Contributed by Guy Davis, NE-LMSC Vice-Chair
Great Bay Masters hosted another successful summer LCM meet on July 17 at Dover's Jenny Thompson pool. The meet is popular with swimmers looking to achieve LCM top 10 times and to prepare for the LCM Nationals. 64 swimmers from 7 clubs participated.
Meet Director Crystie McGrail hard at work running an excellent meet
Contributed by Ruth Anam
This past Saturday, June 18, marked the 24th anniversary for Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition’s (MBCC) Statewide Annual Against the Tide Swim, Kayak, Walk, Run, and/or Aquathon fundraising event at the beautiful DCR’s Hopkinton State Park. Hundreds of participants, including dozens of swimmers, joined the effort to raise over $86,000 (and still counting) towards MBCC’s unique goal of breast cancer prevention. Awards and prizes were handed out throughout the morning to the top fundraisers and fastest competitive athletes.
If you were unable to take part in the event festivities this time, MBCC will be holding another morning-only, family-friendly Against the Tide event on the Cape. The 17th Statewide Annual Swim, Kayak, Walk, Run, and/or Aquathon event will take place on Saturday, August 20 at DCR’s Nickerson State Park (Flax Pond in Brewster, MA). Participants will enjoy swimming in the pristine waters at Flax Pond and can take pride in participating in one of the America's Top 50 Open Water Swims. Against the Tide consists of the following swim components: a 1-mile competitive swim beginning at 8:30 AM and a 1-mile recreational swim beginning at 9:45 AM. There is also an Aquathon option starting at 8:30 AM for individuals to take part in the competitive swim and dash straight into the USATF-certified 5K or 10K run. There will be an Aquathon Transition Tent to hold participants’ belongings.
There really is no reason to miss out on the August 20th Against the Tide event: registration is $40 per event activity for adults and $25 per event activity for students, with all proceeds going towards MBCC’s unique prevention work. Bring a friend, family member, or a colleague! All walk-in registrations are welcome after online registration closes at noon on Friday, August 19. Additionally, the MBCC is in need of angel swimmers for the August 20 event. Please contact Ruth Anam if you are interested in this volunteer role. To register for Against the Tide and for more information, please visit www.mbcc.org/swim and/or call 1-800-649-6222.
Contributed by Kate Radville, Race Director
Competitors at the start of the Eighth Annual Charles River One Mile Swim
On June 11th, 2016, the Charles River Swimming Club hosted its Eighth One Mile Swim in the Charles River Basin. The race, which took place on a single loop course between the Massachusetts Avenue and Longfellow bridges, was the largest in the club’s ten-year history.
This year's race drew a record number of swimmers to the river. The introduction of electronic, chip timing allowed for real-time results and an expanded field of 144 athletes. Conditions, including bright sun and flat water, were ideal for an open water competition. For the second year in a row, the top finisher was a woman. Alana Aubin (26) of Watertown, Massachusetts narrowly edged out Frank Wuest (56), of Boston, Massachusetts to earn her victory. Overall and age group winners earned gift certificates for a day of canoeing, kayaking, or stand up paddle boarding with Charles River Canoe and Kayak, one of the club’s generous sponsors, as well as "I Swam the Charles" pint glasses.
The Charles River Swimming Club is a non-profit organization that was founded in 2005 with the dual purpose of organizing competitive swimming events in the river and facilitating the return of public river swimming. After a long history of pollution, the Charles has benefited tremendously from the Clean Charles River Initiative, which began in 1995. It is now clean enough for swimming on most summer days, and the annual swim race is organized in part to raise awareness of this fact.
Overall winner Alana Aubin receives her prizes from race director Kate Radville
If you are interested in getting involved with the club as a volunteer or participating in upcoming events, please visit the club’s website at www.charlesriverswimmingclub.org. The club is run strictly by volunteers and would like to extend its gratitude to the swimmers and volunteers who made this year’s event such a huge success.
