2011_11 nem newsletter

8/3/2019 2011_11 NEM Newsletter

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Masters Helping Masters November/December 2011 Issue # 1111

NEM News

NEM Masters Swimmers HelpRebuild Vermont! !"#$""%$'("()'**+#,-%.&*/#$/#$"#('0-1+$"+#2%",1$(/*1#2-1#3*1'-"+*1/#

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On Saturday, October 22 nd, 80 enthusiastic Masters swimmersfrom VT, NH, ME, MA, CT, NY, and Quebec assembled at theUpper Valley Aquatic Center in White River Junction, VT, forthe 3rd Annual Leaf Peepers Masters Swim Meet. In the wakeof Tropical Storm Irene, this years meet was dedicated torebuilding efforts in Vermont, with half of all entry fees being donated by UVAC to the Upper Valley Haven and the Vermont

Disaster Relief Fund. The meet raised $1,100 to distribute, andthe swimmers brought food and toiletries that were donated tothe food shelf in Bridgewater, VT.

After three hours of competition in the short-course meters pool,eight New England records had fallen, dozens of meet recordshad been set, and several new UVAC pool records (not stratifiedby age group) had been established.

Fritz Bedford, swimming in the 45-49 age group and represent-ing the home-team UVRays, set a New England record in the100 backstroke with a time of 1:01.46. Bedford established pool

records in all five of his events: 1:04.58 for 100 IM, 27.73 for 50backstroke, 54.65 for 100 freestyle, 24.65 for 50 free, and the 100backstroke. Teammate Arnold Meardon, age 81, set a NewEngland record in the 100 freestyle with a time of 1:39.28.Other New England records were set by Greg Shaw, age 60, inthe 100 IM, 50 and 100 butterfly; Laszlo Eger, age 66, in the200 and 400 IM; and Joel Feldman, age 60, in the womens 50freestyle.

Local UVRay swimmers who set pool (*) and/or meet recordsincluded Richard DiLalla (mens 45-49 age group, 100 breast-stroke in 1:16.52* and100 butterfly in 1:04.44*), Hillary Rockey(womens 20-24 age group, 50 backstroke in 36.14* and 100backstroke in 1:18.66*), Cara OConnor (womens 25-29 agegroup, 200 freestyle), assistant coach Nicola Smith (womens 35-39 age group, 100 IM and 100 breaststroke), Gretchen Curtis(womens 40-44, 100 IM and 50 freestyle), Kim Lloyd (womens35-39, 50 backstroke), Ann Greenwald (womens 45-49, 200 IM),and meet director Mary Gentry (womens 50-54, 50 and 200backstroke). The CCBA standouts were Emily Notch (womens30-34 age group, with meet records in the 200 backstroke and200 IM) and Heather Darnall, a Special Olympics swimmer whowas swimming in her first Masters meet.

To highlight the fun and social side of Masters swimming, theUVRays added an ice-breaker relay to the normal order of events. In the middle of the meet, everyone took a break andplaced their names in a hat. Relay teams were drawn at random,regardless of team or age, and swimmers had 10 minutes to findtheir relay mates and decide who would swim which leg of arelay that required swimming with pumpkins and apples, withwinners being awarded homemade pies baked by the UVRays.

Barbara Hummel, Head Coach UVRays MastersSwim Team

It s Back! The One Hour Swim! :%/+#,-#(+;##?@A#B(&*(C"#/%01*'*#("#+=*#D"*#6-%1#EB('

JUST DO IT!NEM has set a simple goal for this

years One Hour SwimCompetition Doubling OurParticipation Rate!

Last year, NEM finished second inthe national One Hour Swim com-

petition. While our 2011 yardage was

Who says charity work needs to be a drag? A pumpkin on your belly, though... that will always produce some drag! At the Rebuild Vermont meet, Masters swimmers from across New England came together to support Vermont residents suffering in the wake of Hurricane Irene. In addition to some serious (and seriously fast!)swimming, participants also got to enjoy some silly relays involving ferrying pumpkins from one end of the pool to the other as well as swimming 50 yards with an apple in each hand, doggy paddle (with barking!) and finally a 50 yard IM where swimmers took only two strokes of each style before switching to the next. Reports from the meet indicate the effort was a resounding success both for the fun of participants and for the good of local families rebuilding after the devastating floods unlucky Lady Irene left behind.

New England Masters Swim Club s mission is to continually improve and enhance Masters swimming opportunities for its members.


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November/December 2011 NEM News

more than the winners total in 2010, the Davis Aquatics teamheard about our push and stepped up their own efforts wellover half of their members participated in the event.

Its pretty straightforward if we get half of our membership toparticipate, we will win. All we need is for you to do your part.

We are simply asking for one hour of your time in January.

Participation is easy:! Register with USMS as an NEM swimmer

! Swim in any 25 yard pool

! Pick any time in January to swim

! Have someone record your 50 yard splits over an hour (youcan even stop and rest along the way it does NOT need tobe a continuous swim!)

! Submit your yardage on-line at www.clubassistant.com/club/meet_information.cfm?c=1308&smid=3291

Its pretty simple math. We have a big club. If we get half of ourmembership to participate, we will bring the championship ban-ner back to NEM! We need you Just Do It! Frank Wuest,One Hour Swim Coordinator

The One-Hour Swim: It s AllAbout Team Spirit! @'(&5#


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November/December 2011 NEM News 3

NEM News

develop a little routine: I dont think there are rules against intro-ducing a little swim dancing into the one-hour swim. The beautyof this, in my mind, is the surprise element: When will thoseswimmers who look like cars going 55 mph down the highwaybreak into that cool little dance spot again? Or even better, youcould jump onto the deck for a quick hip pop and lock break (seethis link for a great, short, on-deck dance possibility:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc_hUhEmJzs&feature=related ) before going back into the water.

