Articles and MEETS

Good morning!

Just a reminder that there is a great chance to swim on August 29! Check in at the fitness counter to get a form, or check Ed's email for the PDF of the form. Please remember to add times!

The first article from USMS is "Swimming Workout Variety for Improved Performance,"written by Terry Heggy. Check it out for some great ideas on mixing things up in your workouts.

The second article is from SwimSwam contributor Olivier Poirier-Leroy. It has some great ideas for ways to improve kick strength. It is aptly named "4 Sets to Develop a More Powerful Kick."

If you haven't been following the World Championship action in Kazan, check in regularly with SwimSwam to see how things are progressing.

Happy Swimming!

Upcoming Meets and Stroke Clinics

With yesterdays heavy rains, the pool temperature has finally be lowered to a reasonable low 80's. Hope you all are enjoying it.

 

Our usual 3rd Sat morning workout is cancelled due to a final home swim meet for the Valdese youth team. We will  meet as usual on our third Monday, July 20 at 5:30 pm.

 

The next stroke clinic is Saturday July 25 at 10:00. Linda Kidd plans on more focus on back stroke & other efficiency techniques.

 

Interested in USMS competition?

 

Meet Entries close for the July 25th Goldsboro Long Course State Championship this Saturday, July 18th.  If you plan on attending, don't wait until the last minute.  Use the following link to see meet information and register for the meet:

https://www.clubassistant.com/club/meet_information.cfm?c=1910&smid=6672

 

Asheville will host the 10th Annual Steve Barden Short Course Yards Meet Saturday, September 12th, entries close on Wednesday, September 9th.  Use the following link to see meet information and register for the meet:

https://www.clubassistant.com/club/meet_information.cfm?c=1561&smid=6848

 

Also, don't forget our local meet scheduled for August 29. More information to follow.

Remember, Stroke Clinic on Saturday

STROKE CLINIC: SATURDAY @ 1000 VALDESE POOL with  Coach Linda Kidd. Improve your back stroke without  increasing the risk of injury. Remember your donation to the Xcell Swim team for the clinic.

 

See this article to help improve your freestyle stroke:

 

http://www.usms.org/articles/articledisplay.php?aid=3074

 

And remember, with temperatures as high as they have been, the water temperature in well above 80 degrees, so slow down and don't overheat in the water.

Updates, Meet Dates, and Backstroke Clinic

Hi, Everyone!

There is a group practice this Saturday, June 20, at 8:30am for anyone interested.Come work with some of the new equipment.

Linda will be holding a backstroke clinic on June 27, at 10:00am. Please email kiddswimming@yahoo.com to RSVP. $20 is suggested.

Finally, some meet and camp dates:

Hold The Date: August 29 (morning): all ages welcome in Valdese for a fall version of the Spring Splash. More details on events, times, etc. This will be without the bubble!

The Long Course Meters State Championships are being held at the Y Pool in Goldsboro, Saturday, July 25th, entries close on July 18th.  There are discounts for early entry.  The following link has entry information:

https://www.clubassistant.com/club/meet_information.cfm?c=1910&smid=6672

 

The US Masters High Performance Swim Camp is being held in Greensboro August 22nd-25th.  See the following link for more information:

http://www.ncmasters.org/2015-performance-camp.pdf

 

If you want more information,  go to the NC USMS website to learn more about joining. Also check out the bulletin board with some USMS dates.

See everyone soon, and bring a friend!

Some Great Articles and Equipment Reminder

Happy Friday!

Just a reminder to everyone that equipment can be picked up from Ed on mornings and from Bryan on Monday evenings. Try it out! Here is a good article about how using fins can help out your swimming!

The Valdese Torpedo summer team will be selling tickets to the Crawdads' game on July 17th. Check with a team member or coach to purchase some. The funds will help us finish purchasing the final three lane line and a line reel appropriate for the bigger buoys. Tickets are $9, and $6 comes back to the team.

Here is an interesting little article about swimming for fitness. Peruse it at your leisure! Also, check out this great little article about USMS and the appeal of the sport to everyone from young, ex-Olympians to older, recreational swimmers.

Have a great weekend!

Some Updates and Articles!

Happy Friday, everyone!

First of all, congratulations to all of those who will be participating at the Senior Games today! Go RTS!

The Bubble is coming down! For the next week, the pool will be closed as the cover comes off for the summer. Get ready for some beautiful sunrise swims. It will reopen Monday, May 18. Remember, you can still swim at Morganton this week if you need your chlorine fix.

