Around the NELMSC - June 2019
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NELMSC Annual Meeting to be held Sept 29
th
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Sunday, September 29, 2019, 1pm to 4pm
Hilton Garden Inn Boston-Waltham
450 Totten Pond Rd, Waltham, MA 02451
All NELMSC members are invited to attend and vote.
Buffet lunch. Please
RSVP
by September 20, 2019.
Officer nominations are open: contact
Guy Davis
.
The pre-election officer slate to-date is posted below and on our website.
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Jan 1-Dec 31 -- Go the Distance
Swim anywhere & track your distance --
Details
Ends Sept 15 -- USMS 5K/10K ePostal National Championships (Sanctioned LCM)
July 6-7 -- Bay State Games (Recognition Pending LCM)
Boston, MA --
Details
-- Enter by 7/1
July 15-31 -- SmartyPants Vitamins USMS Summer Fitness Challenge (2k)
July 21 -- Summer JT LCM Mini Meet (Sanctioned LCM)
Dover, NH --
Details -- Enter by 7/16
Aug 7-11 -- 2019 USMS Summer Nationals (Sanctioned LCM)
Mission Viejo, CA --
Details -- Enter by 7/8
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Interested in open water swimming but not sure where to start?
Check out this article from WOWSA:
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Jan 1-Dec 31 -- Go the Distance
Swim anywhere & track your distance --
Details
June 29 -- 31st Annual Mashpee SuperSwim (0.5, 1, 3 mi)
July 13 -- 3rd Annual Swim with a Mission (1, 5, 10km, 10km relay)
July 13 -- 9th Annual Waterman Eco-Challenge (1 mi)
July 14 -- 5th Annual Misery Challenge (1.5, 3 mi)
Manchester-by-the-sea, MA --
Details
July 20 -- Peaks to Portland (2.4 mi)
July 13 -- Miles 4 Michells (0.5, 1 mi)
July 27 -- 11th Annual Kingdom Swim (Sanctioned 1, 10 mi; 5, 10, 25 km)
July 27 -- 43rd Annual Save the Bay Swim (1.7 mi)
Aug 10 -- Wild Fish Swim Festival (0.5, 1, 2 mi)
Aug 10 -- Nubble Light Challenge (2.4 mi)
Aug 10 -- 9th Annual David's Old Silver Swim (0.5, 1 mi)
Aug 11 -- Glen Lake Swim (Sanctioned 1, 2 mi)
Aug 11 -- Swim & Fin for Salem Sound (500m, 1 mi, 5 km)
Aug 16-17 -- 2019 USMS Open Water National Championships (Sanctioned 1, 5 mi)
Aug 17-18 -- Celebrate the Clean Harbor Open Water Swimming Festival (1.2 mi, 10-mi relay)
Aug 17 -- MBCC Against the Tide Cape Cod (1 mi)
Aug 18 -- Isleboro Crossing for LifeFlight of Maine (5 km)
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Summer Fitness Challenge Starts July 15
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Ah, summer in New England! A time for swimming outside and getting the most we can out of every drop of sunshine. What better time to be recognized for your swims and to support swim lessons for adults?
USMS and Smarty Pants Vitamins will host the
2019 Summer Fitness Challenge
July 15-31. The challenge is a 2-kilometer swim that can be done in any manner desired: straight through, as a member of a relay, with fins, and even during practice times or open water swims!
Rules:
1. No grumpy pants…
2. Register.
3. Swim!
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There is even a non-USMS member option so everyone can participate! New England was one of the highest performing LMSCs in the last Fitness Challenge. Let’s show the country we can do it again!
Register online
for the Summer Fitness Challenge online now through July 31st
.
- Emily Cook, GBM, NELMSC Fitness & ALTS Coordinator
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Did your USMS membership expire?
Take advantage of the Year-Plus Membership
Register or renew your USMS membership for 2019 between July 1 and October 31, 2019 to get the "Year-Plus" membership option. The "Year-Plus" registration provides a discount on your 2019 membership when you register through 2020.
The regular 2020 registration period begins on November 1, 2019, after which the only option is to join for the 2020 membership year (14 months for the price of 12 for new or returning members).
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What's New in New England
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Sixteen Athletes Represent New England at Canadian Masters Nationals
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MONTRÉAL, CANADA — The swimming pool in the complexe sportif Claude-Robillard, built for the
1976 Summer Olympics
water polo competitions, was the setting for this year’s
Canadian Masters Swimming Championships
from May 24-26. A record 740 swimmers gathered together for the 40th anniversary of this annual meet. Swimmers came from all ten provinces of Canada and a handful of countries from around the world, including Australia, Bermuda, Great Britain, and Slovakia. Sixty swimmers hailed from the United States, with sixteen coming from New England.
The Americans swam well, winning 108 gold medals and placing second overall ahead of CAMO Natation, the provincial home team from Québec. The New England Masters Swim Club team included:
Fiona Atkinson
,
Christina Baudis
,
Dave Bright
,
Guy Davis
,
Laura Delorey
,
Beth Estel
,
David Graham
,
Sue Jensen
,
Frankin Mansilla
,
Karen Mareb
,
Janet McDonough
,
Nic Ohman
,
Tom Phillips
,
Kathy Slifer
,
Marilyn Soraghan
, and
Mindy Williams
.
