Newsletter: August 28, 2022
Fall Practice Schedule
As the saying goes, “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” Although we miss the pools at both of our campuses, taking time away from them to relax, recharge, and reaffirm your love for swimming can be helpful.

Plus, Asphalt Green's fitness centers are still open, making this a great opportunity for dryland training!

As a reminder, we will return to our regular practice schedule on Tuesday, September 6. Please take a moment to view our upcoming fall practice schedule if you haven't already.
Up Next
With the reopening of Asphalt Green's pools comes the start of our 2022-2023 swim season.

Be sure to mark your calendars for our new season meet-and-greet on Saturday, September 24! Stay tuned for details.
Swim Spotlight
John Chambers
Over a thousand swimmers competed from August 3 to August 7 in the 2022 U.S. Masters Swimming (USMS) Summer National Championship.

Co-hosted by SwimRVA at the Collegiate School Aquatic Center in Richmond, VA, the center’s 50-meter, eight-lane pool was the same one used for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha, NE, having been dismantled and shipped to the middle of Virginia in 2012.

I competed in six events, swimming in the men’s 65- to 69-year-old age group. I placed:
  • Second in the 1500-meter freestyle (20:14)
  • Third in the 200-meter butterfly (2:54)
  • Fourth in the 400-meter IM (6:11)
  • Fifth in the 200-meter freestyle (2:26) and 100-meter butterfly (1:16)
  • Seventh in the 200-meter IM (2:53)

All of those times currently rank in the top 10 for the season, which ends September 30, 2022. Both freestyle swim events as well as the 100-meter butterfly and the 400-meter IM were the fastest I’ve swum in a long-course pool in the last decade.

Along with Mathias Altman-Kurosaki and Mariano Prado-Acosta, we scored 70 points at the championship, placing the AGUA Masters men’s team 40th among 187 competing teams.

On Saturday, August 13, Rebeccah Wassner, Rich Bernstein, Sharon Snyder, and I competed in the 2022 USMS national championship at Terry Laughlin's 2 Mile Memorial Cable Swims in Lake Placid, NY. We each placed in the top 100 overall, with Rebeccah and myself placing third and eighth in our age groups, respectively.

The following Saturday, August 20, I raced in the 2022 USMS 10K open water championship at the Lake George Open Water Swims in Hague, New York where I placed first in the men’s 65- to 69-year-old age group.

I encourage all AGUA Masters swimmers to compete in open water races and in pools. Competitions help focus the mind during practice and motivate you not to skip workouts. They're also where you will swim your fastest. Thank you to my AGUA Masters coaches and teammates for their guidance and support — you can't compete at a high level by simply working out in a lap pool.
Training Tips
Our pools are closed for routine cleaning and maintenance, but don’t worry! You can still get a good workout to keep you in shape for swimming.

Try these dryland and swim workouts from our AGUA Masters coaches to stay in top condition when our pools return on September 6, 2022.
Asphalt Green is a nonprofit. When you participate in our programs, you stand with Asphalt Green to provide free sports and fitness opportunities for underserved New Yorkers.