Since the pool is closed, Linda's stroke clinic will most likely be the Saturday of the Memorial Day weekend (May 23). Please RSVP to kiddswimming@yahoo.com if you are interested.

Ed is in the process of procuring some equipment for the team to share. If you have any particular suggestions, please feel free to share your thoughts with him.

Finally, there have been some great articles out over the past few weeks that Ed has emailed. Please go through and read them for some great information! Also, in the event you missed the coverage of the recent USMS Nationals, check out the video recap from SwimSwam:  http://swimswam.com/2015-nationwide-usms-spring-nationals-results-records-and-more-video-feature/.

Happy Swimming!

Swim Swam Article about USMS

Hi everyone!

I wanted to share this with you all after reading it this afternoon on SwimSwam. Take a look and see if you can identify with the author/swimmer here!

Check it out: http://swimswam.com/11-things-ive-learned-from-two-weeks-of-masters-swimming/

Have a great night, and good swimming!

David

Practice Tonight and Equipment Suggestions

Good afternoon!

We have a little bit of money now for some equipment. Linda has given some useful suggestions for things to purchase, including rotation devices like paddles, Tech-Tok, and bungees. Please give us some feedback as to what you think would be useful for the team by emailing Ed.

Linda will hold another stroke clinic the morning of May 16. Please don't forget to RSVP with Linda at kiddswimming@yahoo.com if you plan to attend. $20 is the suggested donation amount.

Our next practice is tonight at 5:30pm. See you there!

Senior Games Survey, Triathlon, and More!

First off, thanks to everyone who participated in the Spring Splash. We had a lot of fun and raised some decent money as our cut of the entry fees. The members of RTS who participated did a great job, showing that just because we aren't age groupers anymore doesn't mean we can't win.

This Saturday, April 18, is the Valdese Triathlon! Please come down around 9am to see the swimmers do their thing and cheer on our members who are participating.

The Valdese Torpedo Swim Team - the summer team sponsored by the Rec. - has begun signing up swimmers for this summer. Tell friends, family, neighbors, grandchildren, etc. The girls won conference last year, and the boys were second. Let's make it first and first this year! Check out vtst.blogspot.com for more information.

Thanks to everyone who has completed the survey sent out via email. You responses help us have a better understanding of where you want this program- YOUR program - to go in the future.

Speaking of surveys- Ed wanted anyone who is over the age of 50 to take a moment to fill out the National Senior Games Association Survey. Read below for more details.

Senior Health and Wellness

Fitness Age Test and NSGA Survey Update

We have currently received more than 3,200 responses to the NSGA Fitness Age Survey - GREAT job athletes! However, more is better and we need as many as possible to take the Fitness Age Test and report your Fitness Age to NSGA. This will help us prepare a scientific report to share with the world.

 

We have had feedback that some of you were not able to access or complete the Fitness Age Test. The Norwegian research team reports that at times their website had very high volume and that probably caused the difficulty. If you are one of those who had an issue, please try again. If you haven't done it yet, do it - every single response is important!

• Step 1: Go here to take the https://www.worldfitnesslevel.org/?group=xxyeeslohf#/
• 
  
• Step 2:  Go here and report your Fitness Age to https://docs.google.com/a/nsga.com/forms/d/1NthXD3KoqJ_EinJZZZWqgFdHYUdM_PEpktGKRDsKu60/viewform

THANK YOU!

Good Swimming!

Get ready to Compete in the Meet!

Just a reminder to everyone that the meet sign-up deadline is March 21st. Please stop by the fitness counter and get signed up. In the event you can't swim but want to assist with the meet, please contact David Andersen at valdeseswimcoach@gmail.com to hear where we need people to assist.

The "Valdese Grill" will be open the day of the meet and we have some lunch packages available. Below is the menu:
$3.00 hot dog/chips/drink
$4.00 hamburger or cheeseburger/ chips/drink
Pre-ordering will help them have enough food on hand, so please include this on your sign-up.

In the meantime, check out some great, healthy options for simple meals-in-a-cup (smoothies).

