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Local Swimmer Inducted to Swimming Hall of Fame
By Chandra Moira Beal
Published in austinwoman magazine, August 2004
Austinite Sandy Neilson-Bell is one of nine people selected for induction into the International Masters Swimming Hall of Fame for 2005.
Nielson-Bell won three Olympic gold medals in the 100-meter freestyle and two relays in Munich in 1972 (the same games where Mark Spitz won seven gold medals), beating out the world's top female swimmer at the time (Shane Gould of Australia) and the top American female swimmer (Shirley Babashoff), all at the ripe old age of 16. She currently holds 43 world records in freestyle, butterfly and medley.
Nielson-Bell grew up swimming with friends at neighbors' pools in El Monte, California. Many of her friends were on the local swim team and one of the moms encouraged Neilson-Bell to join the team when she was 10, but Neilson-Bell was too shy to try out-until the mother literally pushed her into the pool and she had to swim to the other side. She was on the team from that day forward, and later took lessons at the city pool.
After the Olympics, Nielson-Bell retired from swimming for 12 years, then re-entered the sport at age 28-considered ancient for a competitive swimmer-becoming the first woman ever to do so at that age. When she won several medals in the 25-29 age group she decided to try masters swimming again and beat her own 1972 Olympic record by more than a second. She hoped to compete in the Olympics again at age 32 but missed the team by just a few inches during the qualifying races.
Nielson-Bell was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an Honor Swimmer in 1986, the first person ever to be accepted while still actively swimming. She had been repeatedly passed over for induction into the International Swimming Hall of Fame because of the four year retirement rule, until her coach and now husband, Texas sports psychologist Keith Bell, protested that she had actually been retired for nine years.
When Neilson-Bell graduated from the 35-39 to the 40-44 age group, the transition did not prevent her from continuing to set national records in the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyles. She then set new world records in the 50- and 100-meter freestyle for women while competing at the U.S. Open in San Antonio in December. Neilson-Bell participated in the 1988 and 1992 Olympic trials, and missed qualifying for the 1996 trials in the 50-meter freestyle by a mere .09 seconds.
Neilson-Bell moved to Austin with her husband in the early 1980s. Together they coach TeamTexas and head the Adult Swimming Association. TeamTexas is a competitive adult swimming team open to all swimmers ages 18 and older of all skill levels. Nielson-Bell also teaches kids of all ages and abilities during the summer. The couple organizes events such as the Capital 2K and the Deep Eddy Mile, fundraisers for the Friends of Deep Eddy. In October they will spearhead the open water Great Lake Travis Relay Race. Keith has written 11 books on swimming performance and enhancement, and Neilson-Bell runs the publishing company that produced them all. Neilson-Bell calls her husband, who has not missed a day of swimming in 10 years, a good role model.
Nielson-Bell will be honored with induction into the International Masters Swimming Hall of Fame in February 2005, recognition for her world achievements as an adult swimmer. "Older women can do anything they want!" says Neilson-Bell, now 48 and discovering her own body's capabilities as she grows older. After raising four grown children and two grandchildren she says, "I'm excited to see where my body can take me. We don't really know what you can do with your body as you age and I feel like I can do so much more." Masters swimming has allowed her to continue swimming for fun and competition at any age. "Life doesn't stop at 18," she says. "In fact, the older I get, the faster and stronger I swim."
Neilson-Bell is the spokesperson for SwimSafe, a program to help underprivileged kids learn swimming skills and water safety. "It's truly a gift to be able to swim," she says. "I was lucky to have supportive parents and coaches. I invested myself in swimming, and I loved it then and I love it now."
When she's not training or coaching, you can find Nielson-Bell swimming most days at Barton Springs or Deep Eddy. Best just to let her pass.
Contact Details
La Luna Publishing
Brighton, England
Tel: 44 (0) 1273 236436
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