Main point: 1,600 is to 303 as 500 is to 340 should beGREATER THAN rather than LESS THAN, and the key to

this is to bump that303 way, way, up high.

Boring ending: Youcan just record yourusual practice but stillfollow the rules of theone-hour swim. Justrecord your practice!

Please! Boring ending because really you canhave so much fun withthis swim, especially if

youve never done itbefore and have no ideawhat youre in for.

Bring it home, NEM.Really. Lets have 1,012swimmers for 2012.

And maybe a prize (orprizes, first throughthird; I make reallygreat crowns) for themost inventive teamsone-hour-swimapproach: Best ripplefly? Best synchro? Beston-deck hip pop andlock routine?*

Whatever motivates you, get motivated to

swim like youve never swum for one amazing hour with yourworkout group, for your team, the formidable, comebackable,unbeatable New England Masters of the East Coast, with great

food (you supply this for yourselves, along with the enthusiasm)with your swim group afterwards, in January 2012. Emily White, MIT Masters

*Note: Inventiveness must be verified by videotape and certified counters/witnesses. Rumored inventiveness will not be considered.(Anyone can say they did hip pop and lock underwater as a group at the 45-minute point, but we will require proof.)

Training for the One Hour Swim! G*/>#/-'*#0*-0&*#,-#+1$("#/0*7(2(7$&&5#2-1#(+;

Youve got roughly one month to go until the start of January.That gives you just about two months some 60-odd days toget ready for a smashing good showing in the annual One HourSwim event in January 2012. Florida Maverick Masters Dr. PaulHutinger in St. Petersburg FL, has published training tips to help

guide swimmers in preparing for their One Hour Swim event.His tips center around selecting a steady pace for the entireevent, based on your pace per hundred. Start your training pro-gram by setting your goal. Use your time for the 500 or 1,650 asa base. You should be able to be close to your 1,650 pace for thisswim, he writes. While some swimmers really race the 1,650event and may not be able to hold that pace for an entire hour, itis a good place to start in determining your own sustainable pacefor the event.

Below are some other training tips developed based on Dr.Hutinger advice:!

Start your focused training for the OHS now! Thesooner you get started, the better you will perform on eventday, whenever you choose to do your swim.

! Benchmark early. At the beginning of your training, do atest swim of 15 minutes to get a sense of where you are inrelation to your goal distance. After the test, multiply your

yardage by four to determine about where your current fit-ness level will place you on the yardage spectrum during aone hour swim. Benchmarking early on will help you gaugehow far youve progressed during your training.

! Train intervals on pace. Practice 100 repeats holding thepace you want to hold for the entire hour. If thats 1:30 perhour, do a series of 20 X 100s on 10 seconds rest. Over the

course of a few weeks, you should be able to build up from20 to 40 repeats while holding that same pace.! Spot-check yourself. Try a challenge swim of 30 minutes

after a few weeks of training to get a sense of how youveimproved. Compare this to your benchmark 15 minute swima few weeks ago and see how youre doing. Did you doublethe distance you swam during the first test, or did you goeven further?

! Get acclimated. Practice in the same lane you intend toswim in for the event yourself. One of the great benefits of the OHS event is that you have the home pool advantage.Get comfortable with the lane you intend to use. Situate

yourself where you can comfortably see the pace clock so

you can gauge if youre staying on your time target during the event.! Practice starting conservatively. Challenge yourself to

hold back early on during the event. At the beginning of thehour swim, you might feel like youre not working hardenough, but over the course of the hour, you may be glad tostill have something in the tank to finish strong. The chal-lenge here is in learning how much to let out early on andhow much you need to reserve to be able to stay on the samepace for the entire hour. One way to achieve this is by prac-ticing negative splits during workouts. Try doing a series of

Was that a promise or a threat? Emily White says she ll make you a t-shirt if you join the 6,000+ club this January in the OHS. See her incredible, exclu- sive designs here!


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500 repeats, where the second 250 is at least 10 secondsfaster than the first.

! Check, check, check your bad self. About a week before your event, do a final test swim. Swim at the pace

you want to hold during the OHS for 45 minutes. Comparethis to your early 15 minute test and your middle 30 minuteevent. How did you do? Are you on target? How did you

feel? Noting the changes youve made in your fitness overthe course of this focused training period will show youwhere you need to be paying attention during the eventso you dont slip off your target pace.

! Eat, sleep, and be merry. Make sure youre getting adequate rest and nutrition during your training period andeven more importantly, during the week leading up to yourevent. Rest is perhaps the most important aspect of a qualitytraining plan, but sadly, the most often overlooked. Payattention to your body, and take a day off here and therewhen you need to rest. You should also rest the day beforethe event and make sure you drink plenty of water through-out your training period.

! Have fun! A happy swimmer is always a faster swimmer,so make sure youre having fun and enjoying what you do.In the end, this is all about learning what we can achievewhen we put our minds and bodies to it and enjoying thewater with our friends.