Contributed by Crystie McGrail, NELMSC Coaches Chair
Throw out everything you ever knew about swimming. That is what I did Saturday, during a long and exceptional day of learning at the hands of Karlyn Pipes of Aquatic Edge.
Karlyn is an extremely versatile swimmer, having set over 200+ Masters World records, including at least one in each stroke. She was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2015. Add that to running her own company of presenting swim technique clinics all over the world, and you've got one impressive resume!
We were fortunate that Karlyn was able to make herself available for three separate modules in just ONE day:
The presentation of material was awe-inspiring in the number of A-HA moments, simple techniques, and easily implemented tips! I left feeling ready to change swimming lives for the better and with every tool I needed to do it!
I also want to acknowledge Karlyn's incredible spirit - this day included 9 hours of presenting and facilitating technique content! Karlyn presented with vibrancy and grace the entire time! Though you could buy her DVD's, I highly suggest that attending her clinic in person because it is an extraordinary learning opportunity! Or maybe if you are lucky you can visit her in Kona, Hawaii and get the full Aquatic Edge experience!
In true Masters fashion, we relocated to the hot tub!
Links referenced at the clinic:
1 - swimming muscles engaged: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rQ8iEGd2jk
2 - Faster Freestyle with VASA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTQpF_mmg44 (there are actually 4 segments to this, if you look at the video list on the right they should appear)
Registration is now open for the Karlyn Pipes stroke and freestyle clinics in Boston! Both clinics will be held at Simmons College on Saturday, May 14th and are scheduled back-to-back for any swimmers who would like to participate in both.
Karlyn is known worldwide as an accomplished swimmer and uses her technical expertise and high energy to deliver a fun and fast-paced clinic woven with personal experience. The drills and techniques are simple, fun, and most importantly, easy to apply!
Karlyn is a 2015 ISHOF inductee, 2012 World Master Swimmer of the Year, and 2007 International Masters Swimming Hall of Fame inductee. She has broken over 200 FINA Masters world records and 332 U.S. Masters national records.
Come meet fellow swimmers, enjoy the camaraderie of Masters swimming, and learn from one of the best!
Event details and registration information are below:
Simmons College, Holmes Sports Center
Saturday, May 14, 2016 @ 12:00 PM
$95.00
Simmons College, Holmes Sports Center
Saturday, May 14, 2016 @ 3:30 PM
$95.00
If you prefer to download and mail hard copy registration forms, click here for the Freestyle Clinic and here for the Stroke Clinic.
Please contact Crystie McGrail with any questions.
Contributed by Mike Leake
Maurice Regan and Liz MacBride flew in from New Hampshire
On Saturday, April 9, 2016, Bennington's adult swimming team, Monument Masters, hosted the 5th Annual Monumental Masters Mini Meet, as 36 swimmers from eight teams from MA, NJ, NH, NY, and VT traveled to the Bennington Recreation Center. Two swimmers traveled from Concord, NH, in a Cessna airplane, and the the Pittsfield Polar Bears and Simon's Rock Pace Makers from Great Barrington arrived in large numbers to compete.
Warmups at Bennington Recreation Center
This meet welcomes athletes of all abilities for a morning full of fun swimming and encouragement with all proceeds benefiting the Bennington Marauders swim team, providing youth swimming for our community. For many the meet was their first experience with competition, and all participants were eligible for US Masters Swimming caps and stickers as well as sweet treats of stroopwafels from Bakkerij Krijnen and maple syrup from Cluett Farm.
Heat two of the 100-yard freestyle
Swimming for the first time with Monument Masters were Matt Moon, Carol Newell and MG Nightingale. Gabrielle Betit-Mattison and Amanda Robson returned to action in the pool following previous splashes at the meet. Siblings Jeff, Jill and Mike Leake along with Kevin Murphy and Greg Sellei continued their streak of swimming in each of the Monumental meets.
Monument Masters also fielded two relay teams in each of the relay events offered. We look forward to our sixth meet in April of 2017!
