TUCSON — Jeff Commings says that as a little boy, he was figuratively thrown in the pool.
"I loved it," said Commings. "I couldn't get a way from it."
He swam at the University of Texas, moved to Tucson, and became a swim coach. On this night, he's instructing at La Paloma.
"It's not necessarily my primary goal to make them faster," added Commings. "I just want them to enjoy swimming to they keep coming back."
Jeff may not time his student's laps, but Masters swimming enables him to compete, and to create his Dolphins of the Desert Swim Club.
"I fell in love with Masters swimming and the community that is all around it."
That all changed nearly a year ago when Jeff was diagnosed with a cancerous prostate.
"It was an emotional journey because you just don't know. You treat your body well, and you do everything right, but sometimes these things happen."
Jeff's cancer was caught early.
"I wanted to get back to my life. I wanted to get back to the pool and teach people how to swim. I wanted to get back to my Masters team and my own swimming."
Jeff was able to make a full recovery. He then traveled to Singapore for the recent bi-annual Masters Championships. Competing in the 50-54 year old age group, Jeff medaled in five events.
"Nobody remembers the times that you swim. People might remember the place but it's those relationships that you create that last a lifetime."
It's those relationships that Jeff says are what he enjoys most about swimming, the sport he's been passionate about since he was first thrown in the pool.
"Whether it's teaching a 4 year-old how to swim or a 50 year-old how to do butterfly, I want them to have fun doing it. When I see all that, it makes everything worthwhile, and I get to pass on that joy to them. There is nothing better."
