200 years of swimming history likely to lap you

If you visit the Carson Aquatic Center on any given day, you're likely to run into Ed Simmers, Pierre Hathaway, or Randy Morgan swimming laps in the pool.

At first glance, you might stereotype them as a group of geriatrics killing time at the local pool.

Don't kid yourself. These guys are bad to the bone.

Ranging from 69 to nearly 80, the three have nearly 200 years of swimming history among them

"It keeps me young," the 69-year-old Pierre says of his swimming habit.

Most days you'll find him completing one of his 3,000-yard workouts. A former controller and business treasurer, he took a break from the states for a couple of years to volunteer with the Peace Corps in Kenya. Besides teaching the Kenyans business accounting, Hathaway also taught young Kenyans survival swimming.

Randy Morgan, 76, who swam in high school, college and the Navy, calls swimming the "best exercise for every part of the body."

Ed Simmers is a retired Los Angeles County deputy sheriff who swims an average of 2,200 yards per workout.

The only thing that can drag Ed away from the pool is his frequent travels, including trips to Istanbul and around the Straits of Magellan. On any given day Ed can be found perfecting his breaststroke, using his more than 60 years of swimming experience to help others with their stroke.

The three are training to compete in the 400-medley relay at the Pacific Coast Masters Competition in Santa Cruz, Calif., April 6, 7 and 8.

Ed mentioned in parting, "I think competitive swimmers are some of the nicest people in the world."

And if you spent any amount of time with these three, you'd probably agree.