Mel Fox & Joe Loprinzi Award Nominees

Mel Fox Amateur Athlete of the Year Nominees

The Mel Fox award is given to the individual or team who has demonstrated athletic excellence, sportsmanship, and leadership during the course of an athletic year. Here are the nominees.

Marni Davis

Imagine committing to do a duet at the 2022 Pan American Masters Championships in Medellin, Colombia, with a former Olympian. Now imagine having only a few months to prepare — and without a duet partner! That’s what Marni Davis did with aplomb.

Davis joined the MAC Synchro Masters team after swimming in the junior program for five years. It was too late in the year to join the 30s team, but she gamely jumped in with the 50s team and enthusiastically shared her skills and knowledge with this older group of artistic swimmers. COVID intervened, and she only swam with the team in exhibition. She was eager to compete, so agreed to a big challenge — swimming a duet with MAC Synchro head coach Lucie Svrcinova.

Mornings Davis was in the pool. Before regular team practice, she was there working on the routine. Given the juniors’ schedule, Svrcinova was out of town coaching much of the time. But Davis? She just kept practicing! Weekends found her back in the West Pool at 6 a.m. The routine was difficult, but Davis pushed. She was dogged. Athleticism and determination paid off as the duet earned a silver medal at the Masters Championships. Excellence as an amateur athlete!

MAC Climbing Team

MAC Climbing made club history at the 2022 USA Climbing Youth National Championships. Twenty-three athletes qualified for this event, which provided athletes the opportunity to compete in multiple climbing disciplines. During the 2021-2022 season, all 23 of the athletes qualified for the speed discipline. They competed together and brought MAC a historic fourth overall placement at Youth Nationals.

Eight MAC athletes made it to semi-finals, and four of those eight advanced into finals. All final athletes finished in the top eight and found medals around their necks. It was truly a historic finish for the club. MAC Climbing now holds a top-four finish as a team and maintains itself as one of the best climbing teams in the country.

Sydney Wilson

In the fall of 2013, Sydney Wilson joined the MAC Swim Team. She has always been a hard worker and has had success from it, holding short- and longcourse team records since she was 8 years old. Wilson currently holds the Oregon Swimming record in the 400 individual medley race for 15-16 Girls.

Last year, she was the fastest female swimmer in Oregon in several events and one of the fastest in the Pacific Northwest. At NW Sectional Championships last summer, Wilson won the 800-meter freestyle, which was the first time MAC has had a sectional champion in a very long time, and she was the thirdhighest scoring female athlete at the meet. In her final meet of the season at Junior Nationals, Wilson placed 12th in the 1500 and 14th in the 800 freestyle and qualified for the U.S. Open in the 200 backstroke.

Wilson’s consistency, commitment, attention to detail, and patience have enabled her to have continued success and reach her goals. She leads by example, has the respect of her competitors and teammates, and is an inspiration to her younger teammates. Head Swim Coach Tim Larkin says she is the hardest-working athlete that he has ever had the pleasure of coaching.

Platinum Basketball Team

Who makes up the MAC Platinum competitive basketball team? Is it a group of mature, hardwood maestros playing a game they’ve loved and excelled at for years? Or crazy 60-plus-year-old guys smiling at their good fortune to still be playing while complaining about their aches and pains? The answer may be in the eyes of the beholder; however, the Platinums were National Athletic Club Athletic Directors (NACAD) national champions in 2022.

The Platinum classification was established by NACAD in 2012 to provide a regional and national competitive venue for active boomer athletic club members. These seasoned athletes still have the skills to compete and the desire to test them by challenging peers. Over the years, MAC has hoisted the championship plaque several times in all age groups.

The NACAD tournament was cancelled in 2020 and 2021. Prior to the pandemic closures, MAC Platinum had won the regional Pacific Coast Athletic Club (PCAC) Championship held in Spokane, Washington. As with many athletic clubs, MAC membership was impacted by closures and the Platinum team was, too. The team had to replace four key players. Wonder how hard it is to find 60-plusyear-old ball players after three years of only going on walks for exercise? Extremely difficult!

Continued on page 61

Joe Loprinzi Inspirational Award Nominees

This annual award is presented to an individual who inspires others to achieve their goals. This year’s nominees are below.

Michele Bennett embodies inspiration. What she has experienced and pushed through with grace and humility is beyond amazing. Even before her life-challenging year, Bennett was the beating heart of the MAC Synchro program. Always positive, encouraging others, and ready for hard work — and fun. As a teammate, she was always the one with the encouraging words, technical advice, and infinite patience.

All those attributes and more have come to the fore as Bennett has faced cancer. Being the courageous woman she is, Bennett opted for a bilateral mastectomy, given her genetic risks for cancer. Friends and fellow members experienced the process through her as she was open about her difficult decision. Then came news that was devastating. Cancer was found in the removed breast tissue! Bennett would have to experience the very disease she was hoping to prevent — chemo, radiation, the loss of hair, and all else that accompanies cancer treatment.

Bennett continued to swim. She pushed through the pain, exhaustion, and reality of her health status. She just kept coming to practice heading to nationals. This incredible woman traveled to Maine with her duet partner and team, taking home silver and bronze medals from nationals. Bennett embodies the word inspiration and is a most deserving recipient of award.