See Dr. Hutingers pace scale and other tips online here: www.maverickswim.org/OHPtraininghints.pdf Elaine Howley, NEM News Editor

NEM Swimmers Reign Roundthe Sound! !#2$&+1$,(+(-"#2-1#/-'*#?@A#/B(''*1/#5(*&,/#/-'*#('01*//(4*#-0*"#B$+*1

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At the recent open water Round the Sound Swimathon held inBermuda on October 16 th, NEM swimmers were well represent-ed. The Cape Cod Masters Team had a strong showing consist-ing of eight swimmers grabbing five medals. Cape swimmersincluded: Bob Bertrand (1 st, 60+ age group 2k, 35:14), DrewCampbell (1 st overall and 1 st, 40-59 age group, 2k, 31:36), PattyGaynor (1 st, 40-59 age group, 3 rd overall, 0.8k, 13:11), MeriGilson (1 st, 40-59 age group, 2nd overall 7.25k, 1 hour 53 min-utes), Beth Herrick (3 rd, 40-59 age group, 2k, 38 minutes). VickiPutz and Chuck Redington also had excellent finishes for the 4k,with both arriving in 1 hour 18 minutes and kudos to Jim Brooks

for braving the long 10k, finishing in 3 hours 14 minutes. A fewother NEM swimmers competing were Michelle Fox grabbing 2nd for the 7.25k right behind Meri. Anne Uecker completed the7.25k, Hillary Pellitier the 4k, and Jeff Wood swam the 10k Allswam strong and there were a few more greater Boston swim-mers. It was an excellently run meet and we all thoroughlyenjoyed ourselves. Think about this for next year! For all results,photos and information on this fun event visit:

www.roundthesound.bm/ Patty Gaynor, Cape CodMasters

Journey to a 1,650! I$1+#J#-2#KL#F=*#E&(''*/+#-2#A$1C("/#

We left New England on Wednesday morning for the YMCA National Championships via a virtually empty flight. Veryunusual for this day and age. Not to worry, the secondleg was oversold, and we arrived in Fort Lauderdale, FL, thatafternoon.

I did the first thing I always do after checking in for a travelswim meet: I went to the store and stocked up on food, hydra-tion fluids, a little sunscreen, and Scotch. Hey, what can I say, Inever have trouble sleeping the night before my races.

My coach, Rich Axtell, had us all do a workout, consisting of awarm-up and a cool down. I shaved. We ate, I had Scotch, andwent to bed.

Much to the chagrin of my roommates, I am a morning person.The 1,650 was that Thursday morning. I walked to the pool intime for the warm-ups, and discovered that shaving makes youfeel cold. Who knew that little bit of hair made such a difference?

The weather was also not very conducive to making one believe you were in Florida. It was cool, in the 70s mostly, but 20 mile-an-hour winds at the outdoor Hall of Fame Pool made it feelcooler. Luckily, I had brought a fleece. The warm-up proved tome that shaving does feel way cool for swimmers. Despite thisbeing the last meet I would do with the Tech Suit, lack of arm, foot, and other hair was distinctly noticeable.

I warmed up (the same warm-up Coach Axtell had thrown at us for weeks nowfor the sake of familiarity), and put mymp3 player on to focus my tension else-where.

As fate would have it, my rival was notgoing to be swimming next to me. In

fact, we were in separate heats. Since he was seeded faster, hewas in the heat after me. But through a quirk that only swim-mers at large competition pools can appreciate, his heat startedbefore mine. Heat One and all the odd-numbered heats were inthe East Pool. All even heats were in the West Pool. Since theheats are from slow to fast, the odd number pool always runsslower. So despite having lane four of the earlier heat, my com-petition started before me, in lane eight in the other pool.

So, I watched him. Coach Axtell saw this and sent me away towait behind my blocks, but it was too late. The guy was on hisway to a very low 21-minute mile, a time I had never achieved.Clearly it was ON. I got behind my blocks. I sat. I stretched.I rocked out with my mp3 player. I watched as my friend T.J.got ready to count for me. I breathed as deeply as I could. I

WANTED to be in the water. The heat before mine ended, Igot up on the blocks. I took my mark. BEEP!!

Much to thechagrin of myroommates, I

am a morningperson.


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5

I have certain habits I have adopted over the years that somepeople, make that most swimmers and coaches, dont agree with.One is how I approach various races, and in particular, long dis-tance races. In my head I break down all distance races intothirds. So, when I hit the water, I started swimming the first third(first 500 yards or so) by trying to stay on the edge of my aerobicthreshold while breathing bilateral by three. After the first hun-

dred I was settled, and then began to build. At the 400 mark Iwas holding, though with no clock, I had no clue what I washolding. The second third of the race I switched up my breath-ing pattern. I started doing a double bilateral-by-three pattern.Two breaths on one side, hold, then two on the other.Psychologically, this meant that in my mind, I could build furtherwithout going anaerobic. Sounds good, right? Didnt matter. Iwas still feeling it. The point of failure was near. I was tagging my threshold. Last third, I unleashed.

I kept the breathing pattern but swam to the point of failure. Iactually felt like my whole body was going to die with 200 yardsto go. With 100 yards to go, I lost feeling in my arms. I pushed

for all I was worth. I sprinted the last hundred and reverted back to the simple bilateral by three.

I buried my head for the last 12 yards, and touched the wall.

Awareness slowly came to me like a fog lifting off Cape Cod ona beautiful summer morning. I dont remember getting out of the pool. I dont remember T.J. or Rich jumping up and down. Idont remember walking over to the warm up/cool down pool.

And I dont even remember getting in and cooling down. But,here I was. Coach had been there for a while. T.J. took the nextwatch. I had apparently walked past everyone, my teammatesand all, with no look of recognition on my face and gone intothe pool. They watched me, believing I was the walking dead.

Given the gaps in my memory, they must have been correct.Both Rich and T.J. could not tell me who won. The scoreboardfrom my competitors lane had been on the fritz all race and hadnot displayed his finish time. But they knew mine. I had slashedalmost a minute off my personal best and swum a time I willlikely never see again: 20:56.17. When the 1,650 was over, Ichecked out the results and stared in amazement. My competi-tion swam it in 20:55.94. I had lost the national title in the 1,650by 0.23 seconds. Less than 0.007 seconds per 50 yards.

