September 1999
Newsletter of the Potomac Valley Masters
Swimming Committee
Local Swimmers Set Masters Records
I hope that you have all had a good summer of swimming and that you were able to swim outside at least some.
This year is an election year for the Potomac Valley LMSC. Elections will be held at the annual meeting November 7, 1999. All current officers (chair, secretary and treasurer) have stated that they will run for reelection. Other nominations from Potomac Valley swimmers are welcome for these positions. Nominations should be sent via e-mail or mail to the current chair (me) by October 1, 1999.
As you can see from some of the articles and pictures in this issue of the newsletter, Potomac Valley swimmers have participated in a variety of events over the last few months. I congratulate them on their accomplishments, along with all the rest of you for your swimming, and wish all luck with future swimming.
Happy Laps,
Debbie Morrin
Missing Teams at Potomac Valley Board Meetings
The following clubs have not been represented at either of the first two PV-LMSC board meetings: Ashburn Village Swim Team, Burke Masters, Chinquapin Masters, DC Department of Recreation & Parks, Fairfax County Masters, National Capital YMCA, National Naval Medical Center, Northern Virginia Aquatic Club, NRL Recreation Club, Pentagon Masters, Rockville Masters, Team Gold & Upper Montgomery County YMCA.
The PV-LMSC by-laws require a club to attend at least one board meeting each year, or face a penalty fee at time of club renewal. The third and final board meeting of 1999 will be November 7 at noon at Jeff Roddin's house. Directions are printed elsewhere in this newsletter (see "Minutes" from the June 27th meeting on page 17). Since we are a non-profit organization we would appreciate your participation much more than penalty fee revenue.
USMS Registration Fee
The fee to join USMS from September 1 to October 31, 1999 is $13. Swimmers who join USMS beginning November 1 will be required to pay the full $23 fee, but that registration will be valid through December 31, 2000.
USMS Top Ten Patches
Top Ten Patches are available to USMS swimmers who have earned them in any event, in any course. Patches and stroke segments may be ordered as far back as 1982. Swimmers are eligible to obtain Top Ten Patches if they are listed in the Top Ten in any event during the year. Members of Top Ten relay teams also are eligible.
Patches may be purchased for $5.00 each (including one stroke segment). Additional stroke segments are $1.25. Orders must include your name, address, year, course, age group and event. Make checks payable to "Lake Erie LMSC" and send orders to Dar Ferguson, 4917 Walden Circle, Orlando, Florida 32811. If you have questions, call Dar at (407) 248-2624.
Top Ten listings since 1993 are on the USMS web site at http://www.swimgold.org/tt/age/index.htm.
World Top Ten Listings and Patches
A Masters World Top Ten listing is available for both Short Course Meters and Long Course Meters. The 1998 edition was published in April 1999 and can be ordered from FINA for $10US. Patches also are available for $5US and year designations are $3US. Send cash or check to FINA OFFICE, Av. de Beaumont 9, Rez-de-chaussee, 1012 Lausanne, Switzerland.
2000 World Championships
The VIII World Masters Swimming Championships will be held in Munich, Germany July 27 - August 7, 2000 in the pool built for the 1972 Olympics. Swimmers may enter up to five individual events and two relays. There are qualifying times for individual events. A 5K open water swim will be held after the pool meet.
USMS has an early buy program that refunds ten percent of the land portion of the trip for deposits made prior to Thanksgiving. Land packages will run from $1500 to $1900 depending on the hotel; with air the estimate is $2200 to $2700.
For travel information, call Ann at 800-833-SWIM [7946], email mary@pvtapi.com or visit the web site at www.pvtapi.com. To obtain meet information and an entry form, you may either visit the Munich 2000 web site at http://www.munich-2000.de or send $3 to Tracy Grilli, P.O. Box 185, Londonderry New Hampshire 03053-0185.
Curl-Burke Masters in Reston
Curl-Burke Swim Team offers a masters program coached by John Flanagan at the Ridge Heights pool in Reston. Practice times are 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The session runs from mid-September through mid-May and costs $300. Payment plans are available upon request.
For more information, contact Marilyn Mangels at (703) 860-9151.
Found Shirt
Joann Leilich found a USMS short course nationals tank top after the August 1 George Mason Meet. If it is yours, please call her at (703) 354-2130, identify the year of the shirt, and it is yours.
By Cheryl Wagner
Debbie Morrin was one of the original Terrapin Masters. She began practicing with the Terrapins in 1989 in Cole Field House Pool. She is still with them and currently serves as Chair of the Potomac Valley LMSC. She is engaged to Eric Nordlund, Chair of Michigan Masters, and is planning a Summer 2000 wedding. Here is an interview with her. Picture of Debbie.
Q: When did you start swimming?
A: I don't remember not swimming. I was born in Hartford, Connecticut and grew up in Glastonbury. I swam on various club teams there, when I was 11 and 12. I competed in synchronized swimming on a club team for three years, when I was 14. I also studied dance for 15 years.
Q: Where did you go to school?
A: I attended Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts and got a B.A. in Biology. I swam varsity, mostly backstroke and breaststroke. I got a Masters in Marine Estuarine and Environmental Science at the University of Maryland.
Q: How did you start swimming in Maryland?
A: While I attended the University of Maryland in College Park, I swam by myself, and then as a group with other faculty and staff. In 1989, we started a Terrapin Masters practice group at Cole Pool, coached by Jim Wenhold.
Q: I've heard you like adventurous open water swims.
A: I've done the Bay Swim 3 or 4 times. I've also done the Trans-Tahoe Relay and the Snake River, Idaho swim (8.5 miles). I began doing meets in 1989 and have been to Nationals five times. I've also done open water swims in the following states: Idaho, New Jersey, Nevada, California, Hawaii, Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, and New York. In 1997, I attended Pan Pacific's in Maui.
