World Record Breaking Swimmers Compete at the February Flurry Swim Meet
Alan Bernard
Lorna Henry and Coach Mike Hamm 
Coach Kerry O'Brien
From start to finish, the February Flurry swim meet showcased world record beating greats. Alan Bernard put on a showstopper when he broke the world record for the 200-meter butterfly by swimming his race in 42.13 seconds in the 75-year-old age bracket, adding to the list of 10 world records broken at The Kroc Center in 2023. Legendary coach Kerry O’Brien was in attendance and Coeur d’Alene local, 83-year-old Lorna Henry, with a previous world record breaking swim, competed in the 50-meter freestyle, the 100 and the 200-meter backstroke.
Bernard began swimming competitively at 10 years old. Originally from North Carolina, he moved to Saratoga California in 1980. From swimming throughout his high school career, to swimming for his alma mater, Yale, he joined U.S. Masters Swimming in 2010 after a 40-year hiatus with encouragement from his friends.
“I could not have done this without the love and support of my wife of 50 years,” Bernard said. “I trained at my home pool to beat this record. I came here with the hope that I could break the record, I just wasn’t sure that I would break it.”
While breaking the world record for the men’s 200-meter butterfly is nothing to sneeze at, Bernard said that he now has his sights set on breaking the world record for the men’s 200-meter freestyle.
“Everyone here at The Kroc Center has been very nice,” Bernard added. “It was a well-run meet and a fabulous facility.”
Coach Mike Hamm expressed his thankfulness for The Kroc Center’s ability to host a fast and competitive meters swim meet in a world-class facility.
“I know that Joan Kroc wanted in her vision to have the ability to be world-class,” Coach Hamm said, “Fortunately everyone involved in aquatics and the aquatic field at The Kroc was able to create such a thing. I consider myself the most blessed to be a coach here. Every day is always a fantastic journey. So, my hat goes off to The Kroc Center’s administration, aquatic management, staff, and the volunteers who made everyone feel at home and safe.”
With The Kroc’s top-notch and fast-paced facility, it is no wonder that high performance athletes like Bernard and world-famous coaches like coach O’Brien flock to The Kroc Center for U.S. Masters Swim sponsored meets like the February Flurry.
66-year-old coach O’Brien, from Walnut Creek California, broke the world record for the men’s ages 34–45 100-meter butterfly at the age of 32 in 1989. In addition to his world record breaking achievement, O’Brien holds various other regional records, and he was also the first coach to be inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. Coach O’Brien has been a swim coach for over 40 years and even ran a swim program with up to 500 members.
“I have realized how much the sport has given to me,” Coach O’Brien said. “I try to pay back what I was given through the sport and enjoy the lifestyle.”
15 years ago, The U.S. Masters Swim Committee decided to change the name of the Grass Roots Swim Coaching Award to the Kerry O’Brien Coaches Award for his dedication to the sport. Coach O’Brien’s friend, Kroc Swim Coach Mike Hamm, won the award in 2017.
“I was honored when they asked for permission to put it in my name,” he said. “I had developed a reputation through coaching and would speak to the community often.
From world record breaking swimmers to award winning coaches, even local Coeur d’Alene heroes like Lorna Henry showed up and showed out at the event. Henry is a world champion who has earned many accolades.
“I have won 22 medals at Spring Nationals as an adult,” Henry said. I have a few national championships, and two All American awards. My most amazing award to me was my first place in [the] 2016 [Women’s 200-meter backstroke] Worldwide [Championship].”
For Henry, it is not about the medals, it is about swimming, The Kroc Center and the support she receives from her Kroc family.
“What makes swimming important— a level four coach (in Kroc Coach Hamm), family support from the swim team, and a superior facility that make all this possible,” she said.
U.S. Masters swim meets like the February Flurry are what Kroc Center swim meets are all about, providing world-class event space for swimmers to compete at the highest level, in a fun, fast and competitive environment.