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Around the NE-LMSC - December  2016
Upcoming Events
Now - Registration for 2017 USMS membership here

Jan & Feb - 2017 Speedo USMS 1-Hour ePostal National Championship (Sanctioned)
Any pool 25 yards or longer - Details

Jan 8 - "Miles for Marly" 100x 100 Scholarship Fundraiser
Boston, MA - Details

Jan 29 - Mount Desert Island YMCA 1st Annual Masters Meet (Recognized SCY)
Bar Harbor, ME - Details

Feb 5 - Save the Date: Exeter Mini Meet (SCY Sanction Pending)

Exeter, NH - Details

March 11 - Adult Learn-to-Swim Certification Course
New Haven, CT - Details

March 11 & March 17-19 - 2017 NE-LMSC SCY Championship (Sanctioned SCY)
Boston, MA - Details

April 27-30 - 2017 Nationwide USMS Spring National Championship (Sanctioned SCY)
Riverside, CA - Details

August 10-20 - 17th FINA World Masters Championships (Sanctioned OW & LCM)
Budapest, Hungary - Details
Three Reasons to Renew Your USMS Membership Today

Register here for 2017 by December 31 to:

1. Gain access to special partner discounts that can be used though Jan 15:
FINIS, Speedo, SwimOutlet, TYR, and more!

2. Earn a USMS Stroke Development Clinic  in New England if we have the highest renewal percentage of large LMSCs!

3 . Continue receiving this newsletter!
SCM Championship Meet at WPI a Huge Success

Mark Wild, Danielle Caron, and Craig Mitchell of host team WAM
WORCESTER, MA - Earlier this month, more than 500 swimmers journeyed to WPI for the 2016 NE-LMSC & Colonies Zone SCM Championships. 

In addition to numerous personal best times and New England records, three World and six National Records were set.  Diann Uustal of SwimRI set new world records in the 50m free and 100m IM as well as national records in the 50m and 100m backstroke.  Scott Heber from Rockwall Aquatics set a world record in the 100m IM and Beth Estel of the Granite State Penguins broke the national record in the  50m breaststroke.

Additionally, Estel won Female High Point by accumulating 181 points. Male High Point went to Michael Emmons of Charles River Masters (CRM) with 184 points. CRM took home the Zone Championship and Large Team title, while SwimRI was the Medium Team champion and Waltham Masters won the Small Team division.

Worcester Area Masters (WAM) and the WPI Swimming and Diving varsity teams served as hosts for the meet. Thank you to all who volunteered and competed at the meet to make it such a great event!
- Alford Green, Meet Director
Thank You Officials!

2016 scm officials
Kevin Curly, Bob Fredette, Priscilla Davis, Sue Hoey, Jack Kurke at WPI
On behalf of the entire NE-LMSC and Colonies Zone, a huge thank you to our amazing team of meet officials at this month's NE-LMSC & Colonies Zone SCM Championship:  Priscilla Davis , Bob Fredette Kevin Curley Sue Hoey , and Jack Kurkel Together with meet director Alford Green and their combined decades of experience, these professionals kept our meet running smoothly, fairly, and efficiently. We are grateful for the 25+ hours you spent on deck during this 3-day meet and for your enthusiastic support of masters swimming. We couldn't run our meets without you.
- Sue Jensen, NE-LMSC Officials Chair
Swimming for a Cause - Speedo Diplomacy

Lynne Cox swims the Bering Strait
At the 2016 USMS National Coaches Clinic in San Francisco in November, open water swimming legend Steve Munatones presented on the past, present, and future of open water swimming, including the concept of "Speedo Diplomacy."

One Speedo Diplomacy swim you might be familiar with is when, in 1987,  Lynne Cox  tackled the cold water of the Bering Strait to open US-Soviet border for the first time in 48 years. More recently, in October,  Lewis Pugh  successfully pushed through the creation of the largest Marine Protection Area in history, located in the Ross Sea of Antarctica, via five unprecedented solo swims and tireless lobbying.  This spring,  Ben Lecomte  will attempt to swim a whopping 5,500 miles from Tokyo to San Francisco, including crossing the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Along the way, Ben and his crew will collect oceanic and medical research data in eight different fields through the support of twelve scientific institutions.
- Crystie McGrail, NE-LMSC Coaches Chair
Open Water Swimmer Spotlight: Cynthia Needham

This month's featured open water swimmer is Cynthia Needham from Stowe, Vermont. Cynthia practices with Stowe Masters and has recently ventured outside the confines of the pool into the open water. Below, she shares her experience on venturing to the OW for the first time. Thanks for answering our questions, Cynthia!

