In this Bulletin:
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The President’s Report
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A Wrap-up of this Past Year’s Awards of Merit Recipients
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From the Home of Ogopogo ...
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From the Home of Harry Jerome ...
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Okanagan Masters take early lead in League Trophy race!
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Open Water Swimming in B.C. – Summer of 2010
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Training Videos & DVD's
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Website and Bulletin Information
1. The President’s Report
The season is well underway with both the Winefest Meet at the H2O pool in Kelowna followed closely by the North Shore Master’s Meet in North Vancouver having already taken place. Please support all the meets that are coming later this year. Of interest, your Board is also working on running a number of clinics later this year that should be of interest to all levels of swimmers.
The main function of the MSABC Board is to ensure that the needs of all our swimmers are met with the handling and sanctioning of meets, ensuring that proper registration occurs, keeping your insurance coverage in place, holding clinics and balancing the budget. Additionally however, we are from time to time forced to enter the politics of swimming. Most of our swimmers are not aware of the relationships that Masters Swimming Association of BC (MSABC) have with different swim bodies. We belong to Masters Swimming Canada (MSC)* and pay them an annual levy. We are also members of Swim BC and pay them an annual levy as well. Swim BC handles our insurance, provides us sanctioning authority and give us access to Swim Natation Canada (SNC) officials for our meets. The chain of command on various issues is at times confusing and involves the active participation by various members of your Board throughout the year. Give me a call or email on any issue that may affect you.
Always remember that MSABC is run by volunteers who are giving their time and resources to provide all of us with great opportunities to stay fit, participate and compete in Masters Swimming!
* Editor’s note: we will have an article about MSC in our next Bulletin.
Aart Looye
MSABC President
president@msabc.ca
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2. A Wrap-up of this Past Year’s Awards of Merit Recipients
The Ted Simpson Achievement Award presented to Cindy Mabee:
This award goes to the registered MSABC Masters Swimmer who has achieved distinguished results in the 2008/2009 swim season. Results from Worlds, Nationals, Provincials, and local meets, improvement in personal best times, overcoming injury, illness and/or disability is considered for this award.
This award is presented in memory of Ted Simpson. Ted was a valued coach of the Vancouver Y Torpedoes from 1960 - 67. Ted continued his coaching and in later years, coached Masters swimmers finishing his coaching career with the English Bay Swim Club. Ted was valued as a coach who made swimming fun and made swimmers feel good about themselves. Ted was interested in all who came under his tutelage. As he valued achievement in all forms, this award is a fitting memorial to Ted and how he lived his life.
This year’s recipient was Cindy Mabee. A member of the Victoria Masters Swim Club for the past 5 years, Cindy distinguished herself on the international stage by setting four (4) World Masters Records in her speciality, the Backstroke, claiming both the short and long course marks in both the 50 and 100. Cindy has 3 children, coaches full time for Island Swimming (TAG Group, Dynamo Entry and Olympic way) and still manages to find time to train and break world records! She started swimming with the Saanich Swimming Club in 1976 at the age of 7. Her swimming hero at that time was American Mark Spitz who won 7 gold medals at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. Cindy moved to Prince George and enjoyed some early success making Team BC when she was only 10 years old and Western Nationals when she was 11. Her family then moved to Vancouver where she joined Hyack Swim Club. She specialized in distance freestyle and back stroke. In fact, she was so good in backstroke, she qualified for Senior Nationals at the age of 13! She represented BC in both the Canada Games and the Western Canada Games only to retire in 1988/89. She always loved swimming and she made finals and medaled at several National meets. Her love for swimming pulled her into coaching, where she continues to share her knowledge and joy of swimming with all her young swimmers as well as back into the sport itself where she seems to be continuing where she left off. Congratulations Cindy!
The Stan Powell Memorial Service Award presented to Khosro Mansuri:
This award goes to the person who has contributed to the betterment of Masters Swimming in British Columbia and/or service to Masters Swimming, (e.g. past service on the MSABC Board, club official, club or event organizer, meet volunteer and/or coach).
This award is in memory of Stan Powell who died in November 1999. Stan played most sports throughout his lifetime and coached many at the secondary school level for more than thirty years. Nearest and dearest to his heart though was swimming and upon Stan’s death, his family requested donations to establish a suitable memorial – and so it was that a large oak perpetual shield - the Stan Powell Award, came to be.
It was Stan’s belief one should give something back to the community for the enjoyment received by participating in sports. With this in mind, Stan was personally involved with swimming, water polo, basketball and baseball. Stan gave so freely of his time by volunteering for sport. Stan embodied Masters swimming as a lifestyle - the Stan Powell Memorial Service Award is a fitting tribute to his memory.
This year’s recipient was Khosro Mansuri, Head Coach of the English Bay Swim club as well as Coach of the North Shore Masters. Over the past 20 years, it’s estimated that he has personally coached over 1000 adult swimmers in the Lower Mainland. He has given countless lessons and introduced and welcomed thousands, young and old, to the sport. Much of this has taken place on his own time.
When one thinks about people who give to the community, the sport and the participants, one naturally think of Khosro.
