Carleton Masters Swimming Newsletter
#136
Sunday, February 5th,
2006
To: Carleton
Coaches (11 addresses)
Bcc:
Those Registered
for Fall 2005 / Winter 2006 and Alumni: High
Intensity (17 addresses), 7:30am Earlybirds (33 addresses), 8:30am Earlybirds
(19 addresses), 6pm Whitecaps "A" (50 addresses), 6pm Whitecaps "B"
(38 addresses), Nightcaps (37 addresses), Masters "Alumni" (41 members).
High Intensity
Cancellations and End; 6:30am Earlybirds Start; Coaching
Substitutions
Please note that all
Varsity / High Intensity workouts are cancelled from Thu Feb 9th thru
Mon am Feb 13th inclusive. Also Heather M will be coaching Whitecaps “A” on
Thu Feb 9th and Blake C
will be coaching Earlybirds on Fri Feb 10th. The last Varsity / High Intensity workout of
the season is on Wed am Feb 22nd (a week earlier than
originally announced due to a change in the Varsity schedule). Danny F will coach Whitecaps “A” on Thu Feb
23rd and Blake C will
again coach Earlybirds on Fri Feb 24th. The 6:30am Earlybirds program starts on Mon Mar
6th. If there is enough interest, we could run $3 workouts on
Wed Mar 1st and Fri Mar 3rd. Please let me know if
this would interest you.
Buy Great Toys
and Support the Varsity Swim Team if you Purchase
TODAY!
Veronica (Whitecaps
“A”) sells Discovery toys through demonstration parties and on-line. From
now until February 5th, 15% of any toys that you purchase will go
towards the Varsity swim team. The web site is: http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/esuite/home/giggey/.
These toys are educational and good for babies up to
teenagers. If you would like to arrange to meet with Veronica, or if you
have any questions, you can contact her at: veronica_giggey@rogers.com.
Jim Lee
Update
Jim Lee (7:30am Earlybirds) suffered a stroke
on Sat Jan 14th. After just over a week in hospital he has been
home for a while. Here’s the latest update from his wife, Deb.
“Jim continues to do very
well. He starts at the Rehab by the General on Monday [Feb
6th]. It is a bit of a challenge for him to not be exercising
the way he would like to be. He does go for a lot of walks. He has
to wait for his head to catch up with what his body is telling him to do.
He is in good spirits and especially enjoyed the Calvin and
Thanks to Rob T for sending
the flowers! I believe that visiting hours at the Rehab centre are
3-8pm.
Jim (age 50) has been asked
to participate in some studies due to how well the TPA treatment worked for
him. He has also been asked to participate in the education program to get
information on this drug out to the community. This will involve public
speaking, with which, as a minister, he has lots of
experience!
Women’s Locker
Update
As most women who swim at 6pm know,
finding a locker at that time of day has been near to impossible over the past
weeks. Normally when this happens, I notify the Control Desk and Paul
Armstrong (Athletics PR) and one of the staff goes in and cuts off the
unauthorized locks and this problem goes away for months. This time, there
was no improvement even though we were assured the locks had been cut.
This problem is so bad that one swimmer has actually transferred to Nightcaps to
avoid this hassle! There are some lockers that could be moved in to the
women’s change room temporarily, but the feeling is that it would make the
locker room too crowded. The feedback I’ve had is that a slightly more
crowded locker room is much better than no available lockers! Over the
annual shutdown (end of April), some full lockers will be replaced by half
lockers in an attempt to improve the situation. Again, feedback I’ve
received is that most prefer full lockers, especially in winter. Note that
you are permitted to bring your belongings on deck, and there are usually
lockers available in the alternate needs if you want extra security (compared to
leaving your belongings in the open on the deck). On a positive note, as
of the end of last week, the number of lockers available went up considerably,
so maybe there was a delay in cutting off the unauthorized locks? In any
case, your comments on the locker room (locker availability, clogged drains, and
any other issues), are greatly appreciated and can be sent to Paul Armstrong at:
Paul_Armstrong@carleton.ca.
Swimmer
Notes
Our Condolences: Rob van
Veen (x-Whitecaps
“A”) sends in this note about his mother who had been battling cancer.