1. What motivated you to try open water swimming?
I was swimming with a number of open water enthusiasts in my masters workout group, and their passion for the open water convinced me to give it a try. I was also excited to see what it would feel like to have no lines and no lanes, with just the outdoors as a backdrop.
 
2. Do you have any advice for pool swimmers who would like to try OW swimming next summer?
  • Choose a day when the weather is warm and sunny and the wind is light for your first adventure. There is no reason to battle weather conditions on your first outing.
  • Pick a body of water with which you are familiar and swim along the shoreline. Moving from the confines of a pool to open water can be somewhat disorienting and having a little map in your head can help put you at ease.
  • Take along one or more swim buddies who are experienced open water swimmers and who will be willing to swim beside you. They can provide helpful hints and laughter. An alternative is to get a friend to paddle alongside you.
  • Use a Safer Swimmer buoy so that you're easily visible to others, especially if they are in motor boats.
  • Jump in and enjoy the adventure!
3. What do you enjoy most about OW swimming? Has it improved your pool swimming?

I love the feel of the water, the ever-changing
scenery, and the challenge of tackling
increasingly demanding conditions. I also love to watch for animal life above and below the surface.  Open water swimming has definitely improved my pool swimming; I feel stronger every time the OW season ends and I return to the pool. Swimming when the wind is cold and blowing, the surface is choppy, the sun is nowhere to be seen , and your kayaker is taking  selfies makes a better woman out of you for sure!
- Charlotte Brynn, NE-LMSC Open Water Chair
How Can I Prepare for Open Water Swimming?

December is such a valuable month; it gives us a chance to evaluate our performance over the last year and set new goals for the year ahead. This December, let's look at what you can do in the pool over the winter months to prepare to try open water for the first time in 2017.
  1. Build Endurance. Building aerobic endurance will better help you navigate waves and wind. Remember, pools are calm by design; open water is not. Set the goal of a continuous mile swim - build your aerobic capacity while training for the Jon Steiner Memorial Postal Pool Mile or the Speedo USMS 1-Hour Swim. You can swim both in your home pool anytime between Jan 1st and Feb 28th.
  2. Tread Water. Get comfortable treading water; some open water venues are shallow enough to touch down, but many are not. Be prepared to support yourself by treading water. Swim some of your sets without touching your feet on the bottom of the pool to get used to swimming without touching down or holding the wall or laneline.
  3. Get Comfortable Sighting. There are no lines to guide you in the open water. Open water swimmers rely on sighting objects on the shore and swimming alongside an escort, such as a kayak. You can practice sighting while you are swimming in the pool. Notice things around you on the pool deck before you start your swim, then practice sighting those objects during your set. For example, set a bright towel at the end of your lane! To sight efficiently, don't break your stroke cycle while sighting. 
A Few Sets to Get You Started

T reading Set:  10x 100  @ interval = 1st swim + 30 seconds
Tread water between each repeat; no push from the wall (There are no walls in OW!)
 
Endurance Set:  Swim smart - pick a 100 pace you can hold for the entire set.
2x
{500 free @ interval = 1st swim + 30 seconds
{5x 100 @ interval = 1st swim + 5 seconds
{1:30 rest between rounds
- Charlotte Brynn, NE-LMSC Open Water Chair
Enjoy Swimming and Biking? Try Aquabike!

MIAMI, FL - Two LMSC members found the podium at this year's Aquabike National Championship, held in Miami on November 13. Michael McCombs (WAM) and Brooke O'Connor (NSY) each swam 1.2 miles and biked 56 miles to finish high in their age groups. McCombs won the men's 60-64 age group in 2:47:16 and grabbed 13th overall. O'Connor picked up second place in the women's 40-44 age group and 7th overall female with a time of 2:56:31. This event was a qualifier for the first World Aquabike Championship, which will be held in Penticton, British Columbia, Canada in August 2017.

