MAY/JUNE 2008 BULLETIN

In this Bulletin:

1. President’s Log
2. Awards of Merit
3. Annual General Meeting
4. Meets: Competition Reports & Upcoming Meets
5. Coaching
6. Training: Using an Underwater Video Camera
7. On the Road: Travels of a Masters Swimmer
8. Website & Bulletin Information

1. President’s Log

I can’t believe that two months have passed by already. We’ve had a couple more fantastic meets, thanks to Winskill Otters and Victoria Masters, and an outstanding Provincials meet in Kamloops. Nationals will be upon us before we know it!

The deadline for registering for Nationals has come and gone, and I hope that everyone who wanted to participate was able to register. Thanks to Danielle Brault – we’re going to have some great fun with our MSBC relay teams in Quebec City. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone there! I’ve also been working with a club in BC to bid on hosting the 2010 Nationals in this beautiful province of ours.

We’ve just held our Annual General Meeting at Provincials and I would like to welcome two new members to the MSABC Board: Jocelyn Jay as Registrar and John McManus as Member at Large. I would also like to welcome Tony Zezza to his new position as Vice President and to thank him for all his hard work as our Registrar for the past two years. I would also like to give a huge thanks to our two outgoing members, Diane Ruffell as Vice President and Leon Politano as Member at Large. I can’t thank you both enough for all your hard work over the years and your many contributions to Masters Swimming.

I would also like to congratulate our two winners of the Awards of Merit: Laura Harris is the winner of the Stan Powell Award; and Bonnie Pronk is the winner of the Ted Simpson Award. Congratulations Laura and Bonnie! Both Awards are well deserved.

I am also very pleased to announce that our next Masters Provincials will be held in Duncan in April 2009. We’ll be hosted by the Duncan Stingrays in their brand new 8-lane facility which is currently scheduled to open in September 2008. We are looking forward to hearing more as their plans develop!

And now that the 2008 Provincials are over, many of you will start your training for Triathlons and open water swimming. Make sure you check the events section of our website over the next few weeks to find some of those Open Water events hosted by many of our Masters Clubs. You will find these events being held on the Island, the Lower Mainland and the Okanagan - if you plan it right you could see and enjoy a large piece of our Province.

Keep swimming and enjoying this great sport of ours!

Glen Mehus
MSABC President
president@mastersswimming.bc.ca

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2. Awards of Merit

Each year the MSABC Board takes nominations from its members for two Awards of Merit. The Awards were presented this year at the Provincial Championships “Wine & Cheese” on April 19, 2008.

Stan Powell Memorial Service Award Winner: Laura Harris
The members of the Cowichan Aquannis Masters Swim Team nominated Laura Harris for the 2007/08 Stan Powell Memorial Service Award as someone who has contributed to the betterment of Masters Swimming in British Columbia and service to Masters Swimming.

Laura has been swimming for well over 20 years and she has attained many awards and achievements. Laura is an inspiration to the Cowichan Aquannis Masters Swim Team, her enthusiasm and drive amazes the young and old. She assisted in creating the club logo “The Cow”, which could be seen on T-shirts and Banners at all the meets, but the greatest was her “Cow Bell” that could be heard inside and out (we are sure) while a COWI member was swimming their events. Unfortunately the bell was retired out of respect for fellow swimmers remaining eardrums. Whenever Laura is at a meet she can be heard cheering on her fellow swimmers or someone she has met over her years of swimming.

Laura has been instrumental in teaching stretching classes after workouts to ensure members can still get around the next day. She has written articles for the “Great Lengths’ newsletter and is a director to the “Friends of the Aquannis”, a user group at the Cowichan Centre to promote the building of a new pool. The new Pool is due to be completed in 2008 thanks to Laura and people like her who care enough to make things happen for the future residents of a Community.

Laura enjoyed swimming so much she decided she would like to coach Masters Swimming as well, so she started working on her Coaching levels. Once she started as Coach of the Tuesday and Thursday mornings at the Cowichan Centre, it filled up with Masters Swimmers and new swimmers who enjoy her crazy drills and wonderful workouts, and never question why they are doing it because Laura always makes it fun. Laura is also a member of the BC Open Water Association and has been involved in open water swims throughout BC for many years. Laura has always been involved in the organization of the Duncan meets in the capacity of on-deck assistance, food or as the relay organizer.

