Five local senior swimmers won at Florida Gulf Coast University Dec. 5-6 in the 2009 Senior State Games State Championship.

The temperatures were frigid and the weather was rainy, but these swimmers toughed it out because they love to compete.
“Swimmers are die-hards,” said Paul Plackis, 55, of Rockledge, who took home gold medals for the 50 butterfly, the 200 freestyle relay and the 200 medley relay, with a meet record time of 2:22.04. He earned silver in the 50 and 100 breaststroke and was fourth in the 200 individual medley.
“Swimmers don’t allow weather to rain on their parade,” he said. “If it were perfectly sunny, we’d still have the same turnout.”
Merritt Island resident Tom Bliss, 55, broke five state records in the 55-59 age group, in the 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke and 200 individual medley.  He won the 50 backstroke in 30.14 seconds.
Bliss, a second-grade teacher at Endeavor Elementary School in Cocoa, ranked nationally at Long Course Nationals last August in the 200 backstroke and the 400 individual medley. Bliss trains six days a week, four to five days in the pool, with two days a week of weight training.
In the Dixie Zone, including Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, Bliss ranks first in the 200 backstroke, and the 200 and 400 individual medley.
Peter Turner, 50, of Palm Bay, placed first in the 100 breaststroke and the 200 breaststroke. He placed second in the 500 freestyle, the 100 freestyle, the 100 individual medley and the 200 individual medley.
Mary Tusa, 79, of Rockledge, won all of her events:  the 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle and the 500 freestyle; the 100 and 200 backstroke; and the 100 individual medley.

In the Dixie Zone, Tusa is ranked first in the 50, 100, 200 and 400 freestyle and the 100 and 200 backstroke.
Martha Henderson, 73, of Cocoa, took home three gold medals: 50 backstroke, 200 freestyle; 100 individual medley and three silver medals: 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke, 50 butterfly.
Henderson also is ranked among the top 10 in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle, the 100 and 200 backstroke, the 50 and 100 butterfly, and the 200 individual medley in the Dixie Zone.
“In the older age groups, it is amazing how gracefully some of the swimmers age,” Plackis said. “You would think some of them are 20 or 30 years younger.  You can tell how much they are enjoying themselves when they work out together. They have as much fun as the youngsters who work out and swim.”