Week of October 3, 2022
  
Hello!
Don't miss Jeff Commings, our keynote speaker at the Pacific Masters Annual Celebration and Meeting, November 13!

The USMS National Office is located in Sarasota, Florida and was in the path of Hurricane Ian. Our thoughts are with everyone affected. Club Registration for 2023 is now open. It is important to have your club registered before swimmer registrations open on November 1.

In this issue, you will find information on upcoming swimming events and stories that will interest the swimming community. The next Update will appear on October 17, 2022. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, October 12, 2022
 
Stay fit,
The Pacific Masters Swimming Committee
Upcoming 2022 Events
Mark these on your calendar!
Check out our schedule page for more updates on future swims. 
October
7-9
Pacific Masters
Kerry O'Brien
SCM Championships
WCM
Clarke Swim Center
Walnut Creek
15
Women in Coaching
Leadership Summit
Saturday, October 15
Fremont Hills Country Club, 12889 Viscaino Place, Los Altos Hills, CA, 94022

November
1-30
DAM Brute Squad and Brute Squad Lite ePostal
Details to Follow
13
Pacific Master Annual Celebration and Meeting
Read More Below
Events & Clinics
2022 Pacific Masters Kerry O'Brien Short Course Meters Championships
Clarke Swim Center, Walnut Creek
October 7-9

We are looking forward to seeing you this weekend at the Heather Farms pool complex for the 2022 Annual Kerry O'Brien Short Course Meters Championships. Please keep in mind that we will need help from teams to provide timers. Individual registration is now closed. 

Register relay teams. Information
14th Annual Ross Yancher Brute Squad and Brute Squad Lite ePostal Swims
November 1-30
Sponsored by Davis Aquatic Masters, the Brute Squad returns for 2022. Feeling brutish? Prepare to show off your exceptional talents by competing in the virtual Brute Squad: 200-yard butterfly + 400-yard IM + 1650 yard free. Feeling a little less brutish? Choose the Brute Squad Lite: 100-yard butterfly + 200-yard IM + 500 yard free.

Also offered is the Non-Competition Category in which all USMS members may participate. Use of equipment and non-legal one-arm butterfly will be allowed. Swim for yourself or swim in honor of someone. Commemorate your accomplishment by putting your, or your honoree's, name on your Brute shirt. More information coming soon.
2022 Pacific Masters Celebration and Meeting
Sunday, November 13

Pacific Masters welcomes Jeff Commings as this year’s feature speaker at our Annual Celebration and Meeting

Jeff achieved considerable success when he competed at the highest levels during his elite and Masters swimming career. His aquatic journey, as chronicled in his autobiography Odd Man Out, is an extraordinary tale of a black, openly gay swimmer navigating the world of swimming.
 
Jeff’s story is about more than swimming. It’s about those experiences that helped him live confidently and successfully and become an icon in our sport. 
 
Also, as part of the celebration, we’ll hear an educational tech talk and honor our outstanding contributing members with the annual awards presentation. Additional details and registration (free!) will be announced soon. 

Our 2022 Pacific Masters Annual Celebration and Meeting will be by Zoom, Sunday, November 13.
Sebastopol 400 Pull for Time
Results are in!

The 2022 400 Fastest Pull for Sebastopol has concluded. See results here.

Thank you all so much for your participation this year and the great turnout! It's amazing to see how far around the nation this virtual event has gone! Everyone did a great job, and it is very impressive to see so many fast times!

Here are some fun facts about the 2022 400 Fastest Pull for Sebastopol:
  • 104 total swimmers registered
  • 19 new 2022 records
  • 2 swimmers broke their own past record
  • 2 swimmers tied for 3rd place medal in paddles category
  • 2 swimmers placed top 3 overall in BOTH categories
  • 5 swimmers that are receiving a medal broke an age group record
  • New age group: 95-99 years young!
Pacific Masters News
Our Annual Pacific Masters Service Awards
Nominations are due by October 7
 
Do you know a Pacific Masters member that has gone above and beyond this past year? Nominations are now open for our 2022 Service awards!

