Pacific Masters Update April 15

Whatever the reason we start Masters swimming, many of us depend on our coaches to keep us coming back to the pool. Whether it is providing stroke instruction to help us improve or stay injury free, workouts that are interesting and challenging, or a word of encouragement when we are feeling down, our coaches are an essential element of our swimming routine. Despite their importance, it is easy to take them for granted and forget to thank them for their efforts. For this reason, Pacific Masters Swimming established Coach Appreciation Week designated as the week beginning with the first Sunday in May. The Annual Pacific Masters Coach Appreciation Week will be May 5 to 11, 2019.

Tim Edmonds of Stanford Masters Swimming has been selected as the 2019 Pacific Masters Swimming Coach of the Year.  This award recognizes excellence in coaching skills and inspiration, as reflected by individual and club performance at sanctioned events, club vigor, size and growth, and service to the Masters swimming community.

A new year is here and the 2019 Age Groups Standings page is active. Final Standings for 2018 aren’t quite in final form as we wait for USMS to publish its short course meters top ten list. That list is expected in late February.

As a 503(c)(3) non-profit, Pacific Masters by-laws require that an annual meeting open to all members be held.  For years, the annual meeting was just another monthly get-together of the board and committee chairs for approving the budget and a few other mandatory business items. In 2012, the decision to turn this meeting into a celebration of all things Pacific Masters gave rise to the extraordinary gathering that took place at St Mary’s College last week.

The Annual Celebration and Meeting is a full day of activities in which we enjoy our swimming community, commemorate the prior year, and recognize all the things we love about our sport. The ambitious program began with morning workouts.

Lots of meetings in a labyrinthine conference center. Darting out to forage for food at odd intervals. An enormous blue bridge at sunset. Badges. Bags. Awards. Old friends and new colleagues. The finer points of parliamentary procedure. A remarkable election. Above all, love for the sport.

For about a week each September, you might find a few of your teammates missing. Chances are that they are delegates to the annual United States Masters Swimming convention. Over four days, representatives from throughout the country come together to do the organization’s business. Since its inception, the convention has been critical to the continuing viability of USMS. It is here that the heavy lifting of guiding USMS takes place.