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!