The Passing of a legend Robert K. Miller (Coach…

May 8th 1929- August 19th 2021

The Green Valley, AZ swim club lost a legend on Thursday, August 19^th. Robert Miller (Coach Bob) was an athlete, Coach and Mentor, devoted husband, dad and grandfather. He was respected, loved and an inspiration to everyone that knew him. Bob’s entire life had been centered in and around water. Up until this death, he could be found at the Green Valley West Center pool five days a week. He impacted so many lives during his nearly 70 years of coaching he was quoted saying that he had coached nearly 5,000 kids and adults over his lifetime. Many of Bob’s athletes competed at Olympic trials and some of his best swimmers, (Lynn Colella, Rick Colella, Janis Hape and Bob Lynn), finished in the top 3 at the Olympic Games and World Championships.  Coach Bob was the U.S. National Team Coach at several international competitions including the Mexico Pan American Games in 1975.

Bob’s athletic career began at the University of Washington where he was the captain of the swim team. He enlisted in the Army after graduation where he was recruited for the Modern Pentathlon which encompassed horse show jumping, fencing, swimming, cross country running and pistol shooting. In 1956, he was the best in the country and qualified for the Modern Pentathlon on the US National team for the Melbourne Olympics.  An unfortunate accident with his horse kept him from competing but he still flew to Melbourne for the 1956 Olympics as an alternate team member and Bob and the team received a silver medal for their efforts.  For the next 7 decades, Bob focused on coaching while still swimming and staying active.

In 1959, Bob Miller along with two swimmers from his college swim team, John Tallman and Bob Regan, Co-founded the Olympic Swim School in Seattle, Washington, later to be called the Cascade Swim Club where he coached until 1971.  He also coached at the Totem lakes Swim team in Kirkland, WA from 1973-76. and Lake Oswego, OR (1971-1976). From 1976 -82, he coached in Ft. Lauderdale FL for the Pinecrest school. He returned to the Pacific Northwest, coaching at the Bellevue Swim Club from 1984-2000. Tucson, AZ JCC (2001-2004), and Bainbridge Island Swim Club (2004-2009).  Over the course of his coaching career, Bob Miller was honored as coach of the year in Washington, Florida and Oregon.  In 1973, Bob received the coach of the year award from the American Swim Coaches Association (ASCA) and in 2011, Bob was inducted into the ASCA Hall of Fame for his lifelong success in coaching.

During his coaching career Bob also focused on his Masters swimming. His USMS swimming career started in 1972 with a lifetime achievement of 180 individual and 9 relay Top Ten awards. He also achieved All American honors status 17 years by placing first in an event nationwide from 1974 to 2015. His specialty was in backstroke events but he also swam the free and IM. He was awarded All Star honors in 2010 by placing first in the most events in that year. Over his USMS swim career, Bob has broken 17 USMS age group records. He was also featured in swimming magazine March-April edition 2006 in “Records tumble in 5K 10K postal championships.”

RIP Bob! You were loved and will be missed!

Provided by Samantha Martoni

Passing of Jeff Baird

By Katy James

I have some sad news to share.  One of my favorite swimmers and relay mates, Jeff Baird, passed away March 29, 2021 in Grand Junction, Colorado. He was 62.  All I know is that he was at the pool.

Jeff was involved in competitive swimming since way before high school. He was on the ASU swim team and he was proud of the fact he held a national record at one point before it was broken again 8 minutes later. He coached for Wickenburg High School for a few years.  He also competed with Phoenix Swim Club, Swim Devil Masters, and Arizona Masters.  I first met him when he volunteered to run our AZLMSC elections in 2012.  Jeff, Dave Evans, Christie Altman and I were on a 400 meter free relay together a couple years back that was Number 1 in the Fina World Masters rankings.

I asked two of Jeff’s favorite swimmer friends what they liked most about Jeff. 

From Terry DeBiase, former AZLMSC Chair and SDM super swimmer:

Jeff was as unpretentious as the day was long. Jeff was non-judgemental and favored the same courtesy in return. If you were looking for information and an opinion on a subject, you need look no further than Jeff. He loved to compete in the pool, but I always sensed he loved more to visit with his fellow masters swimming friends. He was always up to speed on the latest medical research as it applied to physiology and our swimming. I loved hearing his latest ideas on some new training technique or exercise routine or medicinal alternative, but they were never offered in an obsessive way. He would probably cringe to hear it, but there was an academic research quality to his musings, with his willingness to fill the role of test subject as necessary. Jeff, among the many new holes out there, there is a gaping one in AZ masters swimming without you buddy.

From Dave Evans, SDM super swimmer:

I raced against Jeff for many years.  What I admired was his ability to not be emotionally attached to the outcome of his swims, as well as his occasional unfiltered commentary.

I will really miss Jeff.  I was really looking forward to swimming on relay with him again soon.

Passing of Ted Haartz

by Judy Gilles

One of USMS’s longest members and founding fathers passed away on Jan. 1^st 2021.  Ted was 92.  Ted was an Arizona Master Swimmer who lived in Green Valley for approximately the last 25 years.  Before he moved to AZ, Ted live in the New England area and was the founder of New England Masters. 

He was USMS president from 1978 through 1981.  He worked with Robert Beach, Ransom Arthur and June Krauser to start USMS in the very early 1970’s.  Ted told me Robert Beach kept the individual records, June kept did the newsletter and he kept the relay records.  Just a reminder to those of you reading this, in the early 1970’s there were no cell phones or internet.  Everything was done with landline phone calls, stop watches, and copy paper.  Ted held many top 10 records in the 50, 100, and 200 yard and meter breaststroke events.  He also was one of the very first master swimmers to become USA-S certified as an official.  He swam in and officiated almost every national meet during his time.  I am personally aware of at least one, if not two, rule changes that took place because of calls he made at national meets.  It has also been said that he attended every Board of Directors meeting through this last Zoom Annual Meeting we had this past September. 

If you would like to see a photo and more on Ted you can look on Facebook under Frank (Skip) Thompson.  Skip wrote a wonderful background on Ted and how much he meant to USMS and so many of us.  His wife, Lee, still lives in Green Valley.