He freely admits he’s no Michael Phelps, but Jim Brzezinski is also no slouch when it comes to competitive swimming.
Back in January, the 37-year-old Oxford resident qualified during a Michigan Master Swim Meet at Lake Orion High School to compete in the U.S. Masters Swimming Short Course National Championships May 20-23 in Atlanta, Georgia.
‘I’m hoping for top 10 or top 15 in the country,? Brzezinski said. ‘I’d love to say Number One, but there’s some guys out there that are beyond elite. I’m going to give it my best shot.?
Brzezinski will compete in the 50 and 100-yard breaststroke. His qualifying times were 31.98 seconds in the 50-yard event and 1 minute, 12.05 seconds in the 100-yard. He took second place in both competitions.
‘Right now, I’m ranked 30th in the country in my age group (35-39),? he noted. ‘We have swimmers all the way up to 80-85.?
But before he heads south to Georgia, Brzezinski will head to East Lansing where he will compete in the Michigan Masters Swimming State Championship.
He will compete in the 50 and 100-yard breaststroke events along with the 50-yard freestyle.
‘Just enough to wear me out for the day,? he said.
After an 18-year absence from the pool, Brzezinski decided to get back into competitive swimming last year. Part of it was his kids interest in swimming and part of it was a pride thing.
‘It’s one of those bucket list things,? he explained. ‘Every athlete always wants to know if they’ve still got it.?
Brzezinski swam competitively during his years at Royal Oak (Kimball) High School.
‘I was no superstar, no Michael Phelps,? he said. ‘I was above average, but I wasn’t an elite swimmer.?
After he graduated in 1990, he coached high school swimming in Madison Heights. He stopped competitively swimming and training in 1991.
Brzezinski started training again in October of last year.
‘The first couple weeks were tough,? he said. ‘Twenty years out of the pool, you realize how out of shape you can get. It’s a humbling sport. It took me a couple weeks to get through the pain and get back into it.?
In November, Brzezinski swam his first Michigan Masters meet in West Bloomfield. He did pretty good, finishing second in both the 50-yard free-style and 100-yard breaststroke, and taking third in the 50-yard breaststroke.
Today, he’s preparing to compete nationally. He swims two or three times a week, spending about an hour in the pool each time and going a distance of about a mile-and-a-half.
Competition aside, swimming has definitely enhanced the quality of Brzezinski’s life these days.
‘I feel a heck of a lot better,? he said.’I won’t say I feel like an 18-year-old again, but I’m in a lot better shape than the average 37-year-old that I know.?
‘I sit behind a desk all day designing cars. That’s a very sedentary life-style,? he continued. ‘This gets me off my butt and I can chase my kids around my yard and keep up with them in the pool. It’s a heck of an aerobic exercise.?