Aquabike is an event that continues to grow in the multisport world and could be a good fit for many masters swimmers. Considering giving it a try next season!
- Contributed by Michael McCombs, WAM

Brooke O'Connor finishes second at Aquabike Nationals
Michael McCombs wins his age group at Aquabike Nationals

Bath Sprint Meet Results

Chris Cloitre, Sally Joachim Gallagher, and Glenn Gallagher of GBM
BATH, ME - With over 70 competitors, the Bath Sprint Meet was not only a huge success, it was the largest mini meet held in recent Maine Masters Swimming history!  Swimmers from NEM, GBM, MESC, and of course many first time participants all came together to make an amazing, fun filled event. A huge thanks goes out to the Bath YMCA for all of their efforts, and we look forward to seeing everyone come out for the upcoming First Annual MDI Masters Meet  on January 29th!
- Tim Lecrone, NE-LMSC Registrar
NE-LMSC Annual Meeting Highlights

The New England LMSC Annual Meeting took place on October 16th in Waltham, MA. Full minutes will be posted on the NE-LMSC website, but here are some highlights:
  • The NE-LMSC had $48,660 in total assets, over 2,500 USMS members, 23 clubs, and 56 workouts groups as of October 16.
  • During 2016, there were 16 SCY, 5 SCM, and 2 LCM meets in the LMSC. 
  • Our short-course championships continue to be two of the largest Masters meets in the country, attracting hundreds of swimmers each year. 
  • Most of our mini meets are quite small (10 to 70 swimmers) and attendance is slowly decreasing. Let's reverse this trend by rallying our swim mates and entering one or two mini meets this season; these events need our support if we want them to continue.
  • Successful coaching initiatives from the past year include swimmer clinics, coaching clinics and certification courses, Adult Learn to Swim instructor certification, and National Coaches Clinic scholarships. 
  • USMS officials training will soon include an online certification option. 
  • We formally voted Alana Aubin onto the board as the new NE-LMSC Communications Chair. She took over this position from Christina Dwiggins, who I want to publicly thank for her contributions and able stewardship of the monthly NE-LMSC e-newsletter.
  • We reduced the NE-LMSC annual membership fee from $7 to $5 to compensate for the $2 USMS membership fee increase and approved a deficit budget for 2017.
  • USMS Recognized meets will incur a $100 fee from USMS starting in 2017. A meet host can apply to the NE-LMSC for a sanction at no cost (we fully subsidize the $50 USMS fee) or else pay $50 for meet recognition (we partially subsidize the USMS $100 fee). Sanctioned meets require all swimmers to be USMS members and provide insurance liability coverage for the swimmers, volunteers, and event hosts.
  • Sanctioned meet hosts now have the option to offer a $15 one-event USMS membership, which can be applied toward a full USMS membership within 30 days.
  • NE-LMSC ideas and initiatives for 2017
    • Introduce a new NE-LMSC awards process
    • Raise awareness and increase Masters Swimming opportunities for para athletes
    • Promote open water swimming
    • Increase USMS member value in New England and at the national level
  • USMS initiatives for 2017
    • Promote meet sanctions via the aforementioned meet recognition fee
    • Allocate resources towards developing a new fitness swimmer program
    • Upgrade the USMS website, including enhancing Places to Swim and developing an open-water event results database
    • Support college clubs to attract younger Masters swimmers after graduation
    • Continue training of USMS coaches and Adult Learn to Swim instructors
    • Expand swimmer clinics nationwide
On behalf of the NE-LMSC board of directors, thank you to all of the swimmers, coaches, officials, organizers and volunteers who contribute to the vibrant Masters Swimming community that enriches all of our lives.

Happy Holidays and New Year!
- Douglas Sayles, NE-LMSC Chair
Send your news, events, and results to:
Alana Aubin
Communications Chair, New England LMSC
NECommunications@usms.org
New England LMSC | www.nelmsc.org
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