Aloha Hawaii Masters Swimmers,

 Fall is here!  Fitness is Now! 

In Hawaii Fall started last Tues Sept 22 at 11:18pm HST when the sun was directly over the equator.  There’s never a better time to start swimming (or get back into it) than today.  Right now –  Before you make excuses about the water/air being too cold.  Use it or lose it.

As swimmers, we all know how swimming helps keep us fit and feeling better physically and mentally.  Hawaii Masters encourages swimming for whole-body exercise for all ages throughout our state – bring friends to swim with you.  Workouts can be as hard as you like, but they’re also non-impact.  Even short easy workouts help stretch and refresh tired & stiff muscles.  Sometimes it’s hard to get started, but you’ll feel better once you do.

Don’t be intimidated by the word “Masters”.  Nationwide, 95% of Masters Swimmers do not compete – most swim for fitness, fun and friends.  USMS has all sorts of programs to help you get started right on their Fitness Page.  Reach out and get more people to join in with you!

The 2010 registration year begins Nov 1^st.  But don’t wait … get in there now.

From the Chair:

     We’ve just been to the annual National USMS Conference in Chicago.  Representing Hawaii Masters was Janet Renner (Open Water & Long Distance Committee delegate and past President of HMSA), Diane Stowell (Championship Committee delegate), Toni Sinnott (Registrar) and I (General Chair).  We’ve been re-energized to move ahead on some plans we’d started earlier this year – we were waiting to coordinate with national efforts.  I’ve already mentioned Exercise is Medicine.  We’re also going to encourage you to track how you’re swimming … for free … with the USMS on-line  “Go the Distance” (track ocean or pool), encourage coaches to challenge selected swimmers with the “Check Off Challenge” being renamed and run by “SwimDogs”, and for a few swimmers that want a serious challenge we’ll recognize Killer Quad swimmers on the HMSA website (ocean or pool).

     Over the next few months, your HMSC board we’ll also be doing some work behind the scenes

·      New Bylaws.  Our current bylaws will be posted on our website shortly … along with some new proposed bylaws.  HMSA’s bylaws were last updated in 1984.  Ernie James has drafted new bylaws, and we’re in the process of massaging his draft proposal to match the new “Minimum Standards” voted in at the USMS meeting custom fit for Hawaii’s unique geographic nature (separate islands) and location (year-round warm ocean swimming).  The new bylaws will require a Secretary (Thank you to Kevin Drake for accepting) and an Official’s Chair (Thank you to Sandy Drake for accepting).

·      December or January Annual HMSA Meeting: One of the things any non-profit organization has to do is have an annual meeting … which this year will be voting on new by-laws and new

·      Hawaii Masters swim team changing to a “Regional Team”.  HiMa (Hawaii Masters Swim Team) was created in 2002 by Janet Renner as a alternative team for swimmers to register with so all of Hawaii swimmers could swim as one team (with relays) at the 2002 Short Course Nationals at the UH Manoa Pool.  It has served as a team for those who want to go to mainland (eg; national and world) meets and swim as one team.  USMS offers a kind of team that allows people to register with their “local” club for competition in-state, but  as one team when going out of the LMSC to other meets.  Your board will be finalizing the decision to do this over the next month.

·      2010 New Registration Forms with data collection.

o  The new club registration forms for 2010 will be on-line in a few weeks – this registration must be completed for your swimmers to register with your team.  New 2010 registration begins November 1^st, 2010.

o  The best and primary way for individuals to register is online at www.usms.org/reg where you can pay online by credit card and get an immediate USMS card copy printed (which the registrar will mail you a new card for 2010).

o  For those who prefer sending in paper forms with a check, and for coaches to get blank forms available at practice, the new registration forms will be on our HMSA website Nov 1^st, too.

o  The new online Registration forms will be collecting data to serve you better: we’ll be polling where you swim (ocean or pool), if you’re also a triathlete, what island you’re on (to more specifically direct emails), what you’d like to see from Hawaii Masters, and a few more items.

o  The fee is going up from $35 to $40 this year including a $2 increase from USMS national, and a $3 increase to better support you with more services, website support, and create some more opportunities for swimming and clinics.

·      Planning the Swim Meet and Open Water schedule for 2010 including … Spring combination clinic/workout, Saturday Masters Swim Meet, Sunday Ocean Race … A state championship meet …  as well as all the ocean races and swim meets we’ve had in the past year.