Q: How did you get into USMS administration?
A: I started working in USMS administration in 1992 in the Potomac Valley LMSC. I've done Top Ten and Awards, and also acted as Chair.
Margot Pettijohn swims for Montgomery Ancient Mariners and is the Sanctions Chair for Potomac Valley Masters. Last summer she was a USMS All American in the 200 meter breaststroke. We talked to her between events at the DC Masters Long Course Meet.
Picture of Margot.Q: When did you start Masters swimming?
A: In September 1992, my twin daughters Cheryl and Michelle left for college and I stopped being a swimming mom and became a swimmer. I've been lucky to participate in swimming on both sides. When my daughters swam, I was a stroke and turn judge, referee, and timer. Now we have role reversal. My kids give me advice on racing. One daughter has been swimming masters and done some meets. I expect the other to start soon.
Q: What kind of swimming background did you have?
A: I learned all the strokes as a kid and swam at camp and in high school. I did do a few AAU meets. We didn't have lane markers, just ropes with floats. No goggles either. We didn't swim like we do now -- mostly I remember doing a length or two at a time and getting out. I remember putting castor oil in my eyes after practice and any light was too bright after practice. Mostly I swam breaststroke, fly and IM, but I don't remember any of my times.
Q: What did you think of your first Masters swim meet?
A: I did the Ancient Mariners/Fairfax County Masters fun meet in the fall of 1992. I don't remember it being fun. I swam 200 IM and was nervous about getting disqualified, lapped and a pity clap. I did get lapped and did receive the pity clap, so it took a while to swim that event again. I found that when I swam a regular masters meet and was competing against people my speed it was more enjoyable. When I first started swimming I thought I could immediately do the times my daughters did when they were 10, but it took about 3 years. I think I did a 1:33 100 yard breast in the fun meet. (Editor's note: Margot swam a 1:21.81 100 yard breast at the 1999 zone meet.) Now I'm working on getting the times they did when they were 11.
Q: You won 200 breaststroke at long course nationals last summer and are still improving your times at age 53. What kind of workouts do you do and why do you think you're still improving?
A: Technique, training and taper. Technique is most important, especially on breaststroke. Mark Ward at Germantown Masters has helped me a lot with breaststroke. I swim at least three times a week, and four or five when I am training for nationals. I also do a lot of stretching and take an abs class.
Q: Do you have any special diet or health recommendations?
A: I eat two or three Giant coffee yogurts every day!
Q: What is your favorite event and why?
A: 200 breast is the event I love and hate, love because I do the best in it and hate because it just hurts.
Q: What do you do as sanctions chair?
A: USMS has rules and regulations about all the events it sanctions. I review meet announcements before giving out sanction numbers. Then we have someone evaluate the meet. I review that evaluation to determine whether the meet hosts get all or part of their $100 deposit back.
By Helene Burden
Tony Panizza was the fastest finisher over 60 in the Columbia and Blackwater Eagleman triathlons last spring. His times would have placed in the two age groups below his, with his 5:08:23 at the Eagleman Half Ironman only a little more than two minutes outside of a top eight finish in the 45-49 category.
Tony was born in Eritrea, which was an Italian colony and now is an independent country along the Red Sea, next to Ethiopia. Like Ethiopia, Eritrea is on a high plateau--about a mile and a half above sea level. As a small boy, Tony did a lot of hiking and hunting, so at a young age he built up a good lung capacity that obviously still serves him well at 60.
He came to the United States in 1973. His wife is in the foreign service and he traveled in and out of the country for many years. Tony now is retired and has two grown children
Tony started running before coming to the United States. In fact, when he started jogging in South Africa in 1968, he wore street shoes. Believe it or not, Tony also smoked until 1980.
In the early 1980s he began running marathons and took up triathlons soon after. That was the first time he ever concentrated on swimming. He joined Reston Masters in 1984, and the instruction about efficient strokes and breathing helped him improve his freestyle. Unfortunately, he left the U.S. in 1985 and didn't return until 1991-- a little heavier from eating his way through China. In 1995 he picked up triathlons and Masters swimming again.
Today Tony is in the best shape of his life thanks to effective training, good equipment, and the time to dedicate to exercise. He also understands the importance of a good athletic diet. His training regimen consists of alternating biking and running. He swims two to three times a week, about one mile each session. On average, he does 100 miles a week on the bike and over 30 miles a week running. He does some light weight-lifting a couple of times a week.
As for his racing diet he eats a lot of spaghetti and other carbohydrates and little meat. He also eats a lot of fruits and vegetables. Occasionally he will eat a PowerBar. He has discovered this year that his endurance improves with a big plate of spaghetti a couple hours before a long training session.
He is careful about not overdoing the training and weight-lifting. The only concession he makes to his age is that before a race or training session, he finds he needs more "warm-up" than he did when he was younger. He does some stretching but a light jog also helps.
Tony qualified this year for the ultimate triathlon, the Hawaii Ironman, but turned down the opportunity. He intends to compete one day but had already planned to do some other events this fall: the National Triathlon Championship at the end of September, the Marine Corps Marathon in October, and the JFK 50-miler in November. Next year, he would like to do Ironman Canada in British Columbia, then perhaps go to Hawaii if he is lucky enough to win a slot. If Tony keeps on going at this rate, no 60-year old triathlete will be able to compete with him!
By Rick Fleeter
Rick Fleeter is president of AeroAstro, a company he started in his Reston basement to pioneer the use of tiny satellites - some as small as a Kleenex box. Rick was a competitive swimmer from age four through college and raced bicycles in the off season. He now swims mainly on his own or with Reston Masters; bike commutes and does club bicycle rides totaling about 200 miles a week; and competes in the Reston and National City triathlons every year. Engineering and teaching about microsatellites enables him to travel about 20 weeks a year, presenting a constant challenge to his craving (a.k.a. compulsion) for regular workouts. En route home from a particularly trying stint in far flung hotels with pools shaped like miniaturized body organs, he wrote about some of his more memorable swimming misadventures.