“I'm sorry to have to inform you
that my mother passed away Monday morning [Jan 30th]
at 9:18 am. It was very beautiful. Mom was trying to say something to me ("I
love you", I believe). I was holding her hand and praying for her. She was
completely at peace, and she took her last breath between the time I started and
the time I finished the prayer. I had been with her almost 24 hours a day every
day except one since last Christmas. Elaine was there for two weeks and
weekends. I can't imagine anything better.
There will be memorial
service at
Little
Angels: This year's Keskinada Loppet
will serve as a fund-raising event for the Little Angels and Bone Marrow
Transplant Fund of the
Xmas Party Lost
and Found: Did you go to the Masters
Christmas party? Have your hands or your child’s head been cold since
then? If so, perhaps you left your gloves (adult brown and white knitted
pattern) or hat (kids’ two shades of blue jester toque) behind? We’d like
to get these items to their proper home. Let
53rd
Annual
Vicki Keith
Visits Ottawa: Vicki Keith, owner of many
marathon swimming World Records (she’s the one who swam most of the Great Lakes
doing butterfly!), is visiting Ottawa on Feb 12th. She will be
speaking at the Trinity Presbyterian Church, 110 McCurdy Drive in Kanata at 9
and 11 am, and will be available for a meet and greet following each
service.
Reminders: The
lifeguards and coaches remind you to help clean up the equipment (kick boards
and pull buoys) after your workout, and also please avoid hanging on the lane
ropes as they break so easily. Thanks!
Carleton Swim Suits:
Price is $70 for the women's suits
($55 for girl's) and $35 for the men's (cash or cheque payable to
"
Nose Clips for
Winter Session
Information
This is where the winter attendance
stats are listed along with information on upcoming special workouts (e.g. time
trials). The regular workout themes are posted on the web site.
Congratulations to the 17 swimmers with perfect weekday attendance
to date:
7:30am
Earlybirds
(Jan 4-Feb 3rd; 14 workouts; range 10-18; avg:
15.6)
Perfect Attendance: Barb P, Leona
8:30am Earlybirds
(Jan 4-Feb
3rd; 14 workouts; range 8-18; avg: 14.1)
Perfect Attendance: Alan H
6pm Whitecaps
“A” (Jan
3-Feb 2nd; 14 workouts; range 23-38; avg:
28.7)
Perfect Attendance: Don W, Francois P, Gi, Joanne D, Pete
L
6pm Whitecaps
“B” (Jan
3-17th; 7 workouts; range 20-36; avg. 22.1) – to be updated next
time
Perfect Attendance: Bill S, Christiane W, George, Jennifer S, Marg E,
Mariette
8pm
Nightcaps
(Jan 3-Feb 2nd; 10 workouts; range 11-22; avg.
17.2)
Perfect Attendance: Elizabeth P,
Jasmine
High
Intensity
(Jan 4-Feb 4th; 14 workouts (9 HI2; 12 HI3); range 2-13; avg: 6.8
[excluding Varsity])
Perfect Attendance: Francois A
(HI2)
Masters Swimming
Competitions
You must
register annually with Masters Swimming Ontario (MSO) if you want to
compete in Masters Swimming competitions. Cost is $26 for a registration
good until Dec 31/06. Contact
Some preliminary information on
upcoming local and championship meets for the season is given below. Full
details on all Ontario Masters competitions can be found at: http://www.mastersswimmingontario.ca/competition/schedule01.htm. For
Sat Feb 11th
pm Nepean Winterlude Meet
(Sportsplex; LC) noon check in, 12:30pm warm up, 1:15pm start, 6:30pm
estimated finish. Events: 200 open, 100fl, 100bk, 50br, 50fs, 200 relay,
break, 50fl, 50bk, 100fs, 100br, 400fs, 400 relay. Cost: $25 (max 4
individual events and 2 relays). Deadline: Wed Feb
1st
for both registration and fees. Full
details and on-line registration (coming soon) at: http://www.nmsc.org/meets/wlude06i.htm.
Sat Feb
18th Rideau Speedeaus Meet (Ottawa
U) 8:30am warm up, 9:15am start, 4pm estimated finish. Events:
1500fs, 800fs, 50bk, 200IM, 100fs, 50fl, 100br, 400IM, 4x50FR, lunch break, pink
flamingo relay, 200fs, 100bk, 100IM, 200br, 50fs, 200bk, 100fl, 50br, 400fs,
4x50MR. Cost: $30 ($35 after Feb 13th) (max 6 events, plus relays).