Stay tuned for Part 3. Al Prescott, Minuteman Masters

AndoverMeet inPhotos! H(C#/'(&*/#-"

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Top, Marcia Misiorski pauses a moment to flash her pearly whites in the midst of running the meet.

Middle, Karen Mareb laughs during her warmdown and chat with Bill Ewan,who took these photos.

Bottom, Sue Jensen and Patty Gaynor enjoy some quality time together between events at the Andover meet.

NEM News: The New England Masters Swim Club Inc., NewsletterElaine Kornbau Howley, EditorEmily White, ReporterE-mail: [email protected] us online at: www.swimnem.org Copyright 2011 NEM News . All rights reserved.

Nahant Knuckleheads to Host New Year s Eve Plunge

Your favorite, brain-dead open water swimmers are at it again!

The Nahant Knuckleheads cordially invite you to take part in the2nd Annual New Year s Eve Plunge and Blue Ball! Finish the yearin purging style by completing Cambridge Masters Swim Club s100 X 100s on the morning of December 31, to be followed imme-diately by a dash in the surf at Nahant Beach. Aftwards, join theKnuckleheads at the Tides Restaurant on the Causeway to Nahantfor a Farewell to 2011 luncheon. For more information, join our listserve by visiting:http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/Nahant_Knuckleheads/


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NEM News

So, How Did Your Race Go?! N$4(,#H1(C=+#0-/*/#$#.$/(7#O%*/+(-"L#=-B#,-#5-%#'*$/%1*#/%77*//P#

Youve gone to the meet and swum your race. You probably havesome sense of how things went it felt good or bad, you nailedthe turns or misjudged them, beat your seed time, or your rival,or didnt. For those with a long history in age group swimming,evaluation of your race was always simple did you get a besttime or not? For those of us moving upward through the agegroups of Masters swimming, that will realistically not continueand we may want to look for other markers to assess our perfor-mances and set goals.

Our first stop is the NEM website, www.swimnem.org . Fromthe menu at the left of the home page we select New EnglandResults and find that Ed Gendreau of Great Bay Masters main-tains a database with over 113,000 individual swims and 7,000relays from our New England LMSC. You may want to:

! See if you are in the top 50 all-time performers in that agegroup from New England

! Check to see a history of all your times over the years! See if you are in the top 50 all-time swims in your age group

(individuals may be listed more than once)

! See if you are in the top 100, regardless of age

! Check the top New England times in your age group for asingle year

Then, it may be interesting to check the Individual times by rat-ing. By devising a mathematical formula far beyond the under-standing of most of us, Ed has enabled us to assign a numerical

value to each swim, considering your age at the time. So, a timethat is a little slower than one you did several years ago may

actually be assigned a higher relative value. For example, DanRogackis 100 free of 54.07 at age 61 has a rating of 94.37,higher than Mike Ross 46.24 at age 38. You can:

! Enter your name and see every swim you have done over the years in order of rating;

! See totals of rating points for individuals at each meet;

! Enter times to see what their point value will be;

! See the progression of New England records over the years.

Expanding your horizons, from the USMS website, you can goto the Competition tab to check event results and rankings.Results from every USMS meet around the country are com-piled so you can see where you stand so far this season. You canalso look at completed seasons Top 10 lists and link to the FINA site to see the Top 10 worldwide.Finally, you may want to compare times across different courses.There are several conversion tables to go back and forth between

yards and short or long course meters to find equivalents.Swimmingworldmagazine.com , under tools, tech tips hasa time conversion utility. And, of course, there is an app for

that Swim convert on your iPhone may help you get a quick time conversion at the pool.

Of course, you may decide to simply enjoy the fact that you gotto participate in a meet, do your best, and enjoy the company of other swimmers. As my dad used to say after a golf game thatdid not go well, It was a beautiful day out there. DavidBright, NEM BOD

SwimRI Member Honored with2011 World Open Water SwimmingAward Nomination for Performanceof the Year!! Q-1#=(/#-%+/+$",("C#0*1/*4*1$"7*#("#?$11$C$"/*++#H$5>#R$5#S$",5#/+$",/#+-

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NEM members Ray Gandy and Elaine Howley took a shot atswimming 50 miles in Narragansett Bay in July as a charity eventfor the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Gandys wife is a

Leukemia survivor, so the swim had personal significance. Theduo had the best intentions, but Mother Nature decided to crashthe celebration of endurance excellence early in the attempt.Smooth conditions turned to rough, day turned into night, com-

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society s Team in Training Wants YOU!

An unbeatable offer with greatpersonal rewards! Completethe endurance event of yourdreams while raising funds inthe fight against blood cancers.

The unique Team In Training (TNT) program provides the coaching,

training and travel opportunities to make your athletic goals a reality.Join the thousands of walkers, runners, cyclists and triathletes whocross the finish line of one of the world s major endurance eventsevery year. Don t miss your chance!

Use coupon code NEWSUMMER12 when registering for an upcom-ing event:

! Cox Providence Rhode Races Half Marathon, May 6, 2012 ~ Providence, RI

! Mooseman International Triathlon, June 2, 2012 ~ Bristol, NH

! Dodge Rock n Roll San Diego Marathon & 1/2 June 3, 2012 ~ San Diego, CA

! America s Most Beautiful Bike Ride, June 3, 2012 ~ Lake Tahoe,NV

! Hyannis Sprint I Triathlon, June 9, 2012 ~ Hyannis, MA

Would you like to travel to SPAIN? TNT is still accepting participantsfor the Rock n Roll Madrid Marathon & 10K April 22, 2012

For more information, please call 508-810-1341 or 800-688-6572(toll free) to speak with a member of the TNT staff or visitwww.teamintraining.org/ma


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NEM News

fortable turned tocold, a typical dayat the office forexperiencedmarathon swim-mers who expectthe unexpected.