Nobody lives without air - and we don't label ourselves air addicts. Which is why in school I was not a swim addict. My high school had a pool, and as a team member and eventually captain, I was obliged to be in it four or five hours a day. My college had a pool. That was no accident; I wouldn't go to a college without a pool, and besides colleges with pools needed swimmers to inhabit them and recruited people like me! No, I was no swim addict in college - in fact I was always trying to cut down on practice.
When I graduated and interviewed for jobs, I discovered that Caltech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which manages to send probes to Venus and robots to Mars, doesn't have a pool! Lockheed Missiles and Space - no pool. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Ditto. Your author and junior scientist was shocked. No wonder I never wanted to grow up: adults work at institutions lacking a fundamental ingredient.
Settling on the least of the evils, I learned to bike commute from home to Caltech's pool every morning, and then to JPL, with the resulting combination of chlorine, sweat, wind and road grime ensuring that I would a) be left alone to do my work and b) never be promoted to a job requiring wearing decent clothes.
Twenty years into this desert of pools we call work places, I am too well accustomed to spiriting out of hotel rooms at 4 a.m. to taxi or bike or walk or rental car or even occasionally commandeer a U.S. government vehicle, to a faraway pool, followed by a rushed attempt to be in some office in time for some meeting.
For a week I swam an hour a day of circles around the nearly round pool of the Legend Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. I walked over an hour through the predawn December snow to swim at Munich's Olympische Schwimm Halle, followed by five hair-freezing minutes' walk to a U-Bahn station which got me to work nearly on time.
A Saturday session at U.C. San Diego started too early for even their dedicated Masters team, so a friend and I jumped into the frigid Pacific (somehow I had forgotten to pack a wet suit) and swam across La Jolla Bay at dawn. I learned to handle a mountain bike in the snow because the only pool open in Reston on bad snow days - the community center - is too far to walk, and my wife takes the 4-wheel drive to work - which she claims is more important than swimming. After more than 16 years with me, shouldn't she know better?
Sure - chuckle at my foibles. Swimming the thirty meter square, unstructured, rectangular wave patch known as the public pool in Bremen, Germany, I got in my swim, albeit a zig-zag of breast stroke to avoid most collisions. It may be true that I learned Hebrew solely to talk my way into a private club, site of the only pool near where I had a project in the small town of Yavne, Israel.
Once or twice on the alignment of death stars responsible for causing both of Reston's indoor pools to be closed for maintenance and Oak Marr to have a big meet before the outdoor pools opened, I might have slithered into Lake Newport and felt the green algae coat my skin as the ducks and geese barked and the subsurface water lilies tickled my stomach. At least there are no sharks in these lakes - but I couldn't stop thinking about the black snake I saw swimming along the shore last summer. Where do you suppose he is this morning, I wondered?
Deer Isle, Maine - no pool. The ocean is 47 degrees, which explains a lobsterman's report of a middle aged man swimming there last fall in a wet suit, bathing cap, tennis shoes, lycra socks, winter cycling gloves and scuba mask (none of my skin was exposed directly to open water). This is not swim addiction - it's just a logical reaction to an illogical world filled with too many cars, too many freeways, too many 7-11s, but too few pools. Fifteen billion years since the big bang, and the universe is still just a bit out of equilibrium. That's not my fault.
Climbing out of the Sea of Japan, my chest dotted with the red stings of "harmless" nettles, drying myself and attempting to replace my work clothes under a wrapped beach towel, over the salt and sand clinging tenaciously to my skin, I tell myself it's not my fault. I am not an addict. If the world had plenty of pools, I thought as I furtively scratched a clump of sand out of my left ear whilst seated around a serious looking conference table a few scant minutes later, and started meetings a half hour later, I would not be a swim addict. I'd be normal. As the room was dimmed to make the speaker's color viewgraphs easier to see, I imagined that my wet salty hair was not obviously bizarre.
But as lunch approached, I scanned my bilingual dictionary, appearing to be assiduous in my preparations for the rest of the day's discussions, but actually girding to strike up a casual mealtime conversation about public pools in the area which might be open early the next morning.
The USMS website includes a Places to Swim Database: http://www.usms.org/placswim. You also may purchase a printed edition of the database for $9. The database allows you to search by city, state or local masters swim committee.
To order a copy, contact Tracy Grilli, P.O. Box 185, Londonderry New Hampshire 03053-0185, phone (603)537-0203, or fax (603)537-0204. Tracy's e-mail address is
tracyswims@mindspring.com.
By Dave Diehl
The first ever Colonies Zones Short Course Championship held in Potomac Valley was hosted by the Terrapin Masters April 30--May 2 at the new University of Maryland College Park Pool. With 514 entries from as far away as Michigan, Alabama, Illinois and even Russia and the Ukraine, the competition was intense and exciting. The largest team was from the Colonials 1776 club with the Maryland Masters close behind. In addition, we had strong contingents from Virginia Masters, DC Masters, Garden State Masters, Empire Masters and the Montgomery Ancient Mariners.
Two simultaneous short course yard pools were used with odd heats in one and even heats in the other. This arrangement had been successfully used at the Indianapolis Natatorium as well as the Hall of Fame pool in Fort Lauderdale. The meet drew great reviews not only for the great facility but also for the running of the meet itself. The pool proved to be very fast with over 100 zone records as well as six USMS national records broken over the three days. Potomac Valley's Joann Leilich (DC Masters) broke two individual national records (60-64 100 and 200 Breaststroke) and two DC Masters relay teams broke national records (Denise Kirwan, Ann Lyttle, Paul Grueneberger, John Calvert in the 45+ Mixed 800 Free Relay and Minna Hamner, Ruth Thorsen, Mimi Lee, Ann Walker in the Women's 75+ 200 Free Relay).
