Zone Representative: June Krauser
Masters Corner | St. Pat: March 13-14 | 1999 Annual Valentine Meet
Hall of Fame Masters Challenge | San Diego to Host | Dixie Zone Top Ten List
Canadian Nationals | Save the Bay | IGLA '99 | Oak Ridge Meet
Good News About Staying Stronger | Congratulations | Fins | 3-Minute Insurance Quiz
MASTERS CORNER by Capt. Ransom J. Arthur, 1977
I received a very detailed and interesting letter from Ann Champ in which she discusses the perennial problem of maintaining motivation when people get older and slower. The motivational area does continue to be a central one for the Masters Program and one which is beset with many complex problems. As we all know, the Masters Program can provide a motivational spur for people to enter or get back into swimming. It can provide an external framework in which swimming can be accomplished with some particular goals in view. It also can provide a certain degree of companionship.
Nevertheless, the primary motivation for continuing any physical fitness program must come from an inner wish of the individual to maintain an optimum level of health and vigor for his or her particular age, physical structure, and degree of infirmity. Staying with any of these programs requires a measure of self discipline. As I have said before, I also think it helps to like the water and to enjoy aquatics. For many of us, swimming, perhaps in the ocean more than in a pool, is sufficiently enjoyable in itself that we would do it regardless of whether or not it was helpful to our health or whether or not there was any form of external reward in the form of Masters awards. As the years pass, there will be a retention in the program on a permanent basis of those individuals who have this kind of inner motivation and self discipline. There will always be some who will continue winning and they can add the excitement of victories to the motivational forces that keep them swimming. But for most people, their satisfactions will have to come from a sense of well being and a sense of accomplishment within the framework of their own capability.
One must take into account the variables which I mentioned above, that is, not only age, but also one's physical structure and one's level of disability, if any. In the youngest age group disability is not common. In the age groups over 50 and 60, it is routine. Swimming in spite of an impediment or handicap is something that we would all wish to see. Many people will find that a year or two of the Masters Program enjoyable and then will cease their participation. This shouldn't be seen as tragic. If these individuals gained pleasure from their time in the program, then it was worthwhile in itself. Naturally, we would like to see them continue and make swimming a life long activity at whatever level of participation they wish, but this is a free nation and everyone is free to choose what he or she wishes to do with his leisure time. One can never net all of the fish in the sea, but on the whole, we've had a good harvest.
I continue to think it's important to stress to Masters swimmers that they alone should determine their level or participation and of effort. Many people enjoy and profit from going to every meet possible and competing once a month or more. Others may wish only to participate in one meet a year. Each is an appropriate use of the program. Some may seek national recognition, others merely to enjoy swimming as fast as they can go at the local level without any serious regard for national level times. This is good, too. The Masters Program, because it is made up of mature men and women, can have a relaxed and flexible approach which the frenetic programs for the young cannot duplicate. We encourage serious and disciplined swimming, but we also promote the enjoyment of aquatics as well.
ST. PAT: MARCH 13-14
The annual St. Patrick's Day Invitational at Dynamo Swim Center in Atlanta took place March 13 & 14. At 265 swimmers and 37 participating teams, this was a smaller meet than the last two years, which actually proved to be an asset in cutting down on the length of the meet while still providing top notch competition.
Speaking of top notch, we saw that in the swims of Angel Martino and John Olsen, 1996 Olympic champions. These two dazzled the crowd and crashed the record board, breaking not just Masters records, but POOL records also!
The top three team finishers in the meet were all Georgia teams: Georgia Masters Killer Whales (1511 points), Atlanta Rainbow Trout (1029 points), and Dynamo Masters (828 points). Top out of state team was North Carolina Masters (703 points), with Team Greenville (275 points) and Greater Knoxville Masters (222 points) finishing second and third respectively for visiting teams. Other Georgia teams placing well were Lanier Aquatics and Brunswick Y Barracudas, who finished fourth and fifth respectively among Georgia teams.