Pacific Masters Swimming is a vibrant community with many swimmers and non-swimmers who enjoy officiating, organizing, or supporting our community in other ways. At our Annual Meeting, we recognize those who participate or contribute in an exceptional way. Who do you know that is deserving? Please send your nominations to our Chair by October 7th. 

Awards include: 
  • Personal Achievement Awards
  • Nancy Ridout Awards for Distinguished Service
  • Contributor of the Year Award
  • Appreciation Awards
  • Peggy Lucchesi Award
 
Editors Wanted
Your Pacific Masters Update Newsletter Needs You!

We are searching for volunteers to join the Update Newsletter editing team. Are you talented with writing, editing, design composition, photography, and/or reporting current events? This position involves assembling Pacific's bi-weekly Update.

If you're interested, please contact Michael Moore, Chair, Communications Committee.
Pacific Masters Monthly Meeting
Wednesday, October 19, Doors Open at 6:45, Meeting at 7 PM

Join us this Wednesday, October 19, for our monthly meeting 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.

Our monthly meeting reminder email will provide the Zoom link. If you are not on that list and would like to attend, please send an email to administrator@pacificmasters.org for details. All members are encouraged to participate.
USMS News
2022 USMS Annual Convention
Denver, CO, September 16-18, Wrapped Up!

The 2022 USMS Annual Meeting was held at the Westin Denver International Airport. The hybrid format allowed flexibility for attendance with approximately 100 virtual delegates and 130 in person delegates. The House of Delegates (HOD) sessions began Friday afternoon, continued through the day on Saturday and wrapped up with an optional HOD session on Sunday morning.

USMS CEO, Dawson Hughes, and USMS President, Peter Guadagni, got things started with an overview of the USMS Mission, its commitment to membership growth and retention, and a review of the USMS Strategic Plan for the next few years. 

Annual USMS award winners were announced with four Pacific Masters being honored: Ali Hall, John Pettibone and Ian King all received the Dorothy Donnelly Service Award with Donita Flecker being recognized by the Diversity and Inclusion Committee for her outstanding contributions. Read more.
2022 Swim Across America - A Grand Success!

It was an epic, gorgeous, day on the bay for the Swim Across America event, held last Saturday, September 24. Of the 316 registered swimmers, virtual participants and volunteers (on land and in the water), 119 were US Masters Swimmers (38%). This included:
  •  90 USMS members from the Pacific region, representing 23 different clubs
  •  29 USMS members from other regions.

The event raised $500,000 for the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital for cancer research. See the list of PACIFIC US Masters Swimmers that participated in the event and fund-raising effort here.

The top fund-raising clubs were:
  • China Beach Swim Club $30,000 (pictured above)
  • Dolphin Club $13,778
  • Oakland Barracudas $9,852
  • USF Masters $5,000
  • Albany Adorables $3,571
  • TEME $1,644

A very special thank you to everyone who participated and contributed!
Clubs & Coaches
It’s Time for 2023 Club Registration
Registration is Now Open
 
Club Registration for 2023 is now open. Remember, club contacts will need to have a MYUSMS login to complete the Club renewal process. Find the USMS Club Registration information page here.

Club Contacts, if you have questions or need help, please contact clubandcoach@usmastersswimming.org or call 941-256-8767.

Swimmers, please remind your coach or club contact to get your club registered in October before swimmer registration opens on November 1. If your club is not registered with USMS when you register, you will not be able to select that club during registration!
Volunteers Needed
Clubs & Coaches Committee - We need your help!

Our committee has a few ongoing projects that need help from someone like you. The kinds of projects we need help with are: 

  • Outreach to USA Swim clubs to determine if they have a Masters swim program
  • Evaluating club websites
  • Tracking down photographs

Coach Carol Nip, Committee Chair, seeks your camaraderie, friendship, and help with her mission in serving our Clubs and Coaches.

If any of these tasks seem interesting to you, contact coaches@pacificmasters.org before she drowns!
Editor's Note
Our Update has been Updated!

Regular readers of the Update have probably noticed some changes in the format. Pacific Masters Swimming will be launching a new website soon, and we have refreshed the newsletter accordingly to be similarly bright, cheerful, and more user-friendly. Thank you for being members of Pacific Masters and making our organization so awesome.