The Colonials 1776 team won the high point award with the Maryland Masters team (host of next year's Long Course Nationals at University of Maryland Baltimore County) second. We hope that everyone who swam in the meet had a very positive experience.
The University of Maryland College Park pool will be the site of the World Cup Meet in November of this year as well as many other big meets in the coming months. The Terrapin Masters and Potomac Valley hope to host a USMS National Championship in the not too distant future. Complete zone meet results are on the Terrapin website: http://www.crosslink.net/~cherylw/ zoneres.htm.
Picture of Terrapin Masters at Zone Meet.
By Joe Kauffman
The District of Columbia Aquatics Club competed in the Tenth International Gay and Lesbian Aquatics Championships in Atlanta, Georgia, held June 18-20. The competition took place at the Georgia Tech Aquatics Center, site of the 1996 Olympic Games. 716 swimmers competed and there were 31 teams from eight countries. DCAC brought 102 swimmers, three swimmers more than the host team, Atlanta's Rainbow Trout. When the last race was over, DCAC had scored 2598.5 points, while second place Atlanta had scored 1088.5. The victory secured DCAC a place in the record books: an unprecedented fourth consecutive IGLA championship.
DCAC swimmers broke one world and five U.S. national masters records. Coach Jerry Frentsos broke his own world record in the 30-34 400 meter IM in 4:32.23, bettering his previous 4:33.17; and broke the USMS record in the 200 IM with a time of 2:08.42. The previous record was 2:10.69. Three relay teams set USMS records:
160-199 400 Freestyle Relay 3:46.15
120-159 400 Medley Relay 4:04.80
Three DCAC swimmers won eight out of a possible eight gold medals (five individual and three relay). There were many meet records broken and most importantly, a great number of individual bests. Meet results are published at http://www.igla99.org/EvntRslt .doc
DCAC would like to congratulate the Atlanta Rainbow Trout organization for running an amazing meet. We would like to also thank our incredible coach, Jerry Frentsos, for his guidance and inspiration over the last year. On to Paris for IGLA 2000!
Finally, DCAC would like to invite you to our Annual Columbus Day Classic on October 9, 1999. Hope to see you there!
By Dave Diehl
The 1999 version of our 18th Annual 800/1500 Meter Meet was held on June 27 at the University of Maryland pool. The 35 entries included many of our faithful participants, for whom we are happy to run this meet. Five new meet records were set (you keep getting faster), all in the 800. The new records were established by:
Carole Kammel, ANCM 30-34 11:03.69
Robbie Allen, RMST 30-34 9:20.85
Doug Chestnut, ANCM 30-34 9:45.62
Stephen Mathis, FXCM 45-49 12:33.02
Roger Franks, 1776 70-74 12:18.38
We will look forward to seeing you at our annual 1000/1650 meet in December. Good luck in your swimming.
The results of the meet can be found on the net at: http://www.crosslink.net/~cherylw/tm1599rs.htm.
Four world records and one USMS record fell during three local long course meets this summer. DC Master Joann Leilich, 60, and Ancient Mariner Clay Britt, 38, broke world records in two events apiece, the 60-64 100 and 200 meter breaststroke and the 35-39 50 and 100 meter backstroke.
Clay first broke the 50 back record at the July 25 meet at UMBC. Clay's time of 27.76 broke the oldest existing masters record, 28.04, set by Thompson Mann in 1978. Mann was a 1964 Olympic Gold Medalist and the first man to swim 100 meters backstroke under a minute.
Joann broke the 200 breaststroke record at the UMBC meet, swimming a 3:23.62 to break the existing record of 3:24.38, set by Masayo Azuma of Japan in 1992.
The DC Masters 240-279 400 free relay team of Barbara Zaremski, Jayne Bruner, Barbara Frid and Beth Schreiner started off the DC Masters long course meet August 1 by breaking the USMS record by nearly a minute. The quartet swam a 5:23.71 to surpass the existing 6:15.17 set by Walnut Creek Masters in 1992.
Joann continued the record breaking by swimming a 1:32.37 in the 100 breaststroke, breaking Jayne Bruner's 1996 record of 1:34.12. Clay lowered his week-old 50 back record to 27.60 and finished up the meet by swimming a 1:00.13 100 backstroke, breaking Bill Specht's 1993 record of 1:00.95.
Many thanks to the meet directors for all three meets. Meredith Gardner hosted DCRP's 19th Annual Long Course Meet at Hains Point on July 18. This always is a well-run meet at a scenic pool. Barbara Protzman of Maryland Masters ran the UMBC meet at the pool where the 2000 USMS Nationals will be held next August. Robert Srour teamed up with Joann Leilich, when she wasn't in the pool setting records, to direct the 14th Annual DC Masters meet at George Mason University's new pool.
Pictures of Swimmers at Local Meets.
As this newsletter went to press, the 1999 USMS Long Course National Championships were set to begin at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center in Minneapolis. When the meet was last held at this pool in 1993, more than 70 National and World Records were set. Potomac Valley results will be published in the December newsletter.
Meet results can be found at: http://www.usms.org/comp/lcnats99.
