Terrapin Masters 800/1500 Meet

By Dave Diehl

Fifty one swimmers entered the 19^th Annual Terrapin Masters 800/1500 Meet (2000 version). Swimmers representing 15 clubs from as far away as Pittsburgh and Wilmington entered and enjoyed the very fast University of Maryland (College Park) pool. Six new meet records were established with the oldest record broken going back to 1987. Roger Franks did not break any records this year but promised to be back next year to attempt to break the world record as a 75-year old. The new meet records were set by the following swimmers:

800

Mary Lathram, DCM (85-89) 24:30.53

Barry Shay, DCM (60-64) 14:05.07

David Gregg, FXCM (65-69) 21:09.78

1500

Katherine Branch, MARY (40-44) 20:38.30

Malonnie Kinnison, NBAC (50-54) 24:29.31

John Geyer, UNAT (35-39) 18:57.39

The Maryland Men’s and Women’s Varsity swimming teams (with a number of Olympic Trial qualifiers present) helped with back up timing, counting and cheerleading which was most appreciated by the competitors.

The Eighteenth Annual Terrapin Masters 1000/1650 Meet is scheduled for December 3, 2000. Watch The Swimmer’s Ear for the entry form or see www://crosslink.net/~cherylw/meet1000.htm and plan to join us for "good times".

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United States Masters Swimming

FINA World Championships

By Tom Denes

Dave Harmon and I represented the Montgomery Ancient Mariners at the World Masters Championships in Munich this summer. It was a unique opportunity to get beaten by swimmers from all over the globe.

When I first arrived in Germany, I had the opportunity to visit with a friend, Uta Virkus, who had swum on the Fairfax County Masters team in 1995. She was gracious enough to pick me up from the airport and show me around Frankfurt. She also took me on a side trip to Heidelburg. The most memorable part of that trip was pushing my right foot into the floorboards of her car while we cruised along at 180 km/h on the Autobahn. (That’s about 110 mph.) Surviving that trip, she made arrangements for me to ride to Munich with three of her teammates from the Bad Homburg Masters team. They went just as fast.

Once in Munich I met up with Dave who had just arrived. We spent our first evening in Munich wandering through sheets of rain in search of an adapter for our electric clippers so that we could shave down. Dave had brought the clippers and I was responsible for bringing the voltage converter. Only nobody had told me that the square converter wouldn’t fit in the round German outlets. (It pays to open the directions BEFORE you actually need them.) Hence, our search for an adapter. Using pigeon German, we were introduced to many interesting German appliances but no adapters. Finally we settled for a direct connector between the clipper and the outlet, completely bypassing the voltage converter. Smarter people might not have tried this bold experiment. Smarter people also might not have allowed the over-juiced clipper to touch their bodies. Plugged into the German outlet, the docile American clipper became a hungry beast and fed on the flesh from my chest. After a few violent minutes, I disconnected the now engorged clipper from the outlet and relied on my razor to finish the task. This took several hours.

The next morning, Dave was up at first light to catch a quick breakfast and begin his shave. He was afraid of missing his first event. Little did he know that it would be after 8 p.m. before he would swim his first race. When we arrived at the Olympic Swim Hall, the warm up pool was already full--and I mean full. There were easily 30-40 people in each lane of the 50 meter warm up pool. Once we finally did pry our way in, we couldn’t stretch out to take a complete stroke. (Interestingly, the Germans designated different speeds for different lanes, which helped a little.) What we were quickly learning was that over 7,000 aquatic competitors had descended on Munich, most of them swimmers. Heats of the 200 I.M. took over six hours alone! Every day of the competition turned into a marathon. Even the 400 freestyle, contested with two swimmers per lane, went on until 10 p.m.

Another thing we learned was that without our I.D. cards we didn’t exist. Grimly determined German teenagers manned every entranceway inside the swim stadium. A swipe of the card through their computers determined our right to access various areas. By the second day, they closed the few alternative routes we had discovered to circumvent the system. Now, if we were foolish enough to exit the building to visit the outdoor vendors, we were forced to climb a hill to return to the swim complex. Competitors using the warm-up pool were forced to reenter the competition area by walking through out-of-the-way locker rooms. (This wasn’t all bad since the locker rooms were coed.).

