Still Competing at 85 and Inspiring Others

To the Sun City West Masters Swimming club Gynt Clifford is our Star and the rock that joins us together as a team on race day.  Barb Sloan has coached the team for the last year and a half and said that “coaching Gynt has been one of the most rewarding and joyful experiences I have had.”

Swimming at any age has so many benefits.  Better lung capacity, bone health, improved sleep and improved mood are just a few.  No one talks about the mental stress though that comes from being a master swimmer.  Competing in any competitive event can be gut wrenching.  Having someone on your team that inspires, mentors, and encourages everyone to do their best can make a big difference.  That person for the Sun City West Masters Swimming club is Gynt Clifford.  Whether you are new to the morning workouts or been around awhile, she is always willing to help you.  Whether it’s your flip turns, which she does beautifully, the best way to bend that forearm to get the maximum pull of the water swimming freestyle, or rotating the shoulders while swimming the backstroke, Gynt is there to help you and encourage you in your efforts.  Of course, watching her in any competitive event is amazing.  She swims with such grace and strength.  Having overcome some physical and family hardships over the years and still persevering through it is inspiring.

Karen Loring was invited to swim on the team in 2014.  She said she would not have continued if it wasn’t for Gynt being on deck and encouraging her.  Karen commented that “She would step in wherever there was a need and help.  She would do for each one of us.  Gynt taught her the beginning of everything and always encouraged her.”

Gynt has 20 years of top 10 achievement rankings dating back to 2004 at age 65.  In 2010 at age of 71 Gynt achieved an all-star listing for her swims at the San Diego Imperial pool event.  In the 2012 FINA World Masters SCM ranking Gynt Clifford was #1 in the 100 butterfly.  She has 8 Individual All American Listings from age 68-83.  Gynt is the current Arizona State USMS record holder in the 80-84 age group for both the 100 and the 200 SCY freestyle records she set in 2020 and 2022. This year at the National Senior Games in Pittsburg in July in the 85-89 age group Gynt had 5 first place finishes.

The one thing about Gynt that is to be admired most is not so much the importance of the medals she has won and what she may win in the future, but what she has achieved competing against herself.  The goal is to be the best you can be, and she has done that and more.  At 415 USMS recorded swims she is an all-star.

Earlier this year, an Italian film crew came to Sun City West.  They interviewed and filmed Gynt for a documentary on aging with a healthy lifestyle.  They could not have picked a better role model.