For Olympic Aquatic Club, and many other swimmers/parents/fans, Thursday will be a bittersweet day. One of the largest end-of-summer meets, the PNS Championships in Federal Way, gets underway — but it’s also the meet where longtime OAC head coach Bonnie Burmaster will, at the end, retire from coaching. You can read about it here as well as see a video of Bonnie.
I had a chance not to long ago to visit with Bonnie, and husband Elwin at their farm off Waaga Way (that’s a little slice of heaven right there!) and I can certainly see why she will be missed. It has to be impossible not to like Bonnie. Her joy for her ‘swim’ kids is apparent and she never treated it like a job or chore —
something she had to do. Plus, she’s one of the kindest and funniest people I’ve met.
For Bonnie it’s always been about teaching the kids and cheering on their successes. She will be greatly missed. So if you see Bonnie on the deck at KCAC Thursday-Sunday, give her a hug and tell her thanks. She deserves it.
In world championship news, we’re a few days away from the start of the swimming events (diving, water polo, open-water swimming and synchronized swimming has already started/finished). No announcement has been made on who is swimming in the relays, but it seems the 400 free relay (Sunday) should feature Michael Phelps, Nathan, Garrett Weber-Gale and Cullen Jones. The 400 medley later in the week could feature Phelps (butterfly), Mark Gangloff (breast), Nathan (free) and Aaron Peirsol (back).
Also, John Lohn, senior writer for Swimming World Magazine, along with host Peter Busch, preview the freestyle events for next weeks’ championships on The Morning Swim Show. You can watch it here to see what they say about Nathan Adrian’s chances in the 50 and 100 free. I’m not going to spoil it for you! (OK, I will give you a hint, he’s mentioned at the 15-minute mark or so).
We love you Bonnie. Fair winds and following seas!