Montgomery Ancient Mariners
CJ Lockman Hall 30-34 400 IM 10th 5:04.02
200 Breast 7th 2:38.56
Jill Roethke 25-29 100 Fly 6th 1:03.02
Doug Chestnut 30-34 1000 Free 3rd 10:15.38
400 IM 9th 4:27.76
500 Free 9th 4:59.37
200 Back 7th 2:01.41
Wally Dicks 35-39 100 Breast 1st 57.55
200 Breast 1st 2:05.81 USMS Record
50 Free 6th 22.08
50 Breast 1st 26.54
Michael A. Fell 35-39 50 Back 5th 25.62
100 Back 4th 55.64
50 Free 4th 21.95
100 IM 7th 55.69
100 Free 6th 48.17
DC Masters
Edward Emes 70-74 50 Fly 5th 36.62
50 Free 6th 30.72
Jean Chenaux 85-89 200 Free 1st 4:49.88
500 Free 1st 12:50.70
50 Breast 1st 1:28.74
100 Free 2nd 2:05.05
Barbara Frid 55-59 50 Back 1st 35.74
100 Breast 4th 1:26.51
50 Fly 2nd 32.05
100 Back 1st 1:18.61
100 IM 1st 1:15.70
Mary Lathram 80-84 1000 Free 4th 25:47.61
50 Back 4th 1:01.60
100 Back 5th 2:28.09
50 Free 5th 58.14
500 Free 3rd 13:04.22
200 Back 4th 4:59.45
Hedy Pullman 85-89 50 Back 5th 1:29.87
100 Breast 2nd 4:00.66
100 Back 3rd 3:10.28
50 Breast 2nd 1:53.09
200 Back 2nd 6:26.95
Beth Schreiner 55-59 200 Free 7th 2:46.86
50 Free 5th 31.31
100 Free 5th 1:11.64
Anne Walker 80-84 50 Back 2nd 53.46
200 Free 3rd 4:05.98
100 Back 1st 1:54.44
50 Free 3rd 45.98
200 Back 2nd 4:23.48
100 Free 3rd 1:46.94
Barbara Zaremski 60-641650 Free 3rd 25:46.88
200 Free 2nd 2:41.13
50 Free 2nd 31.23
200 IM 4th 3:12.25
500 free 3rd 7:29.73
100 free 2nd 1:11.70
DCRP
Mark Pugliese 45-49 50 fly 4th 25.70
100 back 6th 1:00.20
Germantown Masters
Matt C. Ellenburg 19-24 200 fly 7th 2:25.91
The Capital Sea Devils
Denis J. Crean 35-39 1000 Free 7th 11:03.40
Nick Olmos-Lau, a 53-year old neurologist, finished 16th in the 18th Annual Manhattan 28.5 Mile Marathon Swim. Tobie Smith, 25-year-old former world 25K open water champion, won the race with a course record time of 6:32:41. Nick swims for Montgomery Ancient Mariners and is coached by Clay Britt. He also receives open water coaching from John Flanagan. Thirty solo swimmers and two relay teams started the race and all but two solo swimmers finished. The Old Faded Speedos, a relay team of local swimmers Robbie Allen, Andrew Geiszler and Andrew Johnson teamed with Kevin Delaney, Rod O'Connor, and John Rohrbach to finish in 7:02:34, a relay course record.
The race begins at Gangway 6 on the Hudson River side of Battery Park in lower Manhattan and takes a counterclockwise, tide-assisted route around Manhattan, going up the East River, through the Harlem River to the northern tip of Manhattan, and down the Hudson River back to Battery Park. It is sponsored by the Manhattan Island Foundation. You can find more information about this and other races at www.nycswim.org.
By Nick Olmos-Lau
Manhattan is one very big island. I can attest to this by having swum around it for 7 hours and 38 minutes on June 12, 1999. The waterways that surround this 14-mile-long strip of real estate are cold (64 to 68 degrees F) and brackish, and contain many things including occasional flotsam; plus jellyfish, discarded pieces of pier with nails still attached, submerged trash bags, leaves, and a steady parade of pleasure boats, sailboats, yachts, barges, tugboats, and even cruise ships. Sorry, no giraffes or mattresses were in sight. No dead bodies, either. Just the super-conditioned frames of 30 swimmers who had come here from all over the globe to compete in the 18th Annual Manhattan Island Marathon Swim (MIMS). This year's race was held two months earlier than usual creating an additional problem: the water temperatures were in the low to mid 60s instead of the usual low 70s. Cold water training is a must, since wet suits and thermal caps are not permitted. Swimmers are allowed only a standard bathing suit and one latex cap. The swimmers came from all walks of life and professions -- world-class athletes and average swimmers. I met some truly remarkable athletes, some with truly serious handicaps, who proved that people can train their bodies and minds to perform unbelievably difficult tasks and feats. As one of the 30 swimmers, I enjoyed a truly spectacular sea-level tour of Manhattan. The weather was very cooperative, but the combination of super-strong currents and winds that were blowing in the opposite direction from the current created a chop that made many of us feel at times as though we were in the middle of an ocean storm. I saw seasoned English Channel swimmers shivering and subdued by this experience.This was a race to the bitter end for a very tight field of swimmers. It was almost beyond belief to me that after swimming 28 miles, I was engaged in a mad half-mile sprint to the pier ladder with another competitor, vying for 16th place and second vs. third place in my age group! Lesson learned: include some sprint sets in the thousands of daily yards you need to swim in order to train for this race. I did, and they proved most valuable in the end. I was extremely happy to finish, but am looking forward to my next goal, which will be to solo cross the Catalina Channel at the end of August.
by Friar Flanagan
Most area swimmers find themselves swimming a couple of open water races a year. But you would be hard pressed to find anyone who had done more than four. That is of course unless you know Robbie Allen or Andrew Johnson. To date this year they have swum 12 races and have plans to make it to a total of 20 races.
Their season this year has been one of variety. They have swum in almost every type of body of water: lakes, rivers, oceans, bays, harbors etc...Temperature extremes ranged from the really cold 64 degree water during the Swim around Manhattan to a record low air temperature of 54 degrees during the Swim across Tampa Bay. "It was nuts," said Andrew. "We went to Florida and it was colder than DC!"
"We train all year for open water," said Andrew. Both Robbie and Andrew swim with the Capital Sea Devils during the winter months and various teams during the summer. "It is hard to find a USMS team that focuses on open water the way we do," said Allen. Most open water races are over a mile in length with the average being two miles. As a result they train mostly distance freestyle. Robbie is the sprinter most comfortable in one or two mile races while Andrew is the Big D man and primarily focus on races over two miles.
