Joann Leilich
By Cheryl Wagner
Joann Leilich holds three Masters World records:
as well as nine national records. She has achieved USMS All American status 20 times and has also worked tirelessly for USMS and our local LMSC, having been a Potomac Valley Committee chairman since 1982 or 1983. She also set two USMS records at nationals in Indianapolis last month. Here is an interview with Joann.
Q: Where are you from?
A: I grew up in the Chicago suburbs and took swim lessons at New Trier High School. People from the Midwest will know that name. Since college graduation I have lived in several states from coast to coast.
Q: What prompted you to take swim lessons?
A: My mother sent me. She thought it would be a good idea for me to learn since we lived near Lake Michigan and went there a lot. I hadn't been athletic before that. I'm not athletic in anything else. I learned to swim at an early age and went on to take Junior Lifesaving, Senior Lifesaving, and WSI. With all those credentials I never lifeguarded. I did teach swimming; it was a good way to earn spending money.
Q: How did you get into competitive swimming?
A: In the ninth grade, I saw an article in the paper about water ballet and went to try out. The coach took one look at my swimming and asked me if I had ever considered competitive swimming. I joined the team and swam all through high school. My high school didn't have a girl's team; I swam for a park district community team. Our high school did have a water ballet club, and I participated in that.
Q: How did you become a breaststroker?
A: Our competitive coach had us swim everything. When I started beating the best breaststroker on the team, guess what I swam? Our team was for girls only and was called Portage Park. In the summer we would swim outside in a huge, concrete pool which had a fancy shape and a wall dividing the deep end from the shallow. We practiced by swimming across the deep end, climbing up on the wall and swimming back. It was a lot of fun!
In the summer we went to Indiana to compete in an outdoor 50 meter course in a lake. The course featured a pier and wooden bulkhead.
I liked competitive swimming well enough to continue in college, so I went to Purdue University-one of the few universities with a women's swim team, coached by a university coach (it was called Lafayette Swim Club and was not officially sponsored by the university). That, as well as my major, Math Education, was a deciding factor, in choosing that school. I only swam two years; I wanted to focus on my education.
After college, I married and had two children. When we moved to Northern Virginia in 1974, a membership at a summer pool came with our house. I only swam in the summer, during the 15-minute break at the pool. My children joined the summer team and I was "team rep" to the Northern Virginia swim league for five years. I still wasn't swimming seriously although I played tennis for fun.
Through my daughter's USS swimming, I met other parents. One of the parents suggested I go to a Masters meet with her. She's still a good friend and lives in Oklahoma. I attended the meet and noticed that one of the timers dove in, swam a race, got out, and then timed the next heat. I think that is the essence of masters! I swam a novice event, the 50 back. I guess I was hooked. After that I joined DC Masters at the Fun 'N Fitness Club, coached by John Flanagan. John also coached my daughter.
In 1982 I attended Short Course Nationals in The Woodlands, Texas. One of my very good friends lived in Texas so I said to my husband, "gee if I go to Texas I can see my friend, Marilyn." The Woodlands included a beer relay. (It was a riot!) Someone has a movie of it. Participants had to swim a length, drink a can of beer, and swim back. It was so much fun! I wasn't chosen for that relay - I didn't drink beer fast enough.
The other thing that impressed me at that meet was the camaraderie among swimmers. Even though I was new, several on the shuttle to and from the airport opened conversations with me; Stephanie Walsh Beilman noticed my times and congratulated me. I was so impressed. My time for the 200 breast was posted wrong (by one minute); Betsy Durrant noticed and told me how to have it corrected.
Q: How do you continually improve?
A: I think I stay about the same. I'm pretty steady. I like to swim three mornings a week. If I'm training to go to Nationals I put in extra workouts. Then I'll go four or five days a week. I don't want to burn out. I have another 20 plus years to swim. I don't lift weights or eat special foods. I'm naughty - I like morning coffee, social cocktails, and parties.
Q: What are your goals?
A: Just to keep going. I do enjoy practice-with only a few exceptions. I like being fit which allows me to do so many other things. Bob and I have participated in "Bike Virginia" four times. Each time we rode about 300 miles in four days. I don't think I could have done it if I didn't have endurance.
Q: Did you play an early role in running Potomac Valley LMSC?
A: Art Smith was the Potomac Valley Registrar before me. PV had about 300 members and three clubs, (DC REC, DC Masters and Terrapin Masters) when I took over as registrar in 1982 or 1983. Today PV has roughly 1500 members and 25 clubs. After I retired as registrar my son called home and commented, "Mom there's no message about swimming on the answering machine - how strange!"
Q: Tell us about your family.
A: My son, Frank, is a pilot with Continental Express. He and his wife have given us two lovely grandchildren, Andrew almost 5 and Brenna almost 3. They reside in The Woodlands, Texas.
My daughter, Sharon, lives in Baltimore and is a physical therapist. At present we are making plans for her wedding this summer.
One of my proudest accomplishments is recruiting my mother and my husband to Masters swimming. My mother participates at national and local meets. She started at age 70 and swims freestyle. My husband swims for fitness.
Q: Final thoughts?
A: I am going to Indianapolis for nationals for two days. I love the Indianapolis facility-one of the best pools I've seen. I swam in lane four of the 2000 Olympic Pool in Australia and thought that the 2000 Olympic pool looked like the Indianapolis pool.