Deadline: Sat Feb 4th
(late entries may be accepted, space permitting). Full details at: http://www.rideauspeedeaus.com.
Sat Mar 11th
am Technosport Arthur Inglis
Invitational Sprint Meet (Ottawa U) 7:45am warm up, 8:30am start, 10:30am
finish. Events: 200fs, 50fl, 100bk, 50br, 50fs, 100br, 50bk, 200IM, 100fl,
100fs, 200MR. Cost: $30 (unlimited events; can pay on the day).
Deadline: Wed Mar 1st.
Register on-line at: http://ca.geocities.com/technosport@rogers.com/forms/seriesmf.htm (or
follow links from: http://www.technosport.ca) and e-mail: coachduanejones@technosport.ca
to confirm that your entry was received.
Fri Mar 31 - Sun Apr
2nd Provincial Championships
(
Sat Apr 8th
am
Technosport Sprint Meet (
Sat May 13th
am Technosport Sprint Meet
(
Sat Jun 3rd
am Technosport Distance Meet
(
Aug 4-11th,
2006 XI FINA World Masters
Championships,
Race
Results: (Please send
in your results!!)
Sat Jan 7th Technosport Sprint
Meet
Nine Carleton swimmers participated:
George (WCB),
Andrew (WCB),
Bozena (WCB),
Rob (7:30am),
Lynn (Coach),
Francois
P (WCA), Katie (WCB),
Vanessa (WCB -- her first
Masters meet!), and Gi (WCA). Official
results are available at: http://ca.geocities.com/technosport@rogers.com/results/jan7_06.htm. Here’s
how everyone did:
Katie
S (25-29, WCA): 1st 50fs
(37.33), 50bk (41.19 - PB), 100IM (1:32.50 - PB)
Vanessa (25-29,
WCB): 1st 100fs (1:23.81), 50br (50.58); 2nd 50fs
(37.39)
Bozena (50-54,
WCB): 1st 100fs (1:40.98 - PB), 50bk (1:00.37), 50fl (51.51);
2nd 50fs (43.84), 100bk (2:21.53), 100br (2:02.42 - PB), 100IM
(1:52.28 - PB)
Gi (18-24,
WCA): 1st 50fs (32.39), 50bk (46.85), 50br (43.88), 50fl
(38.54)
Francois
P (35-39, WCA): 1st 50bk
(44.94 - PB); 2nd 50br (44.64); 3rd 50fs (35.04 -
PB)
Rob
T (50-54, 7:30am/NC): 2nd
50fs (34.53), 50fl (39.41 – club record), 100IM
(1:32.31)
Andrew
P (55-59, WCB): 1st 50br
(43.56 – club record), 100br (1:36.79 – club record), 100IM (1:35.04 – club
record)
George (80-84,
WCB): 1st 50bk (1:04.15), 50br (1:04.36)
Congratulations to Rob and Andrew on
their club records!!
Sun Jan 15th 1000 Island Y Masters
Almost Serious Meet (
Five Carleton swimmers participated
(George, Andrew, Rob T, Gi and
Gi (men’s
20-24, WCA): 1st: 50fs, 50br, 100br, 100IM
Rob
T (men’s 50-54, 7:30am/NC):
3rd: 50fs, 100fs, 50br, 100IM
Andrew
P (men’s 55-59, WCB): 1st:
50fl (40.40 – club record), 100IM (1:32.16 – club record); 2nd: 50br,
100br (1:34.59 – club record)
George (men’s
80-84, WCB): 1st: 200fs (4:20.94 – club record), 50bk, 50br,
100br
Congrats to George and Andrew on
their club records!
Fri Jan
27th – Sat Dec 28th Pointe Claire Masters Swim
Meet
(
Rob
T (50-54; 7:30am / NC) participated
in this meet: 100fs (1:18.34 – club record), 200IM (3:43.88), 50fl (40.51), 50fs
(33.72), 100IM (1:27.52 – club record). Congratulations to Rob on his 2
club records! He reports that it was a fun meet, but that he has sworn off
200m events for the rest of the season or until he builds more stamina!!
