Pacific Update
Week of January 18, 2021 |
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In this issue you will find information on upcoming swimming events and other information of interest to the local adult swimming community.
The next issue of the Update will appear on February 1, 2021. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, January 27, 2021.
Stay fit,
The Pacific Masters Swimming Committee
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TAM's Miracle Mile Postal Swim
January 1-February 28
Swim a mile in your own pool and help find a cure for lung cancer. TAM's Miracle Mile is unique because what you pay to participate is completely up to you. 50% of your payment is tax-deductible and will go to the Go2Foundation for Lung Cancer. So join us and swim for a cure! More information |
Splash & Dash Postal Sprint Pentathlon
February
Over several years, Albany Armada Aquatic Masters hosted Splash & Dash, an annual Sprint Pentathlon to kickstart the new year. In 2021, this tradition will be kept by switching to an online postal format. To participate, just swim and get a time for any of the five sprint events (50 Butterfly, 50 Backstroke, 50 Breaststroke, 50 Freestyle and 100 Individual Medley) within the month of February. At the event's conclusion, we will host an online event for all participants and announce award winners. More information and registration. |
USMS 1-Hour ePostal National Championship
January 1- February 28
Disappointed you don't have an upcoming meet to motivate your training sessions? Register for the USMS 1-Hour ePostal National Championship and see how far you can swim in one hour. Upon completion of the event, you will be able to compare yourself with others across the nation. More information and registration. |
USMS Winter Fitness Challenge: 30-min Swim
February 1-15
Get your year off to a fresh start with the Swim.com USMS Fitness Series and the Winter Fitness Challenge, a 30-minute swim that takes place between Feb. 1-15. Whether you're just getting into swimming, starting back into it after a COVID forced break from the pool or pushing to see how fast you can go, the Winter Fitness Challenge is the perfect event for you to leap into the new year. More information. |
Call for 2020 Coach of the Year Nominations
Deadline: February 19
2020 was undoubtedly a very strange year with most pools and clubs shutting down for long periods of time. Despite these challenges, many of our Pacific Masters coaches found ways to provide unique alternatives to our normal pool workouts. And when clubs did start up again, our coaches worked hard to get as many of us into the pool as possible.
Do you have a coach that went above and beyond in 2020? Please consider recognizing his or her efforts by nominating your coach for the Pacific Masters Coach of the Year Award. Submissions should include a nomination letter along with a maximum of four support letters. A description of the award along with the nomination and selection process can be found here. More details can be found here. Nominations for Pacific Masters Coach of the Year are due Friday, February 19, 2021 and should be sent to the Chair of Pacific Masters.
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Coaches' Round Tables
Coach-to-Coach Mentoring
On Wednesday, February 3, 7:00-8:00 pm, Pacific Masters will host their first of six bi-monthly Round Tables for masters swim coaches and coaches-in-training. Stu Kahn, Head Coach of Davis Aquatic Masters, is our featured speaker. His talk will focus on Swim Technique: Best Ways to Coach Masters Swimmers. You will definitely want to hear the directions he has for our coaching community. Your questions will be collected and considered. Register here.
Dates throughout the year for Swim Coach Round Tables: April 7, June 2, August 4, October 6, December 1.
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Pacific Masters Monthly Meeting
January 20, Doors Open at 6:45; Meeting at 7:00pm
The meeting will begin promptly at 7pm 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. Even if you are familiar with Zoom, sign on early to say "hi" to your fellow swimmers. 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.
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Pondlife: A Swimmer's Journal
By Al Alvarez
We've been sharing some of our Update Editors' favorite swimming books to help ease the stress of the pandemic restrictions. Reading about swimming is not as therapeutic as actually being in the water, but it keeps us tuned in and has the potential to open our eyes to all aspects of our sport. See the full list here. 
This quiet book is a celebration of the exhilarations (large and small) of swimming year-round in Hampstead Heath, the public swimming ponds located just outside of London. Alvarez is a poet, and his daily observations of common wildlife and birds that also visit the pond are anything but mundane. Throughout these daily entries, Alvarez considers how it feels when you begin to miss that person you used to be, before time robbed your body of youth. Swimming is his antidote to growing old, and he faces the realities of his aging body with humor, insight and frank honesty.
Pondlife is a meditation on love and the importance of life's small pleasures. It's the perfect companion during these tumultuous and difficult times.
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My Octopus Teacher  Documentary
If you've been lucky enough to swim in waters where octopuses live, you know how elusive these creatures are. Spotting one while swimming, diving or snorkeling is special. "My Octopus Teacher" is a documentary that chronicles the unusual friendship forged between filmmaker Craig Foster and a wild common octopus he encounters while swimming in the kelp forest by his home near Cape Town, South Africa. The intelligence and creativity of the octopus is becoming common knowledge, and this film highlights both in remarkable ways.
Available to stream on Netflix, this is a documentary that highlights the fragility of life and humanity's connection with nature. Watch the trailer.
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