News:

·      If you haven’t heard yet, as of October 1^st, 2009, the new tech suits cannot be used in pool swim meets for Short Course Yards.  Suits must be fabric, above the knees and up to the shoulders with no sleeves nor high-neck.  The rules are slightly different for USA-Swimming (age group) vs USMS: USA-S men can only wear above the knees and below the waist.  For Short Course Meters and Long Course Meters meets, USMS will be following whatever rules & implementation dates FINA comes down with.

·      Waikiki Swim Club board & swimmers at Ala Moana  are heading up an effort to meet with DLNR to work out safety issues with stand-up paddlers at Ala Moana.  WSC board has also met with doctors and legislators on this issue.  To date DLNR has not responded with a dateto meet although they have agreed to meet.  As of last week, no buoys have been set up in the park – so nothing has happened so far.  Stay tuned…

·      2010 Nationals will be Short Course in Atlantic May 28-31, and Long Course in Puerto Rico August 1-4.  More info is on the website.  2011 will be SCY Mesa Arizona in April, and LCM will be in Auburn Alabama first week of August.

Exercise is Medicine:

Exercise is Medicine is an organization that promotes physical activity and exercise as a standard part of a disease prevention and a treatment medical paradigm in the United States.  It was launched in November 2007 by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Medical Association (AMA).   It is committed to the belief that exercise and physical activity are integral in the prevention and treatment of diseases, and should be assessed as part of medical care and integrated into every primary care office visit.  It encourages primary care physicians to include exercise when designing treatment plans for patients and calls on doctors to prescribe exercise to their patients or refer patients to a fitness professional or allied health professional for exercise counseling.

·      on-line  “Go the Distance” (help & how-to page) [Set up an account at MyUSMS, Login, and fill out your daily fitness log],

·      “Check Off Challenge” being renamed and run by “SwimDogs”,

·      Killer Quad swimmers (10/31 1-hour swim, TG 50x100’s, Xmas 75x100’s, & New Year 100x100’s)

·      who send in results to me [Swim it in the ocean, swim a pool, swim with others, swim alone … just send me your results]

·      There’s agood article by Jim Miller (Sports Medicine) about swimmers shoulder on the USMS site.

Summer Swimmer Results; Fall Events:

All results are posted on the HMSA website under results and below following a short tale of swimming the Pentathlon on Maui by an Oahu swimmer, Anna Togias:

 I’ve Always Loved 50’s  Written by Anna Togias

On August 29, 2009 I attended my second Pentathlon as a Masters swimmer hosted by the Maui Dolphins Swim Club.  It was the 5^th annual Maui Summer Pentathlon, which is a meet that runs both age group swimming and masters swimming in the same session.  The meet offers a 50yd event for each stroke followed by a 100yd Individual Medley.  Swimmers may choose to compete in any or all of the events; however, to be eligible for a cumulative score, time, and placing, all events must be done.  

My first impression of this meet in 2008 was that it was such a fun, different experience from the typical open water races typical of Masters swimming in Hawaiʻi.  Being in the age group that typically features the more senior varsity swimmers and swimmers who have finished collegiate swimming, some events don’t generate many younger Masters swimmers.  In 2008, we had three female swimmers in my category and it was really great to have some friendly competition.  This year, however, I was one of three female masters swimmers at the whole meet, and the only one in my age group.  One of my favorite things about this meet and other swimming events on Maui is that I get to travel to a different island and get away from the hectic atmosphere of Oʻahu.  Swimming with the University of Hawaii Masters is great because it attracts many different types and ages of Masters swimmers.  Many of these swimmers are avid participants in the North Shore Swim Series and the Waikiki Roughwater Swim, among other smaller events. I wish that this diversity could present itself more in pool competitions across the islands.  After a whole summer of swimming miles and miles in the ocean, what could be more fun than some quick 50’s in the pool?

 2009 Sanctioned Events ... click to go to link on this website.

Even More Results … Channel Crossings

One type of swimming accomplishment unique to Hawaii is Channel Crossings.   You can find them posted on Hawaii Swim Clubs’ webpage with rules , and each channel a separate page starting with the Kaiwi Channel .  Of course there’s the Maui Channel Swim Relay Race … which had 18 solo swimmers make it this past Labor Day weekend.  Here are the Channel Crossings from year to date.