The venue abounded with aging Olympic stars of the past. Shane Gould, the wonder child of the 1972 Olympics, won the 100-meter freestyle in the 40-44 age group, while Jim Montgomery, gold medallist in 1976, won the 100 freestyle in the 45-49 age group. Mark Spitz, who owned this pool in 1972, declined to swim, and moved around the pool area with the media in tow.

When we weren’t swimming, we were touring the area. We took a bus trip into the Bavarian countryside and saw mad Ludwig’s castles. We also sampled the fine German cooking which consisted mainly of bratwurst and other fine animal cuts. Within a few days we were desperately searching for alternative food sources and finally found a Filipino restaurant that was quite good.

Oh, yes, we did actually race while we were there. Dave had the better meet, shaving 13 seconds off his 400 freestyle to place thirteenth.

Tom Denes is the author of the Waterproof Coach. This article is reprinted from The Rime, the Montgomery Ancient Mariners' newsletter.

World Age Group Triathlon Championships, Perth, Australia

By Dodie Gill

What an experience! Qualifying for the International Triathlon Union World Triathlon Championships was not something I ever anticipated doing until I was in my sixties -- attrition, you understand. However, when the opportunity came for me to compete in Perth, I decided to give it a try. With my injury rate, who knew if I would ever be given another chance.

Just getting to Perth was a challenge; it included over thirty hours of flight and airport time – fifteen hours straight flying from Los Angeles to Sydney, crossing the International Date Line and losing a day. We left on Sunday and arrived on Tuesday. It was fall in Perth, with relatively unpredictable weather. We had rain and gusty winds through Thursday, leaving little time to train -- which was made more difficult for Margaret Regina and me, since the airlines lost our bikes [with much of our equipment in our bike cases]. Our bikes did not arrive at our hotel until Thursday. That left Friday morning to ride the course -- and what a course!! We were confronted with three loops of incredibly deceptive hills, phenomenally beautiful scenery, and fast descents. We planned to swim the river that afternoon, but thought the better of it when we encountered two to three foot high "waves" -- amazing sight. By 7 a.m. Saturday morning the river was like glass, so we swam -- calm, but freezing.

It was so much fun being part of an international community of triathletes [48 countries were represented] -– and can the Aussies throw a party!! We concluded that "playful joy" must be an obligatory course in their school curriculum. The Aussie people could not have been more helpful or friendly -– and they were so much fun!

The Aussies clearly dominated the race. It was their course and the end of their season. But it was exciting to experience. Fortunately, the "old folks" got to start early. Tony Panizza's group began at 6:40 a.m., and Margaret Regina, Marge Stahl, Ethel Autorino [Robin Autorino’s mom from New Jersey] and I started at 6:50 a.m. The river was salty, freezing, and calm for the second day in a row. Leaving the swim, we had to run up a 45 degree ramp, over a platform and down another ramp into the grassy bike transition area. As, mentioned earlier, the course was phenomenal. It became clear to me early on that in the future, I will need to develop a far more intimate relationship with my bike if I want to progress in this sport. Anyway, when we returned to the bike-run transition area, we again had to run up another ramp, over a platform, and down another ramp to begin the run --- see how much fun the Aussies are? Mercifully, the run was two loops of a flat course along the river. It was an excellent course and a well-organized race. Most of the medals the USA team won were in the over 60 age groups. [Yea!!]

Margaret Regina and Dodie Gill.

We left early the next day for Sydney to see the Olympic Park and to experience a different, but as beautiful, Australian city. With the exception of a couple of flight glitches, this was a great trip and an awe inspiring experience for me. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to compete for the Untied States at such a level. If you ever have the chance to do so, I would recommend it.

Dodie Gill swims with Reston Masters and finished fourteenth in the 55-59 age group at the world championships. Margaret Regina finished ninth in 60-64 and Marge Stahl finished second in 70-74. Their results were not available when the May Swimmer's Ear was published.