Anti-cholesterol

• 2 handfuls raw kale
• ½ cup blueberries
• 1 banana
• ⅓ cup cooked oatmeal
• 10 almonds
• 2 Tablespoons raw cacao
• Add ½ cup water, ice, or almond milk and blend

Anti-aging

• 2 handfuls raw kale
• ½ avocado (pitted and peeled)
• 1 medium nectarine or peach, pitted and chopped
• ½ cup blueberries
• 10 walnut halves
• Add ½ cup water, ice, or almond milk and blend

Anti-oxidant

• 1 apple, quartered
• 1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped
• ¼ cup red cabbage, chopped
• ½ cup watermelon, cubed
• ¾ cup blueberries
• -Add ½ cup water or ice and blend

Lean green machine

• 1 apple, cored and quartered
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 handful raw kale
• ½ lemon
• ¼ cup parsley
• 1 Tablespoon chia or sunflower seeds
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• Add ½ cup water or ice and blend

Berry body blast

• ¼ cup frozen blueberries
• ¼ cup fresh or frozen pineapple
• ½ cup frozen raspberries
• ¼ cup frozen strawberries
• ½ cup plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon dried goji berries
• ¼ cup water or almond milk
• Add 1 cup ice and blend

While NutriBullet is a popular blending appliance, there are other devices on the market, such as the Ninja Blender. Your kitchen blender can work, as well; just be sure to blend the ingredients until the drink is smooth.

Practice Tomorrow!

Good afternoon everyone,

Please don't forget tomorrow is a practice day at the Rec. 5:30pm!

While you're there, don't forget to pick up a form to sign up for the meet on March 28. They are available at the fitness counter.

Have a great Sunday!

Article on Breathing, Stroke Clinic, and more!

Good Friday everyone!

Linda will hold another stroke clinic this month; likely Sat Feb 21 featuring kicks and starts. This would be a great preparation for our planned meet in March. Please RSVP to her (kiddswimming@yahoo.com), and please remember to have a donation for her time. $20 is suggested.

Be on the lookout for registration information for the meet we are looking to host at the end of March. The tentative date is March 28. If not participating, we will definitely need volunteers to help with timing and other jobs to make it a great experience.

Finally, take a look at this article by Terry Heggy from USMS on breathing for some good tips on how your breathing can impact your stroke: http://www.usms.org/articles/articledisplay.php?aid=3063.

Good swimming!

Get Ready for the Meets!

Good evening everyone!

Just a reminder that there will be a team practice at 5:30pm this Monday.  Hope to see you on deck.

 

Also, put the date on your calendar: Saturday, March 28, all comers swim meet(non-sanctioned) at Valdese. More information to follow with details.

 

See everyone on Monday!

MEETS!

Good morning!

Just one more reminder of the stroke clinic this coming Saturday at 10am. Please email Linda to RSVP!

There are some meets coming up in the next two months for those registered with USMS. To those interested in joining USMS but who just aren't sure about it yet, check out one of these meets to go and cheer on some of your teammates and see if it is something for you!

• The 41st Annual Sunbelt Championships meet in Charlotte January 31st and February 1st, meet entry deadline is Sunday January 25th

• The Frank Clark Memorial meet in Greensboro March 1st, meet entry deadline is Sunday, February 22nd

• The 2015 NC Short Course Yards Championships in Cary March 28th and 29th, early discounted entry fee deadline is February 28 and final deadline is March 25th

Links and information for all three meets and announcement dates for other meets can be found on the http://www.ncmasters.org/meets.html web page.

 

Good swimming!

Some training articles from Ed...

Good afternoon everyone,

Take a moment to check out some articles from USMS and SwimSwam:

"Don't Be Afraid to Try a Swim Meet" by Dustin Poe at USMS
"Five Fun Drills for Improving 'Feel for the Water'" by Terry Heggy at USMS
"6 Excuse-Busting Tips for Swimmers" by Olivier Poirier-Leroy at Swim Swam

Don't forget, there is a stroke clinic about freestyle on Saturday, January 17th!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year RTS!

We hope the holidays have been great for everyone!

Linda Kidd will be hosting another clinic on Saturday, January 17th (King Weekend) from 10-11am. Please contact her by email to RSVP. Her address is kiddswimming@yahoo.com. The goal of the clinic is to work on freestyle breathing techniques.

Keep on practicing! Lap swim time at the Rec. will be more crowded as folks get prepared for the triathlon, so please share lanes! Circle swimming is not a bad thing, and it doesn't hurt to share a lane with a partner or two.

Many folks have reported an inability to make our semi-monthly swim sessions (1st & 3rd Mondays, 530 PM), so I have checked with Brett (Pool Mgr) about our having a 3rd practice during the month (2nd or 4th Saturday, 0830-1000). If you are interested or would support another time we can train together, please send Ed a response with your preference.

 

See following for our schedule for the next 6 months:

Jan: 5 & 19

Feb: 2&16

Mar: 2&16

Apr: 6&20

May: 4&18

Jun: 1&15

 

We hope to have some additional meet dates in addition to Senior Games up soon!