SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008 BULLETIN

In this Bulletin:

1. President’s Log
2. New Registration System
3. Upcoming Meets
4. Coaching
5. Training: Setting Goals & Priorities
6. Website & Bulletin Information

1. President’s Log

Wow! What a year for Masters this has been. I am sure we have all followed the swimming of Dara Torres in the 2008 Olympics, a silver medal for a 41 year old mother. What a feat, and only one of many great stories of Masters and their accomplishments this past season. One of the greatest feats was one completed by our own Brent Hobbs when he completed his swim of the English Channel this past July in a time of 10 hours 43 minutes. The English Channel is one of the toughest challenges on the face of the earth. In fact, more climbers have climbed Mount Everest than swimmers have completed the English Channel. This swim has been a dream of Brent’s for the last 25 years and it goes to show we should always continue to chase our dreams. Now, one thing of note, both Brent and Dara were born in the late 60’s - makes you wonder what was in the air back then?!

I take great pleasure in congratulating Elizabeth Smith of the Winskill Otters on being named the Master Athlete of the Year for the City of Delta. Liz is a great competitor and an all-around great Master Athlete who is always there for any swimmer. She is most deserving of this award.

On a much sadder note, our heart-felt sympathies go out to Joan Parnell on the passing of her husband, Bill. For those of you who know Joan, you will likely also have met Bill, who was also an amazing athlete himself. Our warmest thoughts are with you Joan, during this difficult time.

Hopefully everyone has had a great summer and is now ready to dive in and work towards your goals and dreams with the start of a new season. From looking at all the different results from all the triathlons, open water swims, and the USMS Long Course Nationals, I can see that many of our members were very busy at the different events. To all those that took part in the USMS Nationals, congratulations on your results. I can see that Masters swimmers are only getting better and faster, and it is no wonder that masters swimmers are starting to encroach in the Olympics and swim the channel.

There were many Open Water events this past summer on the Island, the Lower Mainland and the Okanagan, where we saw many MSABC members compete, as well as many swimmers from outside the province. With the BC Open Water Swimming Association once again up and running, we should see many more top events, and those existing, only getting better. There is a large portion of the BCOWSA board members that are MSABC members, and along with those members and the board members from Age Group Swimming, I can only see open water swimming growing in leaps and bounds in BC. I would like to thank our own Jim Close for stepping forward and getting this off the ground and stepping up as President of BCOWSA.

I watched an awful lot of MSABC swimmers competing in Triathlons this past summer, and from the results saw many Masters swimmers exiting the water at the front of the age group they are competing in, and many Masters finishing in the upper portion of the entire triathlon. With results like this, it just goes to show the dedication Masters have throughout the season, and most important, it shows how great the coaching is throughout the clubs. My hats-off and thanks to all the coaches in MSABC - I know you will coach your swimmers to even greater heights this next season.

With the new season starting, I would like to welcome all new Masters as well as all returning members, and I look forward to seeing everyone at the meets throughout the year. Once again this season we have meets from November through to April with UBC showing the way, followed by Nanaimo, both in November. Cowichan starts January off, followed by the English Bay meet in February and Victoria Masters with our only long course meet of the year in March. April will once again see our Provincial Championships, this year held in Cowichan/Duncan at their NEW pool and hosted by the Duncan Stingrays age group club. For those that want to swim outside the province we will attempt to list as many meets from other locations as we can. Check our website often to keep up to date on meet entries and dates, as well as new items that come up from time to time.

On behalf of the entire MSABC Board, I would like to welcome all new and returning members and wish you the best season yet.

Glen Mehus
MSABC President
president@mastersswimming.bc.ca

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2. New Registration System

Submitted by Jocelyn Jay, MSABC Registrar

MSABC no longer uses the SwimDirect system. Swimming Natation Canada (SNC) has come up with their own system and have decided to discontinue SwimDirect. According to SNC, "this important change was designed to help reduce the amount of work for the club registrar and to collect additional demographic information from members that will assist Clubs, Provincial Offices and Swimming Canada". The only thing that wasn't taken into consideration is Masters swimmers and their need for keeping things hassle-free. It will be a pain in the neck this year, getting it up and running for each club, but will make each year hereafter easier, or so I'm told. If anyone requires extra guidance, please contact Jocelyn Jay at jocelyn.jay@gmail.com or 250-890-0562.