Congratulations Laura, on being awarded the Stan Powell Memorial Service Award!

Ted Simpson Achievement Award Winner: Bonnie Pronk
Results from Worlds, Nationals, Provincials, and local meets, improvement in personal best times, overcoming injury, illness and/or disability are the criteria considered for this award. Gilles Beaudin, MSABC Member at Large, looked back over the year and saw Bonnie Pronk as the perfect candidate.

Bonnie has come back from a frustrating couple of years, hampered, in part, by health problems, to age up and proceed towards establishing nine new World Records, not to mention countless new National and Provincial records. She was also short listed for the BC Masters Athlete of the Year (2007) and we congratulate her for that distinction! Bonnie has always been a symbol of perseverance and this past year was no exception. Unfortunately, Bonnie was not present to accept the Award as she was thousands of miles away in Perth, Australia, preparing for this year's FINA Masters World Championships!

Congratulations Bonnie, on being awarded the Ted Simpson Achievement Award!
Brian Staton (right) accepting the award from Gilles Beaudin on Bonnie’s behalf

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3. Annual General Meeting

The 2008-2009 election of Directors was held at the MSABC Annual General Meeting, Saturday, April 19, 2008 in Kamloops, BC. There were 5 vacancies (*) that were filled. Directors are elected for a term of two years [Bylaw 25(1)], expiring at the Annual General Meeting. On behalf of the membership, the Directors are responsible for planning and guiding the overall affairs of MSABC. The Board establishes committees which Directors chair. There are six Board meetings a year.

2008-2009 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Glen Mehus (Okanagan Masters)	President	2009
Tony Zezza (Navy Masters)	Vice President	2010*
Stephen Ricketts (Nanaimo Ebbtides)	Secretary	2009
Keith Kendal (Victoria Masters)	Treasurer	2010* (renewed)
Jocelyn Jay (Comox Valley Masters)	Registrar	2010*
Claudia Sperling (Victoria Masters)	Editor	2009
John McManus (Navy Masters)	Member at Large	2010*
Gilles Beaudin (English Bay)	Member at Large	2010* (renewed)
Steve Wallace (Victoria Masters)	Member at Large	2009

 

We would also like to thank outgoing members, Diane Ruffell and Leon Politano. Diane first joined the Board in 2004, becoming Vice President in 2005. Leon has been with the Board in various positions since 2001, most recently as a Member at Large responsible for sanctioning meets. Both Diane and Leon have made innumerable contributions to Masters swimming in BC and in Canada, and will be sorely missed on the Board! Diane is looking forward to spending more time in the pool and promises to try to make every workout, and we know that we’ll be seeing Leon on deck … and maybe in the pool?!

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4. Meets

Competition Reports:

Sunday, February 10, 2008:

English Bay Swim Club
2008 Swim Classic ‘Love to Swim!’

Report submitted by Heather Rourke, EBSC Executive Member

On February 10, 2008, 137 swimmers from BC, Alberta, and Seattle met at the UBC swimming pool to compete in the annual English Bay Swim Club ‘Love to Swim’ Meet.

The highlight of the meet was mid day, when swimmers from several different clubs came together to participate in the annual Pink Flamingo relay. Six relay teams competed against each other. Each team swam a grassy platform and a pink flamingo back and forth across the pool, while making as much noise as humanly possible with the noisemakers. In this relay, speed is only part of the challenge. Style is equally important.

The meet saw many exciting races, some records being broken, countless best times, and even some first-time races. A huge success, and we look forward to seeing everyone at next year’s swim meet.

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Saturday, March 15, 2008:

Victoria Masters Swim Club
28th Annual Swim Meet (Long Course)

Report submitted by Len Martel, Meet Manager & VMSC Registrar

The 28th Annual Victoria Masters Swim Meet was held on Saturday March 15, 2008 at Saanich Commonwealth Place. This year there were 178 swimmers who made it to Victoria from 32 swim clubs across British Columbia, Alberta, Oregon, Washington and even Hawaii. And it was great to have several SWAD swimmers competing as well!

