Countdown to Atlanta. The 2010 Short Course National Championships Online Registration is available. Online registration closes at 11:59PM ET on April 15. Paper registrations must be postmarked by April 8 or received by April 15. 

SwimFest '10 Online Registration is available;
the three-day clinic will be hosted at UC San Diego June 4-6. Many LMSCs are offering travel scholarships for Masters coaches. Check with your LMSC for more information.

2010 Summer National Championships in San Juan, Puerto Rico will be August 9-12; see event page for more details.

by Hermine Terhorst

Think about it ... no, really!

The largest part of the brain controls the upper body, a fact anyone reading this article should know.

On April 13, 2009 60 Minutes did a segment on artificial limbs. I sat mesmerized by what was being reported. Demonstrated for all to see was a robotic arm sitting on a table two feet away from the solider who would be using it eventually. It was connected to him via wires and electrodes to his nerves that existed for the arm that "used to be there." [Read more]

by Jessica Jakobi

Congratulations to everyone who completed the 33rd annual One Hour Postal (OHP) swim, or as we at Tamalpais Aquatic Masters (TAM) like to call it, "Happy Hour". What an amazing event. We accepted online entries for the first time in the history of the swim and had blistering record levels of participation. A total of 2,961 swimmers ranging from ages 18-90 swam the event including 275 relays.

9 new records were set: 6 women's, 3 men's and 5 relays:
[Read more]

Asphalt Sees More Green

Speedo USA has selected Asphalt Green's AGUA Masters to be the first-ever recipient of a Masters swim team sponsorship. Under the guidance of Coach Criag Keller, the team has seen growth of over 300 percent and set more than 100 team records.

"The growth and success of Asphalt Green's AGUA Masters swim team makes them an ideal sponsorship partner for Speedo USA," explained Craig Brommers, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Speedo USA. "It's exciting to see Speedo USA supporting teams like Asphalt Green," added Rob Butcher, Executive Director of U.S. Masters Swimming.

AGUA Masters currently has 269 swimmers ranging in age from 18 to 77. As part of Speedo sponsorship agreements, Masters teams are eligible for discounts on a variety of Speedo swim and apparel products, as well as free promotional items for their members attending U.S. Masters Swimming national level competitions.

The Family Secret: An Endless Pool

by Phillippe Diederich

The Cronins are a swimming family and at this year's New England Masters Championship at Harvard, three generations competed in the family team, Technique and Training, better known as TNT. The team fielded three-generation mixed relays and ended up taking first place in the small team division.

The team matriarch is 84-year-old Marilyn Cronin, joined by her daughter, sons and grandchildren.

Marilyn has been busy training in an Endless Pool for the last few months to get ready for the meet. This strategy paid off when she brought home three silvers and two golds last weekend. [Read more]

2010 FINA World Masters Coaching Oppportunity

Masters coaches needed for World Championships team in Sweden. For more information, fill out this online application. April 10 is the application deadline.

Membership Transfers

by Tracy Grilli

Thinking about transferring to a different club? You cannot represent your new club in competition until at least 60 days have passed since you last competed as a member of your previous club. There are some things you can do to ensure this process goes smoothly.

Let's pretend that Joe Swimmer is currently registered with Club ABC, in the Pacific LMSC. Joe's college buddies are all registered with Club XYZ, in the Ohio LMSC. They want Joe to transfer to their club so that they can swim on relays together at this year's Summer Nationals (August 9-13).

What are Joe's responsibilities? Ideally, Joe should do the following:
         
1. Contact the Pacific registrar, notify her that he is planning to      transfer to a club outside of the Pacific LMSC, and ask her to change his club to "UNAT" (Unattached) in his USMS membership record.
2. Contact the Ohio registrar and ask for a transfer form.
3. Enter the USMS Summer Nationals using his NEW club name (even if he hasn't officially transferred yet)
4. Enter and compete at all meets from June 9 - August 8 with a club affiliation of UNAT
5. Verify that the meet results from those meets show him as UNAT. (At the meets, he should confirm with the computer operator that he is entered as UNAT.)

Ultimately, it is the swimmer's responsibility to follow the rules when transferring clubs. For further assistance or information, contact Tracy Grilli, USMS membership coordinator, at the National Office.

Featured Club Video

Daytona Beach Masters

Check out this months featured club, Daytona Beach Masters on our YouTube Channel.

    

We've Got Spirit!

Tampa Metro Masters

Florida had one of the coldest winters on record this year, but it did not stop the Tampa Metro Masters from getting their practice in. What you are seeing is not steam, but condensation due to a temperature differential between the pool and the air.