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3. Upcoming Meets

BC Meets for 2008/09 Season
Sunday Nov. 16, 2008	UBC Swim Meet, UBC Vancouver	-click for web site-
Saturday, November 29	Ebbtides SC Swim Meet, Nanaimo	-click for web site-
Sunday Jan. 25, 2009	Cowichan Swim Meet, Duncan
February 15, 2009	English Bay Love to Swim Meet, Vancouver	-click for web site-
Saturday, March 7	Victoria Masters LC Meet, Victoria	-click for web site-
Saturday, April 4	Winskill SC Endurance Time Trial, Vancouver
April 17 -19, 2009	MSABC Provincials, Duncan
May 15-18, 2009	MSC Nationals (SC), Etobicoke ON

 

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

Out of Province Records: For Out of Province Records, an application form can be found on the MSABC website under Club & Record Info - BC records: http://www.mastersswimming.bc.ca/records.html

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4. Coaching

Attention all Coaches! It was suggested that a Coaches’ Clinic be held this October, however, no one has been in touch with Gilles with ideas or suggestions. Please don’t delay in contacting Gilles Beaudin (vanguy@telus.net) if you would like this Clinic to go ahead!

And don’t forget that 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!

From SWIM BC: Important NCCP Update

There is an important update from Swimming Canada on some transitions taking place in the delivery of coach education by Swimming Canada and the National Coaching Certification Program.

The Skills Coach program has undergone a thorough review, and some key adjustments have been made to enhance the training and evaluation process. Skills Coach will continue to be the minimum standard for coaches working with swimmers attending sanctioned competitions.

Take note that one of the major impacts of this new structure is that there will not be any Skills Coach courses until at least March - April 2009. Instead, coaches wishing to gain Skills Coach certification will enrol in autumn 2008 in the online e-learning program.

It should be noted that, coaches who took a Skills Coach course PRIOR to September 1, 2008, will have roughly one year to complete the certification process, which includes completing the online Making Ethical Decisions module, as well as having a Skills Coach Assessment done.

Please go to http://www.swim.bc.ca/sbcnccp.aspx for more information.

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5. Training: Setting Goals and Priorities

Submitted by Glen Mehus

With a new season about to start, it is time to start setting our goals and priorities. We only have to look to MSABC swimmer Brent Hobbs and USMS swimmer Dara Torres to realize that setting goals and dreams and achieving them can be very rewarding. With this in mind, here are a few tips on setting Goals and Priorities.

1. Choose the goals that are right for you. Try to find some middle ground between your highest aims and one that is not high enough. Aiming high is a great motivator, however if you aim too high, and your goal is not be attainable, you will soon be discouraged and give up.

Really put some time into thinking about why you want to achieve the goal(s). Is each goal challenging, specific, measurable, and with a specific deadline? And remember to talk to your coach about your goals for the year.

2. Make it formal. If you write down your goals this makes it more official and will add to your commitment. Share your goals with your team mates and ask them to quiz you on what your goals are. This way, you can see any flaws you may have in your goals and your team mates may be able to fill in the gaps on what you need to do to attain your goals. This can also make for much more interesting training if you have someone there to help you along the way, just as you can help other team mates with their goals. Make it a team effort.

3. Devise a plan. This is one of the most important parts of reaching your goals. Without some type of plan in place you will have little chance of success. Decide where to begin, and make a detailed plan of the major tasks needed to achieve your goals. This should be done with the help of your coach. Make deadlines, but make sure they are realistic to avoid disappointment. Write down an overall summary of your goals.

4. Stick to it, but stay flexible. This can be the biggest challenge to reaching your goals. You need to find the best time to start. Remember, the goals need to fit into your lifestyle because unexpected events can distract you and lead to procrastination. Report back to your team mates and coach as to your progress, as this can help in maintaining your motivation. Because of lifestyle, which may include a career or kids or even travel, you need to be somewhat flexible so that you can adjust along the way.

5. Regular assessments. Re-examine your goals along the way to ensure it is still what you really want. Recognize and celebrate each small success along the way. Adapt whenever necessary, but always keep to your main objective. Work hard and stay focused on the end result.

6. Have fun. As hard as you may work at these goals, always remember to have fun as well. Enjoy the time you spend with your team mates planning and training for these goals. And remember that it is all about a healthy lifestyle and don’t push yourself to the brink of a heart attack or other health problems.

Have fun, enjoy, and reach for your goals!

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With the start of the new swim season, it’s also a great time to borrow a couple DVD’s or videos from the MSABC library! We have several complete series including Frank Busch, Richard Quick, Bill Sweetenham and Go Swim, plus some DVD’s and videos from Total Immersion. Check our full video/DVD library at 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.

Also, 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.

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6. 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:

• 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

• June 15th for July/August issue

• August 15th for September/October 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”.

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