Dick LaFave –

2006 Inductee

Dick LaFave was invited to help officiate at the Washington State High School Boys’ Swimming Championship in 1973 by his mentor Chuck Weil. He was captivated by the swimmers’ enthusiastic spirit, the extraordinary competition, and the superior quality of swimming. As a result of this experience, Dick began his noteworthy journey into the world of officiating.

Dick has been one of the most committed high school swimming officials in Washington high school swimming history, as he has contributed both his time and expertise as a stroke and turn judge, meet starter, and meet referee for over thirty years in league, dual, and district meets, as well as state championships. Dick has been the meet referee for the Washington State High School Swimming Championships since 1977.                

When the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association decided to hold clinics for coaches and officials, they selected Dick to be one of the first officiating clinicians because of his expertise.

 The Washington State high school swimming community has benefited greatly by Dick LaFave’s generosity in time, as well as his fairness and skill in officiating.    

Paul Torno –

2006 Inductee

Chuck Weil -

2005 Inductee 

Chuck Weil began his swimming officiating in the late 1950s. He played an important role as the meet referee at the Washington Boys’ and Girls’ High School State Championships for more than two decades.

Chuck Weil was noted for his belief in well-run meets with qualified officials and fair officiating.  He established an excellent training program for meet officials, as well as a sequential program for their continued development. Through his efforts, officiating in Washington has been highly regarded for many decades.

Bob Regan -

2005 Inductee

Bob Regan is known as the voice of Washington State swimming. He began announcing at the Washington State High School Swimming Championship in 1947 and has continued to do so for over five decades. Washington high school swimmers, their parents, and avid swimming fans of all ages recognize his voice. Bob Regan has been the meet director for all Washington high school swimming and diving meets since 1977.

Since 1967, Bob Regan has been the publisher of The Wash and The Washette, the newsletters sponsored by Washington Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association (WISCA). These newsletters provide a valuable resource and reference to coaches during their high school swimming seasons.

Bob Regan is a truly dedicated high school swimming enthusiast. To honor his decades of commitment, Bob Regan received the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) Achievement Award in 1991.

     Dedication to high school swimming and swimmers by a sports reporter is rare— for a reporter to be dedicated to the sport of swimming for more than three decades is exceptional. In Washington, Mark Moschetti has been such a reporter. He was a tireless advocate for high school sports for thirty-three years, writing for the Valley Newspapers ― Renton Record-Chronicle, Kent News-Journal, and the Auburn Globe News.

     Mark began working for Valley Newspapers prior to his sophomore year in high school (1975), covering cross-country, boys’ swimming, and tennis because these were the beats open to him. The following year, Mark added girls’ swimming to his beats. He has been covering swimming ever since. Because swimming wasn’t a familiar sport to most newspaper readers, Mark focused on the personalities behind the performances while also giving ample coverage to the performances and their significance at that moment in time.  This continual attention to swimmers and their accomplishments increased community awareness and support for swimming, and undoubtedly led to many new competitive swimmers throughout the region.   

     Mark has loved every minute of reporting high school sports. His genuine enjoyment of the kids and coaches who became subjects in his stories has been apparent. The joy Mark has felt about his work has shown clearly in his writing. Being a highly successful reporter for high school swimming requires diligence, curiosity, and patience. Luckily it does not require the ability to swim, as Mark Moschetti has never swum in his life.    

     Looking at three decades of high school swimming, Mark’s reporting highlights include Wilson High School’s Gary Frejeau becoming the first Washington swimmer to break a minute in the 100-yard breaststroke (1976); Kathy Smith of Lake Washington High School setting a then-national record in the 100-yard breaststroke in 1981; and the winner-take-all 400-yard freestyle relay between Decatur, Stadium, and Interlake in the 2005 Washington State Boy’s 4A Swimming Championship. 

     Born in Seattle, Mark Moschetti has lived most of his life in Skyline. He graduated from Renton High School in 1978. As he commenced his professional writing career with the Valley Newspapers, he also worked as the sports editor and editor-in-chief for his high school newspaper. Mark Moschetti’s passion for writing has been recognized and avidly appreciated by swimmers, coaches, parents, and other swimming enthusiasts who have read his sports columns for 33 years.