There were numerous individual high point winners, of course, with age groups represented from 19+ to 90+. Other winners of note were JOHN ZIEGLER, winner of the annual Lotz Trivia Quiz (no surprise from that Master of Trivia), and JOCO KRUGER, who took home the grand prize for the raffle, Abilard the Pig!
1999 ANNUAL VALENTINE MEET
This meet was held on February 13-14 at the Long Center in Clearwater. Ann Coccagnia, Linda Haus, Kurt Wienants and June Krauser represented Gold Coast Masters and GOLD came in 10th in the team standings with 27 teams participating. June won High Point in the 70-74 age group with 77 points, Ann was second in the 25-29 age group with 58 points, Linda was fourth in the 30-34 age group with 40 points, and Kurt was fourth in the 35-39 age group with 43 points. June won 7 events, Ann won 2, Linda won 3, and Kurt won 4. A very good showing!
This was quite an interesting weekend for June as her nephew was married on the Saturday of the meet at the Center for Chimpanzee and Orangutan Conservation in Wauchula. Son Larry flew in from Spokane, WA and swam in the meet winning high point in the 45-49 age group. Both June and Larry entered the first five events on Saturday but only got in four before leaving for the wedding. Daughter Janice flew in from Colorado Springs and the Water Polo Convention early Saturday morning. The wedding was casual and came off without a hitch after the chimps quieted down. The bride is a volunteer at the center. An unforgettable meet!
HALL OF FAME MASTERS CHALLENGE
This meet took place on February 26-28 at the Hall of Fame Aquatic Complex in Fort Lauderdale. There were 105 participants with 20 teams participating. There were Masters teams from Adirondack, 1776 Colonial, Empire State, Spain, Greater Indiana, Lakeside, Michigan, Montana, New England, Orlando, Rocky Mountain, St. Louis, six teams from the Florida LMSC, and only Gold Coast, Lake Lytal, and Plantation from the Florida Gold Coast LMSC. It was a gorgeous weekend and there was a lot of good swimming and good officiating. Two USMS records were broken -- Tracie Moll broke the 50-yard butterfly record in the 35-39 age group and June Krauser broke the 1650-yard freestyle record in the 70-74 age group. Laura Val had held the 50-yard fly record since 1987. Way to go Tracie!
SAN DIEGO TO HOST 1999 United States Aquatic Sports Convention
So what? How does a "convention" affect a local Masters Swimmer? Each year, in a city at a site (convention hotel) selected four or five years in advance, United States Aquatic Sports, Inc. holds its annual convention. In reality, each convention is FIVE conventions rolled into one. USA Swimming, US Synchronized Swimming, US Water Polo, US Diving and US Masters Swimming are the five corporations which form US Aquatic Sports, Inc. Of a total 1,600 delegates to the convention, 200 are Masters Swimming delegates, who convene to form the National Governing Body of our sport -- US Masters Swimming. And "govern" we do! Masters Swimming, by the way, is the only one of the five aquatic sports governed totally by the athletes! San Diego will be hosting the 1999 Convention at the Town Country Resort and Conference Center Wednesday, September 16 through Sunday, September 19 (Masters). The San Diego-Imperial Local Masters Swim Committee will host only the US Masters Swimming portion of the Convention. Adrienne Pipes and Dave Lamott have agreed to coordinate our hosting efforts, which will consist of arranging for a.m. pool workouts for 100 Masters swimmer delegates, hosting a "Social" (LMSC budget permitting) on Friday night September 17, and providing for a La Jolla Cove Open Water "experience" on Saturday am.