Most of Team New England drove through Vermont and across the U.S.-Canada border, passports in hand, to attend the three-day French-speaking meet. Not only was this an occasion for New Englanders to practice their French, but with the New England short course meters season having ended in December at the WPI meet, it was a welcome out-of-season opportunity to compete in short course meters.
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Highlight swims by New Englanders include:
- David Bright (age 66) won the 200 IM, 400 IM, and 200 backstroke and broke New England records in 400 freestyle, 400 IM, and 200 backstroke.
- Mindy Williams (age 38) won the 1500 freestyle while setting a New England record and logging a personal best time by 21 seconds.
- Karen Mareb (age 60) won gold in all her breaststroke events and the 100 freestyle.
- Tom Phillips (age 45) won the 50 freestyle and swam a lifetime best time of 24.76.
- Marilyn Soraghan and Laura Delorey made it to the finals of the age 50+ bonus 25-meter freestyle race (amid much fanfare!).
- The quartet of Janet McDonough, Beth Estel, Sue Jensen, and Karen Mareb (age group 240-279) took first place and broke the New England record in both the 200 and 400 medley relays and are now ranked 2nd (400m) and 3rd (200m) on FINA’s World Masters Top Ten List.
The 41st Canadian Masters Championship will be held in Toronto, Ontario in June 2020.
- Sue Jensen, NEM-CRM, NELMSC Officials Chair
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MBCC'S Against the Tide is a Hidden Gem
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I have to admit that as I write this article, I am bewildered by how few of my fellow masters swimmers opt to participate in this race. I always thought MBCC ran a good event. After helping them with some suggestions over the years, I now think they run a GREAT event.
Here are just a few things that make this race worthwhile:
- They offer a competitive 1-mile race, one loop around an island, that is the SAME distance every year.
- They offer a completely separate non-competitive race for beginners and folks who just want to take it easy or try it out.
- You get free access to the Hopkinton State Park and can stay all day.
- They have free HOT breakfast for EVERYONE.
- They offer events for the whole family including running races, a paddle board race, a kayak race, and more.
- I got a free 15-minute massage after the race.
- Your entry fee helps support research and prevention of a deadly disease.
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Al Prescott, Jocelyn Noakes, and Frank Reinhold celebrate their efforts in the 1-mile swim
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Despite this, the race director has confided in me confusion. Years ago, it was normal to get 60 to 100 people in the swim race. Now the numbers are in the 30s. While I plan to do this race into the foreseeable future, that future looks murky. I'm not sure what more the race director can do to promote this race, and I have promised to help them brainstorm.
In the meantime, let me try this: I have won my age group and finished in the top 10 each time I have done this race. This year, I challenged one of my teammates to compete with me. She beat me and won her age group.
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So to the rest of New England: if you are looking for a good early—but not too early—season event, come to Hopkinton next year and try to knock me out of the Top 10. Win or lose, I'll meet you for a hot egg and cheese sandwich after the race.
- “Big” Al Prescott, NEM-MAMA, NELMSC Treasurer
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Jenness State Beach - Rye, NH
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RYE, NH
—
I'm very lucky to live within an easy drive to Rye, NH, and have been swimming at
Jenness State Beach
—also known as Rye Beach—for the last decade. The north section is also known as Cable Beach (confusing, huh?) because it is the place where one of the the first trans-Atlantic communications cables came ashore in 1874. It's a wonderful venue for open water swimming, but of course as an ocean venue, we need to respect and understand the weather, surf and other conditions and take the appropriate safety precautions.
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Getting there:
The beach is about a mile long, with the State Beach parking lot at around the midpoint. This area becomes busy during the summer so my pod usually swims from the north end of the beach, where there is access to the beach and plenty of street parking even during busy weekends, though a short walk might be required on those days. Take care to respect the Rye parking notices and rules; your car wheels must be outside the white lines (completely off the road) to avoid a ticket.
The beach:
The beach is protected by rocky headlands at either end but, other than a few rocks close to the state parking lot which are well-submerged except at low tide, generally hazard-free. It is lifeguarded during the summer. The water is usually very clean but sometimes seaweed piles up at one end of the beach so we occasionally need to wade or swim through some of it to the clean water.
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Water temperature:
The water is cool or cold throughout the summer and can vary widely from day to day depending on wind conditions. When there are consistently strong offshore winds the water can drop into the 50s even at the height of summer and the temperature rarely exceeds the mid 60s. A good proxy for the temperature you can expect is the reading at
NOAA's Wells buoy
. Most of our pod swims in a wetsuit throughout the season, but we have a few hardy “channel” type swimmers who swim skins for most or all of the year.