As coach of the English Bay Swim Club, largely comprised of gays and lesbians, Khosro has become a loyal and devoted friend. He is keenly aware of the team’s membership and the importance of outreach to its "community".
On the North Shore, Khosro has worked tirelessly at recruiting new members into the sport, in particular the more senior members of the community. So if you know anyone over 60 who can't swim, let Khosro know and you are pretty well guaranteed to see them participating at Provincials the following year.
As a coach, Khosro shares his abundant knowledge of and undying love for the sport with each and every swimmer he encounters. A natural leader, Khosro gives of his time unconditionally whether it be during his self-run video clinics; EBSC’s "learn to swim better" program; his "just-for-fun" swim meets; or at EBSC's annual Christmas Swim Camp. He is well known for his innovative coaching techniques and ‘can do’ approach.
More importantly though, as a man, he shares with all around him his enthusiasm for life, his optimistic view for the future, and his compassion for others. Congratulations Khosro!
Masters Swimming Canada’s ‘Excellence in Coaching Award’ presented to Danielle Brault:
Danielle first started coaching in 1973 with a youth club and added masters coaching to her repertoire in 1979. Danielle has been with VMSC as head coach since 1994 making this her 15th year. VMSC has 130 members, with a wait list of about 25, and ranging in ability from beginners to world record holders. There may be several reasons for the popularity of the club but one of the main reasons is the constant encouragement, effort, and organizational skills of its head coach.
VMSC has a number of individual swimmers who have held or hold Provincial, National and World records due in no small part to Danielle who thoroughly plans out each season for her swimmers. Under Danielle's expert coaching, five VMSC swimmers were listed in the most recent FINA world top ten rankings in 15 SCM and 8 LCM individual events and nine VMSC swimmers hold world top ten rankings in relays. VMSC swimmers also hold 17 SCM and 19 LCM Canadian records, and 45 SCM and 50 LCM individual and 21 relay BC records.
However, Danielle's true talent lies in her ability to get the best effort out of all swimmers whether they are pursuing fitness goals, personal best times or records. Danielle asks each swimmer to set personal goals at the beginning of each season so that she has a much better idea of what the swimmers want from the program, and then works to support and encourage each swimmer to achieve their goals. Danielle has an amazing ability to know when it is the right time to push a swimmer to a new level, and when a swimmer needs a bit of space. She creates workouts (sometimes with "surprises") that cater to all levels and remembers that even "big kids" still like treats, fun relays and being recognized for their accomplishments.
At VMSC meets, Danielle spends an enormous amount of time putting everyone who is competing into a "club" relay, balancing each team so that everyone has an equal chance of winning. And with Danielle's enthusiasm and support for participation (and travel) to local, Provincial, National and International meets, swimmers that have never been to a competition in their lives take part regularly in meets as well. Danielle has a knack for creating many fast and record breaking relays, but always makes sure that as many swimmers as possible participate. In addition, Danielle also puts together relay teams from across BC for National and International meets, and takes the time to coach everyone who wants some advice and guidance, regardless whether they are from VMSC or not.
As a swimmer herself, Danielle knows what it takes to get to the next level or to reach one's goals. She also knows that there are hurdles and challenges, or just everyday life, which can sometimes get in the way. Throughout all of this, Danielle maintains a positive approach to coaching and always reminds us that the most important part is to have fun and enjoy the moment! Congratulations Danielle!
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3. From the Home of Ogopogo ...
A Wrap up of the Okanagan Master’s
*Winefest Swim Meet* (09OCT)
The spirit of fun, friendship, fitness and competition was alive and well at the Winefest Swim meet hosted by Okanagan Masters on October 9th. Forty-two swimmers from as far away as Vancouver, Victoria, Campbell River and Revelstoke competed. Being still very early in the season, there were a number of great achievements including those of Gladys Hambrook, who, at 79, managed to improve on all of her previous best times! That takes some doing. Well done Gladys! Many swimmers used this meet to determine their fitness levels by entering a large number of events. These brave souls spent the entire meet stepping on to the starting blocks still breathing heavily from their just completed previous event! What our head coach Jon has learned though, is to not leave the choice of entries up to your swimmers. If you plan smart, you will have some recovery time in between events. That’s how he managed to swim the 200m butterfly! A big thanks to Laura Garret, meet manager, members from Aquajets, Liquid Lightening, parents and swimmers and anybody else that helped Laura set up this event. A wine and cheese function at the end of the meet provided time for talking and getting to know each other a little better.
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4. From the Home of Harry Jerome ...
A Wrap up of the North Shore Master’s
‘Sprint’ Swim Meet (23OCT)
North Vancouver’s Harry Jerome Community Centre was the site of this year’s meet. The competition went very smoothly and I was very pleased to see a sanctioned Masters meet taking place in North Vancouver after a 12 year hiatus. It was great to get the North Shore Masters swimming community involved once again with the greater MSABC family. Now, getting back to the actual competition, we had 61 swimmers registered including one out-of-province swimmer from the Calgary Masters. I would like to thank our officials Sheila Lencoe, Mike Lencoe and Mel Chandler for their hard work. As always, without qualified, dedicated officials, this meet would not have happened. Also, I would like to send my appreciation to all the swimmers who participated and those who didn’t, who came out anyways to help us run the meet. The competition was run using manual timing (thanks to MSABC for loaning us those stop watches!). If we get 100 or more entries for next year’s meet, and yes, we are already requesting pool time for the 22 October, 2011, we will definitely bring in an Electronic timing system. All in all, we had a great experience for our inaugural swim meet and are already looking forward to welcoming swimmers back next year for a new & improved ‘Sprint Meet’ which will see the inclusion of relays – 200m Free & 200m Medley! Thanks again!