Our meet seems to always be a great record breaking event each year as it is one of the few long course meets, and the swimmers sure didn't disappoint this year as they were swimming very strong and fast with many records broken. In total there were 52 records broken made up of BC, Canadian and even one world record (100 Fly broken by Karlyn Pipes-Neilson from Hawaii).

This year we tried out a longer event and were able to add a 1500 Freestyle event for distance swimmers who seemed to really enjoy it. There was even plenty of food remaining for them at the end!

A great big “Thank You” goes out to all those that were involved by either participating, volunteering, organizing and last but not least to all the coaches out there for all your encouraging words.

We hope everyone had a great time and see you all next year!

Upcoming Meets:

For more information on the Canadian Masters Swimming Championship, May 16 to 19, 2008, in Quebec City, please go to: http://www.cmscq2008.org/page1.aspx

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Out of Province Records:

The Board of MSABC, in consultation with Julie Jones, have designed a new Out of Province Records application form which, when completed, will make it easier for MSABC swimmers to apply for BC Records. The form is posted on the MSABC website under Club & Record Info - BC records: http://www.mastersswimming.bc.ca/records.html

For additional swim meet information, please see the MSABC website: www.mastersswimming.bc.ca/upcoming.html

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5. Coaching

A Coaches’ Meeting, chaired by Gilles Beaudin, MSABC Member at Large, was held just before the start of the 2008 Provincials in Kamloops. Eight coaches attended and had an excellent discussion around developing a coaches’ clinic specific to Masters swimming. Everyone agreed that it would be great to have a guest speaker followed by several focused topics. Suggestions for topics included: determining the needs of Masters swimmers; injury prevention and rehabilitation for aging swimmers; becoming a better Masters coach; what coaches have done to develop world record swimmers or major breakthroughs with other swimmers; etc.

We’ll be providing you with more information as the details become clearer, but for now it looks as though a Coaches’ Clinic will be held in mid-October, possibly in Tsawassen. If you have any ideas or suggestions regarding a Coaches’ Clinic, please contact Gilles Beaudin (vanguy@telus.net).

And a reminder for anyone interested in completing the Skills Coach Courses offered by SwimBC: MSABC will now be reimbursing $150 for each completed level (Skills Coach; Level 2; and Level 3) upon producing a completed and valid application! Go to http://www.swim.bc.ca/sbcnccp.aspx to check for upcoming courses.

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6. Training

“Using an Underwater Video Camera”
Submitted by Gilles Beaudin, EBSC, and MSABC Member at Large

First I’ll give you a background of the evenings where we do our video clinics. EBSC has four practices a week: two 1.5hr workouts on the weekends - Saturday from 5-6.30pm and Sunday from 11am-12.30pm. We will get anywhere from 25-35 swimmers (35 being the maximum number we allow so that we never have more then 6 swimmers per lane). The other two workouts are Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Because we can get up to 70 swimmers wanting to swim on weeknights, we have two back-to-back 1hr workouts to accommodate everyone from 6-7pm and 7-8pm. These are the nights we put on our video clinics.

"Check out our website to find out about borrowing
the video camera and underwater lens."

We swap one of our six 25m 'centre' lanes for one of the outside 'public' lanes so that Khosro, one of our coaches, has the use of the pool deck for the clinic. We offer two video sessions those evenings - one during each workout - and limit them each to the first 6 people to sign up as we have found that having any more then 6 participants, dilutes its value to the swimmers (not enough time to properly focus on each person).

We will advertise our video nights about a month in advance, then maybe a week before, and, if we haven't filled all the spaces, the day before. As for the clinic itself, each swimmer will chose one stroke and Khosro will film them, one after the other, from three different angles - head on underwater, side view underwater and, finally, side view from the deck.

Once everyone has had their three views filmed, they will get out of the water, dry off and sit around the computer as Khosro plays back the swims and comments on each person's stroke. It's always great to see your stroke and to get feedback on it from the coach and, believe me, what you think your stroke looks like isn't necessarily how it actually appears! It's also very beneficial hearing the comments in regards to other swimmer's strokes as, nine times out of ten, that feedback can easily pertain to you as well. We have offered these swim clinics now for three years straight, every other month or so, and they are always full, which tells us that our swimmers appreciate them!