Casco Bay YMCA and Maine Masters hosted the 9th Annual "Toughen Up Challenge" this past Sunday, February 21.
The challenge is a five-event competition to find the "toughest" masters swimmers. Participants race five times, then their times are age graded and added together. The swimmer with the lowest total time in each category take the title.
Men: Michael Regan ('13, '16)
Women: Katrine Alcaide ('14, '16)
Men: Mike Hurd ('15, '16)
Women: Anne Uecker ('13, '14, '16)
Women's Sprint Challenge winner Katrine Alcaide with 3rd place finisher (and 5-time champ) Mary Estabrook
Women's Distance Challenge winner Anne Uecker
Thank you to Crystie McGrail for submitting the photos!
Men's Sprint Challenge winner Michael Regan
Men's Distance Challenge winner Mike Hurd
For the third year in a row, the New England LMSC will celebrate “April is Adult-Learn-to-Swim” Month. This is the time of year when USMS members nationwide focus on others and share the gift of swimming by volunteering to teach adult swimming lessons in their local communities. As of this writing, the 15 New England teams listed below plan to run Swimming Saves Lives Adult Learn to Swim programs in 2016.
If you know of adults who could benefit from swim lessons or if you want to volunteer to help teach, please reach out to any of the teams below or contact Sue Jensen at swimmingsaveslives@gmail.com or Bill Meier at billmeier1961@gmail.com. A few hours of your time could change or save a life!
Also, contact Sue/Bill if your masters team is interested in running a Swimming Saves Lives program this spring or summer. Some funds are still available to provide financial support for lifeguard salaries, etc.
If you are interested in more comprehensive ALTS instructor training that will enable you to teach swimming as a professional option throughout the year, consider taking the ALTS certification course in Boston on April 23, 2016.
The Swimming Saves Lives program is made possible through donations to USMS’s Swimming Saves Lives Foundation. To learn more, visit the April is Adult Learn-to-Swim Month and Swimming Saves Lives Foundation websites or contact USMS Education Manager Holly Newmann at holly.neumann@usms.org.
Bard College at Simon’s Rock, Great Barrington, Bill Meier, billmeier1961@gmail.com
Cambridge Masters Swim Club, Cambridge, Sue Jensen, swimmingsaveslives@gmail.com
Martha’s Vineyard Masters, Vineyard Haven, Les Cutler, cutlerl@comcast.net
Pittsfield Polar Bear Masters, Mary Dickson, marydickson48@gmail.com
Score 4 More, Boston, Mamenasha Tesfaye, phinnswimmers@gmail.com
Worcester Area Masters, Worcester, CJ Dickson, cj.qkona@gmail.com
Burlington Area Sink or Swim, Kimberly Fry, kimberly.fry07@gmail.com
Intrepid Athletics, Inc., Rutland, Natalie Boyle, intrepidathletics@yahoo.com
Johnson State College / Norwich University, Cara Hancy, cjthvt@gmail.com
Killington Aquatic Club Masters, Killington, Kristin Schiessl-Alf, killingtonaquaticclub@gmail.com
Stowe Swimmers Foundation, Stowe, Charlotte Brynn, cbrynn@theswimmingholestowe.com
TBD
MWR Lobster Swim Club, Naval Station Newport, Amy Bourke, Amy.Bourke@navy.mil
Newport Athletic Club Masters Swimming, Middletown, Paul Dow, Pdow@neboatworks.com
Maine Masters, Waterville, Tim Lecrone, tlecrone@msn.com
PenBay Masters Swimming, Rockport, Susan Rardin, susanrardin@gmail.com
Thank you to everyone who contributes your time to participate in these worthwhile programs!
Results are up from the 2016 Exeter Mini Meet! It was an excellent meet, hosted by Great Bay Masters at the beautiful Phillips Exeter Academy pool.
The New England LMSC Short Course Yard Championship is now accepting entries!
The meet will take place at Harvard University, March 18-20, with distance day on March 12.
More information and registration info available here.
