[PacMasterUpdate] The Update Thanksgiving 2008

[Update on Pacific Masters Swimming sent to members and friends.]

PACIFIC MASTERS MISSION STATEMENT:
As adopted by the Pacific Masters Committee the Mission of Pacific Masters is:

Pacific Masters Swimming welcomes anyone who would like to gain and 
maintain fitness through swimming and encourages programs to foster 
this mission.

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THANKSGIVING 2008
On behalf of the Pacific Masters Committee and the Executive 
Committee, we would like to wish all the member of Pacific Masters
	A very Happy Thanksgiving

As chairman of Pacific Masters I am very thankful for all the coaches 
who work hard for their clubs. It is through their dedication to the 
sport that Pacific Masters is the largest regional group in United 
States Masters Swimming.

I am also very thankful for all the meet directors and volunteers who 
spend hours organizing pool meets and open water events so that our 
swimmers can compete in over thirty events throughout the year.

I am thankful for the Pacific Masters Committee, who work hard for 
Masters Swimming in Northern California and Nevada. There are many 
jobs to be done and they ensure that the myriad tasks of running an 
LMSC is done.

I am also very thankful for Nancy Ridout, our registrar, who does 
much of the adminstrative work of the LMSC. When people call about 
Pacific Masters, her voice is what people hear. Besides the 
registration, she takes care of the top ten, which requires reviewing 
all the meet records.

I have a great job as chairman, because of all the work that is done 
by everyone in the Pacific Masters family and for that I am very 
thankful.
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WINNERS SHORT COURSE YARDS MEET
The 15th Annual Reno Winners Meet will be at the Northwest Pool in 
Reno, Nevada on Saturday December 6th. The meet will be at the 
Northwest Pool opening at 11am and meet starts at noon. Deck entries 
are accepted.

http://www.pacificmasters.org/comp/08snrscy.pdf

NORCAL COACHS CLINIC
The NorCal Swim Shop Swim clinic will be .held 8 January through 11 
January in Napa, California. Pacific Masters has helped coaches 
attend by paying up to 50% of the registration fee. Information about 
the clinic can be found at
	http://www.swimshop.com/norcal/assets/images/PCC/CLINIC%20REG%20ONLINE%2009.pdf
If you are interested in attending and would like Pacific Masters to 
help with the registration fee, please contact Chris Campbell at 
mailto:coachchris at mvm.org .

THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS
Brian Stack of the Manatees is out for couple of weeks after an 
operation. He is expect to fully recover and be on the deck soon.

Brian had been participating in the "Go the Distance" event. It looks 
like his current total will be his final total for the year. We look 
forward to seeing him in the water soon.

SWIM PROGRAMS IN NOVATO
A series of swim stroke clinics is taking place at Meridian Sports 
Club Rolling Hills (Novato). Each month the Club is offering a 
different stroke clinic. Their first launch was a freestyle stroke 
clinic on November 15th. Up next is a backstroke clinic on Saturday, 
December 13th. January will be breaststroke, February will be 
butterfly, and March will be Starts & Turns (dates TBA on those 
three). All the clinics will be repeated throughout the year. The 
clinics are taught by masters swimmers Cokie Lepinski and Susie 
Powell of the Rolling Hills Mud Sharks. You don't not have to be a 
club member to participate in these clinics.

Each clinic is three hours in length, with a format of part land, 
part water. About 90 minutes is spent in the water and swimmers learn 
or improve their stroke through a series of drills. Swimmers 
eliminate bad habits, develop a more efficient and smooth stroke, 
improve their breathing, and see and feel their stroke change in just 
a short time. Participants are given a packet of resources complete 
with all drills written out as well as a laminated card with the 
drills to take to the pool and practice after the clinic. If you'd 
like information on this clinic contact either Cokie or Susie. Cokie 
can be reached at swimnut at mac.com or 415-827-5672. Susie can be 
reached by email at swimsp at comcast.net. 

Another program offered by veteran Mud Shark masters swimmer, Maggie 
Tevis, is the "Swim A Mile in Six Weeks". Here participants practice 
three times a week (hour long format) for six weeks building up from 
just a few laps to the accomplishment of swimming a mile without 
stopping at the end of the six week program. Maggie has currently 
graduated over 75 people from this program and the transformation of 
the swimmers, many of whom are novice level, is phenomenal. A few 
have even gone on to join our masters team and many of them stay in 
the water after succeeding in this program. Information on this 
program can be obtained by emailing Maggie Tevis - 
margaret1948_94945 at yahoo.com or Winnie Comfort (Aquatics Director at 
Rolling Hills) - winnie at rollinghillsclub.com. As with the stroke 
clinics, this program is open to non-members.


