Eighty-year-old sets a masterful pace

Dr. Burwell “Bumpy” Jones is standing in his home gym, which also doubles as a trophy room for his collection of swimming memorabilia. A window near the back of the room reveals a view of his personal lap pool in the backyard, which he’s already used twice today. Dozens of rows of plaques, spanning decades of competitions, line the walls, and three glass display cases house countless medals and ribbons.

Jones shuffles through a handful of medals, saying it’s impossible to remember how many meets in which he’s competed, but he estimates there have been thousands.

“Every once in a while, somebody will ask me that,” he says. “The truth is, I have no earthly idea.”

As he points to a framed table of contents from the first issue of Sports Illustrated in 1954, which mentions him by name, the 80-year-old former Olympian says he plans to donate posthumously his extensive collection to the International Masters Swimming Hall of Fame, in Fort Lauderdale.

“Who else would want it?” he asks with a humble laugh.

This sense of modesty might be the reason Jones, a retired dermatologist, says many of his neighbors and acquaintances know him from the golf course or from work and have no inkling of his renowned swimming career.

His parents dubbed him “Bumpy” as a child, simply to differentiate him from his late father (also Burwell Jones). Jones’ swimming career began early in his life. Born in 1933, in Detroit, his family spent much of their summers on a boat in the lakes of Michigan. He learned to swim when he was just 2 years old. By age 5, he was swimming competitively, and he earned his first national-event victory at 13.

“To be a successful swimmer, it takes talent, but it (also) takes a lot of desire to put in the effort and the training,” says Jones. “That’s something a lot of kids don’t want to do.”

Driven by his love of the sport, Jones put in the effort, with considerable results. Career highlights include four years as an All-American swimmer at the University of Michigan; swimming on the gold medal-winning 1952 U.S. Olympic team in Helsinki; swimming in the 1971 inaugural Masters Swimming event; and a 2005 induction into the International Masters Swimming Hall of Fame, among many other accolades.

Today, Jones continues to enjoy swimming competitively — he broke seven Masters national records last month at the 43rd St. Petersburg Championships, and he’ll join nearly 2,000 athletes from North America, Central America and South America this weekend in the Pan-American Masters Championship, held at the Evalyn Sadlier Jones YMCA, where he’ll compete in the 800 freestyle, 200 backstroke, 200 freestyle, 100 individual medley, 400 freestyle and 1K open water.

At 80, he says he’s not sure how much longer he’ll continue to compete, but he attributes his long career and wellbeing to his continued participation in the sport.

“Swimming is most definitely responsible for my longevity and my health,” he says. “Exercise is essential for a long life, and there’s nothing better than swimming to clear your head. It’s amazing how much better it makes you feel.”

IF YOU GO
2013 Pan-American Masters Championship
When: Saturday, June 1, through Thursday, June 13
Where: Evalyn Sadlier Jones YMCA, 8301 Potter Park Drive
Info: For a complete schedule of events, visit panamericanmasters2013.org.