With an aim of 50miles, Gandy madeit to the 45.5-milemark before hiscrew pulled himdue to safety con-siderations. Thewind had kickedup and his boatwas dangerouslyclose to a rockyshoreline. So closeto his goal 28hours after he started, Gandy accepted the situation disappointedbut undaunted. With the goal to raise money for others, his effortwas an enormous success.

For his unselfish efforts, his understanding of the need to putsafety first, and his continued positive approach in the unprece-dented 45.5-mile challenge, Gandys efforts during the 50/50Swim Challenge make him a worthy nominee for the 2011

World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year. Of hisnomination, Gandy says, I am truly humbled and honored to benominated for this years World Open Water Swim AssociationsPerformance of the Year. The other nominees in each of the cat-egories are pioneers and legends; each combining a love of open

water swimming and impacting others for the better. I am veryappreciative to be included in that group.

Hes been nominated, but Gandy can only win this internationallyrecognized award with your help! Visithttp://6296545.polldaddy.com/s/wowsa-2011 to vote forRay! You can learn more about the 50/50 Swim and donate tothe cause here: www.5050swimchallenge.com ElaineHowley, NEM News EditorWOWSA aims to promote open water swimming as a global sport for those of all ages, abilities and backgrounds. It hosts the World Open Water Swimming Awards to recognize the open water swimming's heroes and heroines. More information about the WOWSA awards can be accessed here: http://dailynews.openwater- swimming.com/search/label/WOWSA-2011

Upcoming Meets & EventsDECEMBER 201112/9-12/11 New England LMSC Short Course MetersChampionship, Boston University, Boston, MA (Sanctioned)Friday thru Sunday December 9th-11th, 2011 at BostonUniversity, Boston, MA. warm-up at 9 am, 10 am Start. Meet web-site: http://scmchamps.blogspot.com/ . Enter online atwww.meetresults.com/entries/. Late entries must be receivedno later than 6pm Saturday, December 3rd, 2011 and mustinclude a valid 2011 or 2012 USMS ID number. Meet Director andContact is Crystie McGrail [email protected] .

JANUARY 2012Sunday through Tuesday, 1/1-1/31, Any Pool, Any Where, AnyTime, USMS One Hour Postal Swim!Help NEM reclaim the national title this year. Swim a lot or a littlein one hour. Every yard and every swimmer helps! Check swim-

nem.org for details on organized sessions. Info coming soon.Sunday, 1/15 New Wave Masters Meet, Haverhill, MA8:30am to 9:30 am.

Sunday, 1/22, 2nd Annual WCWC Masters Mini-Meet, WorkoutClub & Wellness Center, Salem, NHWarm-Up at 1pm; meet start at 2pm. Anticipated end time is 5pm.Deck entries must be in by 1:15pm. WCWC is located at 16Pelham Road, Salem, NH. Entry Fees is $25 plus $3 per event(Max 5 events) Mail Entry to Jack Duffy, 13 Westfall Road N.Pelham, NH, 03076. Meet Director is Paul Bennett

Sunday, 1/29 Wellesley Masters Winter Classic, WellesleyCollege, Wellesley, MAKeohane Sports Center- Chandler Pool on Sunday, January 29th,2012. Warm-up 8 am, Meet Start 9 am. Entry Fee is $25 perswimmer, 4 individual event limit, (first 100 entries will be accept-ed). Entries due by Friday, January 20th, 2012. THERE WILL BENO DECK ENTRIES! Make checks payable to Wellesley Mastersand mail entries to: Carlos M Vega, 106 Central St- KSC,Wellesley, MA 02481. Meet Director and contact is Carlos M.Vega at [email protected]

FEBRUARY21st Annual Valentine s Love to Swim Classic (Recognized)Saturday, 2/18, 4:15pm - 8:30pm, Keefe Tech High School, 750Winter Street, Framingham, MA. Entry fee is $20 per swimmer.

Please submit entries by Friday, February 15, 2012. NO deckentries. Make checks payable to Metrowest YMCA and mailentries and payments to: Rita Polatin, 9 Coachman Lane, Natick,MA 01760 . Meet Director, Rita Polatin, [email protected]

See more information and events online at:www.swimnem.org/wordpress/meets-events/ Please contact Mindy Williams ( [email protected] )if you are interested in running a meet.

Elaine Howley and Ray Gandy model their super cool 50/50 t-shirts (design by Mark Howley) at the end of the Coventry, RI Flat River 10K Champions Challenge in September 2011, NEM s 6+ mile Championship event.Together, the two veteran Channel swimmers raised more than $11,000 for blood cancer research and set two world records in the process. Read more about Gandy s WOWSA nomination here: http://dailynews.openwater- swimming.com/2011/11/wowsa-performance-of-year- nominee-6-ray.html

SwimVacation Now Accepting Reservations for Spring 2012 Trips

Swim, relax, repeat.

SwimVacation still has limited space in two open water swimmingadventure vacations scheduled for March 18 to 24 and March 25to 31 in the British Virgin Islands. Visit www.swimvacation.comfor more information or call (207) 975-5489 to reserve your space.


