Pacific Update Week of May 24th, 2021

Hello!   In this issue, you will find information on upcoming swimming events being held in the next couple of months. Check out the Eight Tales from Open Water Swimming article which features highlights from May's Community Talk and Social Hour. The next issue of the Update will appear on June 7, 2021. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, June 2, 2021.    Stay fit, The Pacific Masters Swimming Committee

EVENTS AND CLINICS

Join the Pandemic ePostal Challenge Series As our country opens up, many are wondering when swim meets will resume. Many factors remain in flux: what California rules will look like after the June 15 re-opening; when local facility rules will relax; when prospective meet hosts will be able to focus on hosting a meet. Your pool meet committee stands ready to assist interested clubs in hosting intrasquad, dual, closed invite and open pool meets   Until we know more, you are invited to participate in our ePostals. Check out the following links for Pandemic ePostal Challenge Series information and standings.

Pacific Masters Swimming: May ePostal Challenge May 1 - 31  Have you swum your 500 yard or 400 meter free for time yet? If not, this week is the time to benchmark your return-to-fitness. You are also invited to swim one or more of the other events: 100 fly, 100 back, 100 breast, 100 free and 200 IM in our May ePostal Challenge. Information and Registration Mountain View Masters: Non-Free Triple Threat ePostal June 1 - 30 The 200 fly, 200 back, and 200 breast are among the most dreaded events in competitive swimming, so that’s all we’re offering in this ePostal! Challenge yourself and use this as an opportunity to prepare for our Alan Liu Animal Pentathlon in the fall! (If we can’t host a meet, we’ll do another ePostal.) Enter your favorite event or two… or, if you want to be a triple threat at non-free, enter all three. Information and Registration USMS: June Summer Fitness Challenge June 1 - 15 June is only one week away! You have a choice of a 2K swim or dryland workout in the Swim.com USMS Summer Fitness Challenge. What a great way to check your fitness level as well as benefit a worthy cause, Adult Learn-to Swim. Information and Registration

Pacific Masters Community Talk and Social Hour Recruited by College Swim Team at Age 50 June 10, Starts at 7PM It is easy to assume that swimmers are young when they swim like sharks. Masters swimmers especially have a reputation of appearing younger than they really are. Suzanne Heim-Bowen is one of those women.  Suzanne was in the 50-54 masters age group when she was recruited to join a college team and began training with kids three decades younger than she. Swim down memory lane with us as Suzanne shares her story of triumph in the midst of fast college swimmers. Register here for our Community Talk, Thursday, June 10, 7:00 pm.

Pacific Masters Open Water Season for 2021 Cross Your Fingers! We currently have three open water swims on our schedule, all listed as tentative.  Donner Lake is scheduled for August 14. Del Valle is a 2.5K and 5K swim scheduled for September 11. Keller Cove is scheduled for September 18. In the interest of full disclosure, we want to let our members know that the Board voted to approve and earmark these dates for the event hosts. At this time, events have not been sanctioned, the event hosts do not know any event details, nor is there any certainty that these events will take place this year. As more details are known, we will pass them on to our membership.

PACIFIC MASTERS NEWS

Eight Tales of Winter Open Water Swimming Last Thursday, we heard from eight intrepid members about their experiences with open water swimming. Their stories are inspiring and illustrate the power of community support and spirit that can be found within our Masters Swimming organizations. One of these swimmers is Lois Jacobs. Her story, "Lessons Learned in My Addiction", describes how she became addicted to open water swimming during the pandemic. Her first experience swimming open water without a wetsuit was unintended and perilous. After realizing she had forgotten her wetsuit, she decided to swim anyway just in her bathing suit. After her 25-minute swim, Lois felt shaky and called for help. A kind woman heard her. An ambulance then took Lois to a hospital where she was treated for hypothermia. This experience didn't scare Lois from continuing her open water swimming. She still swims at Alameda Crown Beach or by Jack London Square twice a week. As Lois states at the end of her story "When I swim in open water, I feel totally relaxed and mesmerized." To hear Lois and the other seven swimmers tell their stories, watch this video of last Thursday’s Community Talk.

USMS NEWS

Open Water National Championship Bids Open through August 1 Want to host an Open Water National Championship in 2023? The bidding process is now open through Aug. 1. Hosting a national championship provides lots of national exposure which can help your event grow significantly. Bidding information and detailed instructions are available on the Open Water National Championships page. Selection will be based on the overall suitability of the bid received and area in which the event is to be held, safety, and the annual event schedule as a whole. Applications can be completed online. Download the Bid Instructions and FAQs document on how to fill out the bid form.

Try Masters Swimming Month USMS has designated July as Try Masters Swimming Month. Pacific Masters recognizes that this time frame may not work for many of our member clubs due to COVID restrictions still in place in your county or at your facility. We will support a Try Masters Swimming Month later in the year when we anticipate conditions will be more favorable. If you wish to participate in July, please do. If you wish to wait until the to-be-designated later month, please do. If you wish to participate in both, please do! More information about Try Masters Swimming, with resources for clubs, can be found here.

CLUBS AND COACHES

Coach of the Year: Sebastopol Masters' Donita Flecker By Kate Matwychuk Donita Flecker, this year’s winner of the Coach of the Year Award, did an exceptional job pivoting during the pandemic and offering her small fleet of swimmers a safe refuge from daily challenges. Donita has been the coach of Sebastopol Masters Aquatic Club (SMAC) since 2007. While some clubs struggled to launch a COVID-friendly Masters program, Donita overcame obstacles at the local pool, swiftly re-started workouts, and managed to increase participation in SMAC by an impressive 90% in the process. Many swimmers currently on the team have been with her from the beginning, and some have just this year started benefitting from Donita’s skillful coaching. She is equally as attentive to those testing the waters and learning about interval training as she is to the more experienced speedsters.   Sebastopol Masters is a small but mighty club. Donita has been instrumental in encouraging more swimmers to sign up for sanctioned events and for organizing the “400 Fastest Pull for Sebastopol” postal event. SMAC swimmers agree: Donita is dedicated to welcoming and supporting anyone who wants to join our swimming family. Congratulations, Donita! Watch Donita receive her award here.

Coaches Clinic For Coaches only June 2, Starts at 7 PM The summer open water season has begun. Need a boost of extra inspiration to coach open water workouts in your pool? Wondering how you will prepare first-time swimmers wanting to brave their local waters? Learn from the best! Joel Wilson, Head Coach, Santa Cruz Masters, and Sylvia Lacock Marino, Pacific Open Water Swim Co / SwimTahoe.com, will provide all coaches with ways to ready their swimmers for the open water on Wednesday, June 2, 7-8:00 PM. Register here.

EDITOR'S NOTE

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. In honor of this month, USA Swimming recalls the contributions of trailblazer Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku. During the early 1900's, Kahanamoku revolutionized the sport by developing the then novel flutter kick which went on to replace the scissor kick. During Kahanamoku's career, he competed in three Olympics and won five medals in the sprint freestyle events. His first gold medal, in 1912, made him the first native Hawaiian to win Olympic gold. In between competing in the Olympics, Kahanamoku continued to popularize swimming as well as surfing. His accomplishments as a surfer gave him the nickname "The Big Kahuna" and made him known as the father of modern surfing. For more on Kahanamoku's life, check out the following link.