Pacific Update
Week of October 12, 2020 |
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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 October 26, 2020. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, October 21, 2020.
Stay fit,
The Pacific Masters Swimming Committee
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Ross Yancher Brute Squad and Brute Squad Lite ePostal Swims
On-going through November 30
Time again to challenge yourself with the 12th Annual Brute Squad e-Postal, sponsored by Davis Aquatic Masters! The event consists of a timed, continuous 200 butterfly, followed by a 400 IM, and finishing up with a 1650 freestyle. For those to whom these distances seem intimidating, DAM offers a smaller event called the Brute Squad Lite. This event features timed, continuous distances of 100 fly, 200 IM and a 500 free. Along with everything in 2020, the rules are a little different this year! Information. Registration is now open.
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USMS 3000/6000-Yard ePostal National Championships
On-going through November 15
The Florida Gold Coast LMSC (Local Masters Swim Committee) is hosting the USMS 3000/6000-Yard ePostal Nationals between September 15 and November 15. Ask your coach or another swimmer to take splits and a final time for your continuous swim. The challenge is most fun as a relay team, and that is possible with this event. Unlike other events, pull buoys, paddles, fins, and wetsuits are not permitted in this sanctioned event. Hmmm, who can swim this with you? Swimmer Registration.
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Go The Distance
 On-going
Go the Distance is a USMS sponsored self-directed program intended to encourage Masters swimmers to regularly exercise. 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. Last year, 2,504 participants swam a total of 539,002.11
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Swim Across America Virtual Coast to Coast Challenge
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Nominations Open for Pacific Masters Awards
Due This Wednesday: October 14
You only have three days left to nominate recipients of Pacific Masters awards to be conferred at our Annual Meeting. We invite our members to nominate worthy candidates. Pacific Masters Swimming is a vibrant community with many swimmers and non-swimmers who enjoy officiating, organizing or supporting the community in other ways. At our Annual Meeting, we recognize those who participate or contribute in an exceptional fashion. We convey:
- Personal Achievement Awards - Nancy Ridout Awards for Distinguished Service - Contributor of the Year Award - Appreciation Awards - Peggy Lucchesi Award Nomination guidelines. To help with recall, p ast award winners are here. Who do you know that is deserving? Please send nominations to our Chair by October 14th.
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2020 Pacific Masters Annual Celebration and Meeting - Registration Open!
November 8 & November 15
Like most 2020 gatherings, we're going virtual. How can we match our past celebrations? We think we've done it. This year the event will be held over two Sunday afternoons in November - the 8th and the 15th.
Since we missed the Olympics this year, on November 8th we'll take a trip back to the 1976 Montreal Games with a screening of the amazing movie, The Last Gold. It's the story of the epic clash between the U.S. women swimmers and the steroid enhanced East German team.
The film will be followed by a live (albeit virtual) panel discussion with the film's director, Brian Brown, and the athletes who were there, including Jill Sterkel, Wendy Boglioi, Camille Wright Thompson, Karen Moe Humphries, John Naber, Rick Collela, Gary Hall Sr, and moderated by Rowdy Gaines.
Our November 15th meeting will feature "A Strange Year", the story of how our members adapted to the pandemic. We'll also conduct our Annual Meeting, present the Pacific Masters Service Awards and be treated to Albany Armada Aquatics' Bonnie Tsui talking about her popular book "Why We Swim". We'll also be giving special prizes for clubs and individuals. Make sure to put these events on your not-to-be-missed list. Information and Registration.
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The Pandemic Video - Last Chance
We've been assembling content for the 2020 video retrospective on how we've weathered the pandemic in 2020. So far, we've collected really great photos and videos of our member's experiences: the places you've swum, how you stayed in shape, connected with teammates, and other interesting aspects of this strange year. We're closing in on final assembly. If you have anything to share, now is the time.
Send your photos or videos with a caption to Rich Burns. Please make sure to include your name and club. For larger files he'll send you his Dropbox credentials.
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It's Time for 2021 Club Registration!
Opened October 1
Club registration opened October 1. Current club contacts should have received a reminder e-m ail from USMS with instructions. If you are a club contact and did not receive the e-mail or need help, please contact [email protected].
Swimmers, please remind your coach or club contact to get your club registered in October, before swimmer registration opens on November 1. If your club is not registered with USMS, you will not be able to select that club during registration!
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USMS 2020 Annual Convention
We celebrated 50 years by going Virtual!
United States Masters Swimming turned 50 this year! Our Golden Anniversary was celebrated at the 2020 USMS Annual Meeting and Convention in an unexpected way due to the on-going pandemic. Forced to hold the Convention on-line, more than 250 delegates from around the nation congregated by Zoom.
Just like every other Convention, committee meetings were held, award recipients were acknowledged and proposals were put to a vote. But this year, delegates diligently went about their duties, conducting the necessary business of keeping our amazing USMS running smoothly for another 50 years, from the comfort of their living rooms.
And remember, any USMS member can apply to be a voting delegate. You can get in on the fun, be a part of the action and get involved in the decision-making process by planning to attend next year!
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Has your club applied for the COVID-19 Relief Program?
Deadline November 15
Only five weeks left for Pacific member clubs to apply for the COVID-19 Relief Program. Emails were sent to club contacts in August. If your club is interested in learning more or applying for this grant and the appropriate contact did not receive our email, please contact the grant committee at,
[email protected].
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Pacific Masters Monthly Meeting
Wednesday, October 21, 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.
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Splash! 10,000 Years of Swimming
 by Howard Means
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.
10,000 years of swimming?
"The most ancient representations of swimming ever found are eight-thousand-year-old pictographs on cave walls in what is now the driest spot on planet Earth. But maybe that's not such a great irony after all because swimming, like any activity that goes back to the dawn of humankind, is also an index of change: of social mores, of fashion...and most notably in this case, climatological change."
With this paragraph, Howard Means grabs the readers' attention and leads them through an extensive history of swimming, from ancient times up to and including the present-day. Means' research is impeccable and he keeps the narrative moving by weaving other pertinent historical topics throughout the swimming stories. His love of our sport shines through, helped along by personal memories of his early AAU days and references to some names we all know. Splash! is informative and entertaining.
Read a review of Splash! along with an interview with Howard Means on SwimSwam. |
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More Warnings to the Brave
Or in these cases, the REALLY brave!
Throughout this pandemic, the Editors of our Pacific Update have been enthusiastically promoting the joys of swimming through stories, books and videos. Since many of us do not have access to our regular watering holes, we've been vicariously participating until we can once again return to our previous routines. This collection of videos shows that some swims are best enjoyed, at least for most of us, as a spectator.
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