In order to compete in so many races, many weekends are spent driving to distant shores. Many races are back to back Saturday and Sunday swims. For example Robbie and Andrew swam the 7.5 Mile Across the Potomac swim on a Saturday followed by the Reston two miler the next day. Then the following weekend they did a relay swim around Manhattan, followed by the 1-Mile Chesapeake Bay Challenge the next day. "I have put in a lot of road time getting to races" said Allen. "Luckily, I have a very understanding wife and a dog who loves to ride in the van."
Both of them plan to keep racing this summer until they run out of races. Andrew is planning on swimming at the USMS National Championships in the 5k & 6 mile events on Catalina island in September. Robbie is aiming to repeat as a USMS All American and All Star by swimming in several postal events as well as scoring a few top ten times in pool events. On any given weekend this summer rest assured you can find them swimming in some race some where.
Last year's second place finishers, Sean Brennan, 25, and Tiffany Sawin, 21, both from New Jersey, each moved up a place to finish first in 1:35:48 and 1:44:22 respectively. Sawin was eighth overall. Fairfax Master Russell Kominski, 25, was the second man with a time of 1:38:37 and 33-year-old Terrapin Master Jane West, last year's winner, was the second woman in 1:46:15.
Top non-wetsuit wearers were 44-year-old 1976 Olympic Gold Medalist Jim Montgomery from Dallas, Texas with a time of 1:43:51 (fifth overall) and Valerie Bernsten, 15, of Bowie, Maryland in 1:53:41 (seventh female finisher). Ed Brown, 46, from Wayne, Pennsylvania, was the top male master in 1:43:18, and 41-year-old Jenny Cook of Los Angeles was the top female master in 1:52:34. Both finished fourth overall.
Kris Rutford of Lincoln, Nebraska took the unofficial endurance award, finishing 19th overall and second among 35-39 men with a time of 1:47:56, the day after finishing fourth in the 28.5 mile Swim Around Manhattan.
Robbie Allen of Reston Masters and Iracema Leroi of Maryland Masters won the 1-Mile Chesapeake Challenge with times of 23:53 and 26:28. (For statistics on past Bay swims, including results, conditions and a countdown to next year's swim, go to http://home.att.net/ ~hittheball.)
Final Results
Potomac Valley Masters Swimmers Only
Complete results: http://www.lin-mark.com/bayres99.htm
Top
Top 3 Men 2 Russell Kominski 1:38:37 Top 3 Women 2 Jane West 1:46:15 Top Masters Men 3 Bob Astheimer 1:45:56 Women 20 - 24 2 Julie Vianello 2:07:38 3 Shannon Dickie 2:16:10 Men 25 - 29 2 Charles Stoner 1:44:57 5 Michael D. Moore 1:49:16 Women 25 - 29 1 M. Cinco Calfe 1:58:28 2 Melissa Stefan 1:59:17 Men 30 - 34 1 Stephen Bauman 1:46:07 Women 30 - 34 5 Julie Andrews 2:03:21 Women 35 - 39 2 Penny Bates 1:56:42 3 Kim Lawrence 2:05:59 Women 40 - 44 3 Julie Billingsley 2:16:45 4 Rosanna Sikora 2:28:49 Men 45 - 49 1 Bob Astheimer 1:45:56 2 Paul Fetters 1:46:32 Women 45 - 49 5 Cheryl Wagner 2:42:56 Men 50 - 54 3 Willis Braswell 2:06:05 Women 50 - 54 1 Ann Lyttle 2:19:33 2 Andrea Haines 2:32:45 Men 55 - 59 3 Kenneth Weinberg 2:36:38 Men 60 - 64 2 Gordon Gerson 2:52:20 3 William Cummings 3:02:46
Top Man 1 Robbie Allen 23:53 Men 20 - 29 3 Brad Williamson 29:23 5 George Svejda 32:08 Women 20 - 29 1 Laura Borgelt 26:57 3 Meredith Gardner 32:04 Men 30 - 39 2 Matthew Fetters 26:34 Men 40 - 49 1 Lawrence Demille- Wagman 28:49 2 David Cheyney 30:03 3 Thomas Williams 31:48 4 Michael Fannon 32:04 Women 40 - 49 5 Marianne Michalakis 42:51 Men 50 - 59 3 Myron Segal 35:52 5 George Heavey 40:44 Women 60 - 99 3 Marge Stahl 1:27:01
An early afternoon thunderstorm prematurely ended the USMS Two-Mile Cable Championship at Chris Green Lake in Charlottesville July 10. Eight swimmers were plucked from the water before completing the race. Before the storm hit, 126 swimmers, including some from as far away as California, Texas, Minnesota, Florida, Colorado and Indiana completed the course. Austin Ramirez, a 21-year-old University of Virginia swimmer who finished fifteenth in the 5K FINA World Championships in Perth, Australia last year, was the first male finisher in 38:34.00. This past August, he finished second in the Pam American Games 400 meter free, with a time of 3:53.64. Rose Rice, 25, the 1997 Chesapeake Bay Swim winner, who competes in open water races as long as 25K, was the first female finisher in 42:00.74.
Nine swimmers set USMS age group two-mile cable swim records. Record setters included: Austin Ramirez, Virginia Masters (19-24) 38:34.00; Beth Baker, Virginia Masters (35-39) 45:05.08; James Stewart, Minnesota Masters (40-44) 41:27.37; Danielle Ogier, San Mateo Masters Marlins (45-49) 47:12.89; Ann Lyttle, DC Masters (50-54) 50:48.25; Barbara Frid, DC Masters (55-59) 55:51.75; Graham Johnson, Team Texas (65-69) 50:15.26; Betty Russ, Ohio Masters (70-74) 70:44.79; and Dexter Woodford, Ohio Masters (85-89) 82:00.09.