It was suggested by one of the swimmers that the D'Ollard meet in
March is a good one to attend. There is also the
Sat Jan 28th Technosport Distance
Meet
Four Carleton
swimmers participated: Susanne
R (High
Intensity), Bozena (Whitecaps
“B”), George (Whitecaps
“B”) and
Susanne
R (25-29, HI): 2nd 1500fs
(19:45.09)
Bozena (50-54,
WCB): 1st 1500fs (30:59.70 – club record,
PB)
George (80-84,
WCB): 1st 800fs (18:57.94 – club record)
Congrats to George and Bozena on
their club records. Bozena took about 2.5 minutes off her old 1500m
time!
Here is George’s meet
report:
This being a long
distance swim meet - 400 I.M., 800 Free and 1500 Free - it was
attended by few hardy souls, including four very enthusiastic swimmers from
Carleton: Bozena, Lynn, young Susanne and old George. Although
When the race started, Bozena and
George, with stop watch (actually George's Timex), pencil and paper in hand
started timing
Now one would assume that such an
accomplishment would be enough for any ordinary mortal; but not for
After all this, everything else was
a bit anticlimactic; still for the record Bozena bravely swam the 1500 in a very
respectable time, young Susanne looked great in the same event, while George
managed to finish the 800 meters slightly under 19 minutes. By the way the
records for this event in George's age group is 14:46 for the Canadian and 13:29
for the world record. Obviously George has a lot to learn or else wait until he
matures a bit more before he makes an attempt at
records.
Sun Feb
5th Canadian Indoor Rowing Championships,
George (Whitecaps
“B”) is participating in this event today. Results next time! Full
details at: http://www.cdnindoorrowing.org.
Ask the
Coach
Dear Coach:
It seems
that the swipe machine at the Control Desk is faulty as almost all students need
to swipe twice before it works. This causes a huge line up at peak
times. Can anything be done? Frustrated
Swimmer
Dear F.
Swimmer: This was reported to Paul Armstrong and they agreed that the
machine wasn’t working well and swapped it with the back-up machine the same
day. Things seem to be working much better now! Thanks for letting
us know about this problem.
Dear
Coach: I keep getting leg cramps
during workout. I do my stretching, drink water and eat bananas.
What else can I do? Cramping Swimmer
Dear C. Swimmer: It sounds
like you are doing all the right things. You may want to try bringing a
sports drink to the pool and drink lots in the half hour or so before your
workout starts. The other thing, as leg cramps tend to recur, is to stop
before the cramp sets in and stretch or switch strokes. Maybe some of our
readers have some other suggestions?
Dear
Coach: Some members of my lane don't
swim the whole workout. They regularly skip 50s. This bothers me
although I'm not sure if it should since it's not slowing me down any. I
think that they could maybe get a better workout if they chose a slower lane.
After all, if the coach wanted us to sprint so hard that we had to take an extra
minute rest, it would be in the workout. Am I right to be annoyed?
If swimmers find the pace times regularly too fast to keep up with the workout,
what should they do? Workout Monitor Swimmer
Dear W.M. Swimmer: It is
sometimes necessary for swimmers to stop due to goggle issues, cramps, bathroom
breaks, health issues, etc. However, if swimmers are finding the pace
times too fast all the time (not just on a bad day), they should talk to the
coach about alternatives. The main thing is for those who stop to not interfere with those who are doing the
full workout. If you need to take a break for whatever reason, join back
in at the end of the lane, without drafting those who have been swimming.
If the lane you are in is not working out for you (too fast, too slow, etc.),
ensure that you talk to your coach! If you do need to take a break due to
feeling tired as opposed to anything urgent, try to wait until the end of a
repeat, so that you don’t throw off your
lane-mates.
Dear
Coach: How can I get faster?
New Swimmer
Dear N. Swimmer: This is a
short question that has a fairly long answer. Getting faster at swimming
involves a lot of factors. For a very new swimmer, becoming comfortable in
the water is key as any anxiety affects the breathing. Once you are
comfortable in the water, it then becomes a combination of technique and
training. Ask your coach to give you some technique tips to work on.
