Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

Dick Sidner, an American open water swimmer, coach, and open water swimming event race director from Indiana, was awarded the 2016 U.S. Masters Swimming Open Water Service Award.

The Open Water Service Award honors individuals who have made significant contributions to promoting and building excellence in U.S. Masters Swimming open water swimming by embodying the USMS mission, vision, goals, and objectives through open water swimming; serving in USMS national committees, LMSC open water or long distance chair, event or safety director, official, coach, clinician, or volunteer); contributes notably at different levels of USMS (i.e. national, zone, LMSC, and/or local); or demonstrating extraordinary measurable achievement and impact.

The award sums up quite extensively the efforts of Sidner and the previous recipients: Jim Wheeler (2015), Glenda Carroll (2014), and Bob Bruce (2013).

Sidner has served as the race director of five U.S. Masters Swimming National Open Water Swimming Championships since 2008, has volunteered 14 years on the U.S. Masters Swimming Long Distance Committee, and currently serves as the race director of the 2012 Planet Adventure Swimming Series, three open water swimming events in Indiana. He additionally hosted the first USMS Open Water Clinic in 2011 and repeated as host for the next four years.

Sidner’s masters swim team, known as the NASTI’s (Noblesville Adult Swim Team, Inc.) was awarded the 2009 USMS Club of the Year. He specializes in developing improved stroke and open water techniques in both experienced and novice triathletes and masters swimmers.

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