RCP MILE RECAP ON TELEVISION
The RCP Mile recap will be on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area

Thu 11/27/08 7:00 PM .5 (MISC) The 9th Annual RCP Tiburon Mile Open 
Water Swim (D)
Mon 12/1/08 6:00 PM .5 (MISC) The 9th Annual RCP Tiburon Mile Open 
Water Swim (R)
Tue 12/9/08 6:30 PM .5 (MISC) The 9th Annual RCP Tiburon Mile Open 
Water Swim (R)
Sun 12/14/08 5:00 PM .5 (MISC) The 9th Annual RCP Tiburon Mile Open 
Water Swim (R)

GO THE DISTANCE
Linda Schoenberger wrote "Come Join in the Fun" that is on the USMS web site.
	http://www.usms.org/articles/articledisplay.php?a=170
It is a about the USMS fitness "Go the Distance" program, the every 
popular personal fitness event. I would encourage everyone to read 
the article, then join in the fun of the "Go The Distance" event

INDIVIDUAL  RENEWAL
You can now renew your membership for 2009. You can register on line, 
it is very easy, just go to:
	https://www.ClubAssistant.com/club/USMS.cfm?l=38
and start filling out the forms. If you are a member of the clubs 
listed below you can register with your club.

If your club is not one of the clubs listed above, you will have to 
register as "unattached." And then when your club registers you can 
change membership.

For those who do no want to register on-line, Pacific Masters still 
has a paper registration form to send to Nancy.

   http://www.pacificmasters.org/admin/09memberapp.pdf

Thanks to the over 600 swimmers who have already reregistered for 2009.

If your club has not reregistered for 2009 you can fill out the paper 
registration form Nancy will hold the registration for until your 
club reregisters or until 31 December (if your club has not 
reregistered by then, you will be registered as unattached).
CLUBS
The Clubs that have registered for 2009 are listed Clubs can register 
(and reregister) by filling out the 2009 Club Registration form.
     http://www.pacificmasters.org/admin/09clubdoc.doc
If you have any questions about registration, please contact our 
register, Nancy Ridout, (mailto:registrar at pacificmasters.org  or call 
415 872 0771)

PACIFIC MASTERS NEWSLETTER (NOVEMBER/DECEMBER)
The last issue of the Pacific Masters Newsletter for 2008 is posted 
on the Pacific Masters web site. It has the list of events for 2009 
and the updated list of the DVDs and tapes available from the Pacific 
Masters Video Library. (If you are a member of Pacific Masters, you 
can check out the DVDs and tapes.
http://www.pacificmasters.org/newsltr/08/08novdec.pdf

WHAT IS THE VALUE OF SWIMMING? THE VALUE OF JOINING USMS
The USMS website has a new feature "What is the Value of Swimming."

There are two new articles in the Feature Section. "Fitness program 
that Motivate" and "What's With the Groth"
	http://www.usms.org/


DAM TRIP TO THE PHILIPPINES
  Rick Powers, former head coach of DAM and now a consultant to the 
Philippine National Swimming Federation is organizing one more trip 
for DAM swimmers, to the Philippines, next summer, June 15 to July 2. 
Total cost of the trip will be approximately $2,200, including 
airfare, hotels, buses. There are still eight spots available. This 
will be the seventh overseas trip organized by Coach Rick. Several 
Bay area swimmers have participated in the past. Itinerary follows 
and includes a masters meet, open water swim and 4 days of 
snorkeling/scuba diving. All interested swimmers (can bring 
spouse/friend, kids)should notify Rick Powers, rpswimmer at hotmail.com 
and Nicole David, nicoledavid1968 at yahoo.com ASAP.

USMS SHORT COURSE NATIONALS -CLOVIS CALIFORNIA
Hotel Reservations are open for the USMS Short Course Nationals that 
will be held in Clovis California in May.  You are encouraged the use 
of the direct link for reservations at all preferred hotels:

http://www.fresnocvb-housing.org/events.php?id=39



USMS STORE at AMAZON. COM
Many Swimmers will be ordering items on line this year. If you will 
be ordering from Amazon. com, US Masters Swimming has a "store" at 
the Amazon site. You can go to
	http://tinyurl.com/5rtqws
to go the USMS store. US Masters Swimming will get credit for the 
sale. It is a way to help Masters swimming and not cost you anything.

