Hugh Moore Receives 2002 Ransom Arthur Award

Hugh and Jane Moore received USMS’s highest honor for service, the Captain Ransom J. Arthur, M.D. Award, so named for the founder of Masters swimming. They have been outstanding volunteers for USMS since 1979 when they were founding members of Swimmers of Wichita; Hugh was the club’s president, Jane the secretary/treasurer, and they hosted local meets. They continued their local service when they moved to the Northwest and became charter members of Federal Way Masters where Hugh again served as president and Jane as treasurer. This time their careers as meet hosts extended from local meets to LMSC and Zone Championships, National Postal meets, and three National Championship meets. Local PNA members say “Hugh and Jane could talk them into anything.” Together they have served in seven different LMSC board positions for PNA including several terms each as president, and they have engineered many positive changes. On the national level, they have filled four committee chairmanships—Sports Medicine, Planning, Officials, and Communications, and one national office—Zone Chair. Hugh and Jane have served on twelve USMS committees and completed six special assignments including the National Registration Program and directing medical services at national championship meets.

Ever since Jane found Hugh’s name on a bulletin board advertising Masters swimming at the Wichita “Y” 23 years ago, they have dedicated a large share of their lives to Masters swimming on all levels, not only as individuals but also as a team. Whatever one is involved in, the other actively supports. They have contributed substantially to Masters swimming on the local, zone, and national levels. USMS has always received “two for the price of one” when assigning one or the other to a major project or position.

2006 Dorothy Donnelly USMS Service Award

Hugh Moore received the Dorothy Donnelly USMS Service Award in 2006: From a Masters Coach and swimmer in Wichita, to a major contributing member to USMS nationally, Hugh has served in nearly every position within his LMSC. Nationally, he has been a member of many committees and chaired three of them, including Planning, Officials and Communications. In addition, he was the Zone Chair and has been a part of the USMS Executive Committee. He has found time to host three national meets, and co-direct the upcoming Short Course Nationals.

More about Hugh:

Before moving to the Tacoma, Wash., area in 1983, Hugh Moore competed in Kansas for Swimmers of Wichita Inland Masters (SWIM) and was their president from 1979 to 1983. He was meet director of six local meets in Wichita from 1978-1982. He became president of Federal Way Masters in 1984 holding the position until 1987 and again from 1989 to 1990. In 1983 he became a member of the Board of Directors of the Pacific Northwest LMSC and continues to serve on the board today. He has held various positions on the board including registrar, 1984-1985 and 1987-1989, and president from 1985-1987. He is competitive on a national level earning "top ten" swimming honors.

Hugh also contributes to Masters swimming on the national level. He has been a USMS convention delegate from 1986 to 1997. During that time he was a member of the USMS Marketing Committee (1987-1989), Chairman of the Registration Computerization Program (1987-1989), a member of the ad hoc Computerization Committee (1989-1991), and a member of the USMS Planning Committee (1985-1994) where he was Chairman from 1991-1992. At the convention in 1997, he was elected Zone Committee Chairman. Dorothy Donnelly credits Hugh Moore for changing the status of the zone division. She said, "The eight-zone concept and division was Hugh's brainchild." Prior to 1991, LMSCs were divided into seven zones. Hugh was also chairman of the USMS Officials Committee from 1993-1997.

Besides his local experience in Wichita as meet director, he was meet director at the Region XII Short Course Championships in April, 1990. He also directed four Northwest Zone Championships between 1991 & 1996, and four Pacific Northwest Association Championships between 1991 & 1997.

He has also directed two national championships. He was meet director at the 1992 USMS National Long Course Championships and was co-director with his wife Jane for the 1997 USMS National Short Course Championships. Both were held in Federal Way, Wash.

Hugh can not only direct meets, but also compete in them. Although, he says, "I don't expect to do good times in meets when I'm meet director, which hinders both my training prior to the meet and my psyche during the meet." Even so, he was able to compete in the grueling 200 fly event in the 40-45 age group at Federal Way Short Course Nationals in 1997, finishing in a time of 2:28.95. Hugh's advice on training for a 200 fly is to "adjust the workout to maintain good technique. If I can't maintain technique, I either decrease the yardage or increase the rest interval."

Besides his contributions to USMS, some of his friends and associates say that perhaps his best accomplishment is his marriage to his wife Jane, who herself has been involved in Masters both as a swimmer and an administrator for nearly 20 years and has served as USMS Sports Medicine Committee Chair for 10 years. Hugh and Jane collaborated on two articles for SWIM magazine concerning Aging and Performance in 1993.

June, 1998