Hutinger, professor emeritus of Exercise and Anatomy Physiology at Western Illinois University, has done research that shows a loss of physical capability for trained swimmers between the ages of 45 and 65 to be as little as one percent every three years. Other data for Masters swimmers indicates a loss of only about one per cent per year after the age of 70. I've seen the benefits so much. The vigor and quality of life of these people is inspirational. He plans to do research on the beneficial effects of competitive swimming on aging.
Competition is an important part of the mix.
We attract people because we offer them a way to stay fit, have a healthy lifestyle, something they can come back to. Clearly they laid the groundwork for the sport as we know it today. They got the AAU, the medical community and the population at large to recognize the enduring benefits of lifelong fitness and set in stone the tenets of fun, fitness and competition. For him, living and swimming past 100 is a goal. Observing San Diego's Tom Lane - swim at 101 was the motivator.