Complete results from the swim are on the Virginia Masters website: http://www.vaswim.org/chrisgre1.htm. Pictures
Top Three Finishers
(Potomac Valley Masters Swimmers Only)
Women 19-24
3 Lucie Butterworth DCAC 54:46.02
Women 25-29
1 Rose Rice DCM 42:00.74
2 Laura Borgelt GLD 44:35.27
Women 30-34
3 Teresa Martin DCM 56:24.76
Women 50-54
1 Ann Lyttle DCM 50:48.25
3 Andrea Haines DCM 57:11.01
Women 55-59
1 Barbara Frid DCM 55:51.75
3 Dottie Buchagen ANCM *DNF
Women 60-64
1 Joann Leilich DCM 61:04.38
Men 25-29
2 Marc Murphy DCRP 47:02.34
3 Jeffrey Peters TRIM 50:08.67
Men 30-34
1 Robbie Allen RMST 40:47.35
Men 35-39
2 James Kegley DCRP 42:03.37
3 Matthew Fetters DCRP 47:00.86
Men 45-49
1 Paul Fetters DCRP 44:13.47
2 Robert Astheimer NRLR 46:32.41
Men 70-74
1 John Alleva UNAT 61:23.93
*DNF indicates swimmer did not finish due to inclement weather
Excerpted from the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy press release by Cheryl Wagner
As dawn broke on Saturday, May 22, eleven swimmers entered the Wye's calm waters to participate in the fourth annual marathon swim to benefit the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy and the Eastern Shore AIDS Foundation. Coordinator, Joe Stewart, an attorney from Baltimore, organized the twelve-nautical mile loop around Wye Island, a nature preserve. Eight solo swimmers and three relay teams consisting of eight additional swimmers completed the loop.
With a cheering crowd of family, friends, volunteers and spectators, the swimmers began their descent into the Wye River at 7:00 a.m. Marathon solo swimmers included: Craig Dewing of Glen Burnie (Maryland Masters), Bob Lazzaro from Glenelg, Maryland (Potomac Valley), Bill Giovine of Long Valley, New Jersey, Nick Olmos-Lau of D.C. (Potomac Valley), Rob Dobry of Laurel, Maryland (Maryland Masters), and Maureen Rohrs of Severna Park, Maryland (Maryland Masters). Initially entering as a relay but making a last-minute switch to solo were Cheryl Wagner of D.C. (Potomac Valley) and Kirsten O'Loughlin of Portland, Oregon.
Relay team swimmers included:
by Lynne Hook and Helene Burden
The Reston Masters Swim Team's Two-Mile Lake Swim, in its eleventh year, was dedicated to teammate Jim McDonnell who passed away last November. The team made a unanimous decision to rename the race in Jim's honor since he was one of the people who made the swim possible.
The race was held Sunday, June 6 at Lake Audobon in Reston. There were 204 competitors and Robbie Allen and Katrina Poplawski were the male and female winners. The entire day, from the water temperature to the humidity to the attitudes of the swimmers and volunteers was a fitting tribute to a wonderful man.
Jim was a member of the swim team from its inception. He was an excellent swimmer as well as a competitive triathlete. What made Jim unique was his attitude about the sport. Although he was competitive, he was able to keep racing in a proper perspective with his family and job.
Jim passed away after losing a battle with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. The swim raised $500 for the Lymphoma Research Foundation. Jim's mother promised her son she would work toward finding a cure for the disease. In closing, as a member of the team said on race day, "I know Jim is looking down on this swim with a smile on his face and we are smiling right back at you, Jim!!!" Complete race results are located at: http://www. mindspring.com/~lynhzlwd/2miresults.htm.
June 5, 1999
(Potomac Valley Masters Swimmers Only)
1 Bob Astheimer 2:55
2 Robbie Allen 3:05
3 Andrew Johnson 3:19
4 Melissa Stefan 3:20
6 Cinco Calfee 3:37
9 Dan Dooher 4:31
June 12,1999
(Potomac Valley Masters Swimmers Only)
Women
3 Rose Rice 4:01:28
8 Katrina Poplawski 4:22:02
Men
8 Robert Benson 4:00:51
42 Doron Fields 4:53:50
Fin Results
8 Robert Brennan 5:13:16
By Cheryl Wagner
Being a triathlete wannabe, I decided to attend a three-day Total Training Tri-Camp in Southampton, New York to see what these mysterious creatures, laden with equipment, are all about. I arrived in beautiful Southampton, on Friday at the end of an evening devoted to the computrainer - a computerized device which gives feedback about your fitness level and training, and training videos. In addition bike fit was checked for proper size. This is more important that your bike model or cost. Day Two started early with a long bike ride through the Long Island countryside, interspersed with training tips from Brad Huff and Steve McKnight about:
Award Winners
May 23, 1999
Potomac Valley Masters Swimmers Only Complete Results: http://www.lin-mark.com/colres99.htm Top Male Finishers 2 Eric Sorensen 2:00:56 Top Female Finishers 1 Kim McLaughlin 2:17:25 2 Ashley Cordell 2:17:50 Top Masters Women 4 Kathi Canese 2:39:39 Top Male Grand Master 1 Antonio Panizza 2:34:33 2 Brad Leonard 2:56:58 Women 20-24 1 Margie Stanmeyer 2:21:20 6 Michelle Jesperson 2:43:48 Women 25-29 1 Alida Anderson 2:25:37 Men 30-34 4 Donald Martin 2:08:00 Women 30-34 1 Laura Church 2:23:28 6 Jane Lewis 2:33:42 7 Julie Gibbons 2:36:06 Women 45-49 2 Anne Viviani 2:51:04 Women 50-54 3 Susan Falsey 3:09:36 Women 60-64 2 Margaret Regina 3:46:11 Women 65-69 2 Marge Stahl 4:15:06 Clydesdales Under 39 8 Kevin Eppard 2:41:56 Athenas 1 Laura Borgelt 2:33:03 Ashley Cordell and Kim McLauglin
Clermont, Florida
June 6, 1999
(Potomac Valley Masters Swimmers Only)
25-29 Men
2 Eric Sorensen 1:55:44
25-29 Women
10 Ashley Cordell 2:14:24
45-49 Women
12 Anne Viviani 2:37:39
50-54 Women
13 Susan Falsey 3:01:46
60-64 Men
6 Brad Leonard 2:50:56
Physically Challenged 1 Chase Baker 3:22:22
Triathlon Top Finishers
June 6, 1999
(Potomac Valley Masters Swimmers Only) Complete Results: http://www.lin-mark.com/beres99.htm Grand Masters Men 1 Antonio Panizza 5:08:23 Men 20-24 6 Bennett Johnson 4:32:15 Female 25-29 1 Amy Baribeau 4:51:15 Female 30-34 7 Laura Church 4:57:02 Male 35-39 5 Michael Wroblewski 4:21:17 Female 65-69 2 Marge Stahl 8:24:43
By Cheryl Wagner
Report from the Chair:
Report from the Registrar:
Report from Sanctions:
Report from the Newsletter Editor:
Other Business:
Next Meeting:
The next meeting will be held on November 7, 12PM, at Jeff's Roddin's house at 13548 Coachlamp Lane, Silver Spring, MD. Phone: 301-603-0528.
