Pacific Update
Week of September 28, 2020 |
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In this issue you will find information on upcoming pool events and other information of interest to the local adult swimming community.
The next issue of the Update will appear on October 12, 2020. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, October 7, 2020.
Stay fit,
The Pacific Masters Swimming Committee
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Ross Yancher Brute Squad and Brute Squad Lite ePostal Swims
October 1- November 30
Time again to challenge yourself with the 12th Annual Brute Squad e-Postal, sponsored by Davis Aquatic Masters! The event consists of a timed, continuous 200 butterfly, followed by a 400 IM, and finishing up with a 1650 freestyle. For those to whom these distances seem intimidating, DAM offers a smaller event called the Brute Squad Lite. This event features timed, continuous distances of 100 fly, 200 IM and a 500 free. Along with everything in 2020, the rules are a little different this year! Information and Registration.
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2020 USMS 5K/10K ePostal National Championships
May 15 - September 30
Only two days remain to complete a timed swim of 5 kilometers and/or 10 kilometers in a 50-meter pool of your choice, then to submit times online. Some people swim for competition, some for the challenge, some for fitness, and others do it for fun. All who wish to participate are welcome. Hosted by Southern Oregon Masters Aquatics, click here for more information.
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USMS 3000/6000-Yard ePostal National Championships
September 15 - November 15
The Florida Gold Coast LMSC (local masters swim committee) is hosting the USMS 3000/6000-Yard ePostal Nationals between September 15 and November 15. Ask your coach or another swimmer to take splits and a final time for your continuous swim. The challenge is most fun as a relay team, and that is possible with this event. Unlike other events, pull buoys, paddles, fins, and wetsuits are not permitted in this sanctioned event. Hmmm, who can swim this with you? Swimmer Registration.
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Go The Distance
 On-going
Go the Distance is a USMS sponsored self-directed program intended to encourage Masters swimmers to regularly exercise and keep track of their progress. There's no time limit for distance milestones, only that they must be completed in this calendar year. Since most of us have been out of the water for a while, participating in this program could be a great way to track your progress as you get back into shape. Last year, 2,504 participants swam a total of 539,002.11
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Open Water Swim Season
Just One For Now!
July 1-October 31 Swim Across America Virtual Coast to Coast Challenge to raise money for cancer research. For more information click here. |
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Short Course Meter Cancellations
Due to the continued restrictions and challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, this year's in-person competitions have been cancelled: - MVM Alan Liu Memorial Meet
- Sacramento Masters SCM Sprint Pentathon
- Pac Masters SCM Champs
For those of you still looking for competitive opportunities, don't forget there are a couple of ePostal events currently happening or starting soon: We share your disappointment and frustration with the impact that COVID-19 is having on our 2020 competition schedule. Stay safe and healthy. We look forward to racing with you when the public health situation clears up next year. |
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Has your club applied for the COVID-19 Relief Program?
Deadline November 15
There are seven weeks left for Pacific member clubs to apply for the COVID-19 Relief Program. Emails were sent to club contacts in August. If your club is interested in learning more or applying for this grant and the appropriate contact did not receive our email, please contact the grant committee at
covidrelief@pacificmasters.org.
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Who are these characters? Discover at our ...
... Pacific Masters Coaches Clinic
October 10
This is the only educational zoom clinic this year to learn about Masters Coaching during the time of COVID-19. ASCA will award attendees 5 education credits for participation in this clinic.
Cost? The cost is free in light of the pandemic's impact and the California fires. Our coaches are valuable, and we want to show our support. Note that ASCA's recent coaches clinic was $250.
We will kick off the day with a lecture and round-table discussion about team-building. The talk will be followed by appropriate dry land instruction. After a break, jump start the afternoon with a presentation on "new norms" for Masters Swim Coaching. We'll finish with words from a seasoned coach in our world of swimming. Register here. Please make this a priority.