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Surf:
Rye Beach is a popular surf spot. The beach conditions can be checked on the
surf cam
of the local surf shop. Surf conditions vary a great deal from dead calm to over head-high, so checking ahead is a good idea. When surf is up, we make sure to swim outside the surf line and away from the surfers for calmer water and to avoid any risk of collision. On these days, particular care needs to be taken when swimming out through the surf or back into the beach. Getting through the surf can be challenging, so be sure to swim within your experience and capabilities. Although uncommon at Rye, riptides are always a consideration in ocean beach swimming, so take care to understand these and other hazards of ocean swimming. Consulting with the lifeguards and letting them know of your swim plans is always a good idea when swimming in a less familiar venue.
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Boats:
Boat presence is very unusual, but on calm days a couple of fishing boats may approach the shore, usually at the ends of the beach.
Wildlife:
There has never been a recorded “big fish” incident on NH beaches and I have never heard of any jellyfish problems from local swimmers.
When we swim:
We swim fairly regularly on Saturday and Sunday mornings at about 7am throughout the summer. Come join us! (If you need more information, check out the Great Bay Masters group on Facebook.) Please note: These swims are informal, unsanctioned, and at your own risk.
- Guy Davis, GBM, NELMSC Vice-Chair
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Welcome back to the
Swim Strong Series
. This is the second phase of a progressive dryland training sequence meant to build athleticism that compliments the demands of moving forward through the water efficiently and powerfully. Dryland training, at the pool and at home, is a valuable addition to any swimmer’s routine regardless of age or fitness level.
Click here to read Phase I of the
Swim Strong Series
.
The goal of this series is to increase a swimmer’s range of motion while building strength and mobility. This fundamental movement pattern work aids in injury prevention, tightens connective tissue, and improves swim mechanics and strength. Each phase builds upon the previous phase. The early phases will focus on range of motion, mobility and stability, then progress into strength and resistance exercises.
Use the following Phase II exercise routine as your dynamic warm up before each swim, at home, or before other activities. Allow 3-5 minutes 3x/week. Feel free to alternate days while revisiting exercises from
Phase I
. If on the pool deck, use a kickboard as a cushion for your knees, ankles, and forearms when appropriate.
A dynamic warm up increases blood circulation and fires up muscles soon to be engaged in the water. Think, “RAMP Up!” before you start up. (RAMP = Range of motion, Activation, Muscle Pliability.) Do not force movements in this routine and build repetitions and time in exercises gradually.
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Why do it?
Wall slides are a great drill to improve shoulder extension and lat activation.
How to do it well:
Keeping the spine neutral, place the elbow, forearm and wrist on the wall with the elbow at shoulder height. Push the hands toward the ceiling, keeping the elbow and forearm in contact with the wall, while pulling the shoulder blades down as depicted by the green arrows.
Complete 8-10 repetitions.
Common mistakes:
The most common mistakes are rounding the spine, pulling the elbows away from the wall on extension, and shrugging the shoulders as depicted by the red arrows.
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Why do it?
The chest opener is a great way to activate the posterior deltoid and rhomboids (think upper back) while stretching the pecs.
How to do it well:
In a half kneeling position and with a neutral spine, place the hands around the ears with the elbows out to the side. Pull the elbows back while squeezing the shoulder blades together and exhaling.
Complete 6-8 repetitions.
Common mistakes:
The most common mistakes are starting with the elbows too far forward with a rounded spine and head tilted forward, arching the back during the pull back motion, and pointing the toes on the rear foot.
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Why do it?
T-Spine Rotations are a great drill to provide mobility through the mid-back (thoracic spine).
How to do it well:
In a half kneeling position, place the hands around the ears with the elbows out to the side (similar to the starting position of the chest openers). Take a deep breath in then exhale hard as you rotate over the front leg. Inhale and return to the starting position.
Complete 6-8 repetitions.
Common mistakes:
The most common mistakes are rounding the spine throughout the range of motion, not pulling the elbows back to engage the upper back, dropping the chin, and pointing the rear toes.
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Why do it?
The Ankle Mobs (or Ankle Mobility) drill is one of our favorites for developing ankle mobility and flexibility in the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles (calf muscles).
How to do it well:
Starting in the half kneeling position with the spine in neutral and the front foot slightly behind the front knee, place the hands on top of the knee. Shift your weight forward as you press the knee past the front toes while keeping the front heel in contact with the floor. Return to starting position.
Complete 10-12 repetitions.
Common mistakes:
The most common mistakes are extending the spine, starting with the front foot too far forward, and allowing the front heel to lose contact with the floor.
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Why do it?
The Around the World drill is a great movement to improve range of motion and flexibility of the rotator cuff.
How to do it well:
Using a strap or a towel long enough to allow you to go through the range of motion, grab the end of the strap/towel with the palms facing down and the arms fully extended. Bring one arm overhead with the other out to the side to form a triangle. Bring both arms behind, then continue the motion to the other side. Repeat from the opposite side.
Complete 4-6 repetitions.
Common mistakes:
The most common mistakes are standing with the back extended (arched), using a strap or towel that is too short, and bending the elbows.
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NELMSC Officer Pre-Election Slate
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