Triathlon Results

Columbia Triathlon

Top Potomac Valley Finishers

Open Men

1 Eric P. Sorensen 1:56:16

2 Philippe H. Kozub 1:56:34

Open Women

1 Desiree Ficker 2:07:36

Grand Master Men (60+)

1 Antonio Panizza 2:31:13

Grand Master Women (50+)

1 Anne Viviani 2:46:01

Women 20-24

4 Robin Oswald 2:25:12

Men 25-29

2 Craig C. Ullman 2:03:12

Women 25-29

2 Emily E. Read 2:23:45

Cindy Eckert and Wynn Fertig

Men 30-34

4 Duane Hedlund 2:06:42

Men 40-44

3 Wynn K. Fertig 2:12:48

Women 40-44

2 Kathi Canese 2:32:58

3 Cynthia Eckert 2:33:51

Men 55-59

5 David M. Gearin 2:36:28

Men 60-64

4 Terry Smith 3:03:25

Women 60-64

1 Margaret Regina 3:40:33

Men 65-69

1 Robert J. Wojtal 2:54:35

Women 70-74

2 Marge Stahl 4:15:26

Women Military

1 Amy L. Baribeau 2:18:29

2 Heather Shriner 2:49:39

Clydesdales Under 39

1 Jeffrey Rabovsky 2:25:48

Clydesdales Over 40

3 Al Navidi 2:37:26

First Time Male

1 William R. Bray 2:17:20

Blackwater Eagleman Half Ironman

Top Potomac Valley Finishers

Hawaii Ironman Qualifiers in Bold

Overall Women

4 Desiree Ficker 4:24:00

Men 20-24

1 Philippe Kozub 4:03:25

Women 20-24

4 Robin Oswald 4:53:27

Women 35-39

2 Kim McLaughlin 4:37:24

Women 50-54

2 Anne Viviani 5:29:55

Philippe Kozub and Desiree Ficker

I promise not to….

By Al Navidi

With the start of the first triathlon season of the millennium, reaching the mature (yet tender!) age of 40 and soon to be the father of a baby boy (yippee J ), I, Al Navidi, promise not to do the following:

• I promise not to talk about triathlon in every social gathering and take a hint when people start to doze off before I finish my sentence.
• I promise not to exaggerate my weekly bike, swim and run mileage when talking to fellow-triathletes, especially since a lot of them seem to be doing better with less workout.
• I promise not to under-estimate my race finish time before a race, knowing others would probably make fun when I miss it by a zillion minutes.
• I promise not to lie to my parents every time they ask me how many races I am planning to do during the season, since they seem to think I’m getting too old to be doing endurance or any other kind of racing.
• While on the subject of parents, I promise to force my parents to attend at least one of my races, so they can see that there are competitors in their 60s, 70s and sometimes even 80s, so they would stop thinking of me as "too old" to race.
• I promise to tell the truth to my wife as to how much race entries actually cost.
• I promise not to make the people who do body marking at races guess how old I am before they write my actual age on my calf.
• I promise not to tell the people who own a bike identical to mine "nice bike".
• I promise not to let the few awards that I have won give me a big head, make me think of myself as "Elite" and start looking for sponsors.
• I promise not to frame any more of my race medals/certificates/photos and make my home "hall of fame" any bigger than it already is before they all end up in the garage or on the storage room walls, just like my awards.
• I promise not to over-estimate the number of calories I have burned during training or during a race in order to justify drinking a case of beer or eating a whole large deep-dish pizza.
• I promise not to force my son (who is only a fetus now!) to start running, swimming and biking at an early age, especially if he shows more interest in basket weaving, and not threaten to trade him in for a new and improved model.
• I finally promise not to disappear every weekend for long rides and runs, to spend more time with my family, especially my wife, and not put triathlon and training before everything else.

Now, let’s see how long these promises last!!

Al "The Elite" Navidi

anavidi@navidi.com

www.navidi.com

News & Updates

John Calvert (DCM) set world records in the 55-59 200 IM (2:27.19) and 200 back (2:26.64) at an April short course meters meet in Ohio. He broke the IM record by nearly ten seconds and the backstroke record by six and narrowly missed breaking records in the 100 fly (1:06.94) and 100 back (1:08.53).

Laura Borgelt (GOLD) was the second woman and placed ninth overall in the World Clydesdale Triathlon Championships in London June 18. Her 22:58 first-place swim earned her $300.