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NEM News

New England Masters Swim ClubHosts Annual Board Meeting! N*/0(+*#.*("C#0%/=*,#.$7T#$#2*B#B**T/#.5#$"#*$1&5>#=*$45#/"-B2$&&>#+=*#

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Held on the rainy Thursday evening just before Thanksgiving,the NEM Annual Meeting finally came to fruition. The meeting

had originally been scheduled to take place at the Concord-Carlisle High School immediately following the mini meet at theBeede Center On October 30 th, but Mother Nature had differentplans. She sent New England its first snow of the season, andwith many Board of Directors members traveling from parts of the region severely impacted by the snow, the meeting had to berescheduled.

The group met at BOD member Frank Wuests offices inCambridge. Over the course of two and a half hours, theeight Board of Directors members in attendance updated eachother on the various committees they represent, hashed out thedevelopment of the clubs mission statement, and discussed new

initiatives. Below are some highlights from the NEM AnnualMeeting in the order they were discussed at the meeting.

1. Finances Jim Terry, NEMs treasurer, presented information about theclubs finances. During FY 2011, NEM received $10,464 inmembership revenue and spent a total of $16,393 on the follow-ing line items:

! Newsletter: $11,688

! External Communications: $2,291

! NEM Support at Nationals and Worlds: $2,120

! Administration: $265

! Miscellaneous: $29The club is currently spending down its cash reserve to complywith tax laws pertaining to our status as a non-profit organiza-tion. Therefore, the clubs larger expenditure than income is nota concern at this time.

Jim will be ending his tenure as Treasurer next year, so if you areinterested in getting involved as an officer of the club, please letBill Ewan know of your interest by emailing him at

[email protected] . Any member of the club can be nominatedfor election, but a background in finance would be a plus.

2. NEM News Elaine Howley, NEM BOD member and NEM News Editor,presented the year in review from NEM News . This publicationreaches an average of 1,500 subscribers six times per year. Thenewsletter featured the contributions of 41 different members,but we would always like to see more members writing articlesand sending us photographs to include in these pages. We alsodiscussed the possibility of converting NEM News to a digitalpublication. To study this proposal further, the BOD appointed aDigital Committee, and that committee needs your input about

whether you think NEM News should become a digital-onlypublication. Do cost savings on printing and shipping outweighthe convenience of having a paper copy delivered to your door?

Would you like to see NEM go green? Or do you hate having togo online to read news? Do keep your copies and store them in abinder to refer back to later? Would you rather print your owncolor copies or have a black and white version arrive in your

mailbox every other month like it has for the past 30 years? If the newsletter went digital, would you still read it? Would youdrop your NEM membership if you no longer got a paper copy?

NEM News wants to know! Send a note [email protected] and let us know where you stand onthe digitization of NEM News .

3. External CommunicationsHelen Lin is in charge of our external communications initia-tives. She heads up our Facebook page and helps get the wordout about NEM, our activities, and how members can get moreout of NEM by participating in our various committees andevents. Last year, NEM participated in the Multisport World

Conference and Expo held at MIT in March, which unfortu-nately conflicted with the Harvard championship meet. This

year, however, the Expo will be held on March 31, 2012, so weare hoping to see more of you stop by the table, introduce your-selves, and learn what else NEM has to offer. Were also hoping to entice more people to join the club by presenting informationabout where and how potential swimmers can join a workoutgroup and what benefits the club provides.

4. Swimnem.org websiteNEM webmaster Nate McBride sent along the following statisticsfrom the website that point to a big increase in traffic this year.

Visitors to our website seem particularly interested in learning more about open water events in the region, and gathering thisinformation was a new initiative spearheaded this summer by theopen water committee. Frank Wuest contributed his time to puttogether a comprehensive listing of events in the New Englandregion, and it appears to be a great addition to theswimnem.org website.

5. Events and InitiativesNEM hosts several initiatives to coordinate with our events.Some highlights from this discussion include the following areas.

One Hour Swim. Frank Wuest, NEMs OHS coordinator, pre-sented some interesting results from the 2011 One Hour Swimevent. As you probably know by now, NEM narrowly lost thenational title in this event in 2011 to the Davis Aquatic Masters(DAM) in California. DAM is a much smaller club, but theyresuper competitive and got wind of our desire to reclaim the title


Website Stats Sept 2010 Sept 2011 Oct 2010 Oct 2011

Total Hits 122,160 233,232 148,669 270,685

Unique Visitors 10,198 11,323 12,018 12,120Average Hitsper day

4,144 7,774 4,795 8,731


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NEM News


and upped their participation numbers. As you can see from thestats below, it all comes down to getting more bodies into thepool in January, AND submitting your splits before the eventcloses. Please note that NEM lost by a mere 58,685 yards for thenational title. Using our average yards per swimmer measurement,if just another 16 people had completed the swim or submittedtheir results, we probably would have won the title. Please con-

sider that when deciding whether or not youll participate in theOHS this year. You must be registered for USMS and NEMbefore you swim.

Pool. Mindy Williams, NEMs mini-meet coordinator, presentedthe results of the past years meets in the region, which largelywent off without a hitch. NEM is always looking to increase thenumber of meets we offer, so if you are thinking about hosting ameet, please contact Mindy Williams [email protected].

Open Water. The open water committee, formed at last yearsannual meeting and chaired by Les Cutler was very busy this

year surveying our membership, investigating opportunities topartner with ongoing open water events and triathlons in theregion, and developing the NEM New England Open WaterSwim Championships. In summer 2011, NEM hosted a 1-mileand a 6+ mile championship event, and both went very well. In2012, the committee hopes to improve and expand on publicrelations efforts to draw in more triathlete members and offermore open water racing opportunities to NEMs membership.