If your team hasn't yet taken advantage of the video cameras offered by MSABC (the only cost to your club is the postage), give it a try and see what your swimmers say. I'll guarantee you, it won't be the last time you try it!

Check out our website to find out about borrowing the video camera and underwater lens http://www.mastersswimming.bc.ca/camera.html. Arrangements and bookings can be made by contacting Glen Mehus at gmehus@shaw.ca.

Or check out our video/DVD library (www.mastersswimming.bc.ca/video.html). DVD’s and videos are available for a 2 to 3 week loan period (depending on demand). Contact Claudia Sperling at sperlingclaudia@gmail.com to borrow videos and/or DVD’s.

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7. On The Road: Travels of a Masters Swimmer

Submitted by Steve Wallace, MSABC Member at Large

Over the past year I have had the opportunity to visit several clubs in the province and across the country. Trying to stay in shape while travelling can be a challenge, but most swim clubs are very accommodating, if not welcoming, with only a few exceptions.

The best thing to do is phone ahead to let the coach, or whoever is in charge, know you will be at the workout. This is not always possible since some pools don’t have a contact list for the masters club. If you simply show up, then at least let the coach know you are there and also give the coach a sense of your general ability. Quoting your time for the 50FR is a good gauge for most swimmers. There is a pecking order for every lane in almost every club, and you are better off being placed in a lane, rather than just hopping in and starting to swim.

You will get a feeling as to the kind of club you are swimming with very quickly. At one club they told me flat out that they would let me swim today, but I was not to come again (YMCA) since each session was paid for in advance and they were totally booked. The coach was very pleased to see me, but the lead swimmer was somewhat offensive. The strange part is that I am a member of the Y and expected better.

The interior clubs were the best to visit. They rolled out the welcome mat and made you feel at home, even setting up parallel swimmers to simulate training races. One lifeguard in Mackenzie actually cleared half the 25m pool so I could work out without being bugged by other swimmers. Quesnel was a very easy club to swim with since only 6 people showed up and I knew them all. The Prince George club was the best to visit of all the clubs. The professional coach also coaches the age group team and really knows his stuff. They had fins to fit me in no time, put me in a lane with a bunch of fly swimmers and gave me paddles to boot. PG is a large club with a 50m pool and at least 30-40 swimmers at each workout.

The on-the-ball coaches knew the proper questions to ask which determined my times for each stroke and whom I would likely be swimming behind. Some clubs had world and Canadian record holders, namely the Victoria Masters club, who clustered at one end of the pool. The club was large and had two workouts an evening so fitting me in was no problem. Some clubs were a bit standoffish and after a few forced intros I just gave up. You would probably think swimmers are all very friendly, and this is generally true, but the exceptions to the rule were more numerous than I would have thought. Many clubs have a social gathering after the workout and I was invited to most. There are some very interesting people from a variety of backgrounds who are well worth talking to.

All in all the experiences were positive, but my travels have taught me that we should always remember to welcome visiting swimmers, and take the time to introduce ourselves rather than make a visitor feel self-conscious at a workout. I’ve visited some 15 or so pools over the last year and these are my observations.

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8. Website and Bulletin Information

If there is anything you would like to see posted on the MSABC website, please send it to Tony Zezza (vicepresident@mastersswimming.bc.ca).

Would you like to write an article, or have some news that you would like to share with BC Masters swimmers? Submit it to the Bulletin! Ideas for articles, feedback and suggestions are always welcome. Contact Claudia Sperling (sperlingclaudia@gmail.com).

Deadlines for submissions:

• June 15th for July/August issue

• August 15th for September/October issue

• October 15th for November/December issue

• December 15th for January/February issue

• February 15th for the March/April issue

• April 15th for May/June issue

To subscribe to the Bulletin: Go to www.mastersswimming.bc.ca/bulletin.html, enter your email address in the appropriate spot and click “subscribe”.

To unsubscribe to the Bulletin: Go to www.mastersswimming.bc.ca/bulletin.html, enter your email address in the appropriate spot and click “unsubscribe”.

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