Also, ensure that you are doing the workout as written. It is very
important to vary your speed and take the appropriate rest. If you always
swim at the same speed with the same amount of rest after the same distance of
swimming, you won’t see much improvement. The improvement comes from
forcing your body to adjust to different stresses (distance, rest, intensity,
etc.). Of course, you also have to be aware of your current limitations
due to illness, injury, and any health conditions you may
have.
Dear
Coach: I am planning an cycle
endurance race in the summer (one week of daily racing). What can I do in
the pool to help? Crazy Cyclist
Dear C. Cyclist: In this case,
different from the swimmer above, you want to focus your efforts on endurance
rather than overall speed. Doing other sports (and not just cycling) will
help alleviate the boredom factor of just cycling all the time. Obviously,
your swim technique is less important (as long as you are not injuring yourself
through poor technique). Your focus in the pool (as on the bike) will be
on endurance. You may want to supplement your Masters swimming with a long
swim once per week where you focus on getting a certain distance done in a
certain time (without stopping).
Private and Semi-Private Masters
Swim Lessons
Winter
Availability:
Mon 9:45-10:45am: Feb-Apr
Mon 3-4pm:
Feb-Apr
Mon 4-5pm: Apr
17
Wed 8-9pm:
Mar-Apr
Fri 9:45-10:45am:
Feb-Apr
2005-2006
Prices:
Private:
Non-Members: $55 for 1 hour, $100 for
2, $140 for 3, and $180 for 4 hours, all plus GST.
Semi-Private (2-3
swimmers; per swimmer):
Non-Members: $35 for 1 hour, $65 for 2, $90 for 3,
and $115 for 4 hours, all plus GST.
(Carleton Members get a 25% discount on
the above prices.)
Contact
Reminders
Winter Term
Registration: If you have not yet done so,
please register for the Winter term as soon as
possible, to ensure that the coaches have
up-to-date class lists. You can register on-line 24 hrs/day at http://www.carleton.ca/athletics, or
by phone (520-4480) or in person (main floor) from 8:30am-4:30pm M-F.
Note that those registered in the current High Intensity groups are paid up
until February. All other groups require re-registration for
January. Whitecaps is full for the
Winter term, but all other groups have space. You can also
register now for the 6:30am Earlybirds (starting in March). The workout
themes for Winter 2006 are posted on the web site: http://carletonmasters.tripod.com.
Web Site Links and Newsletter
Archive:
Some swimmers reported that they had
problems viewing some of the recent photos. It's sometimes easier to
access the web site pages, by going to the main page (http://carletonmasters.tripod.com)
and then clicking on the link of interest (e.g. recent
photos).
Also, if your copy of the newsletter
does not arrive or is accidentally deleted, you can view all the old newsletters
on the web site.
Newsletter: An
e-newsletter (like this one) is sent out about every two weeks. If you
have new lane-mates, please mention to them that they should give their e-mail
address to their coach if they'd like to receive
it.
Suggestions for Workouts or
Interested in Making up a Workout or a Set?: If you
have suggestions for the workouts (something you like that we never do, or
something you dislike that we do too much!), or if you'd like to try making up a
workout or a set in a workout, just talk to your coach.
Interested in Copies of the
Workouts?: Are you
interested in getting copies of
Weekly Social
Events: All swimmers are invited to join
us for:
Thursday Dinner (after Whitecaps
workout): Meet by the Control Desk around 7:45pm
Thursday Drinks (after Nightcaps
workout): Meet by the Control Desk around 9:30pm
Saturday Brunch (after 9-10am
workout): Meet by the Control Desk around 10:30am
Triathletes: Check out
Rudy
Hollywood’s website: http://www.trirudy.com and
subscribe to the daily tri-news e-mail.
General
Information: Program
information, photos, old newsletters and the Carleton Masters records, among
other things, can be viewed at: http://carletonmasters.tripod.com.
Your input to this newsletter is
most welcome, especially for the Swimmer Notes, Race Results and Ask
the Coach sections! To be added to or removed from the receiver list,
just let me know (lynnmarshall@sympatico.ca).
Happy lengths!
lynnmarshall@sympatico.ca (or for
quicker response: lynnmar@sce.carleton.ca)
Club
website: http://carletonmasters.tripod.com