6. NEM Grand PrixThe NEM Grand Prix program is an exciting new initiative thatthe NEM Board of Directors elected to support during theannual meeting. Detailed information regarding this programfollows in the next article.

7. ElectionsThis was an off year for NEM elections, meaning that only oneofficer and one board member were at the end of their terms.

Board of Directors . According to the clubs bylaws, the NEMBoard must have between six and nine members. Current BOD

members heading into the meeting included David Bright, LesCutler, Laszlo Eger, Tracy Grilli, Jacki Hirsty, Elaine Howley, AlPrescott, Mindy Williams and Frank Wuest. David Bright cameto the end of his term as a Board of Directors member, and hewas unanimously reelected for a second term. Because of herpaid position in the USMS national office, it was suggested thatTracy Grilli step down from her position on the NEM BOD, lest

there be concern over any possible conflict of interest. That lefta free space on the board, and David Prior was easily electedafter being nominated to fill the role.

Officers . Among the officers Bill Ewan, President; Jim Terry,Treasurer; and Carol Yunker Secretary only Carols term wasat an end, and as the second of two consecutive terms, she couldnot be reelected. Helen Lin, currently the ExternalCommunications Coordinator for NEM, was nominated to fillthe position and was eagerly elected.

8. CommitteesFor your information, the following committees are active withinNEM at this time:

Meet Committee. This committee organizes meets and looksfor ways to create more meets while improving attendance atongoing meets. Current committee members include Mindy

Williams, Laszlo Eger, and Bill Ewan.

Open Water Committee. This committee seeks to create andimprove open water opportunities for NEM members. Currentcommittee members include Les Cutler, Elaine Howley, TracyGrilli, and Frank Wuest

Bylaw Committee. The Bylaw Committee is studying NEMsclub bylaws and ensuring that the club is operating in compli-ance with these rules while looking for ways to amend the bylaws

for efficiency and to achieve our goals as a club. CurrentCommittee members include Les Cutler, Al Prescott, TracyGrilli, and Frank Wuest

Tom Lyndon Award Committee. The Tom Lyndon AwardCommittee seeks to select individuals for the Tom Lyndon

Award, NEMs highest honor reserved for volunteers who havemade a significant contribution to the club. Current committeemembers include Tracy Grilli, Homer Lane, and Kim Goodwin

External Communications Committee. This committeemanages club outreach to increase membership in the club viasocial media, in-person networking, and reaching out to individ-ual members and potential members. Current committee mem-bers include Helen Lin, Jim Terry, Carol Yunker, Jacki Hirsty,and Bill Ewan

All committees may be composed of NEM members, boardmembers, and/or officers. If you are interested in joining a com-mittee, please email Bill Ewan at [email protected] for moreinformation about how you can get involved. The more mem-bers we can bring into leadership roles within the organization,the stronger our club becomes. Elaine Howley, NEM News

Editor

Team Yards Swimmers Yards/Swimmer

Combined Results

1 DAM 1,185,640 340 3,4872 NEM 1,123,955 303 3,709

3 OREGON 935,750 259 3,612

Men

1 NEM 585,685 152 3,8532 DAM 518,335 141 3,676

3 OREGON 446,290 117 3,814Women

1 DAM 667,305 199 3,3532 NEM 538,270 151 3,5653 OREGON 489,460 142 3,447


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NEM News

New England Masters Grand Prix! !"#(""-4$+(4*#"*B#$B$1,/#01-C1$'#.1("C/#/B(''*1/#1*7-C"(+(-"#2-1#$&+=*(1

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Your NEMSC Board of Directors announces a new award thatis open to all NEM members. It is the New England MastersGrand Prix Award. This is an award that takes one year tocomplete and many swimming events to accomplish. TheGrand Prix is not open to USMS swimmers that are notmembers of NEM.

The Grand Prix awards Mastersswimmers for participating in in-pool swim meets or open waterevents. It is both simple and verydifficult to accomplish. Each in-poolevent that you participate in earns

you one point toward the goal of acquiring 17 points toward Grand

Prix Champion. But there are a series of awards that depend on your level of accomplishment, as follows:

! If you complete 17 events during the year, you will achievethe Grand Prix Champion Award

! If you complete 14 events during the year, you will achievethe Grand Prix Gold Award

! If you complete 11 events, you will achieve the Grand PrixSilver Award

! If you complete 8 events, you will achieve the Grand PrixBronze Award

In open water swimming, the Grand Prix awards are as follows:

! If you complete 11 events, you will achieve the Grand Prix

Open Water Champion Award! If you complete 9 events, you will achieve the Grand Prix

Gold Open Water Award

! If you complete 7 events, you will achieve the Grand PrixSilver Award,

! If you complete 5 events, you will achieve the Grand PrixBronze Award

All USMS sanctioned events count as one point. So a multi-dayChampionship and a small meet each count as one point.Unsanctioned events count as long as the event is run by anorganization or is otherwise a planned activity that is open to

any USMS swimmer, such as a Channel swim or an organizedswim for a cause like as Swim Across America events thatinclude more than one group that generally trains together.

An English Channel swim and a small pond swim each count forone point. Because NEM is so invested in growing the One-Hour Swim in January, two points will be given for that eventalone. It will be useable either for in-pool points or for the openwater Grand Prix award your choice.

It makes sense that this award includes swimming for causesbeyond USMS sanctioned meets. A natural part of Mastersswimming is using our swim talent to support cancer researchor other important causes, and to swim in very unique swimsthat are supported by towns, other swim organizations, andother special groups.

