Courtesy: Katalin Polay
At 95 years of age, Joy Tsuzuki finished her two races at a recent Somerset County YMCA U.S. Masters Swimming meet on May 18th, 2025, still moving through the water with her gentle persistence, showing that her bond with swimming has never faded although it began nearly a century ago. What makes this meet especially meaningful is that Joy is the very first person – male or female – competing in the 95-99 age group in New Jersey.
Born in 1930, Joy’s love for the water began as a five-year-old in Rockaway Park and has not faded through the decades. However, her story, like so many Japanese Americans of her generation, took a heartbreaking turn with the outbreak of World War II. Joy’s family needed to leave the U.S. and they lived in Tokyo, Japan, during the war. In her memoir, A Child of Two Cultures – available on Amazon – Joy recalls the upheaval, resilience, and strength it took to reclaim her life after the war. The water, as it turned out, would find her again.
In the 1960s, Joy returned to swimming. Not to compete at first, but for wellness reasons, until her son, Ed Tsuzuki, a Masters swimmer, encouraged his mother to join a Masters program, and Joy began to consider competition.
Her response was simple and characteristic of her quiet courage: “Yes, I can try to do that.”
Her competitive spirit led her to officially join U.S. Masters Swimming (USMS) in 1995. She swam competitively until 2000, taking a brief pause for several major surgeries, before returning to the pool in 2006. She has been a member of USMS ever since. Over the years, she has earned multiple Top 10 times in her age groups, a testament to her perseverance and passion.
Her USMS results, which you can find here, Joy Tsuzuki Top 10 Times, speak not necessarily for her speed, but for her remarkable devotion. Whether freestyle or backstroke, Joy does not swim for the medals, but for the joy itself, though the ribbons also keep coming, which Joy admits: “it is feeding my ego but I like it”.
Joy shared some moments that stayed with her throughout her swimming adventures. She recalled that at one swim meet, she stood on the diving block, preparing to race, when a fellow swimmer turned to her and said with a smile, “Isn’t it wonderful to compete without parental pressure?”
Joy’s eyes sparkled as she recalled that moment. Having grown up with significant childhood expectations, the truth of that statement touched her deeply. Swimming later in life offered not just freedom of movement, but emotional freedom, too.
And yet, not all moments were easy. One of her most vivid memories is from a backstroke race where her arm became entangled under the lane line. Unable to surface for air, she found herself momentarily trapped. Her son, Ed, and other competitors watching from the deck were moments away from diving in to rescue her, but Joy, determined, pulled herself free.
When asked what she was thinking in that moment, her answer came without hesitation:
“I was afraid to let my ancestors down.”
When asked what the water feels like to her, Joy’s voice softened:
“Release. I’m having a difficult time just walking on land, but in the water I can jump, almost run, and I’m not afraid of falling.
I swim and float on my back, happily meditating in the water, and I do not feel pain.”
And when asked what motivates her on days she doesn’t feel like going, she chuckled:
“Is there such a day? I go five days a week and swim around 300 to 500 yards. It’s like I eat three meals a day. I love swimming and I just go. I have no thoughts about it.”
Wisdom Beyond the Lanes
Joy has learned many things from her time in the water, but among her deepest beliefs is the importance of attitude:
“What is in the past must be left in the past. Do better or differently going forward; keep trying, never give up.”
She speaks often about gratitude, not just as a feeling, but as a way of living.
“I am most grateful for my gratitude of life,” she says with a serene smile and then added: “I am grateful for a life lived without major accidents or setbacks for myself, my husband, and our three children.”
Asked what she hopes readers will take from her story, Joy’s wisdom shines through again:
“Life is relative. There are at least two sides to every story. Treat people with respect.”
“Respect, she emphasizes, is of utmost importance and a priority. In the traditional Japanese way of thinking, respect is imperative, almost unconditional, whereas love might be conditional.”
From the waves of Rockaway Park to the calm waters of her local pool, Joy Tsuzuki’s journey is far more than athletic. She may or may not even know, her journey reflects spirituality. Her story isn’t just about swimming fast, or even swimming long. It’s about finding release, connection, and joy in movement, in aging, and in the simple act of showing up day after day with grace.
At 95, Joy still swims and talks about her excitement of aging up to the 95-99 age group. She is very much looking forward to hearing people clap for her at her next meet, for the ribbons as well, and hoping she can show others what is possible for them, too. If you ask her why, she’ll tell you what she’s always known:
“Because, yes, I can try to do that.”
ABOUT KATALIN POLAY
Katalin currently coaches a Masters swim program in New Jersey, and has over 40 years of experience in competitive swimming. Outside the pool, she runs her own business doing Craniosacral Therapy, and wellness coaching. Kathy finds deep joy in writing and sharing stories of inspiration, resilience, and transformation. Whether in the water, on the healing table, or through her words, she is passionate about helping people connect to what moves them – literally and figuratively.