Amy Baribeau (CHIN) placed third in the Armed Forces Triathlon June 4 at Ft. Eustis.

Rose Rice (DCM) placed sixth in the 22.5-mile Atlantic City Marathon July 16. Her time of 8:52:03 was just ahead of perennial top finisher Karen Burton.

David Glover (RMST) placed tenth in the 25-29 age group and 63^nd overall at Ironman Austria with a time of 9:16:31

Robbie Allen (GMUP) won the third annual 2.4-mile Race for the River swim down the Hudson River in a torrential downpour. His winning time, 35:36, was an event record.

Christy Underdonk (ANCM) qualified for Ironman Hawaii by winning the 30-34 age group at the Muskoka Triathlon in Huntsville, Ontario. She completed the 2k swim, 55k bike and 15k run in 3:18:18.

David Cascio (RMST) qualified for Ironman Hawaii by placing ninth in the 35-39 age group at Ironman USA in 10:06:38.

Potomac Valley Meeting Minutes, June 18, 2000

Registrar's report:

1. As of the end of May 2000, there were 1516 members in PV. At the same time in 1999 there were 1503 and in 1998, 1320.
2. It was suggested that we try sending out the newsletter by email, to interested PV members. Adobe Pagemaker software can efficiently create PDF files suitable for email. We would need to solicit email addresses, and send to a few individuals on an experimental basis to see how well it works.
3. PV can have its own web site (with a URL of its choosing) for $25/month. Carl House who runs www.swimgold.org (where our web site is currently located as a subdirectory) is offering this service on his server. Jeff Roddin, PV webmaster, requested interim approval until a vote could be taken at the annual meeting. (Approval was granted and a new URL was chosen: http://www.pvmasters.org.)

1. Meet evaluators for this year’s meets:

1. Marilyn Redman will become Awards Chair after the next set of awards (to be given out at the DCAC meet, October 8).

1. USMS officials are developing a web page.
2. National USA Officials approved a proposal to certify USMS officials. Details will be forthcoming on the website.

1. Convention delegate volunteers, so far: Joann Leilich, Peter Ward, Michelle Jesperson, Jeff Roddin. (Lynn Hazlewood, Debbie Morrin and Dave Diehl go as board delegates.)

1. If your team would like to do a pledged swim for "Stroke for Strokes", contact Debbie Morrin PVChair@usms.org.
2. There is a Virginia Masters 1 and 2 mile open water swim at Lake Montclair, Virginia on September 8.

1. Lynn Hazlewood has been nominated for the USMS Zone Chair and may need to vacate the Colonies Zone Chair.
2. Marsha Cleveland is acting as Colonies Zone Chair during the USMS Zone Chair nominations.
3. Lynn Hazlewood is attending the USMS convention as a board delegate.

1. Take the Beltway (I-495).
2. Take the VA-236 WEST/DUKE ST exit.

Event Calendar

The complete USMS calendar is at http://www.usms.org/comp/calendar.htm

Terrapin Masters Survey

By David Diehl

Over the past few years the Terrapin Masters have been receiving requests to make changes to the annual 1000/1650 meet that we hold early each December. We thought that it would be appropriate to survey the swimmers of Potomac Valley to gather some information about what you'd like this meet to be. We can't guarantee the changes as requested will be adopted because of pool availability, etc. but we would like to try to accommodate our Potomac Valley swimmers if possible.

Please fill out the survey and mail it to: David Diehl, 12511 Littleton Street, Silver Spring, MD 20906

If you'd rather, the survey is also available on the web at www.crosslink.net/~cheryl/survey.htm

Would you prefer? SC Meters SC Yards

Would you prefer additional events besides the 800/1000 and 1500/1650? Yes No

If so, would you like Pentathlon events between the distance events? Yes No

Would you prefer additional events besides the distance events? Yes No

Would you like to have some/all events available (50/100/200 for fly/back/breast/free)? Yes No

Would you like to have some relays available? Yes No

Would you prefer a one (1) or two (2) day meet? One Two

Would you be likely to register for this meet? Yes No

Thank you for responding to this survey. If you have additional comments, please attach them. Please contact David Diehl at 30-1-314-5272 or dd119@umail.umd.edu for questions.