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michael

OFF THE WALL - More work on the shoulder
Last week, I was kicking again and also doing the one arm freestyle 
and when I wanted to burn calories, I did the one are butterfly. When 
doing the freestyle, I had to concentrate on kicking when moving my 
left arm. The right arm was kinda out in front, but I could not 
stretch it out, so there was very little stream lining.

After seeing the physical therapist, on Wednesday, she said I  could 
do the freestyle, but dont pull with the right arm, just move in the 
general direction of how it should be moving. Doing the breaststroke 
was ok, but again not too much right arm pressure. I should not try 
the backstroke because of all the torquing the arms does when 
recovering over the water and then entering the water. I was told not 
to even attempt the butterfly. :-)

I started out doing the freestyle. I would do two hundred free and 
then either kick or do another stroke. It was difficult, to remember 
not to push to hard and then remember to do a six beat kick at the 
same time. I can only concentrate on one thing at a time.

The freestyle was rather humorous if you were watching me. I was 
veering to the right. A  left arm pulling through the water and a 
right arm that was just moving through the waster sent me into the 
wall going out and into the lane line coming back.

Over the past ten years, I have gotten into the habit of doing open 
turns. During the last year, the coach has tried to convince me to do 
flip turns. With the open turn, I grab the wall with my right 
hand,with a right shoulder still bothering me, I could feel the 
weight of my body still going forward when my arm grabs the wall to 
turn.

When doing the freestyle, I saw the wall from just beyond the flags 
and thought I would try a flip turn. It was a MISTAKE and made the 
most pitiful flip turn I have ever made (and I have made many pitiful 
ones) . I as not going very fast. I have always started the turn by 
using my hands at my side to press down to start the turn - the left 
hand could press water normally to start the flip - the right could 
barely push down. (instead of evenly turning over evenly, I turned 
over and twisted to the right)  I was not going very fast and just 
barely hit the wall with my outstretch legs. Once I pushed off, I did 
a great one arm streamline - the left was out there nice and smooth. 
I could not get my right arm next to my head.I wound up pushing the 
water with my right arm. I did not make it half way to the flags 
before I had to start my stroke.

I have never realized how much I twist and turn when getting into my 
car. I use my arms to push and pull with getting out of the car. Over 
the weekend, I was pushed out of the car with my right foot  not in a 
straight line with the rest of my body. I did something to the knee. 
I could walk fine, but when I climbed stairs, the area under the knee 
cap hurt,(For the rest of the week I paid attention to how I entered 
and exited my car this pain went away in a few days).

  I only mention it as when I was trying to push off the wall with 
more pressure on my right leg than my left, the right knee hurt - I 
barely pushed off the wall.  I did notice that if I was careful in 
pushing evenly off the wall, it did not hurt. I have not been doing 
quick turns - only slow deliberate turns to protect the right 
shoulder and right leg.

Monday of this week, I was feeling good. I swam sets of two hundred 
free following by a hundred of kicking or breaststroke (I even tried 
back stroke). I swam five sets - 1500 yards - and it felt pretty 
good. Also during the day, I did the other exercises I was supposed 
to do, including moving a light weight from my hips to reach out.

The next day I got in the water thinking that I would do 1800 years - 
that is six 300's. It would be the first time I have swam a mile in 
two months. At 700 yards, my shoulder was starting to ache and at 800 
yards, I said to myself that 1000 yards would be a good day and it 
was.

The freestyle is tough to swim as I can fully press with my left arm. 
Pressing hard with the right arm causes an ache in the shoulder. I 
have tried to concentrate on the right arm when pulling, but when I 
do that I go back into a slow ineffective two beat kick.

The breaststoke is getting there. I cannot pull very hard with the 
right arm. With the backstroke, I cannot raise my right arm all the 
way and when putting the right hand in the water, there is no way 
that I can pull the water  very effectively. I have been trying to 
make the motions in these two strokes, if just to stretch out the arm.

The progress has been slow, but there is progress. I am jumping into 
the water and not feeling the shoulder being pulled. I have been able 
to start doing the freestyle and I can raise my arms higher than I 
could weeks ago.


Have a good week and a happy thanksgiving

michael



-- 
michael w. moore
michael at mwmoore.org