Yours in swimming,
Khosro Mansuri
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5. Okanagan Masters take early lead in League Trophy race!
The Okanagan Masters Swim Club has jumped out to an early lead in the race for this year’s League Trophy which is awarded to the team with the highest points after completion of all our regular season meets – League Meets - excluding Provincials. Here is how the ‘Top 10’ looks after completion of the first 2 meets of the season held in Kelowna & North Vancouver!
Okanagan Masters Swim Club |
1400 |
North Shore Masters |
862 |
English Bay Swim Club |
776 |
UBC Masters Swim Club |
654 |
Hyack Masters CC |
604 |
Winskill Otters |
534 |
Hyde Creek Masters |
274 |
Revelstoke Masters Swim Club |
200 |
Victoria Masters Swim Club |
197 |
Wine Country Masters Swim Club |
147 |
Two meets down and six to go.. the order of the Top 10 will change with the completion of each meet and a lot of that change will depend on how many swimmers each club can muster up for each competition! Come on BC! Let’s make it hard for Victoria Masters to three-peat this award or at least make it a close race!
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6. Open Water Swimming in B.C. – Summer of 2010
BC Open Water Swim Association
BC Open Water Swim Association helped to arrange organized open swim practices in the Okanagan this year and in Vancouver, there were bi-weekly swims in Vancouver from June 1 – August 31 sponsored by the Vancouver Open Water Swim Association. A number of different triathlon groups participated in these practice swims.
A few open water swimmers from across the province participated in a Georgia Strait Swim in early July. There was one relay team and two solo swims. The event got some press coverage as well as requests for a repeat event next year. Rod Craig was one of these solo swimmers and he went on later this summer to swim & complete the English Channel Swim*.
*Editor’s note: You can check out Rod’s swim blog & Youtube video on the main MSABC web page!
Vancouver Open Water Swim Association
We had a very successful swim series this year with record numbers of swimmers attending our Monday and Thursday night practice swims as well as a large number of tri-athletes. All together, well over 375 participants attended these practices! Our season ended with our last practice swim at Kits Beach on Monday, August 30th followed by an end of season social at the Kits Yacht Club.
VOWSA ran three very successful races this year. Our Canada Day race sold out and we had 300 participants in the water. Our Bay Challenge Swim (9km) had 18 entrants 7 relay teams and 11 solo swimmers . A relay team came first closely followed by a race up the beach to the finish line with Allen Bell beating former breaststroke great Serge Score by 2 seconds! Our final event was the Kit’s Challenge with 130 swimmers participating.
VOWSA is already planning for next year as it will be the 20th. anniversary for the Bay Challenge and the 20th. anniversary for the Canada Day event. Results for this season’s races are posted at www.vowsa.bc.ca
Thetis Lake Swim for MS in Victoria
135 swimmers took part in all the events (800m, 1.5km, 3.0 km, and 5.0 km) and it was a beautiful day. About $25,000 was raised for MS! There were some close finishes, and everyone had a great race and enjoyed the BBQ and prize presentations after the event. If you want to see who was there and how they finished, results are on HtO.ca accompanied by also a lot of pictures.
Interior swims
Open Water swimming is thriving in the Okanagan Region. Open Water competitions were held in Vernon, Kelowna, and Peachland. In addition, the Gyro Swim Loop in Kelowna has become a Mecca for open water practice swims.
Yours in Open Water Swimming,
Jim Close
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7. Training Videos & DVD's
Don’t forget to check out our MSABC video/DVD library! We have several complete series including Go Swim, Frank Busch, Richard Quick, and Bill Sweetenham. For a complete listing, please see www.msabc.ca/video.html. DVD’s and videos are available for a 2 to 3 week loan period (depending on demand). Contact Gilles Beaudin at vanguy@telus.net to borrow videos and/or DVD’s.
Also, check out our website to find out about borrowing the video camera and underwater lens www.msabc.ca/camera.html. Arrangements and bookings can be made by contacting Glen Mehus at gmehus@shaw.ca.
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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 Keith Kendall (vicepresident@msabc.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 Gilles Beaudin at vanguy@telus.net
Deadlines for submissions:
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September 15th for July/August/September issue
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December 15th for October/November/December issue
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March 15th for January/February/March issue
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June 15th for April/May/June issue
To subscribe to the Bulletin: Go to www.msabc.ca/newsletter/, enter your email address in the appropriate spot and click “subscribe”.
To unsubscribe to the Bulletin: Go towww.msabc.ca/newsletter/, enter your email address in the appropriate spot and click “unsubscribe”.
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