Dave Arlander

Dave’s breakthrough into the sport of swimming came at a very early age. While on a family trip visiting friends at Clearwater Lake in Annandale, MN, Dave saw from the shore that all of the other kids were out on a raft in somewhat deep water. He wanted to join them, but was a bit reluctant because of the water’s depth. Even though he possessed only rudimentary swimming skills garnered from basic swim lessons at the Minneapolis YMCA, Dave was determined to join in on the fun on the raft. Borrowing a set of fins, he mustered the courage to swim out to the group on the raft and made it! That success gave Dave confidence that he could truly swim! It was his success that day, that to this day, remains vivid in his mind. He quickly gave up the fins and confidently stroked into a wonderful future in the sport. 

Dave’s competitive swimming career began in 1957 at Alexander Ramsey HS in Roseville, first joining the swim team in his junior year. Being born with feet that naturally turned outward to “10-and-2” it was a given that the breaststroke was a natural fit for him. Dave qualified for and swam in the state meet his senior year.

Upon his High School graduation in 1959, Dave went on to swim at Gustavus and competed four years in the MIAC where his primary events were breaststroke, IM, and the medley relay. In his junior year with the Gusties, Dave posted a lifetime best of 1:07.6 in his 100 breast. That swim tied for 3rd best for the first 50 years of Gustavus swimming (1927-1977). That same year Dave swam a 2:28.9 in his 200 Breast which ranked 4th overall during that same 50-year span.

Dave graduated from Gustavus in 1963 and began his teaching career in Michigan where he taught 9th grade Science and coached football. He married his college sweetheart Barb in 1964. Dave and Barb then relocated to California where he taught 8th grade science and a summer school class on marine biology. He became very involved in scuba diving and was a charter member of the Ventura County Sheriff’s underwater rescue team.

In 1967, Dave and Barb moved to Rochester, MN and began teaching at Kellogg Junior High School and coached the boys junior high swimming teams. Also, upon his arrival in Rochester, Dave began officiating for swimming. He was a charter member of the Minnesota Swim Officials Association. Dave quickly became one of the most respected swimming officials in the state and retired from officiating after a stellar 28-year career.

Dave got back into the pool for the first time since college swimming in 1984 and prepared to swim in the Breadbasket Zone meet that was held at the then new Rochester Rec Center pool. He commented that he was “just a bit” slower than his college times but really enjoyed it!

Dave shared that he was in and out of the water off and on before coming back to the sport for good in 1999 which coincided with his retirement from a highly successful and rewarding 36 years of teaching. It was then that he got serious about swimming as a healthy lifestyle activity. Dave joined up with the local Masters club group at the Silver Lake outdoor pool in 1999, where he rediscovered the joy of working with a coached club. Since then, he has been an active member of the Rochester Swim Club, USMS and the Minnesota ReLakers. He dedicates himself to swim 4-5 times per week. Although he admits that the need for exercise was the driving force for returning to competitive swimming, his masters experience quickly grew to include community and social involvement at the local, state, and national levels.

Dave’s Masters swimming successes are expansive and impressive! He has amassed 29 individual National Top Ten swims, 51 relay National Top Ten swims with seven of those being All American swims. Dave achieved two gold medal age group finishes and 3 silver medal finishes in the February Fitness Challenge, an international swimming event hosted by Tualatin Hills Barracudas in Beaverton, Oregon. Also, an achievement that reflects his love and dedication to the sport, since 1999 Dave has tracked his pool mileage and is currently just shy of logging 6,000 miles.

Dave has an array of Masters Swimming favorite moments and memories. His favorite workout each year is his birthday set which consists of a set of a given distance related to his age and is done with high energy and excitement from the entire club. His favorite pool is his home pool, Rochester Rec Center. His favorite event is the 100 breast, although he feels he is more competitive in his 200 breast. Dave loves the memory of swimming an open water leg in a triathlon joining his son and his son’s
friend in the Cook Islands, South Pacific in 2006 where they took 4th in the Open Team division. Dave’s most memorable race was at his first Masters national meet where he placed third in all three breaststroke events and swam in the lane next to Olympian, Jeff Farrell.

Dave is grateful for the love, support, and patience of his wife Barb who tolerates his 4:50 am alarm to prepare for his 5:30 am workouts 4-5 days a week. Dave drew great inspiration from fellow Masters Hall of Fame inductee Vince Herring, also of Rochester. Vince, an open water legend, was a great friend, motivator, and swim buddy to Dave. Dave shares that Vince always set the bar a little higher and this had a special effect on all who swam with him. Dave also enjoys his lane camaraderie with Paula Pendergast and cites Babs Larsen as his encouragement and “talking set’ partner.

Two years of high school swimming, four years in college, six years of coaching, twenty-eight years officiating, and the past twenty-four years of masters swimming proves that the sport of swimming has been an incredibly important and special part of Dave’s life. Conversely, Dave has been an important part of the many lives he has touched through the incredible person he is and through his love of the sport.