Golden Masters Basketball Team

It was never close. Like many opponents who have come up against the Golden Masters Basketball Team before, it wasn’t even a contest, from the opening tip until the final buzzer. The team capped off a wonderful year by capturing the 2022 NACAD Basketball Tournament title at the Olympic Club in San Francisco. The team shot lights out from the three-point line, played outstanding defense, out-rebounded their opponent by a three-to-one margin, and moved the ball around, which created easy shots for everyone.

The Golden Masters Basketball Team is made up of Mike Aas, Glen Coblens, Peter Coffey, Brian Currier, Mark Hesse, Doug Kitzinger, Rodd Miller, Robert “Doc” Phillips, Rick Raivio, Kurt Weiss, and Coach Randy Krichevsky. The team is proud to still play basketball and be competitive at age 55 and older, which is something that is very special. Staying in basketball shape and injury-free takes a lot of hard work and discipline. So many people at that age wish they could still be playing, but injuries have made it difficult to compete.

This mix of players exhibits what a championship team should be made of. They have an excellent basketball IQ, are great communicators on the court, care about each other, and are awesome teammates. Being a member of the MAC Golden Masters is very special, and the camaraderie amongst these guys is truly a special gift.

As Coach Krichevsky says, “I am privileged to coach and be a part of this team.”

Dina is a “forever” gymnast in the MAC Gymnastics community. Her love of the sport led her back to the gym when she returned to Portland after graduating from college in the San Francisco Bay Area. At that time, she was the youngest of MAC’s masters gymnasts. Years later, she continues to find joy through the sport and is now the oldest member of the group.

Most people think of gymnastics as a sport for young people. For many, it is. But Guppy defies that stereotype. Her presence in the gym is an inspiration for all the young gymnasts who aspire to be great, who love the sport as she does, and who see a role model for their future selves in the gym once their competitive gymnastics tenure ends. When asked, Guppy tells those gymnasts (and their parents), “It’s never too late to come back to the gym.” Her presence there is proof that gymnastics can be enjoyed for a lifetime, especially if you stay with it as she has for 30-plus years.

Guppy is an inspiration to anyone that visits the Gymnastics Arena when she is tumbling on the floor, vaulting through the air, or balancing on the beam. Her infectious smile welcomes newcomers to the masters open gym sessions and encourages former gymnasts to return to the sport by assuring them, “Yes, you can still do it!” Those familiar with the strength and flexibility demands of the sport wonder, “How does she [still] do it?” But she does and does it well. Guppy has represented the MAC Gymnastics program at the masters level of the State Games of Oregon, taking home honors in the allaround category where gymnasts perform on the beam, bars, vault, and floor. Her collection of State Games gymnastics medals spans from 1989 to 2019. It would be hard, if not impossible, to find anyone else who can match that accomplishment.

Professor Mike Steele is renowned in the handball world for his contributions at MAC, at the collegiate level and as the president of the United States Handball Association (USHA).

At MAC, you can find Steele on the courts, confusing his opponents with his patented three-wall fist shot. Steele’s sons, Matt and Sean, both represented MAC as athletic members. The club has proudly hosted four National Collegiate Championships through his efforts. Whenever a tournament is held at MAC, Steele can be found participating as a player and an organizer.

This year, Steele was inducted into the United States Handball Association Hall of Fame for his lifetime achievements. As a professor at Pacific University, he founded the Boxer Handball Team and served as head coach for 38 years. Steele contributed to the national leadership as the president of the United States Handball Association for 10 years and as the national collegiate handball commissioner for 14 years. Over the years, Steele has recruited scores of college athletes from various sports to the Boxer Handball Team, which has collected multiple national titles. His prior students, now well into adulthood, still address him affectionately and simply as ‘Coach.’

Continued from page 59

Fortunately, MAC has a group of “younger,” age-eligible players who were willing to step up and play in two classifications (potentially twice the games and minutes played). Peter Coffey, Robert “Doc” Phillips, and Kurt Weiss embraced the challenge and fit in seamlessly with the other Platinums — Mike Brohoski, Al Jochim, Michael Holton, Chuck Katter, Randy Krichevsky, Bill Patton, and Wes Okamoto.

In the 2022 NACAD tournament held in San Francisco, MAC Platinum’s swept through the preliminary rounds undefeated. Rarely trailing, MAC received contributions from each team member. MAC’s defense, shooting, rebounding, and IQ preserved victories.

MAC’s opponent in the championship game was the Los Angeles Athletic Club. LAAC came into the game looking to revenge a prior loss, took the lead early, and was up by 18 midway through the first half. A MAC timeout and a stern speech by an unnamed team member started a methodical comeback. Down by double-digits at half, MAC remained focused and confident. LAAC held their lead through most of the second half; however, with tireless and unselfish team play, MAC steadily cut into the LAAC lead. Trailing by one with little time remaining on the clock, MAC came out of a timeout and scored on a perfectly orchestrated pass from Holton to a cutting Phillips for a layup. MAC led for the first time in the game! The five-point win was secured by making pressure free throws during the remaining seconds.

So, who are the Platinums? They are a group of true gentlemen, playing with excellence and bonded by camaraderie forged over years. Hopefully, they inspire MAC’s younger basketball community to continue to represent with class, sportsmanship, and success!