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Nominations Open for Pacific Masters Awards
Due October 14
You still have time to nominate recipients of Pacific awards to be conferred at our Annual Meeting. We invite our members to nominate worthy candidates. Pacific Masters Swimming is a vibrant community with many swimmers and non-swimmers who enjoy officiating, organizing or supporting the community in other ways. At our Annual Meeting, we recognize those who participate or contribute in an exceptional fashion. We convey:
- Personal Achievement Awards - Nancy Ridout Awards for Distinguished Service - Contributor of the Year Award - Appreciation Awards - Peggy Lucchesi Award Nomination guidelines. To help with recall, p ast award winners are here. Who do you know that is deserving? Please think about this and send nominations to our Chair by October 14th.
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Save The Dates!
2020 Annual Celebration and Meeting
November 8 & November 15
Like most 2020 gatherings, we're going virtual. How can we match our past celebrations? We think we've done it. This year the event will be held over two Sunday afternoons in November - the 8th and the 15th.
Since we missed the Olympics this year, on November 8th we'll take a trip back to the 1976 Montreal Games with a screening of the amazing movie, The Last Gold. It's the story of the epic clash between the U.S. women swimmers and the steroid enhanced East German team. The film will be followed by a live (albeit virtual) panel discussion with the film's director Brian Brown and the athletes who were there including Jill Sterkel, Wendy Boglioi, Camille Wright Thompson, Karen Moe Humphries, John Naber, Rick Collela, Gary Hall Sr, and moderated by Rowdy Gaines.
Our November 15th meeting will feature "A Strange Year", the story of how our members adapted to the pandemic. We'll also conduct our Annual Meeting, present the Pacific Masters Service Awards and be treated to Albany Armada Aquatics' Bonnie Tsui talking about her popular book "Why We Swim". We'll also be giving special prizes for clubs and individuals.
Make sure to put these events on your not-to-be-missed list.
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The Pandemic Video - How to Contribute
Pacific Masters is documenting how our members have responded to the Coronavirus pandemic. We want your stories! Show and tell us about your experiences, places you've swum, how you stayed in shape, connected with teammates, or anything else that memorializes this strange year.
What to submit:
1. A photo with a caption.
2. A series of photos that tell a story with a written explanation.
3. A selfie with a written explanation.
4. A selfie video with voice comments.
5. A video clip of an experience that could only occur during a pandemic.
Include your name and club to Rich Burns. For larger files he'll send you his Dropbox credentials.
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Pacific Masters Monthly Meeting
October 21, Meeting at 7pm, Doors Open at 6:45
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. 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.
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The Man Who Swam The Amazon
 by Matthew Mohlke
We've been sharing some of Kate Matwychuk's favorite swimming books. Kate is one of the Update Editors for Pacific Masters Swimming. The Man Who Swam the Amazon: 3, 274 Miles on the World's Deadliest River (2007), Matthew Mohlke. If you have always suspected that marathon swimmers must be a little crazy to spend hours in the water and endure unimaginable conditions, then this story about Martin Strel's adventure swimming the Amazon river - and battling piranha, crocodiles, anaconda, river sharks, blistering sun, river pirates and drug runners - is for you. |
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A Warning to the Brave
Open Water Swimming on Foggy Days
With some pools still closed, many of us are now swimming in open water. It's vital to keep safety as a top priority. Here's a quick story one swimmer shared about a close call swimming in the Bay.
"Hi Swimmers! I had an interesting swim at Keller on Thursday September 17. My friend and I swam to the pier at Keller in fairly dense fog. We could barely make out the pier when we left shore, but managed to get there. Dumb. When we turned around, we couldn't see anything. Even dumber, we headed straight into the fog in the direction we assumed the beach was, and in minutes weren't in sight of anything. We stayed close together, swam straight toward the direction of shore and made it to the pilings, and then hugged the shoreline back in. I felt stupid and lucky. Take fog seriously, know it can roll in fast, and that you can lose your bearings quickly. We weren't wearing wetsuits, either, so it was just a tick more scary. (source: edited for length from a text on Coach Carol's phone)
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