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Pacific Update


 
   
Week of August 31, 2020  
In This Update
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In this issue you will find information on upcoming pool events and other information of interest to the local adult swimming community.
 
The next issue of the Update will appear on September 14, 2020.  The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, September 9, 2020. 
 
Stay fit,
The Pacific Masters Swimming Committee
EVENTS AND CLINICS
400 Fastest Pull For Sebastopol 2020
August 1-31   

Today is your last and final day to race the 400 Pull for Time.  By entering within fourteen days of race day, Registration, you will surely be counted among those who've given their pull buoys a squeeze, encouraging Sebastopol Masters to be proud that you have supported the one and only competitive event in Pacific Masters throughout the month of August.  Top 3 men and women in each category (paddles and no hand paddles) win a prize! Ribbons awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishers in each category for men and women by age group. This is another great way to celebrate masters swimming this summer.  
2020 Toyota USMS Virtual Championships
August 12-31

Today is also our last and final day to complete in as many events as you possibly can in the 2020 Toyota USMS Championships.  USMS has partnered with Swim.com to create this unique, socially distant pool and open water championship event that allows you to race anyone across the country in your favorite events. Fast times are not important. Pace clock times will be accepted. Entry fee is optional.  Great way to jumpstart our shelter-in-place recovery.
2020 USMS 5K/10K ePostal National Championships
June 1-September 30
 
Thirty days remain to complete a timed swim of 5 kilometers and/or 10 kilometers in a 50-meter pool of your choice, then to submit times online. Some people swim for competition, some for the challenge, some for fitness, and others do it for fun. All who wish to participate are welcome. Hosted by Southern Oregon Masters Aquatics, click here for more information. 
Go The Distance
On-going

Go the Distance is a USMS sponsored self-directed program intended to encourage Masters swimmers to regularly exercise and keep track of their progress. There's no time limit for distance milestones, only that they must be completed in this calendar year. Since most of us have been out of the water for a while, participating in this program could be a great way to track your progress as you get back into shape. 
Open Water Swim Season 
  
Other Open Water Races 
Save the Bay, a virtual swim to fund raise for the beautiful Narragansett Bay in New England, is ongoing from  May 6 - August 31. For more information click here.

July 1-October 31 Swim Across America Virtual Coast to Coast Challenge to raise money for cancer research. For more information click here.
CLUBS AND COACHES
COVID-19 Relief Program

Pacific Masters is partnering with USMS in a Covid-19 Relief Program for our member clubs. An email with an application form and detailed grant information was sent to all Club Contacts on Monday, August 17. If your club is interested in applying for this grant and the appropriate contact did not receive our email, please contact the grant committee at [email protected]. The deadline for grant applications will be November 15.
 
Phyllis Quinn
Chairperson, Pacific Masters Swimming

Thank You, Coach
Survey Monkey

Thank you for completing the survey to coaches. We recognize you are interested in knowing how your peers are doing. You want to know if pools are open, if swimmers are swimming, and if teams are surviving, for the most part, in our LMSC.  If you are the Interim Head Coach or Assistant Coach of your team, please reply to this survey.  Represent your people, your team, your community.   Below is a sneak preview of answers to a revealing question:

Pacific Masters Coaches Clinic
October 10

Saturday, October 10 is a day to mark your calendar for swim education, inspiration and networking.  Coaches and want-to-be coaches will share ideas on keeping their team together and ways to stay in shape away from the water.  Adjusting workouts for all abilities is the afternoon theme.  Best of all, 40 Years of Coaching through Thick and Thin with Kerry O'Brien, will top the day. Reservations are a must.   
PACIFIC MASTERS NEWS
The Pandemic Video - How to Contribute
 
Pacific Masters is documenting how our members have responded to the Coronavirus pandemic. We want your stories! Show and tell us about your experiences, places you've swum, how you stayed in shape, connected with teammates, or anything else that memorializes this strange year.  
What to submit:
1. A photo with a caption.
2. A series of photos that tell a story with a written explanation.
3. A selfie with a written explanation.
4. A selfie video with voice comments.
5. A video clip of an experience that could only occur during a pandemic.

Include your name and club and send to [email protected]. For larger files, email Rich and he'll send you his Dropbox credentials.  
Pacific Masters Monthly Meeting
September 16, Meeting at 7pm, Doors Open at 6:45

The meeting will begin promptly at 7 pm via the Zoom platform. If this is your first time Zooming, we suggest you sign on a little early to ask questions and address technical issues. All members are encouraged to participate. Our monthly meeting reminder email will provide the Zoom link. If you are not on that list and would like to attend, please contact Chris Ottati, Administrator, for details. 

Note: The September meeting will cover the 2021 budget. 
2020 Oceana Zone Meeting
Thursday, September 10 at 5pm

Normally, this meeting occurs during the convention and all Pacific delegates are expected to attend. This year the meeting will take place via Zoom and is open to everyone. Want more information? Look for Oceana zone on this schedule.
EDITOR'S NOTE
Life After Shelter-in-Place
The New Splash

We are celebrating jump starting our shelter-in-place recovery, with the 400 Pull for Time and the Toyota USMS Virtual Championships. There are pool and open water races, with less emphasis on fast times, and more focus on involvement and fitness challenges. After your exercising, you may want to relax with a good read.

We've been sharing some of Kate Matwychuk's favorite swimming books. Kate is one of the Update Editors for Pacific Masters Swimming.  Click here for the full list.

The Water Beckons is a memoir about one woman's journey from floating endlessly in her backyard pool as a child to a life of competitive swimming written by our own Pacific Masters swimmer and Update Editor, Linda Hepworth.