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Pacific Update


 
   
Week of March 1, 2021  
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In this issue you will find information on upcoming swimming events and other information of interest to the local adult swimming community.
 
The next issue of the Update will appear on March 15, 2021.  The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, March 10, 2021. 
 
Stay fit,
The Pacific Masters Swimming Committee
EVENTS AND CLINICS
Pacific Masters Community Talk and Social Hour
March 10, 2021 at 7 PM

Join us on Wednesday, March 10th at 7 PM, for our first virtual community talk and social hour. We'll first share some tips and recommendations on how to write your own swim workouts (since many folks are now swimming on their own), followed by time to socialize and catch up with your swim buddies. We'll have a Q&A session and then break into small groups for connecting with friends new and old. More info and registration here.
MEMO THRICE ePostal Meet
March 1 - 31

MEMO is hosting an ePostal meet that has something for absolutely every swimmer! The new THRICE event allows you to enter just your favorite events or all of them, in any competition pool that you choose. Each event consists of three swims, composed of all the races in that stroke (50, 100, 200 fly/back/breast; 100, 200, 400 IM). There are also Sprint (50, 100, 200) and Distance (200, 500, 1000) categories for freestyle. This event will take place the entire month of March, with great awards and cool t-shirts for purchase. 
Dryland Training for Pacific Masters Swimmers
Sunday Afternoons Through March 

Steve Trutane has kicked off a new dryland instruction for mobility and strength. This program is a free benefit to USMS-registered swimmers. Movements are swim-specific with an aim to increase strength and improve efficiency without risking injury. In the past, Steve has offered regular dryland training to members of Albany Armada Aquatic Masters, YMCA of Berkeley, and Albany Community Triathlon. This program will run on a trial basis for Pacific Masters swimmers through March. Go to Athlete Body Shop and click on the Zoom link every Sunday from 4:30-5:15 PM.
USMS 1-Hour ePostal Extended!
Ending March 31

Great news! The 1-Hour ePostal National Championship has been extended through March. There's still time to see how far you can swim in one hour. Registration.
Submit Your Completed Postal Times

Two great Postal events wrapped up on February 28. Now is the time to showcase your hard work. Click, register and submit your best times.


PACIFIC MASTERS NEWS
Pacific Masters Monthly Meeting
March 17, Doors Open at 6:45, Meeting at 7:00 PM

The meeting will begin promptly at 7 PM via the Zoom platform. If this is your first time Zooming, we suggest you sign on a little early to ask questions and address technical issues. Even if you are familiar with Zoom, sign on early to say "hi" to your fellow swimmers. All members are encouraged to participate. Our monthly meeting reminder email will provide the Zoom link. If you are not on that list and would like to attend, please contact Chris Ottati Administrator for details.
USMS NEWS
Upcoming USMS Virtual Events
 
We miss our competitions. We miss the butterflies in our stomach. We miss challenging ourselves. Stay informed with the latest COVID-19 news as well as upcoming virtual competitions and championships at USMS.
CLUBS AND COACHES
Status of Pacific Masters Clubs

We reached out to all our member clubs, with follow-ups to the larger ones. As of February 23, Pacific masters Swimming had 5,628 swimmers and 114 clubs registered with US Masters Swimming. We learned the status of 74 clubs with 4,685 USMS swimmers. (We have not heard from 40 smaller clubs with 329 USMS members. This study did not reach out to our 614 unattached members.)

Of the 4,685 Pacific Masters swimmers whose club status we were able to determine:
  • 92% have access to water (60 clubs, 4,323 swimmers)
  • 84% have access to Masters coaching and pool workouts (50 clubs, 3,946 swimmers)
  • 3% have access to lap swimming, but not organized workouts (8 clubs, 142 swimmers)
  • 5% are members of clubs focused on Bay swimming (2 clubs, 235 swimmers)
  • 8% belong to clubs which are either still closed or are on campuses closed to their Masters group.

 

We are happy to highlight that 92% of Pacific Masters swimmers have access to water. While the number of workouts and the amount of water time is constrained, it appears that most of our swimmers are able to swim at least 2 to 3 times a week.

Most locations reported one or two swimmers per lane, but a few clubs are reporting increases to three per lane on March 1.

By Bob Anderson, Coaches Committee, Pacific Masters Swimming
SWIMMING BOOKS
The Do-Over, My Journey from the Depths of Addiction to World Champion Swimmer
By Karlyn Pipes

If you could, what in your life would you do over? 

At age15, Karlyn Pipes won the 400 IM while competing at the 1977 National Junior Olympics, was identified as an "Olympic hopeful"  and invited to attend the first-ever Junior Development Camp at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. She turned the opportunity down. Why? 
Karlyn tells us that very same year she first experienced the effects of an alcoholic buzz.- and wanted that feeling again. "Swimming was hard, drinking was easy."
Karlyn's very personal, and sometimes haunting tale is one of severe alcoholism and being able to find salvation by returning to the water.
Today, Karlyn is one of the most decorated athletes in the history of the sport, inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Hawaii Swimming Hall of Fame in 2018. She spends her time coaching and helping others as an inspirational speaker.

The Do-Over, My Journey from the Depths of Addiction to World Champion Swimmer is the story of a remarkable, odds-defying comeback - not just in the pool, but more importantly, in life.
EDITOR'S NOTE
Women's History Month 
Sea Birds: The Story of the Buckettes

Women's History Month promotes the contributions of women in history and contemporary society. It is celebrated during March in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, corresponding with International Women's Day on March 8. 

Pacific Masters celebrates Women's History Month with the Buckettes!

Seabirds: The Story of the Buckettes is a short documentary about  a community of women who gather daily to swim in the sea.