DIXIE ZONE TOP TEN LIST
SWIMMERS: If you have competed in a meet outside the Dixie Zone and would like your times from that meet considered for the Dixie Zone Top Ten list, you must notify the Dixie Zone Top Ten Recorder. The Dixie Zone consists of the states of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana. You may send the Top Ten Recorder a printed copy of the official meet results with your times high lighted, or you may ask the meet director to mail or email the results directly to her. Electronically submitted meet results must come from the meet director. They will not be accepted from individual swimmers. The current Dixie Zone Top Ten Recorder is Karen Crossen, 533 Towne Lake Drive, Montgomery AL: 36117, voice phone 334-215-3109, fax 334-215-1300, email kcrossen@aol.com
CANADIAN NATIONALS
Twelve MAVERICKS are primed for spring, the Tulip Festival and Nationals, in Nepean (outskirts of Ottawa), Canada. They hope the Canadians will be ready for them. As of March 18, there were 4.420 entries (not people). Good luck as you are all representing the Dixie Zone!
SAVE THE BAY by Randy Nutt
Once again the finest competitive swimmers in the Southeast will be coming to South Florida. The Tampa Bay 5K Open Water Challenge May 1, 1999, is a chance not only for swimmers to compete in an open water event, but also to help raise funds for the programs of Tampa Baywatch and to focus the community's attention on the critical environmental and water quality issues facing Tampa Bay.
The race begins at 9 am on the south side of Gandy Beach and finishes on Picnic Island Park where the awards and lunch party will be held. Awards will be given to the top three men and women in each age group.
IGLA '99
The IGLA '99 website has been completely updated with meet information (www.IGLA'99.org). Georgia LMSC members can download the registration packet and entry forms from the site at http://www.IGLA99.org/download.htm as well as view schedule information online.
This is going to be a three-day meet covering swimming, diving and water polo at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Facility. Several folks have asked about local participation. This meet is a USMS-sanctioned meet and is open to ALL USMS athletes to compete in. As the IGLA (International Gay and Lesbian Aquatics) Championships, only IGLA teams will be able to compete for the IGLA championship trophy; however, all participating individuals will be able to compete and win individual awards.
This is going to be an exciting competition for aquatic athletes in Georgia as we expect between 700 and 1000 competitors from around the world to come to this event. Already, the Atlanta Rainbow Trout have received pre-registrations from athletes in 15 countries, and we expect to have several Olympic caliber athletes competing.
OAK RIDGE MEET
The Oak Ridge Masters (TN) combined with the USA Lois Weir Invitation Meet for a fun-filled competition January 9-10. Thanks to Greg Grass for his work over the last two years to promote this event. Many swimmers from the nearby area came to participate, and for a few swimmers, this was their first meet. The order of events gave swimmers some extra rest between events. High Point awards were practical embroidered towels for the TOP three. And the winners were Carol Cruzen 36 ORM, Jean Fox 63 GKMS, Gina Smith 38 GKMS, Ed Sendler 61 CATS, Ed Lambert 77 GKMS, and Willis Moore 71 CATS.
Nest year's meet will be held on the same weekend in January. Information about the meet will be sent to all Southeastern LMSC teams. We hope that meets like this will help to promote a working relationship between teams to help each other with future needs.
THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT STAYING STRONGER LONGER from The Johns Hopkins Medical Letter
But first some bad news: By age 70, most people have at least 20% less muscle tissue than they did at age 30. This slow process of erosion has recently been recognized as a bona fide medical condition called sarcopenia, Greek for "vanishing flesh."
Sarcopenia has significant health implications because it impairs balance and limits strength. Together, these two developments increase the likelihood of falls, which frequently produce bone fractures. Broken bones are a leading cause of disability and death, especially among the many older adults who have osteoporosis (weak bones that break easily).
Now the good news: The effects of sarcopenia can be significantly reduced, even reversed. All that's required is a moderate amount of exercise. But if your activities are exclusively aerobic (walking, jogging, swimming, cycling), that's not enough. Although aerobic exercise is essential for strengthening the heart and bones, thereby preventing heart disease and osteoporosis, its effect on muscle size and strength is minimal.