The emphasis for this major award is clearly unique. We allreceive great praise and rewards for swimming mega-distances,setting regional, national, and world records. At the SCYChampionships there are medals and ribbons up to 10 th place torecognize your great efforts. But there is no mega award forbeing an involved, active participant. The Grand Prix is a greataward for those who decide to be in as many meets or openwater swims as possible. It is the payoff for getting into competi-tion over and over and building a record of participation.

In the Grand Prix of motor racing each championship is consid-ered a Grand Prix. But our definition includes the total of possi-ble swim events. It takes multiple numbers of events to come outon the top. In the NEM Grand Prix, attending and treating mul-

tiple numbers of events seriously will lead to the award. In mini-meets it might be very easy to place highly in an event. That isfine, but what is really great is that you have exercised your loveof swimming. You have gone to the well. You have counted

yourself as active and alive in Masters swimming.

Note that the Grand Prix is not age-based or gender based. It isnot workout group based. There are no limits to the numbers of champions in an age group. It is based on you and your love of participating. It isnt based on winning or losing a race. It isntbased on winning by swimming five more events at every meetthan anyone else. The award is based on you and your swimming beyond and outside of your basic training. This is important

because nearly everyone of us joins Masters swimming to partic-ipate in events, to meet other swimmers, to gain friendships, toshare swimming experiences, and to grow our swimming experi-ences. Many of us wear thin after a few years of trying to reachor maintain top-ten, or trying to place. We work and fret overeverything and may begin to lose the joy of swimming. TheNEM Grand Prix award rewards the happy, one-with-the-waterside of Masters swimming. Win, loose, or tie, it awards you fortrying, for experimenting, and for enjoying the experience.

So who is a Grand Prix Champion? S/he is someone who hasmanaged to participate in 17 in-pool events or 11 open waterevents over a twelve month period. That is, in spite of work,family, or other time commitments, you have been to the well 17or 11 times. Maybe your family or friends got there to enjoy theevents with you. Maybe you made some great time sacrificesfrom work to get there. No question that just being there is anamazing feat.

Note that all the awards are great. For many, eight events is a very serious effort and signifies a great sacrifice of time. Thatswhy all the award levels are there. One way to think of it is, itsawesome to get eight events and the Bronze Award, and more


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NEM News

and more outrageous to go even farther and even reach the verytop. Participating in 17 events in 12 months is outrageous anddeserves an outrageous award. Eleven open water swims in a

year, especially in New England, is outrageous. You deserve theNEM Grand Prix Award for carrying the love and the banner of swimming.

Grand Prix Timing, Policies, and Procedures1. The Grand Prix begins every January 1 st , at the fresh start of every year. This way, the One Hour Swim will get you off on theright foot. The OHS willcount for two points in the2012 Grand Prix.

2. Each NEM member mustkeep his/her own recordsand then submit a summaryat the end of the GrandPrix Award Season each

year to the NEM GrandPrix Chair or to the NEMPresident, via an e-mail thatincludes the following fouritems:

! Submit your nameand workout groupaffiliation

! List each event, along with the dates andevents swum.

! List the Grand Prixaward for which you

are applying.! If a listed event is not

USMS sanctioned,you will need someproof of participation.

3. Awards will be givenupon submission of your application. NEM is also considering an awards event each spring which would then delay receiving

your award, but give you an opportunity to attend a banquet tocelebrate your accomplishment with other Grand Prix winners.

We wish to thank Nate McBride for his excellent original propos-al for an NEM Grand Prix. Thanks to all who have worked onthis project. NEM Board of Directors and Officers &Grand Prix Committee, Bill Ewan, Carol YunkerIf you are interested in joining the Grand Prix Committee, please contact Bill at [email protected] or Carol at [email protected] .

John MerrillMemorial Meetat East Lyme inPhotos! F=(/#&-"C)1%""("C#7&$//(7

7=$"C*/#(+/#"$'*#+-#=-"-1#+=*

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Photos at Right: Attendees of the East Lyme meet renamed the John Merrill Memorial Meet included Bill Christian at (right) coiled and ready to go at the

start of his backstroke event. Jack Stabach (right, center two photos) directed the meet and poses with meet official John Dennis (top) and Mike Laux (bottom). Top,

right is the plaque that commemorates John Merril s lane, and his former swimming partner, Ted Simon who s still going strong as evidenced by his strong back-

stroke (middle, left) smiles from the top left photo. All photos by Bill Ewan.


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May 2008 NEM News

NEM News

Happy Holidays toyou and yours!

May you eat much, swim more, and enjoy time

with friends and family this holiday season.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy end to 2011

and a new beginning in 2012.- N E M N e w s

Elaine Howley 28 Adams Street Waltham, MA 02453

Contribu tors: Al Prescott, Emily W hite,Bill Ewan, Barbar a Hummel, Frank W uest,Carol Yunk er, Pat ty Gaynor, & David Bright .

In this Issue:

! Leaf peepers rebuild Vermont

! David Bright shows us how to guage our swims

! SwimRIs Ray Gandy nominated for national swimming award

! NEM to top One Hour Swim... this time its ON!

! East Lyme and Andover meets in photos

! NE-LMSC & NEM Annual Meeting reports

! Announcements: LLS TNT recruitment drive CMSC, and Nahant Knuckleheads to host holiday hootananies

! NEM launches Grand Prix award, beginning January 1


Find this and all past issues of NEM News in full-color online at: www.swimnem.org

Check out the NEM Table at the BU Meet! Stop by the NEM table at the BU meet to pick up some goodies and say hello to our volunteers and board members. We ll have water bottles and some other items for you to purchase. We hope you have a great meet!

2011_11 nem newsletter

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