter.pdf if you open this scroll down to the picture of the four women wearing red shirts, "living proof". its called.

The eldest was 65 years old! AND.....they made history when they did their First Four Woman relay event. Not only did their age set a record, but they also set a record for being the first recorded African American women's team to compete in a YMCA sanctioned masters Four Woman Relay event!. Record makers. Cool! (some people have wondered if this record has already been set but they can find no history or evidence of it)

Age, ailing health issues, fear of the water and having to change their day to day routine to practice for their race are all barriers that addressed these women. I do think that it is their determination and accomplishment of fulfilling their dream that ultimately helped Kris stand out over the other nominations for USMS Coach of the Year.
Kris said that when these women finished their race that people were crying and hugging. It was a great event to watch.
These women are inspiring to me. So is my sister!
YAY KRIS!