Preventing sarcopenia requires adding resistance training to your exercise routine. Resistance training (also known as strength training, weight training, or isotonics) is a different type of exercise which targets specific muscles. Resistance training can stop and even reverse sarcopenia. Research shows that older adults who have been lifting weights for 15 to 20 years are at least as strong as inactive 20-year olds.
Resistance training is a type of exercise performed in one place while standing, sitting, or lying down. It includes leg lifts, arm curls, and abdominal crunches. Such movements can be performed using free-weights, weight machines, or by working against gravity. The goal is to challenge the targeted muscles by performing at least three sets of eight to 12 repetitions, and to gradually increase the amount of weight used. In addition to slowing muscle loss, resistance training produces other important health benefits. Among the most valuable are increased metabolism, increased bone density, decreased risk of diabetes, better ratio of 'good' cholesterol to bad cholesterol, and pain relief for osteoarthritis and possibly rheumatoid arthritis.
CONGRATULATIONS
The Dixie Zone has the honor of having TWO swimmers named "MASTERS SWIMMERS OF THE YEAR" by Swim Magazine. Bill Specht, 40, representing St. Pete Masters out of St. Petersburg FL set six world marks for men 40-44 in August at the LC Nationals. He even went faster in the 100m fly than Mark Spitz's 1992 Olympic comeback! People ask Bill's coach George Bole, what do you give Bill Specht to account for his wonderful achievements? Reply -- lots of hard work. Bill has the greatest work ethic; he strives to be the best, and he thrives on competition. He is always positive. These are lessons to be learned. Don't just stand still and admire him -- try to emulate him.
Tracie Moll, a Fort Lauderdale beach lifeguard representing Gold Coast Masters, seems to be driven and set nine world records in two age groups this past year. She says that she is more aggressive and training harder than ever before in her life. One of her long-range goals is to make cuts for the Olympic Trials in 2000. She is just tenths away and likes her chances. Tracie trains at the Swimming Hall of Fame pool with coach Nobutaka Tan.
FINS by Randy Nutt
In December of 1998, Finswimming was selected to be a medal sport at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. Although Finswimming in the USA is very new, there are many teams and athletes training with monofins. Finswimming has drawn the attention and participation of great swimmers such as Misty Hyman, Pablo Morales, and Jenny Thompson, all of which have attended the Finswimming World championship meets which are held every two years. The next World Championship will be held in the year 2000 in Barcelona, Spain. Since the sport is young and growing, now is the time to encourage all coaches and swimmers to decide if they want to be a part of Olympic history.
The sport is not limited to monofins. Any type of fin can be used, although the monofins are predominant because of the great speeds that can be achieved. Take a look at the benefits of monofin use:
Typical events include
To bring the sport to Florida, I am working with my friend at Finis (the leading manufacturer of monofins) John Mix, and would like to bring an event here to South Florida. Anyone interested in hosting this event, let me know. (The Victor, Inc. http://www.thevictor.com)
3-MINUTE INSURANCE QUIZ
1. What coverage do I have by virtue of my USMS membership while particpating in a USMS practice, sanctioned or approved meet?
2. Is the USMS insurance in effect if USA Swimming and USMS members are practicing together?
3. If I particpate in an open water swim and get hit by an escort boat, what coverage do I have through USMS?
4. I'm a USMS coach-member. As a results of a serious injury to one of my team members, I am sued for "improper instruction." Am I covered?
5. A USMS member has a heart attack while practicing with a USMS workout group. Is there any coverage under the USMS insurance program?
6. Our workout group has to share a pool with lap swimmers who are not USMS members. Is the USMS coverage in place if one of the workout group participants is injured?
7. I work out in the local pool by myself. If I am injured, is there any coverage under the USMS insurance program?
8. Several of us carpool to practice and meets. If we are involved in an automobile accident on the way to one of these functions, do we have any coverage under USMS insurance programs?