U.S. Masters Swimming Open Water Service Award
| Recipient: | Robin Smith |
| Year: | 2021 |
| LMSC: | Southern Pacific |
Robin had served on 3 OW committees and supported OW swimming in many ways. She was the Southern Pacific (SPMS) LMSC OW Chair and a USMS Long Distance Committee (LDC) Member for 3 years, and she was the Southern California (SCS) Chair for almost a year. In these committee positions, she helped to add new USMS sanctioned OW events, including the 1st Southwest Zone Championship hosted by SPMS at Mission Viejo, to the Southern Pacific OW calendar each year. She helped event hosts with safety plans and USMS sanctioning, and she attended each event in person to hand out bright colored USMS caps for safety. Robin planned and helped SPMS with the Annual Southern Pacific OW Series and she calculated the points for the awards. She encouraged SPMS to bid for the ePostal National Championship events and the USMS OW National Championships, and when the LMSC was selected for both, she served as the liaison to the National Office. During the pandemic, she helped provide guidance to get USMS and USA dual sanctioning for 2 OW swims in Southern Nevada. In addition, she wrote OW safety, training, and racing tips for the SPMS Newsletter.