NAC Masters: Getting to Know Cissy Morse

Cissy Morse

Tell us about your swimming career and how it started?

I’m one of the few Nashville natives left; I grew up in Melrose off 8^th ave., then later we moved to Brentwood. I currently live in Franklin.  I actually started competing as a kid with NAC. I learned to swim at Glendale pool in Melrose (it was next to the Krystal) and then moved up to summer league at Brentwood Country Club, and then Brentwood Dolphin Club.  When I was nine, I became an AAU swimmer with the Swim ’N Sun swim team, which later merged with another team to form NAC. I swam for a few years competitively and then left the water to play softball.

Tell us about your family and more on your life outside the water?

I’m a nurse practitioner in primary care. I became an NP at mid-life, before that I was a technical representative in the laboratory business.  I have two great children. My son Alan is 20-years old and goes to Columbia State here in Tennessee. My daughter Carol is 18 years old is about to enter UT-Knoxville.  I love traveling—I’m more of an adventurist traveler—I’m always looking for a place that’s unique and unusual.  I'm an avid hiker and love the National Parks.  I have a kayak and love to paddle around on a quiet lake and fish.  I’ve been to some incredible places to pursue my fishing passion including fishing for salmon in Alaska: bluefish in the mid Atlantic: cod in Pacific Northwest: and whatever is in the Gulf. I dream of ‘catching the big one’ in the Atlantic Northeast.

What drove you to get back into the water?

Several years ago when I was 49, I had a near fatal heart attack due to a blood clot.  After getting a stint I was sent to cardiac rehab; I realized I needed to be a lifelong exerciser. Like many of us, after a while I had become bored with the gym. I was at the Williamson County Indoor Sports Complex in Brentwood early one morning about to swim when I heard Ashley coaching some swimmers. They looked about my age and after asking around I realized it was Masters swimming.  The next time I introduced myself to Ashley and she invited me to get in the lane with Barb and Karen; that was the beginning of Masters swimming for me.  

I love the water and have always been comfortable around it; its peacefulness is what drives me to get up early in the morning and drive myself to the pool. I like swimming because it challenges you to improve something about yourself or your stroke; it is never boring.  I know I'm swimming faster in some events than I did when I was AAU swimmer and that’s surprised me.  Coach Ashley continues to improve my freestyle, streamline, kicking, turns, racing strategy, and swimsuit fitting.  Coach Jeff rebuilt my backstroke; Coach Melissa continues to work on my breastroke.  I often think how different swimming is now compared to the 70’s; heck, we were just beginning to wear swim caps and goggles.