Directions:
Dover Solo: Swimming the English Channel
Marcia Cleveland from Connecticut Masters recently wrote a book about her 1994 English Channel Swim. Marcia says "it was fun to write and helped me to create a memoir for what happened. I told it like it happened and didn't sugarcoat the experience. It was hard work and I laid out what I did with my training for three years, just in case someone reading this book is considering a Channel swim."
The coast is $20 plus $4 for shipping and handling. Please send inquiries to Marcia at 31 Terrace Avenue, Riverside, Connecticut 06878 or doversolo@aol.com.
Swimming Past 50: From the Human Kinetics Series
Mel Goldstein and Dave Tanner have compiled "a unique study of masters swimming that covers all aspects," according to Olympian and multiple Masters record holder Jeff Farrell. "The book is filled with information that will benefit the most experienced masters swimmer."
Chapters One and Two were printed in the August edition of the Saturday Evening Post along with a six-page article on masters swimming. The book retails for $16.95 and can be purchased at most major book stores.
A complete list of USMS events is maintained at http://www.usms.org/comp/calendar.htm
9/18/99 Lake Montclair 1-Mile & 2-mile Swims - Prince William County, Virginia; Brian Hobbs, (703) 791-2982, www.crosslink.net/~cherylw/opnmast.htm
9/25/99 One-mile Bay Swim - Wildwood Crest, New Jersey; (609) 729-3038, www.lmsports.com
9/26/99 1K, 3K, & 5K Sunfest Open Water Swims - Ocean City, Maryland; Ken Zuiderhof, 301-934-3675, kzuiderhof@mail.ccboe.com; Sanctioned by Maryland LMSC
10/9/99 Columbus Day Meet - Washington, DC; Mike Pletke, 202-667-2732, MRPletke@aol.com; Sanctioned by PV LMSC
10/16/99-
10/24/99 1999 Pan Pacific Championships - Australia; www.stmarys.wa.edu.au/panpacs
10/21/99-
10/29/99 National Senior Games - Orlando, Florida; Long Course Meters; National Senior Games, 504-379-7337, ngsa@idismail.com; For those 50 years old and up.
11/7/99-
11/8/99 Colonies Zone SCM Champs - Rutgers University, Piscataway, NewJersey; Cathy Copeland, 732-828-4679, cope@webspan.net; Sanctioned by New Jersey LMSC
12/5/99 1000/1650 Meet - University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland; Dave Diehl, 301-946-0649(h), 301-314-5372(w), 301-314-9094(fax), DD119@umail.umd.edu ; Sanctioned by PV LMSC
1/31/2000 2000 USMS 1-Hour Postal Championship; Mel Goldstein, 317-253-8289, goldstein@mindspring.com; Sanctioned by Indiana LMSC
4/21/2000-
4/23/2000 The "Shootout" Colonies/Dixie Zone Short Course Yards Champs - Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; Stu Marvin, 954-468-1580(w), 954-474-7010(h), stum@ci.ftlaud.fl.us ; Sanctioned by Florida Gold Coast LMSC (editor's note: this meet may be canceled due to rescheduling of 2000 USMS SC Nats)
6/3/2000 7.5-Mile Potomac River Swim; Joe Stewart (410) 243-4418, www.crosslink.net/~cherylw/pr2000i.htm
6/17/2000 Chester River 8-mile Swim; Joe Stewart (410) 243-4418, www.crosslink.net/~cherylw/cr2000i.htm
7/8/2000 Chester River Swim for Life - 1, 2, 3, and 4 mile events; Joe Stewart (410) 243-4418
7/27/2000-
8/9/2000 VIII FINA Masters World Championships - Munich, Germany; Long Course Meters; USMS National Office, PO Box 185, Londonderry, NH 03053-0185, 603-537-0203, 603-537-0204(fax), usms@usms.org; VIII FINA Worlds Organizing Committee, (49) 89 89 160 920, (49) 89 89 160 921(fax); www.fina.org/mastersnews.html
8/17/2000-
8/20/2000 2000 USMS Long Course Nationals - Baltimore, Maryland; Barbara Protzman, 410-788-2964, 410-992-3760, 410-992-3772, swimbarb@hotmail.com; Sanctioned by Maryland LMSC
